Success and Failure Blog

We live in the Green era. Everything around us is about conserving the environment; from planting trees to manufacturing hybrid cars, the dream of a ‘Toyota Herbal with a jojoba  windscreen and camomile tyres’ has actually been realized. Well, technically at least. Scientists have succeeded in drawing our attention to the natural gifts mother earth has to offer, like rain and nutritious food substances. We have herbal shampoos, herbal toothpaste, herbal cooking ingredients to add to herbal food, herbal medicine, you name it! If it exists, it can be colored green!

The underlying principle to this green obsession is nature, the more natural it is the better it is, not just for mankind, but for the environment as well (which eventually translates to ‘good for mankind’). While natural food substances like fresh vegetables and fruits are good for the body, hybrid cars have less toxic emissions and are good for the environment. Nature preserves itself. You would think the creator of the universe (nature therein encompassed) would know this, wouldn’t you? Well, he does!

During his ministry on earth, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God, used parables to teach his disciples. Many a time, his parables were not understood. He gave simple illustrations about everyday life; a king and his servants, a seed and a sower, a father and his son. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to the most natural things in an effort to teach his disciples about a concept that was so foreign to them that they couldn’t fully fathom and grasp the essence of its fullness. He gave them the gospel, in its most natural form. Its greenest form.

You see, since the beginning, God fashioned the earth after the spiritual realm. He created the light and separated it from the darkness, he created the plants and animals then fashioned man after his own image and gave him dominion over all the creatures of the earth, he created a companion for the man and gave them the instruction to multiply, he created family. God gave man these physical events, so that when later on he needed to teach man about the spiritual things, man had a reference, an illustration, an example of what God was talking about.

Years later, when God calls Moses and tells him that he has been chosen to “deliver my people,” Moses understands how dear these people are to God because he considers them his relatives, his people, his family. Jesus says to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants, but I have called you friends” indicating that God desires not an official or business relationship with man but an intimate one. One based on love, loyalty, faithfulness and trust. The bible speaks of the church as the bride of Christ, depicting an unbreakable union between man and God. Did he not say to Adam and Eve that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh? God desires to be so permanently ingrained in our being that there is no separating God from Levine, God from Peter, God from John, God from Mary.

Therefore, the question is not why use parables, types, and symbols, rather, how can we understand his imagery? The answer is this: through the instruction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said of the Holy Ghost, “The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) The disciples needed Jesus to explain his parables to them because they were not yet filled with the Holy Ghost. The role of the Holy Spirit is to simplify the teachings of Christ and explain the mysteries of God to us in a language we can understand. I Corinthians 2:6-16 tells us that, just as only the spirit of a man can know what he thinks about, the Holy Spirit alone <who is the Spirit of God> knows what God is thinking.

So God speaks to us daily through the natural things we do. He preaches his gospel to us mothers when we offer our unconditional love to our babies, he preaches to the fathers when they pride in the beauty, innocence and tiniest achievements of their sons, he preaches to the kings in their dealings with and expectations of their servants, he preaches to friends when they hold one another at funerals and toast to each other at weddings, and he preaches to lovers, when in the privacy and sanctity of the matrimonial bed, they consummate their marriage.

As you go through your day today, and every day for that matter, listen to the Gospel Herbal that God is preaching to you through his precious Holy Spirit. As you take a bath in the morning, say a prayer of repentance and give your spirit a bath as well. When you stop to kiss your wife goodbye and tell her that you love her before leaving for the office, stop and tell God that you love him too. When you board the bus and pay your fare, ask yourself whether you have given anything to God. If your boss reprimands you for not meeting a deadline at work, remind yourself that God chastises those he loves. When you thank the waiter who serves you lunch, thank God for his provision over your life, when you get home cold and tired in the evening and your blanket warmly welcomes you into its folds, know that God is holding you in a warm and tight embrace, watching over you as you sleep.

By so doing, you cultivate an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit and get to be served greater chunks of the Gospel Herbal!

I’m a young mom to a handsome 10-month-old baby boy. Before I had him, I always wondered what it was like to change a dirty diaper. The movies make it look like such an unpleasant task and the phrase ‘diaper duty’ doesn’t help either! Surprisingly, I find that I enjoy changing my baby’s diaper. I don’t feel grossed out or yucky about it as I used to think I would. I do it carefully and with a lot of love, making sure I wipe him clean and dry. I oil him each time I change him to make sure his skin is well moisturised and protected so he doesn’t develop a rash.

Today God taught me that that’s how he feels about me. He doesn’t get tired of cleansing me from sin. Each time I sin I mess up my life, but when I come running to him, he quickly picks me up in his loving arms and wipes my slate clean! He doesn’t do it roughly or in anger, but with a lot of  love and gentleness. He wants me to be clean, he enjoys cleaning me up, he loves cleansing me from sin!

Can you imagine a mother fuming at her 2-month-old infant because he’s pooped in his diaper? That would be insane! In the same way, God doesn’t get angry at me when I sin or repent. The bible says “For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust“  (Psalm 103:14) and “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1st John 8-9). He loves to wipe away our sins and give us a fresh start.

Refusing to repent, on the other hand, is detrimental to me and saddens God greatly. Even a baby feels uncomfortable and cries when he needs changing. Therefore the natural thing for me to do when I mess up is to come running to God. Not to feel guilty or rejected or wallow in self-pity and condemnation. Neither should I cower and hide in fear as Adam and Eve did. Run to God, not from him!

A human being is composed of the physical body, the soul and the spirit. The physical body is the part that we can see and touch, the soul comprises the emotions, innate intelligence, and will of the individual, and the spirit is the part of us that recognizes and worships God.

Just as the physical body is characterized by five physical senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste), so are the soul and the spirit. We often engage our soul and spiritual senses without our knowledge. Indeed, most of us are so caught up in the physical realm that we are almost completely oblivious to the soul and spirit realms.

In our physical bodies, we see with our physical eyes. Light is reflected from an object into our eyes. Our pupils constrict or dilate to allow in just enough light, which is concentrated at the retina in the back of the physical eye, converted into a nerve impulse and carried by the optical nerve to the brain for interpretation. Our brain then tells us that what we saw was a table, a star, a car, a circular object, etc.

Now, please indulge me by performing a little experiment for me. Just as you are seated before your computer, picture yourself walking to your house. You open the front door and walk in. Now picture yourself walking to your bedroom… what do you see? What objects are lying in the way? What color is the hallway? What can you see on your bedroom door? Now you are inside the room. Try picturing the way your room is organized, the position of the bed, the color of the quilt, the wardrobe, the mirror, the window? Can you see it?

Now, come back to where you are at this very moment. Were you able to see your house and your room in your mind’s eye? What were you doing a moment ago? You were imagining. You were using the eyes of your soul to see the places that are familiar to you. You can use your imagination to see places you’ve never been to physically, you can even use it to see places, people and objects that don’t exist physically! But in your mind, you see them as clear as day! You are engaging the eyes of your imagination, the eyes of your soul.

There is another type of vision that is less commonly used. It is often ignored and sidelined because it is not understood. Because we are so much in tune with our physical bodies and are accustomed to our physical laws, we believe that what cannot be seen must not exist. True, we cannot naturally see air, but we know that if we condensed it the air it would turn into water (which we can see) and then ice (also visible).

Some people do not believe in God because they have never seen him. They think that God is simply a fragment of somebody’s imagination. But if you are a Christian, as I am, you know that God is real and much bigger than your imagination. How? Because your faith tells you so.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen with our physical eyes. (Hebrews 11:1, addition mine). Faith is the eye of the spirit. It sees things in the spirit realm before they can be made manifest in the physical realm. Everything we see in the physical realm has it’s origin in the spirit, for God is the Creator of the universe, and in him are all things made. Just as an architect must first visualize his design in his mind before sketching it on paper for the mason to use in building the house, so does God first manifest his creation in the spirit realm, before imprinting it in our imagination (or DNA in some cases), for us to then physically create the final product; a process that takes time.

When God says “By his (Jesus’) wounds you are healed,” your physical body is ailing but your spirit, by faith, sees your body whole and complete in the spirit realm. So then, your faith tells you that you will get better and you believe it because you’ve seen it. Even though you haven’t!

God says “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11) You might be struggling financially, maybe you’re in debt, or you’ve just lost your job and are wondering how you’re going to support yourself, but when you read this verse or you hear him whisper it in your ear, suddenly you’re at peace. Why?

Because although you didn’t move physically, your spirit eyes were opened and you were able to see yourself in the spiritual realm. You saw yourself living out God’s plan for your life. Faith takes you into God’s world and into his mind. You see inside God’s mind, how he sees you; happy and thriving, your every need catered for. Remember that ‘time in the spirit realm is ahead of that of the physical realm,’ somewhat like seeing yourself in the future. You relax physically because you’ve already received the answer to your questions spiritually.

Your physical eyes have not seen it, your mind cannot understand or process it, but you know it!

You are then able to imagine yourself prospering (your 2-D sight’s kicking in now) and you begin to think of ways to make money, start sending out job applications and doing creative stuff with your physical body (your one dimensional, primary vision is now catching up). Before you know it, you have a new job, someone gives you a check, you make a simple discovery and all of a sudden you’re the next Zuckerberg or Google or Gates!

That’s 3-D vision for you! Faith.

A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with some lovely ladies at work and was intrigued by the questions they raised as they discussed a trend that has recently gained so much momentum that I wonder if we will ever be able to haul in the reins on it. Divorce. Have you noticed how many couples are splitting lately? Some will come right out and get a divorce, some will call it ‘separation,’ others call it ‘amicably parting ways.’ Call it what you may, it isn’t God’s intended plan.

As the lovely ladies recounted tale after tale of seemingly ‘match-made-in-heaven’ couples who ended up parting ways for any number of reasons, right from incompatibility, just better suited as friends and not as a couple, fell out of love, sickness, poverty, bankruptcy, infidelity… (the list is endless really), the question of the true meaning of love slowly arose. One lady argued that love doesn’t exist. That this thing we call ‘love’ is just a cheap excuse for all the emotional mistakes we make, that it is irrelevant when choosing a life partner, and that for a marriage to work it should be treated as a ludicrous business investment, complete with a detailed signed contract, lawyers, no emotional involvement whatsoever, the works!

I attempted to answer her question at the time but even I found my explanation wanting. So I’ve been praying over it and asking the Master to reveal it to me. And he, in his wonderful faithfulness, revealed it to me as I walked home for lunch not too long ago. It’s so simple that when he said it I didn’t believe it. I’ve had enough time to think it through and ask all the questions I had and I’m now convinced that love is really just simple. Not easy, simple.

‘To be good to – ‘ That’s what love means. To love someone is to be good to them. To love something is to be good to it, to use it in a way that will preserve it’s value while maximizing its potential. To love God is to be good to him. That’s it!

For clarity’s sake, let me expound on what this goodness is. It doesn’t mean to do ‘good’ things or to ‘please’ someone. Instead it means doing the right thing. To be good to someone means to do the most beneficial thing for that person. It means to uphold the integrity of the person, to respect them. For example, a person full of love will not harass a waiter at a hotel, or rudely answer a watchman at the company gate, or show some despicable hand signals to other road users. The love in him causes him to refrain from these actions. When you walk into a shop and the attendant steps up to help you, love commands – or demands – that you speak politely to them no matter their looks, dress, IQ, or even if they’re chewing gum! It doesn’t mean that you have to hug them and declare that you love them in front of everyone!

1st Corinthians 13 is a well known passage of scripture. It talks about love and its various attributes. My understanding of the passage is that it is God’s guide to what it means to be good to others, what it means to love others. When the apostle says ‘Love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, always rejoices with truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, never fails… in essence he is describing the action of love. If I can paraphrase, “When you love someone, it means that at all times you will be good to them; you will be patient with them and kind to them, you will not envy them but rejoice when they receive good things, you will not boast of your possessions and your achievement, putting them down in the process, but you will seek to edify them, to encourage them, to uplift them…”

Love and like are not alike. Not in the slightest. Love is an independent entity. It is not dependent on who the receiver is, what they look like, how they act, how they dress, what they like, how learned they are, how clean they are, what they’ve done, what they haven’t done. It not even dependent on the giver, and what he likes, and what he wants, and what sort of mood he’s in. Love is purely independent. There is nothing like ‘conditional love.’ Love is unconditional. Conditional love is as real as a cold fire. Like, on the other hand, is purely dependent. It is more of a feeling, an affirmation we unconsciously make of another person’s actions, behavior, and mere presence.

The bible says that God is love. And it also says that God is good. It therefore follows that love is good. The two are synonymous, but only in their true form. Just because someone is acting good towards you doesn’t mean that they love you. It could only be a ruse to get something out of you. But if someone is constantly being good towards you, even in his motives and unexpressed thoughts concerning you, then that person surely loves you. Remember too, that in Genesis, God created man in his own image. And since God is love, then man is the image of love. The difference is that man has been corrupted by sin, and sin defiles love. The more we live in sin, the further we move away from love. It becomes increasingly easier for us to lie, steal, curse, molest, assault, murder, drink, abuse drugs, fornicate, commit adultery… There is less and less love in us hence less inclination to be good to anyone. Including ourselves. The closer we come to God, as he washes away our sins and purges us with the blood of the Messiah, the richer our love grows.

Love doesn’t always feel good. No child enjoys the stroke(s) of the cane, yet the Lord advices us not to spare the rod lest we spoil the child. Hebrews 12:6 tells us that the Lord disciplines those he loves and punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Love sometimes means making great sacrifices like the one God made when he gave up Jesus to die for our sins. See, the bible says “For God so loved the world…” He did it out of love. It wasn’t just a random act, or a careless gesture, or an idiotic notion. It was a sacrifice driven purely by love. But love at times means saying no. It means that because I love you I will not spoil you with money before you learn its value. It means that because I love you I will not encourage your fantasies by agreeing to date you even when I know that I will never marry you. It means that because I love you I will not support your homosexual tendencies, I will not support your false religion and claims that Jesus is not the only way to heaven, I will not support your prostitution and fornication in the guise of ‘love’ or ‘poverty’ or whatever excuse you give for it. I will do what I can for you, but I will not support you in sin, because I know that the consequence of sin is destruction and I do not want you to be destroyed. Because I love you.

One last thing. So loving someone means being good to them, and loving something means being good to it – giving my baby healthy food, taking my car for servicing, treating my girlfriend with respect and not engaging in sex before marriage because I do not want to make her sin – but how can I be good to God? I am supposed to love God, aren’t I? Why, of course! King Solomon has the answer to that. Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” The apostle John reiterates this in his first letter. 1st John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” All that he wants us to do is to obey his commands. Not so he can feel powerful and elevated, not to stroke or massage his ego (if he has one!) for he is not puffed up of full of himself, but because they are guidelines to true happiness on earth.

It states that God is perfect, therefore everything he does is perfect, therefore everything he creates is perfect. Including man.

Wait, wait a minute. Before you erupt in a torrent of derogatory statements directed at my intelligence…

Think of the most handsome guy or beautiful chic you know. They have a MAJOR flaw, right? Either in their personality, their speech, their IQ… something. Now think of the cleverest person you know… MAJOR flaw again, this time especially around their social life. Now think of the most successful artiste you know… Michael Jackson easily comes to mind for me. Robert Kelly, Whitney Houston… again, MAJOR flaw. Particularly with regard to narcotic drugs and matters of sexuality.

Now think of the most ordinary ‘mwananchi’ you know… Average IQ, average looks, generally friendly, enjoys a good game of soccer, takes an occasional drink, perhaps even talks to his/her reflection in the mirror every morning for a boost of oomph! Question, what are his/her flaws?

Got your attention now? Good. I can now proceed to state my hypothesis.

God created a perfect man. 100%. This man was like God, a triune being, three in one: the physical man, the soul man, and the spirit man. All in one body. When man sinned in the garden of Eden, he suffered death. The spirit man died. However, the soul man and the physical man were also affected. The perfect balance between the soul, the spirit and the physical body had been messed up by sin. The physical body began to age and the soul was damned to hell.

Man was now operating at <100% balance, let’s call this percentage X. God was not pleased with this, so he sought a way to redeem man and bring him back to the point of 100% balance. This he did through the crucifixion and resurrection of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, man is restored to the epitome of balance. Yet those who are ‘born again’ still fall into sin. We struggle with drug addiction, sexual immorality, gossip, shyness and fear…

Lost? Good. You will read on.

My theory postulates that from birth, all mankind is at point X on the PERFECT plot. The total value of your spiritual, creative (imagination is the premise of the soul) and physical gifts add up to X. If one part of you contributes a greater part, the other parts will contribute less so as to attain perfect balance at point X. In the genius, his brain contributes more towards this balance and so usually his social life suffers. The beauty of the physical body usually takes up the piece of the pie that belongs to the intelligence quotient. Extra-ordinary artistic prowess more often than not interferes with the ability to judge between what is profitable for the body and what is not.

Upon accepting Christ, upon salvation, the graph deflects upward from it’s hitherto plateau-like appearance. The more we are transformed into a Christ-like appearance, the closer we approach the 100% mark. Some describe ‘salvation’ as a process. They may be right. It is the process represented on the PERFECT plot as a gradual slope from point X to the maximum point 100%. NOTE: This point is only achieved in heaven.

In summary, the theory of perfect balance postulates that all men are equal in the sum of their God-given gifts and abilities. None is better than the other. The rich lack what the poor have; the beautiful, what the plain have; the genius, what the average person has.

There is a perfect balance in mankind.

Thank you for taking time to read my note. I am very interested in your opinion so please comment! God bless.