Fruitful Living
Christmas is: Immanuel – God with us (2)
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.” – Matt 1:23 (NIV)
Introduction
Today we bring you the final part of Christmas Is: Emmanuel – God With US. God chose to come among us in order to reveal Himself fully to us. In that respect, He chose not to come out of the sky as a grown up man but as a baby so that He would totally share our humanity yet in doing so, sanctify our humanity by living a sinless life so that we would know that the life He gives us comes with His righteousness.
The Word Became Flesh
The opening verses of John’s gospel give us the most profound and most beautiful description of God becoming man in Jesus. John tells us that in the beginning of things God’s WORD already existed and that this pre-existent WORD was with God. This means that Jesus was with God before creation and was part of the process of creation. It, therefore, means that it is only the one who is with God and is God who can reveal who God really is. Since God is Creator and Father and wants to restore an intimate relationship with us, what better way could He do it than to come among us and show by the way He lives that He truly is interested in us and cares for us as a Father to His children. So John tells us that it’s He, the Word who became a person – the person Jesus and who lived among us humans to reveal the grace and glory of God our Creator and Father. He who created the world out of nothing can, indeed, take on the form of the highest of His creation.
Grace, Truth and Glory
“The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” – John 1:14
When God walks the earth, there surely must be a difference between the things He does and what merely mortal and finite man would do.
So God came with His unmerited favour (Grace), that favour which made Him substitute our death for His life. He did it out of pure love and a desire to make us who He always wanted us to be. Through Jesus’ death, God brought us back from slavery to sin. God did this through another aspect of grace which translates as charm. In Jesus, God revealed His loveliness and gentleness. Humans always saw God in terms of His might, majesty, power and judgement and though Jesus embodied all these qualities, He revealed also that power,(might, majesty and the right to judge) which is best wielded not in tyranny and oppression but in love and gentleness.
Truth: Jesus is the very embodiment of truth – “I am the way the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV) Truth is God and He sets us free from our wrongful motions, prejudices and fears. Truth cannot be known unless it is communicated and Jesus communicates the truth of God – who He is, what He does what He does, and who He wants us to be. In knowing the truth we become free from all that seek to rob us of our true heritage. When ignorance flees as a result of truth, knowledge comes in and enables us to do things to enhance our lives.
Glory: Jesus’ life and work on earth reflected God’s glory whether in the performance of miracles, the authoritative teachings He gave or the standing up to the falsehood and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. In Jesus’ life the reality of the glory of God shown to Moses in Exodus 33:12-20 & 34:6-7 became really manifest.
Immanuel: God With Us
Ever since Jesus (meaning Jehovah is Salvation) walked the earth God has been permanently with us. In Old Testament times, God, Through His Holy Spirit visited humans from time to time (the Israelites in the desert; at the dedication of the temple built by Solomon; with Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; Zechariah and so on), but since 2,000 years ago when baby Jesus was born in that manger in Bethlehem, God is, indeed, with us all the time. He is with us to save us from sin, to fill us with His Holy Spirit’s power so that we can live as Jesus did, revealing God’s grace, truth and glory to a world filled with the darkness of greed, injustice, corruption, murder, idolatry, adultery and all manner of unkindness and wickedness. But as we read in Titus 1:11-14 NIV
“They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. One of their own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.”
Let this Christmas season be a time that you will build a throne in your heart and invite God, through Jesus, to take His rightful place. John 1:12-13 and Revelation 3:20.
“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” – John 1:12-13 NIV.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”- Revelation 3:20 NIV.
Stay Blessed!
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BY DR JOYCE ARYEE, THE AUTHOR
Fruitful Living
Protecting the Muslim home in the modern age: Communication, addiction, temptation, marital fidelity
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and place our trust in Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the Consequences of our deeds.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, his family, his Companions and all those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment?
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
It is a great privilege to bring you this important topic for discussion.
Our subject today is:
“Protecting the Muslim Home in the Modern Age: Communication, Addiction, Temptation and Marital Fidelity.”
This is not simply a lecture about marriage.
It is a conversation about human beings, emotions, faith, choices, technology, temptation, responsibility and the future of our families.
And because I speak both as an Imam and as a certified counsellor, I want us to approach today’s discussion from two complementary perspectives:
The perspective of revelation and the perspective of human behaviour.
Islam gives us guidance about what is right and wrong.
Counselling helps us understand why people sometimes struggle to do what is right, how unhealthy patterns develop, and how people can be helped to change.
We therefore need both.
The foundation: what is marriage in Islam?
Before we discuss marital problems, we must first understand what marriage is supposed to accomplish.
Allah says:
“And among His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may
find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Surely in this are signs
for people who reflect.” (Qur’an 30:21)
Notice three extraordinary words:
1. SAKĪNAH – Tranquillity.
2. MAWADDAH – Affection and loving attachment.
3. RAḤMAH – Mercy, compassion and tenderness.
A successful marriage therefore should provide: Peace + Love + Mercy. (Quran 30:21)
Marriage is not merely: “I found someone attractive.”
Marriage is not: “I want someone to cook for me.”
Marriage is not: “I need somebody to have children with.”
Marriage is not simply: “I don’t want to be lonely.”
Marriage is an amanah — a trust from Allah.
Your spouse is an amanah.
Your children are an amanah.
Your sexuality is an amanah.
Your wealth is an amanah.
Your words are an amanah.
Your private conversations are an amanah.
And your marriage will ultimately be part of what you are accountable for before Allah.
There is a well-known Ḥadīth of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh, in which the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) addressed the Muslims during the Farewell Pilgrimage and spoke about the rights and responsibilities concerning women.
The author is the Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governor Expert
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like the branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. – John 15:1-8
Introduction
There are certain sins that Christians are always good at pointing out – usually in others. But there are a few that we tend to ignore, and these same few are the ones we also tend to commit more often ourselves.
1. Selfishness/self-righteousness
How often did Jesus call out the Pharisees in the New Testament? All. The. Time. And it was always for self-righteousness or selfishness. If you have to compliment yourself on something good you’ve done, then you aren’t doing it right. So many of us like to display our faithful acts so that others will know what good Christians we are. Christ doesn’t care what everyone else thinks of your generosity. He cares about your heart and your motivation. If you need other people to know about the good things you do, feel, or think in order to feel validated, then you need to re-evaluate. – Matthew 6:1-4
2. Patriotism
For the record, I do NOT think patriotism in and of itself is a sin. I put this here because all too often we put faith and Christian values in the same box as political party and patriotism. The bible is clear about the fact that Jesus’ name will be declared to ALL nations and peoples of the world. We shout, “‘Ghana!” and talk about how much better we are than everyone else, but that’s not biblical. We project Christianity on to the Ghanaian flag and assume that God is Ghanaian, but that’s not how it works. Celebrate Ghanaian values and understand how blessed you are to live here, but remember that at the end of the day you are a citizen of heaven, and heaven will be full of people from all over the world. – Revelation 7:9 – 10
3. Fear/worry
Jesus is very clear about worrying. He flat out tells us not to worry. Faith requires trust. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. . .” God is love. He loved us enough to send his son to die to atone for our sins. His love is perfect; therefore, we should have nothing to fear. I know fear is inevitable sometimes. It is a major struggle for me. We are not perfect, but fear and worry are not part of the equation with Christ. These attitudes that imply a lack of faith. All we can do is remember that God is sovereign and always in control – Matthew 6: 25 -34
4. Pride
We talk about pride all the time in church. We consistently discuss how detrimental and dangerous it is, but it seems like we don’t recognise what pride actually is. We don’t realise that every time we refuse someone forgiveness we are acting in pride. Every time you argue with a friend, family member, or spouse and insist that you will not be the one to apologize first then you act out of pride. Remember the grace that Christ extends to you and try to extend that same grace and forgiveness to others. – Philippians 2:1-5
5. Gluttony/coveting
This sin is closely related to pride. We bury ourselves in debt in order to make sure we have the best and newest things. The disciples often lived off of the generosity of others and Jesus was a poor carpenter. I’m not saying that wealth is inherently bad. It’s not. If you can afford that Mercedes, by all means, buy it. But if you can’t; if you are spending hundreds of dollars each month paying off debt, then you could be committing a modern form of gluttony. You need to look inside yourself and search your heart. If your nice things were taken away, would you still be satisfied and able to find joy in Christ? Why are you really in debt? Who are you trying to impress, God or men? – 1 Timothy 6:6 – 8 7 17 – 19
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