musingsofasheep

12 min read

You're Twice Mine

One love story simply beats all others.

A story that easily captured my heart the first time I heard it is a story about a boy who lovingly built his own toy sailboat.

The sailboat he made was small but strong. The boy loved it and saw that it was good after meticulously putting every piece together and spent so much time perfecting it for weeks.

One day, he took the sailboat to the waters behind his house so he can test it out. After lowering it gently to the stream, it sailed well but the wind blew it far away.

The boy chased his sailboat while riding his bike, following the direction of the stream so he can retrieve his boat to no avail.

Extremely disappointed and heartbroken, they boy went home.

But one morning, as the boy walked home from school, he saw through a store window his lost boat as a display. He thought, "Wait a minute! That's MY boat!"

He created it and knew it well so he knew for sure that was his boat. So the boy bravely walked into the store and talked to the owner. He said, "Sir, can I have my boat back please? You see, that boat is mine. I made it but it went too far when I lowered it to the stream at the back of my house the other day."

The owner replied, "Well, I can't just give it to you for free. You have to pay for the boat. See how much it costs?"

Despite his frustration, the boy thought of a solution quick. He asked the store owner to keep the boat aside so he can save up for it. That very day he did all sorts of chores for family and neighbors in exchange for whatever small money they would pay him. After all the hard work was done after many weeks and he earned enough money, he walked back to the store, saw that his boat was still displayed, and paid the store owner.

When the boy walked out of the store, the owner was surprised not to hear any complaints from the child who had to unfairly pay for something he actually created. Instead, the owner heard the boy sincerely say to his boat,

Finally! I have you. You are so precious. You are twice mine... once because I made you and once because I bought you.

"Twice mine," ...how beautiful, I thought.

God can say the same about us, don't you think?

We are so precious. We are twice His.

God made us with intention and bought us at a price. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Isn't it silly? Many of us feel tired, bored, and restless because we rely on our own strength to save ourselves and get to where we want to when in reality we do not have to search for much at all since we have already been forgiven, saved, and designed for good work.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

The Sacrifice

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is one of the most well-documented events in history that changed the world as we know it. It has even influenced how we determine historic timelines by using the historical viewpoints: B.C. (Before Christ) or A.D. (After Death), which is based on radiometric analysis.

The same sacrifice has also led to millions of Christians, many of whom are being persecuted or have been persecuted, boldly sharing Jesus' free gift of salvation at the cost of their earthly lives. To me, it is the most powerful evidence of the resurrection - that the witnesses of Jesus' death who initially disbanded after the death of Jesus neither feared nor caused a bloody revolution as many generations have done for executed leaders, because the very same people who saw Him die saw Him resurrected.

For many reasons, the resurrection, in my mind, is the foundation of the Christian movement and faith.

⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Perhaps, you have heard of this sacrifice and you found yourself too hung up on the supernatural nature of the resurrection. But here are 5 things I learned from a scientist from Washington University of School of Medicine, who shared that science also demands faith.

Number 1: God's Word has spread without military or political backing

God's Word which speaks of the resurrection prevailed against oppression several times.

For so many years, the Word of God which has been written in thousands of manuscripts yet has no contradictions (unlike the news we have today which reports different facts about one matter), has survived many grave, destructive attempts.

A popular example is Roman Emperor Diocletian who wanted all Bibles to be burned. What happened less than a generation later? Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Then there's Voltaire who predicted that production of the Bible would cease production some time after his death. 50 years later, Bibles were being printed in his own home. (Source) Today, you have for sure seen one.

When something is from God, I know for a fact that it will not be destroyed despite human attempts.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

Number 2: Women's Big Role as First Witnesses

Another big evidence that points us to the very real sacrifice of Jesus is the fact that if the resurrection was fabricated, women will not be the witnesses noted in the scriptures at all because women were not reliable witnesses in court back then; and, surely, the male disciples will not be described as cowards for hiding when Jesus was taken.

And yet we see that the Bible offers a strong historical evidence with its original manuscripts all noting that women have witnessed the resurrection, which is a shocking thing back then. Scientist S. Joshua Swamidass of Washington University School of Medicine confirms the records archeologists found of a Man named Jesus who was crucified and the surprising detail of "female witnesses" were noted in manuscripts. (Source)

Physicist John Polkinghorne said, "Perhaps the strongest reason of taking the stories of the empty tomb absolutely seriously lies in the fact that it is women who play the leading role. It would have been very unlikely for anyone in the ancient world who was concocting a story to assign the principal part to women since, in those times, they were not considered capable of being reliable witnesses in a court of law. It is surely much more probable that they appear in the gospel accounts precisely because they actually fulfilled the role that the stories assign to them, and in so doing, they make a startling discovery." (Source 1; Source 2)

Number 3: Divine Purpose

None of us have a sovereign mind. Even the most brilliant scientists of our time do not have an answer for everything in the universe. Stephen Hawking once said after one of his long and informative lectures about the universe something along the lines of "Now I have told you the what of the universe. To tell you why is to have the mind of God." He then quickly dismissed the reality of God when people picked up on this statement and asserted that he meant "God" in general terms.

Personally, I think it is unfortunate at times when our heart and mind drive us home to the truth since God's law is written in our hearts but we stubbornly choose to believe in doubts and disregard our instinct just because we get hung up on minor details. Can you imagine if I get hung up over the fact that I cannot see my brain? I would walk around thinking I do not have one simply because it is not within my sight.

We do not have everything figured out but what we know is in the Bible and it is through this exposure with God's Word how we can use what is written to deduce the truth. Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV) says,

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

It is worth asking: how can a message such as Jesus' death and resurrection reach so much success if it does not hold any good and true reason and purpose? A small band of Jews, as Scientist S. Joshua Swamidass puts it, simply cannot accomplish the spread of the message which has become bigger than the world despite ruthlesss and violent oppositions of powerful leaders had it not been anchored in the reality of God. Surely, a strong evidence would have undermine them the past thousand of years if there were lies in their claims.

Number 4: Tangible Proof

French Mathematician Blaise Pascal identified some of the prophecies from centuries before Jesus' birth regarding His life, death, and resurrection based on the dates of the prophecies established by radiometric analysts.

The Book of Isaiah, which was written at least a hundred years before the birth of Jesus, has described how Jesus will die at the hands of Romans years before Jesus was born. Romans have not even used the crucifixion for capital punishment at this time but later have created it; thereby, fulfilling the prophecy.

Six years ago, over 60,000 manuscripts that have been carbon dated have been found to validate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thousands of prophecies have been fulfilled with a few hundred more left to occur and some we see happening today in the form of very real challenges in society that we cannot seem to deal with as a population despite all the advancement and progress in technology and agriculture.

Scientist S. Swamidass added, "More than just a fact about our past, the Resurrection creates a connection to God that is perceived by people from all times, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, personalities, and metal capacities, across the last 2,000 years of history. Its reach includes some of the most famous scientists: Blaise Pascal, Johann Kepler, Robert Boyle, Gregor Mendel, Asa Gray, Michael Faraday, James Maxwell, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, and Francis Collins. Is this unmatched reach and influence a sign of a living God working His purpose in history?"

A lawyer who has taught me some of the things I now know about Jesus mentioned to me before that to him the biggest evidence people often miss out on in understanding the weight of the resurrection is the number of witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. He said that today all it takes is one witness to prove something to be true and yet Jesus had more than 400 witnesses. And this story of sacrifice and resurrection continue to move among people and nations, even reaching the United States where many prestigious universities have been built on the commitment that they will share the Word of God.

Number 5: Personal Encounter

These empirical data I come across every now and then have definitely strengthened my faith but before even all these things I already knew there was a living God. I knew the resurrection happened not because I had an infallible knowledge but because I feel God in my life. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says,

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

When I take a step back and look at my life filled with adventures and struggles, I see how active and alive God is. And it's enough for me to anchor my faith in the reality of a one true God.

When I get to walk outside or travel in different parts of the world, I see His wonders.

The tragic story of my life before has undoubtedly led me to a firmer and safer ground because what the evil one intends for our harm such as my vocal cords being on the verge of paralyzation and my father leaving me at a young age, God intended for good as He has a purifying and sovereign power.

If you have doubts, be curious: why deny a loving Savior? Do you not talk to Him at all? Have you not read what He has to say? Have you never felt His peace? Have you not stopped and admired His wonders? Have you not wondered why oppressive leaders have banned Bibles even though those speak nothing but goodness and love?

At the end of the day, God will be God. Whether we believe in Jesus or not is a choice that only we can make. But I hope we remember that in a world where nothing is free, Jesus' gift of salvation comes free. John 3:16 says,

For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

I have always thought that "Whoever believes" is the best invitation that also quickly answers anyone's doubts. If this was a big scam, it would say "whoever believes and pays so-and-so amount to the congregation" or "whoever believes and does more good deeds than bad."

No one can earn their way to God through good works for no one is sinless. These are the words not of just anyone but of a sovereign God who needs nothing from us but makes a great, incomparable effort out of love to reach us. Isaiah 53:6 says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Science complements God's Word but, in true honesty, the Bible also has supernatural events like the resurrection that cannot be purely explained by science which I think is a strong evidence as well of just how consistent the Word of God is. If everything can be explained by science and is within human capacity to explain, how we can say that we have a powerful, superior Being of a God who has neither a beginning nor an end? Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV) says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." This is why I suggest we embrace history and science as we study God's Word but as with falling in love let us put our faith in what we feel in our souls to be true.

Conclusion

Like the boy's sailboat, we may wander off because of the things around us, the goals we have set for ourselves, and the circumstances that we are in. But God does not allow us to experience more than what we can bear:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

All in all, I hope these musings remind you that we are twice God's - first He made us and then He bought us at a price not because He grows in power when we worship Him. God will be God no matter what and His reason for caring for us is the fact that we are His children. Jesus' death and resurrection is the ultimate expression of His love.

If you want to hear from God what the resurrection is all about and who He is, here are the words from His very heart made known to man many years ago. Take a chance and listen:

Here's a prayer guide:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

It is my prayer that we all receive Jesus so we can be strong and discerning enough to know what is to come and when He is being misrepresented by people being used to lead us far from the truth.

Just in case it is not clear yet, there is a spiritual warfare going on in the world today and a few hundred prophecies are left to occur. I strongly believe that by the end of it all it is not really about who has the most money, power, or children for all these, in this age, has a finality. The end has to do with faith and souls - whether they are to have a godless existence by the end of it all or not. That is a real battle. Who has the most toys is just a distraction. So let us not allow anyone call us into the wrong direction and let us not believe our doubts when we are all clearly being called to the one truth. When we are not responding to God, we are responding to the one who rules this world. Let's choose well and remember who we are.

Unlike the other beautiful things in this world, we were the only creation that God physically moulded and created Himself while other creations were spoken into existence - does that not speak of how God wants a loving relationship with us? Despite His superior power, He chose to gave us free will so we can enjoy freedom and choose to love. He even designed us for success and a high position. He made us according to His own image that we may have dominion over the earth. And He even provides a great purpose for each of us. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says,