Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Hacker

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On August 10, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

The 3rd edition of the New Hacker’s Dictionary by Eric. S. Raymond, defines a hacker as an intelligent programmer and defines hacking as the act of coming up with a clever solutions to a programming problem. During the late 90’s, the term “hacker” erroneously became synonymous with the term “cracker” which refers to a person/group who is malicious in intent when using their skills to sabotage (computer) systems, but security professionals in my hacking community, understand this difference. In fact, there are peers of mine, who are pristine in their Spirit, because of their faith, that bring to question the very negative stigma associated with the term “hackers”. Johnny Long, who needs little to no introduction in the security community (the ihackstuff guy who is now the ihackcharities guy and founder of the Hackers For Charity organization) uses his skills to help others who serve Christ, with his family in Uganda; Gervase Markham (known as Gerv), a well known security professional at Mozilla uses his hacking skills for Jesus Christ,  as he believes in using the gift God has given him as a means to glorify God (ref: Why “Hacking for Christ”?). The HackFormers organization (www.hackformers.org) serves the Information Technology (IT) community in the Austin area by staying true to their mission which is to “Teach Security; Teach Christ; Teach Security In Christ”. I could go on and on, with many more who can help us understand that the term “hacker” is in and of itself not to be negatively understood as one who is nefarious, but instead, it simply refers to someone who is noble with skills and expertise to figure out how computer systems are architected and identify any weaknesses or controls in them. “Whitehat” hackers are noble and use what they find, to help better implement security in the organization that they provide their services to.

In September 2011, the Economist published an article entitled “What Would Jesus Hack?” which spoke about how the Christian community has a lot in common with the open-source software movement. So What Would Jesus Hack? or can we consider Jesus to be a Hacker? A hacker is an expert who can look into how systems are architected and identify any weaknesses or controls within. Information Systems (and Software) are usually architected with weaknesses in them and they need controls to be implemented in them so that they are protected against breaches. The Bible teaches us that “Jesus knew what was in man.” (John 2:25). In other words, Jesus, The Hacker can look into his creation (man) and he knows what is in man; man’s weaknesses to temptations and man’s propensity to sin and continue in sin (whose wages is death), or The Control of the Holy Spirit in man (whose gift is security of our soul and eternal salvation).

Points to ponder:
If Jesus The Hacker was to look into your life and mine today, what would he find? Will he find us secure in God with the Holy Spirit of God within us, for having believed in him or would he find us weak as a slave to sin? Let Jesus The Hacker hack us, for he knows what is in us. Let him become THE CONTROL in us and secure our souls from getting eternally breached in hell.

John 2:22-25 (KJV)
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Psalm 51:5-7 (KJV)
5 Behold, I was shapen [architected] in iniquity [weakness]; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

1 Peter 1:7-14 (KJV)
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Guide

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On August 9, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

With Scientiology, Psychic and New Age movements gaining a lot of traction, these days, there is an yearning by many to seek answers and direction, from within or from other external sources, many of whom are farce. John Edwards, Ophray Winfrey, Dr. Phil etc. are just a few in that list. When they are sought for spiritual guidance, some of these people speak about god, but not about Jesus Christ, the one true God and guide.

Jesus Christ is The Guide. The Bible teaches us that God is our God for ever and ever and he will be our guide even unto death (Psalm 48:14). Jesus said that he is the good Shepherd and his sheep hear his voice and follows him (John 10:11,27). In other words, he is the Good and Guiding Shepherd, who leads his followers beside still (peaceful) waters and in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:2-3).

Points to ponder:
Are you/I being guided by Jesus, The Guide? In other words, are we hearing Jesus’ voice and following him in paths of righteousness, that can bring about a peace that passeth all understanding?

Psalm 48:14 (KJV)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

John 10:27 (KJV)
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Guard

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On August 8, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

We often hear about “guarding angels” that stems from the reference to the Scripture quoted during the temptation of Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:6; Psalm 91:11-12) and the very words of Jesus that warns us not to despise little children (Matthew 18:10). But have you ever wondered about Jesus to be The Guard. John 10:11-13 teaches us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who will fight to guard and protect his sheep, when the wolf attacks, voluntarily willing to and sacrificing his very own life (John 11:17).

Points to ponder:
Jesus is The Guard and when he guards us, there is absolutely no one or nothing that can snatch us away from his protection. Are you under the protection of Jesus, the Guard (1 Peter 2:25)? 

1 Peter 2:25 (NLT)
25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Firefighter

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On August 7, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, annually fires take any lives and destroy billions of dollars worth of property and a fire fighter helps to protect people and property. The firefighters, go into burning buildings to rescue the ones caught within the fire, many a times, at risk to their very own life. On the heels of the infamous and vile September 11, 2001 attack on the twin towers, author Martin Coleman, wrote a book entitled “What If Jesus Were a New York City Firefighter?” We often don’t consider Jesus to be a firefighter. Is he?

The Bible gives the account of three Hebrew men (Hannaiah, Mishael and Azariah) who are commonly known by their Babylonian names as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, being thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times over; a fire so exceedingly hot that it burned up the mighty men that bound  these three faithful followers of God, even as they approached the furnace. But then, in the midst of the fire, the King who had ordered the decree to burn these Hebrew men, was astonished to see whom he refers to as the Son of God, and he beckoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come out of the fire. Jesus is The Firefighter, who protects his people and all who belong to God (God’s property/his people).

Points to ponder:
In the midst of the fires of life, we can count on Jesus Christ, the Firefighter to be with us. To all who believe in his name and have received him, the fire of hell has no power over them, for Jesus is The Firefighter, who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. 

Daniel 3:25 (KJV)
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Farmer

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On August 6, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

In the article, “How does a farmer spend a workday?”, eHow.com’s contributor, Lea Ann Fessenden-Joseph highlights three things that the farmer mainly does, once he wakes up early to face a hard day of work. These three things are (1) Morning watering and assessment (2) Soil and bed preparation and (3) Harvesting.

Watering is done in the morning to soak the roots of the plants so that they do not wilt in the afternoon sun. The Bible teaches us that great is God’s faithfulness and his mercies are new EVERY MORNING. Every morning, God showers his mercies on us so that our lives can be soaked with his mercies and we can withstand the heat and onslaughts (fiery darts), brought about by the evil one (Lamentations 3:22-23; Ephesians 6:16). Jesus said, if you ask of me, I would give you living water; and whoever drinks of this living water shall never thirst again (John 4:10,13-14). Jesus, the Farmer, waters our lives afresh each morning with his mercy (not giving us what we deserve) since he is full of grace (giving us what we don’t deserve), giving us life; eternal (John 3:16) and abundant (John 10:10).

The farmer also prepares the soil and bed on which the seed that the farmer sows must fall. He will dig holes for the plants and prepare the banks in the soil for drainage. He places the seed/plant in those holes, firmly packs the soil and waters them. The seed/plant that responds is the one the germinates/grows to be a sapling and eventually grows into an established plant/tree. The farmer also closely monitors the plant so that insects, fungus and mold doest not destroy his plants and when he sees any sign of these harmful elements, he applies protection (such as spraying medications) to keep the plants healthy and disease free. In a similar way, Jesus, the Farmer, allows downtimes (holes) in our lives but never places us in a place that is too hard for us, no matter how packed the circumstances around us may seem, always giving us a way out just as the farmer prepares the necessary banks to drain the things that are harmful to the seed/plant. We are Jesus’ husbandry (1 Corinthians 3:9; 3:6-7). When destructive elements of this world (addiction, depravities, immorality, etc. and all manner of sin) tries to infect and kill us, the very blood of Jesus The Farmer, protects, just us as the blood of the passover lamb did during the time of the Exodus (Exodus 12:13).

Finally a farmer harvests the crops that he grows in a timely manner, when the time is right. He sows good seed, but invariably the seed is to take root and grow and when God’s appointed time comes, Jesus The Farmer, will come with his holy angels to harvest us (Matthew 13:41).

Points to ponder:
Jesus waters our lives with his mercy, for he is The Faithful Farmer. The question that remains then is “Are we growing in his knowledge?” (2 Peter 3:18) or are we stunted?
Are you protected by the blood of Jesus The Farmer? In other words, have you believed in Him as your personal Lord and Savior and King?
When Jesus, the Farmer, sends forth his angels to harvest us, will we be in a harvestable state as wheat and not the weeds (tares)?

Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Exodus 12:13 (KJV)
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt

Matthew 13:41-43 (KJV)
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Engineer

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On August 3, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

On the heels of the success of the Prometheus movie, director Sir Ridley Scott, suggested in an interview with Movies.com on June 05, 2012, that Jesus was an engineer sent as an emissary to stop the destruction of the planet and guess what, they crucified him. This sparked a lot of debate in the media, but could Jesus really be considered an engineer?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, engineers (civil) are those who design and supervise large construction projects. Hebrews 11:10 talks about Abraham, a hero of faith that looked forward to a city whose builder and maker is God. Jesus said, “I am going to prepare (design) a place for you, and I will come back again to receive you, so that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3). Colossians 1:16-18 teaches us that by Jesus and for Jesus, all things have been created and by Jesus all things consist. In other words, we can say that Jesus is The Engineer of all things.

Points to ponder:
Jesus said, I am coming again to receive you. Are you ready to be received by Jesus The Engineer? The answer to this question can be affirmative, only if we have received him first and believed in his name. To be received by Jesus and to go to be with him in the place that he is preparing (engineering) for us, we need to have received him as our Lord and Master. Have you? 

John 14:2-3 (KJV)
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Economist

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On August 2, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

On April 14th, 2012, the Guest voices section in The Washington Post had an article entitled “A Jesus economy?” and it highlighted how both sides of the national legislators use the Bible to justify their vantage points.

But would we be able to consider Jesus to be an economist? Yes, Jesus used economic terms to teach Godly truths and virtues. The parable where Jesus tells that the worker who worked for the last one hour received the same wages as the one who had worked the whole day has been in contention amongst many, because they fail to see that the rewards earned were accordingly to the contract and are based on God’s grace and goodness and not necessarily on the quantity or quality of works (Matthew 20:1-16). When Jesus counsels, that one must render under Caesar (the ruler of his times) what was Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s (Mark 12:17), he was teaching that while honoring the law of the land, one must not fail to honor the laws of God and vice-versa. When Jesus saw the poor widow who cast her two mites into the treasury, he took time to recognize and praise her, for she gave out of her penury and she gave all her living and not as others do out of their abundance (Luke 21:1-4).

Points to ponder:
When it comes to Jesus The Economist, he expects us to give all of our life to him and he recognizes those that do. Have you given your life to Jesus? and if you have, have you given your ALL (all the living you have) to Jesus?

Luke 21:1-4 (KJV)
1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

 

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Doctor

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On August 1, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

In Mark 1:40-42, we see that a leper comes to Jesus, kneels down before Jesus and and beseeches Jesus by crying out, “If thou will, make me clean”. Jesus moved with compassion, put forth (stretched) his hand and touched this leper (who was probably an outcast) and said, “I will; be thou clean.” and as soon as the Lord had finished speaking, the man was no longer leprous.

Jesus is known for several other healing incidents. He healed
– the possessed to show that those who are in bondage can be made free and he/she whom Jesus makes free is free indeed (John 8:36)
– the blind to show that darkness is dispelled by the Light (of the World)
– the deaf to show that the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ can be heard
– the mute to show that even the dumb can proclaim the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ
– the paralytics to show that that invalid can be made valid
– the lepers to show the unclean can be made clean
– the shriveled hand to show that the withered can be made whole/stretched to serve
– the lame to show that one can no longer have a lame excuse to not walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
and even
– the dead to show that In him is life, life abundant and those who believe in Him, though they are dead yet shall they live (John 11:25).

On the cross, Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out his hand and touched the hearts of all who heard Him then and hear Him now, saying “I will, be clean. I have borne your leprosy (sin), be thou clean (Holy).” The blood of Jesus washes us of all unrighteousness and makes us clean (1 John 1:7) and the cancer of sin has no power over those who have believed in the name of Jesus Christ, The Doctor.

Points to ponder:
Have you been healed from the cancer of sin, whose output is second death? If not, why have you not yet believed in Jesus. Come to Jesus, The Doctor, who has the cure for by his stripes we are all healed. He is compassionate and willing. He stretches forth his hand to touch us so that we can be whole.

Mark 1:40-42 (KJV)
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Captain of the armies of the LORD

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On July 31, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

Joshua 5 records the encounter that Joshua the Israelite leader has with a man with a drawn sword. When Joshua lifted up his eyes and saw this man, he went to this man and asked, “Are you for us or are you against us (on the side of our adversaries)?” The response he received was “Nay, but as the captain of the host (army) of the LORD have I come”. Joshua spiritually recognizes that this was Jesus he had seen and falls down to the ground and worships him. Can we be sure that this was Jesus? Other parts of the Bible can help us come to that conclusion. When man tried to worship an angelic being, sent by God, the angelic being immediately stopped that person from worshipping anyone other than God and cautioned that man worships no one else, other than God (Revelation 19:10). This helps us recognize that the man that Joshua envisioned was not just an angel sent by God. 1 Timothy 2:5 refers to Jesus the one mediator between God and men as “the man Christ Jesus” and whom Joshua saw was “the man” Christ Jesus. Furthermore, just as Joshua saw the man with a drawn sword, Revelation 19:11-15 portrays, Jesus as the rider on a white horse, from whose mouth a sharp sword proceeds (Revelation 19:15), whom the armies of heaven followed (Revelation 19:14).

Points to ponder:
Shaitan/Shaytan from which we get the word, “satan” means the “opposer” or “adversary”. He has been at war with God since the time of is rebellion (Ezekiel 28) and the fall of man (Genesis 3:15). Jesus is the commander and chief of the armies of the LORD. He is The Captain. Are you part of his army or are you on the adversary’s side? And if we are part of Jesus’ army, is our response as that of Joshua, “What saith my Lord unto his servant?” (Joshua 5:14).

Joshua 5:13-15 (KJV)
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Revelation 19:11-16 (KJV)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Cost Estimator

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On July 30, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

In Luke 14:28, Jesus poses a vital question, which may seem rhetorical, but it provides the basis for anyone involved in starting any project, be it in their professional or their personal life. The question posed was “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” As effective managers of resources (temporal or physical), we are expected to ensure that we can finish what we begin, lest we are ridiculed.

Even though, Jesus Christ, was ridiculed and mocked, by his crucifiers (Mark 15:15-20), he successfully finished the work of redemption that God began in and through him. When he estimated the cost for man to be reconciled with God, he knew that it would cost God “all of God” and “nothing of man” for that work to be completed. And when his estimation was complete, he agonized over that fact that it would cost him his very own life to pay this cost, and hoped that this cost would be passed from him, but not willing his own but instead willing to submit to God (Luke 22:41-44), and out of his love for his people, he joyfully endured the Cross, despising its shame (Hebrews 12:2), and humbled himself willingly, becoming obedient to God the Father unto death, even death on the Cross (Philippians 2:6-8) from where he declared that the work of God’s redemption was finished, or in other words, the estimated “Cost” of man’s redemption was now “paid in full” (Tetelastai) (John 19:30).

Points to ponder:
Jesus, The Cost Estimator not only estimated the cost for man to be reconciled with God but he also paid it to finish the work that God had sent him to accomplish. As disciples of his, are we merely counting the cost of being his followers or are we paying the cost of being a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1)?

Luke 14:28 (KJV)
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

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