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Showing posts from November, 2014

Are You Growing in the Faith?

               Looking at the creation story in Genesis chapter 1, one thing that was noticeable is the dynamism. None of the living things were made to remain static but each was to multiply after its kind and fill the earth. This gives us the picture that every living thing is expected to grow. Even as humans, we go through different stages of growth: the morning, noontime and evening. This same principle we see play out as we come into Christ as born-again Christians. It is God’s ultimate goal that we grow into the full stature of Christ. If one is born-again and is not growing in the things of God, something is grossly wrong, and the culprit is the heart. When doubt and disbelief comes into the heart of the person, it chokes out the efficacy of the word heard. As born-again Christians, we must be aware that growing in God is not automatic but a conscious walk and push towards growth: “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s w

Is Suffering the Will of God?

             One word as humans we do not want to hear is suffering. Unfortunately, this word and the act of it has being with mankind from the beginning of time. When one looks down the road of history, some of the greatest inventions, even if some were bizarre, came on the heels of suffering. When we come to the Bible, one of the descriptions of Christ is a “ Man of Suffering ”: He knew and understood what suffering and sickness were and their repercussions. For this reason, He was not afraid to bear the burdens of our sufferings and sicknesses. However, the bearing of these burdens did not mean that suffering especially has been banished from amongst children of God. On the contrary; He admonished us to walk as He did and be ready to be persecuted and suffer for righteousness and overcome just as He did. Thus, it is a terrible delusion to teach or believe that as children of God we will not suffer because it is not His will for us. Some even go as far as teaching that the reason c

Day of Sorting!

              When people pass on, so many people say a lot of nice and great things about them. One rarely hears anything bad being said about the dead. In fact there is a dictum to ‘not speak ill of the dead’. That is the ideal situation, but what exactly is the reality on ground? The reality of whether the person actually lived a life that is indeed pleasing to God or not is determined by God Himself. One could argue that the voice of the people is actually the voice of God. Really? Let’s check the Scriptures: When all manner of comments were made concerning Solomon, David, Herod, Jesus Christ, were they truly the voice of God? It is not enough to have the accolades of people. In fact, the dead never hears what is been said about them, only the living hears. The truth is the accolades of people on earth are irrelevant in eternity. What is truly relevant and will resound in eternity is the approval of God. The Bible encourages us to: “Study and be eager and do your utmost to pre

Are You a Kisser or a Clinger?

We live in times where it seems ‘anything goes’ and as long as one can defend it, it is right. This trend has sneaked itself into the Church. The deceit is so bad that as long as Scriptures can be stringed together to defend these strange trends they are considered to be true. When Jesus Christ walked the face of the earth, He never looked for excuses to justify His actions to the people. They either believed Him or not. It even got to a point when His disciples had to choose to believe Him. Unfortunately, so many of them chose to disbelieve Him with the excuse that “ This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?” (John 6:60). This same scenario is still playing out presently, and I dare say will continue until the time of the Lord’s appearance. Let’s back track a bit. When Naomi decided to leave the land of Moab after hearing that God has once again visited the Jews with abundance and blessing, she left with her two widowed daughters’ in-law. The amazing thing in this story is that b

The Pursuit of Excellence

Excellence is a virtue that must be pursued by all God’s children irrespective of their vocation or sphere of influence. It is not Biblical defined as the world does, neither is it a spirit in the sense in which the phrase is sometimes used, but it is a mind that is keen: enthusiastic, intense, eager and sharp; a mind that is distinguished for wisdom and knowledge. Excellence is not another word for intelligence, success or perfection. Excellence does not mean the absence of mistakes but it means the presence of faith and determination. When Daniel was met with resistance, his determination and faith caused him to not only overcome but excel far above his detractors. Friend, excellence in God is being determined in doing the very best one can with what one has been given. In short, the pursuit of excellence is bearing the likeness of God. Everything He made and did had a purpose and was declared good, including the creation of man. The Bible made us understand that God created man