A year ago we stared the Bible in one year marathon. I was psyched up, in fact, I was even ready to do a sprint...it seemed so easy. I was so excited about what God was going to do in my life, I was expectant...it was January 2011, a month when we make resolutions...and hope to live by them through out the year.
Come February and serious school work starts. I work a full time job, I attend evening classes from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. I get home at around 9.30pm...cook, finish my assignments, prepare for the next day, Bible study...oh and eat the food I prepared.
It becomes a struggle to read my Bible.
I doubt my ability to make it halfway through the marathon.
Maybe I have too many excuses.
I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, right?
So, I decide to do ALL things...read my Bible while dozing off...3 chapters down. Good, I tick my chart...done for the day...I move on.
Come the next day I realize I never really understood what I read the previous day, so I have to go back and do it. This time round, it's a serious study so I don't get through one chapter and that days reading....NOT DONE! So I carry it forward to the following week.
The struggle continues.
Some chapters were left unread because they were too technical; Isaiah, Ezekiel, Numbers, Chronicles.
Then I remember, it's a real marathon. I start off well...it gets too hot somewhere along the way, I have to go uphill...sometimes on fours because the hill is too steep, the path becomes a little bit rocky...I hurt my toes.In the process, I stumble and fall, I bruise myself...
But I have to get up and keep running...fixing my eyes on the goal, the finish line. THE PRIZE!!
But in all that, what matters is the determination to finish the race. This is one race we are never behind schedule...I may get to the finish line crawling but I sure will get there. My prize? Every lesson I gather from this, a deeper relationship with my Lord, I could go on and on.
And when I get to the finish line, I start all over again.
It's a lifetime...a journey...a relationship...a walk...a continual process of getting to know HIM everyday!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
God is not Man!
First I am hoping that I actually on track with the reading: We are on week 38 right? So yesterday´s raeding was Numbers 21-24!
I hope so:
Praise the Lord, it has been a while. Definitely I believe the Lord has been good to you as he has been good to me: His love has been amazing. I cannot take anything for granted: Today I am reminded of the Lord’s ways!
God can and will speak through a Donkey: Balaam must have had the time of his life. How does Ur servant speak to you like that? I mean we have seen the Toy Stories and Kungu Fu Panda , where these animals dance and pretend to speak , but this was different.
I have been stubborn before and while the Lord has not used my computer or phone to talk to me: I know that the possibility of it is ever true. Balaam like most of us knew that he was right, he consulted the Lord and sought his face to help him carry out his work. And he listened. He obeyed. He followed the Lord.
And the Lord spoke; Despite King Balak´s intentions and desires, the Lord spoke. And when he spoke , He came right through: As I read the First message: something comes to mind: Touch not the anointed ones of God. Balak was stupid I must say. How do you ask God´s Servant to come and curse God´s people, Well it did not work to Balak´s favour!
Rise up and Listen: my version says:
God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
The last one month has left me broken. For the past 4 months I lived a life that many envied! But it was not all rosy. September for me was bad: am now back home and trying to put 2 and 2 together, trying to pick the pieces of what is left of my heart and Life! I am broken that is for sure.
But then I read this: God is not man, so he does not lie.....He is not human, so he does not change his mind. And I decide that this God I want to know more.
That God that will be here when You go to bed watch over you at night and be more than ready to hear you out and help you out in the morning and the rest of the day!
That is a God , I would want to bless me: because when H does, NO ONE will reverse it!
Blessings Ya"ll.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Well said.
Last night as I was reading the portion for the day.. I was challenged in s many ways..
I am usually quiet : phyisically , less talk, more mind work and observation and as a result I think a lot. Thus I get stressed over little petty things. But I have ölearned to depend upon the Lord and to let him be my Peace....
There were times I would actually get suíck because of my thoughts. At the age of 13, I was on anti-depressants.
But I am a new creation in the Lord as I learn to depend upon Him daily: Believe me: It is a process. And so I agree with Paul or may be better I undersatnd what he is talking about when he says that:
Learn to control your body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
It makes a lot of sense. Contol means there is no extreme , just moderation. And a we all know : too much of everything whether good or bad is always bad.
So I am not only reminded but also challenged to do better , learn better, live better not like the Pagans but like the Word Of God tells me so. For some of us ther is no difference between us and the Pagans: We move around with so much doubt and burden hanging around our shoulders and we forget that we serve the Kings of Kings who says: Peace I have given you: NOT as the World does ....Halleluyah. The Peace that surpasses all Human Understanding: Peace Perfect Peace: The peace that cause youu to break out in song. All is well, It is Well with my soul: Amen
One of the things that shroud my soul is how knowing God has been transferred to People, Doctrines and sects of religion: It is okay to get attached to your pastors : people that feed you: but remember as Paul says: When you reject instruction, you do not reject a human being but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit: our comforter, friend and helper.
My favourite bit has got to be :
'and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.' 1 Thessalonians 4:11b-12
This has got to be the simplest bit of text ever to understand. One of those that you read: and you cannot addd or subtract anything.More like : Well said.
Need I say more:_ Paul: Well said and thank you.
I am usually quiet : phyisically , less talk, more mind work and observation and as a result I think a lot. Thus I get stressed over little petty things. But I have ölearned to depend upon the Lord and to let him be my Peace....
There were times I would actually get suíck because of my thoughts. At the age of 13, I was on anti-depressants.
But I am a new creation in the Lord as I learn to depend upon Him daily: Believe me: It is a process. And so I agree with Paul or may be better I undersatnd what he is talking about when he says that:
Learn to control your body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
It makes a lot of sense. Contol means there is no extreme , just moderation. And a we all know : too much of everything whether good or bad is always bad.
So I am not only reminded but also challenged to do better , learn better, live better not like the Pagans but like the Word Of God tells me so. For some of us ther is no difference between us and the Pagans: We move around with so much doubt and burden hanging around our shoulders and we forget that we serve the Kings of Kings who says: Peace I have given you: NOT as the World does ....Halleluyah. The Peace that surpasses all Human Understanding: Peace Perfect Peace: The peace that cause youu to break out in song. All is well, It is Well with my soul: Amen
One of the things that shroud my soul is how knowing God has been transferred to People, Doctrines and sects of religion: It is okay to get attached to your pastors : people that feed you: but remember as Paul says: When you reject instruction, you do not reject a human being but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit: our comforter, friend and helper.
My favourite bit has got to be :
'and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.' 1 Thessalonians 4:11b-12
This has got to be the simplest bit of text ever to understand. One of those that you read: and you cannot addd or subtract anything.More like : Well said.
Need I say more:_ Paul: Well said and thank you.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Follow Me
In trying to catch up with the marathoners, I have been reading 1&2 Kings concurrently with the Gospels. It has been a wonderful experience and I have learnt a few things.
In both 1st and 2nd Kings we see that most of the Kings did not obey Gods laws that had been given to them. For the once who tried to obey, there were some few things lacking. One King who really jazzed me in the way he did his things was Jehu (2 Kings 9&10). He was an aggressive leader and in a way reminds me of Joshua. He did good but the disappointing thing about him is found in 2 Kings 10:31...he was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sin of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.
Fast forward....The New Testament. Luke 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left Everything and followed Him(Jesus). Verse 27 of the same: After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him.
What I gathered from this is that to follow Jesus HE requires that we leave everything. In 1&2 Kings we see the consequences of not following God. In this case, what He required was for the people to worship no other apart from Him, to offer sacrifices to no other but Him, which is still a requirement NOW...the greatest commandment of all.
For me, following Jesus does not necessarily mean I leave my job and all that I do but to check my priority list. What's number one in that list. If it's not Him then I have some letting go to do or some serious reshuffling. See, the Bible says I seek first the Kingdom of God and all those other things will be added to me. If my number one is not God then I have misplaced priorities...this means I'm seeking all others first and expect things to work out alright for me. Nah, that's not how it should be.
I had to do this reshuffling a couple of days ago when I realized that my priorities were messed up. Look at it this way, in 24 hours of a day, how much do you spend with the one who has blessed you with that? The King of Kings who does not require that we wait for a particular time of the day to talk to him or to go to some field somewhere to seek Him. I mean He is available all the time all we got to do is get our minds of some things and focus on God. Engage Him in our activities and for whatever we gotta do, we do WITH Him and that's when we will say we have a relationship.
Maybe I have minced my words a little but you know what I am trying to say. Get your priorities right. And as you ponder on that Read Mark 10:17-31
Bless You!
In both 1st and 2nd Kings we see that most of the Kings did not obey Gods laws that had been given to them. For the once who tried to obey, there were some few things lacking. One King who really jazzed me in the way he did his things was Jehu (2 Kings 9&10). He was an aggressive leader and in a way reminds me of Joshua. He did good but the disappointing thing about him is found in 2 Kings 10:31...he was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sin of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.
Fast forward....The New Testament. Luke 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left Everything and followed Him(Jesus). Verse 27 of the same: After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him.
What I gathered from this is that to follow Jesus HE requires that we leave everything. In 1&2 Kings we see the consequences of not following God. In this case, what He required was for the people to worship no other apart from Him, to offer sacrifices to no other but Him, which is still a requirement NOW...the greatest commandment of all.
For me, following Jesus does not necessarily mean I leave my job and all that I do but to check my priority list. What's number one in that list. If it's not Him then I have some letting go to do or some serious reshuffling. See, the Bible says I seek first the Kingdom of God and all those other things will be added to me. If my number one is not God then I have misplaced priorities...this means I'm seeking all others first and expect things to work out alright for me. Nah, that's not how it should be.
I had to do this reshuffling a couple of days ago when I realized that my priorities were messed up. Look at it this way, in 24 hours of a day, how much do you spend with the one who has blessed you with that? The King of Kings who does not require that we wait for a particular time of the day to talk to him or to go to some field somewhere to seek Him. I mean He is available all the time all we got to do is get our minds of some things and focus on God. Engage Him in our activities and for whatever we gotta do, we do WITH Him and that's when we will say we have a relationship.
Maybe I have minced my words a little but you know what I am trying to say. Get your priorities right. And as you ponder on that Read Mark 10:17-31
Bless You!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Half Way!
We are half way,
We have run the race, we have lived the talk.
We have ploughed the ground
the Seed has been planted.
We are richer
We are better
We nearer to the crown
We have learned anew
That patience and hard work do pay.
We are new creatures,
Being worked on everyday
We are fresh beings
Tapping from the Source of Life daily
We read the word,
We know its'truth
And it is what guides us all the way.
We are not perfect,
We fail everyday,
We loose our way sometimes
Live like we don"t care
Skip the verses, forget the chapters
But his Word we ought to read:
And that we endeavour to do.
His Word is Life,
His Word is Light,
His Word is Truth,
His Word is food.
God is alive and the Captain of this our Ship
And to victory He will lead.
And Honour our efforts time and money.
A generation is saved.
A foundation is built
A bright life time is secured.
A heart is lightened,
A soul lifted.
A sinner forgiven
A spirit renewed.
Blessed Assurance Jesus is for us.
Blessed Assurance together we shall endure.
Blessed Assurance for the end we shall pursue.
Blessed Assurance the Lord is with Us
Blessed Assurance: We are Half-Way!
We have run the race, we have lived the talk.
We have ploughed the ground
the Seed has been planted.
We are richer
We are better
We nearer to the crown
We have learned anew
That patience and hard work do pay.
We are new creatures,
Being worked on everyday
We are fresh beings
Tapping from the Source of Life daily
We read the word,
We know its'truth
And it is what guides us all the way.
We are not perfect,
We fail everyday,
We loose our way sometimes
Live like we don"t care
Skip the verses, forget the chapters
But his Word we ought to read:
And that we endeavour to do.
His Word is Life,
His Word is Light,
His Word is Truth,
His Word is food.
God is alive and the Captain of this our Ship
And to victory He will lead.
And Honour our efforts time and money.
A generation is saved.
A foundation is built
A bright life time is secured.
A heart is lightened,
A soul lifted.
A sinner forgiven
A spirit renewed.
Blessed Assurance Jesus is for us.
Blessed Assurance together we shall endure.
Blessed Assurance for the end we shall pursue.
Blessed Assurance the Lord is with Us
Blessed Assurance: We are Half-Way!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Solomon ..
Leaders come and go, Regimes do not last- but a legacy is left behind: Solomon.
However I think that what made him prosper was hat he lived for God!
I was at the Former Nazi Congress hall. the other day, and it is amazing what Hitler had in plan. The structure was huge......,but when it came to his regime, I think that it was about him, and what he could do. Maybe that is why
he ended up fighting the Jews. And that never lasted!
Today the Germans want nothing to do with him. They call him Austrian. He drove himself away. And that is what happens when you are a leader and you fail to live for the right purpose, even your own people dis-own. But not so with Solomon: He lived right and God was frank with him. If the people he led dis-obeyed him, year s later, people would pass by that temple and wonder what had happened! They would look at it , with all the glamour in which it stood, and they would mock it and be appalled by its appearance!
There is lots of detail: Lots of specifications. This is one of those things that helps me believe in being really good at what I do...because that is what God did. The instructions sent were to the point: God knew what kind of a house he wanted for himself......how big the rooms would be:90 feet long, 30 feet wide....Wow: Detail...
And finally food for thought: Why are there no clouds hanging over temples, churches today?
Why are there no priests, walking with a glow on their faces and a calmness that comes from spending time with God?
Is there evidence, both physically and spiritually that you spend time with God?
However I think that what made him prosper was hat he lived for God!
I was at the Former Nazi Congress hall. the other day, and it is amazing what Hitler had in plan. The structure was huge......,but when it came to his regime, I think that it was about him, and what he could do. Maybe that is why
he ended up fighting the Jews. And that never lasted!
Today the Germans want nothing to do with him. They call him Austrian. He drove himself away. And that is what happens when you are a leader and you fail to live for the right purpose, even your own people dis-own. But not so with Solomon: He lived right and God was frank with him. If the people he led dis-obeyed him, year s later, people would pass by that temple and wonder what had happened! They would look at it , with all the glamour in which it stood, and they would mock it and be appalled by its appearance!
There is lots of detail: Lots of specifications. This is one of those things that helps me believe in being really good at what I do...because that is what God did. The instructions sent were to the point: God knew what kind of a house he wanted for himself......how big the rooms would be:90 feet long, 30 feet wide....Wow: Detail...
And finally food for thought: Why are there no clouds hanging over temples, churches today?
Why are there no priests, walking with a glow on their faces and a calmness that comes from spending time with God?
Is there evidence, both physically and spiritually that you spend time with God?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Runners!!! Yay!!
Wow, the blog's looking great, i wanna spend the whole evening here...well i woudnt be writing of course but just staring...O yah!!
For those who were thinking that you had lost me i have good news for you, not yet. :). Its not an easy task running more than one marathon, actually two very crucial marathons but God has been faithful. Talking of running more than one marathon i realize a day will come when i will have to run more than two marathons. Question is, will i be prepared for that and if i will be prepared will it be for the right kind of a race?
To all the peeps i have had a chance to talk to ya'll know that i have been all over Romans 12:1&2 from the beginning of the year and am still holding on to this verse. For me, this has been a guide to knowing what Gods will for my life really is. And for the many times that things do not work the way i would want them to...remembering that Gods will for my life is good, pleasing and perfect really encourages me.
Verse 2 of Romans 12 says: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.Simple, Gods will for my life is good, pleasing and perfect...but i will only know what it is...ONCE i have been transformed BY THE RENEWING of my mind...
What really is transformation and how does the renewing of our minds bring about the...transformation? Do we undergo some kind of process? Say like Mind-Renewal-sis? What is needed for this process to take place, tools...chemicals....labour...amount of time etc? And at what point would you say process is finished, good job you can now go home you are nolonger a work in progress but a finished good, that is, if we will ever get to that point here?
As i continue pondering on this...feel free to share your insights so that we all can be blessed and be renewed...
BRB!!
For those who were thinking that you had lost me i have good news for you, not yet. :). Its not an easy task running more than one marathon, actually two very crucial marathons but God has been faithful. Talking of running more than one marathon i realize a day will come when i will have to run more than two marathons. Question is, will i be prepared for that and if i will be prepared will it be for the right kind of a race?
To all the peeps i have had a chance to talk to ya'll know that i have been all over Romans 12:1&2 from the beginning of the year and am still holding on to this verse. For me, this has been a guide to knowing what Gods will for my life really is. And for the many times that things do not work the way i would want them to...remembering that Gods will for my life is good, pleasing and perfect really encourages me.
Verse 2 of Romans 12 says: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.Simple, Gods will for my life is good, pleasing and perfect...but i will only know what it is...ONCE i have been transformed BY THE RENEWING of my mind...
What really is transformation and how does the renewing of our minds bring about the...transformation? Do we undergo some kind of process? Say like Mind-Renewal-sis? What is needed for this process to take place, tools...chemicals....labour...amount of time etc? And at what point would you say process is finished, good job you can now go home you are nolonger a work in progress but a finished good, that is, if we will ever get to that point here?
As i continue pondering on this...feel free to share your insights so that we all can be blessed and be renewed...
BRB!!
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