God has the best plan for your life!

It all started with a nation in obscurity, yet chosen by God. The nation of Israel did not start out as a nation deserving of God’s favour, yet He chose to use this nation to showcase what He could do if they surrendered to Him. (Deut 10:15)

As long as the nation of Israel obeyed God, they were triumphant in battle and had the privilege of being led by God Himself through the pillar of cloud in the day and fire by night. This nation had nothing to boast about. They never chose God; rather it was God who chose them. (Ex 13:21)

God wanted the nation of Israel to be different. They were called to be His own peculiar people, a special people close to His heart. In and through them, all the families of the earth were to be blessed. However, instead of embracing their heritage, they yearned to be like the pagan tribes around them and desired their own king. They rejected the rule of the Majesty of Heaven in favour of an earthly king, slave to like passions as themselves. They wanted a king who would ride triumphantly into battle with them, yet their battles had always been the Lord’s! (1 Sam 8:5-20)

In the same manner we being the church, as spiritual Israel, have been called to be kings and priests to our God and to reign with Him in His kingdom which will never end. However, we find ourselves as pilgrims in this far country of life, and instead of seeking the everlasting City of God, we are distracted by this world and it’s people. We long to be like them more than we long to be like our Saviour. He has created us to shine like lights in a perverse world to show all people His glory, but instead we prefer to blend into the crowds. We claim to value originality, but we evidence a pitiful lack thereof. Our dress, the way we walk and talk, and conduct business is the same as is commonly found in this world. It is not often that others see the difference! (Phil 2:15, Heb 11:13, 1 Pet 2:11)

Why is it that we prefer to crawl when God has designed us to soar with Him? We were not made to be creatures of habit, slaves to sin. We are not meant to sit in church for years and years with nothing to show for it. We were made in the image of God, to triumph over evil. Christ is daily restoring that image in us and we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and to overcome sin through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. The time has come to stop “playing church” and start living it out in our lives! We need the deliverance of Christ to manifest in our lives, so that the whole world can see the difference. (Gen 1:27, Col 3)

God has called us to perfection because He is perfect. He has called us to holiness because He is holy. As His people, we must reflect His character. It is a high ideal to strive for, but with Christ all things are possible! Although our righteousness pales in comparison to His, we are called to model our lives on His life and to walk just as He walked if we are to be His true disciples. Put aside selfish, carnal desires and let Christ unravel the puzzle that is your life today! (1 Jn 2:6, Acts 4:13) 

God has the best plan for your life; why don't you surrender to Him today? With God in your corner, there is nothing that life can throw at you that you and Him together can't handle.You can't afford NOT to know Him!

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." -John 6:37.

The Ministry of Prayer-Talking with God

The gospels often record that Jesus rose early and sought out a solitary place where He would spend time in prayer, communing with His Father. His disciples must have been impressed with His prayerful example, for they asked Him to teach them how to pray. The result of this lesson was the Lord’s Prayer, which is known and loved by Christians the world over for it teaches us important lessons on how we should approach prayer. (Luke 11:1)

What is prayer, and why is it so important? As we face the year ahead and considering the times in which we live, it is imperative that we grasp the true meaning and power of prayer. The Bible teaches in James 5:16 that the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much.

Prayer is more than just petitioning God, although that may well form part of a person’s prayer time. Prayer is a ministry. I once read a wise quote on what it means to be in ministry. To be a minister of God means helping, interceding and praying for others even though you yourself are in need of being ministered to. That means that prayer is not something we should do only when we feel like it. There will often be times when you don’t feel like praying, but keep at it. The Apostle Paul encouraged believers to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5:17)

Prayer does not consist of repeating a “shopping list” of your desires to God every day. The most powerful and heartfelt prayers are prayers of repentance, confession, and praying for the needs of others around you. Indeed, you can be truly blessed when you spend the least amount of time listing your needs and praying for yourself, and the most amount of time praying for others. Too often, our spiritual growth is stunted by “give me” prayers and we fail to ask God to deliver us from the temptations of the day ahead and the path of sin that lies ahead of us. True prayer comes from a heart of brokenness and a spirit that seeks after God Himself, and not just the things He is able to provide.

Prayer does not consist of vain repetition; Jesus said that we should not pray as the heathen do. Intimate times of prayer and intercession should not be done in public, but rather in the “closet” i.e. a solitary place of privacy with no disturbances. This ensures that your prayer time is productive and not used as just as an outward show only. If you find it hard to concentrate, keep a prayer journal and write down your prayers. This is an excellent way of reviewing your prayers and recording testimonies of answered prayer that can be used to witness to others. If you don’t know what to pray for, let the Holy Spirit guide you. Intercede, repent, confess, thank, admire and praise God! Ask for spiritual as well as physical needs. (Rom 8:26)

Take your first step in coming to Jesus today by praying the prayer at the bottom of this page. It will change your life forever (in a good way, of course!).  He is longing for you to come to Him today!

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Scripture refs: Luke 11:1-4, Matt 6:5-15, 1 Thes 5:17, Rom 8:26

The Brother who died for me

Our Bible study at church this quarter has focused on what it means to be clothed in Christ. I cannot resist the temptation to share this story told by a Romanian pastor imprisoned for his faith before the fall of Communism, to criminals sharing his cell.

There were once two brothers. The elder was a devout, God-fearing man while the younger was a rebel who surrounded himself with unsavoury companions and riotous living. One day, he ran to his older brother who was reading in his study screaming: “Brother, save me! The police are after me. I have killed a man!” Without hesitating, his older brother grasped the situation. “I will save you, let us change garments,” he replied. The elder brother donned the blood-stained garments, and handed his white robe to his younger sibling. They had barely dressed when the cops burst in on the scene and arrested the older brother on charges of murder.

At his trial he pleaded guilty, saying to the judge: “I accept full responsibility for the crime.” Faced with the evidence-the pursuit, the bloodstained clothes and a confession, he was sentenced to death. “What is your final wish?” the judge asked. “Only one”, replied the supposed criminal. “Please deliver this letter to my brother at the moment of my execution.”

On opening the letter, the younger brother read: “My beloved, at this moment I die in your place, in your bloodstained clothes, for your crime. I am happy to offer this sacrifice because I love you. All I ask is that in the white robe I gave you, you live a life of righteousness and purity. I have no other desire!”

As the younger brother read the letter, tears flowed down his cheeks. He ran in desperation, hoping to stop the execution but no one believed his story. “The crime has been expiated-what happened between you two is none of our concern” said the judge. Thereafter, every time his former friends called him to loose living, the younger brother would say: “In the white robe left to me by my brother who gave his life for me, I can no longer do the evil deeds I did before.”

Jesus Christ,  Son of God (our elder Brother) paid a terrible price in dying for our sins. Our token of love to Him is a life of righteousness and purity. Our good works cannot save us-if they could, Christ would not have had to die. No matter how good you are now or intend to be in future, your past sins still condemn you until you accept Christ's sacrifice for your atonement. Keeping God’s Commandments should not be a burden to us, but a token of our love for Christ.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. "-John 14:15 (Jesus speaking)
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."- 1 John 5:3
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.-Romans 5:6-10

Also read Matt ch 26-ch 28 on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, remembering that He did all this for you. Also read John 13.

Follow the Leader

It is rumoured that Gandhi respected Jesus Christ as a great teacher and often quoted from passages of Scripture like the Sermon on the Mount. However, when asked by a Christian minister why he so adamantly refused to become a Christian, he replied: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

I remember as a child playing a simple game called “Follow the Leader.” Everyone would have to follow the person chosen as the “leader”, imitating perfectly that person’s actions and following in his or her footsteps. It is the same with the Christian walk. We are called to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Much is at stake if we don’t, including the lives of those who watch our supposedly Christian lives unfold.  Even genuine Christians make mistakes and fall into the trap of sin, but our goal should be to repent, admit our mistakes, seek forgiveness from Christ and not let sin become a repetitive pattern in our lifestyles. (1 Jn 1:9-10)

On the same token, those who choose to reject Christianity merely because of the observed faults of a few Christians are making a grave and perilous mistake. Christ did not call you to follow other Christians, or to judge them. He calls you to follow Him! If you find Christ attractive, follow Him regardless of the unattractiveness of His supposed followers. There are many out there who call themselves Christians, but who are really only taking the Lord’s Name in vain. Jesus Christ left the glories of Heaven to come down to this earth to show us what God’s love looks like and to show us how we should live. We should pattern our lives after His life, and not after the lives of the great evangelists and preachers of our time.

Even the Apostle Paul, a devout Christian leader, told the early Christians to only imitate him as long as he imitated Christ. This clearly meant that the moment he stopped imitating Christ, was the exact same moment that they should stop imitating him! (1 Cor 11:1) Following a Christian is only good when that Christian is following Christ. So I pose the question, why follow Christians in the first place when you can rather just follow Christ?

Jesus often referred to Himself as the Shepherd and His followers as sheep. Sheep are silly creatures which are well known for their tendency to get lost. It is therefore vital that you put your trust in the Shepherd more than another sheep with a penchant for getting lost! Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.” It is vital that your Christianity hinge on a relationship with the Shepherd Himself. (Jn 10:11-16, 27-29; Mk 2:14, Mk 8:34)

"I [Jesus speaking] am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."-John 10:11-16 
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."-John 10:27-28

The Secret to Contentment Part 1: One Day at a Time

This week, I was reminded of the fragility of life when a good friend of my father passed away. He was fine the one day, and two days later he had passed on! Needless to say, it was a great shock to his family and many friends.

We often live our lives thinking that we’re invincible, but little do we realize the fine line between life and death. One could hope that all of us are alive to be caught up in the air with the Lord at His glorious return, but that would be wishful thinking. Some of us will not be alive then, although that will not detract from the excitement of the resurrection that awaits us! (1 Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21)

Life is fragile. It can end at any time, meaning the close of probation for each individual may well be closer than the general close of probation. Wise King Solomon said it well when he said that the living know they shall die, but the dead know not anything. Since life passes so quickly, it should be all the more reason to find those things that matter the most and make your life count for something bigger and better than your wildest dreams -  something that will last for eternity! I speak of the Kingdom of God which will never pass away. Jesus said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto you.” (Matt 6:24-34, Matt 6:19-21)

Are you stressed about things that often seem beyond your control? Do you feel like a headless chicken, or a wave in a tempest, tossed to and fro? Do the little annoyances in life leave you feeling angry and bitter, and then worst of all…ALONE? Are you suffering the negative physical effects of a body and spirit that is exhausted from the relentless pressures of life and the wild dreams and fantasies you chase that mean nothing in the greater scheme of things? Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running as fast as you can, but going nowhere? Are you trapped in a vicious cycle of debt that leaves a lump in your throat and feels like an anaconda squeezing the life out of you?

I speak from personal experience when I tell people that Jesus is the answer to true contentment. After all, if the Spirit of the Lord of the Universe dwells within you, what more could you want? I felt my colleague’s sentiments this week when he said that if he didn’t have Jesus, he probably would have committed suicide a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with forward planning and a healthy sense of God-given ambition. God wants us to use all our talents, but most times we take it beyond the boundaries for healthful living. None of us is given a guarantee that we will have tomorrow; all we have is today. Make it count! As the old hymn goes: “…one day at a time, Sweet Jesus; that’s all I am asking of You…”

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."- Matt 6:24-34

Scripture refs: Read the whole of Matthew ch 6, 1Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21

The Secret to Contentment Part 2-Born to Serve

Last week’s message focused on the secret to true contentment being trust in Jesus Christ who saves us, obedience to His commands because we love Him, and making His Kingdom the overriding passion in our lives.

However, the question may arise: How exactly does one make Jesus’ Kingdom your passion? This week’s message seeks to explore this question. (Matt 6:19-34)

Making Jesus’ Kingdom your passion involves making His mission the priority and central focus of your existence. We are to seek the lost and erring in the same way that the Saviour sought them i.e. with a heart of compassion. The fulfillment of the Great Commission should override your desire for wealth, prestige or status in this world. Let God take care of you, as you focus on serving Him  by taking care of those He loves and gave His life for. (Matt 28:19-20)

There is no career more rewarding than that of being a minister of Christ. It is indeed the highest privilege and calling. Most of us spend at least eight hours at our places of work, but this is no excuse to leave God’s calling on your life unfulfilled. Your place of work is your mission field – don’t wait until you retire to labour for the Master; rather do it now in the days of your youth and vigour when you can offer Him the best years of your life in humble service for His Kingdom. In ministering to the needs of others by tending to their spiritual, emotional and physical needs, you will gain an audience for your promotion of the Gospel of our Lord. The days spent at your work place where you used to complain and experience monotony will be revitalized as you gain new purpose in working for the Master. In His employ, you will find peace and contentment as never before! (1 Tim 4:12; 6:6-12, Lam 3:27, Jer 22:21)

God created us in His image and likeness. When Jesus walked this earth, He revealed His character to be that of a servant leader. Therefore this means that we were created for service! When Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, the first thing she did was to arise and wait on the Lord. In the same manner, Christ has brought us into His Kingdom to serve others and to worship Him. In doing so, we will find rest for our souls, for we will then have exchanged our burdens for His yoke of service which is “easy and light”. (Matt 8:14-15; 11:28-30, John 13)

This quiet contentment is evidenced in the life of Paul the Apostle, when as he languished in a damp prison cell, all he asked for was his coat, books and parchments.The degree of contentment you experience is directly proportional to the amount of “dying to self” that you do. Contentment stems from having a meaningful purpose –Jesus is our reason for living. He is our purpose, His mission and passion, ours too!

The Secret to Contentment Part 3-Sabbath Rest

In the fast paced modern era we live in, many struggle to find some quiet time for rest and repose. However, God has always emphasized the need for His people to come away from worldly concerns for a time of reflection and communion with Him. (Gen 3:8-9, Gen2:2-3, Mk 6:31)

We were not designed to operate in a 24/7 working environment. As the Creator and Master Designer of the Universe, God alone knows the optimal conditions in which we should live. Just as you would not subject your car or a piece of expensive machinery to undue stress by using it contrary to the operating instructions (abuse), so you should also take care to heed God’s operating instructions for your own well-being, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.

It is the same Lord who decreed the boundaries of the oceans who also has decreed the boundaries of time and space, giving us six days in which to labour and commanding us to rest on the seventh day to commemorate the great work of Creation that He had accomplished. It is also a time to contemplate the restoration of all things which He has already set in motion by His redeeming death, victorious Resurrection and atoning priestly ministry.

Jesus, when He was on this earth, showed us in what spirit we ought to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath is God’s gift to man. This is what Jesus meant when He said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. (Mk 2:27) No gift is a burden; hence the Sabbath ought not to be kept in legalistic tradition, but in joyous freedom and should be our delight. (Is 58:13-14) Also notice, He did not say: “The Sabbath was made for Jews…” He said “man”, meaning ALL of mankind, non-Jews included.

Many have neglected the Sabbath or have chosen to replace God’s Holy (sanctified*) Day with a day of their own choosing. At Creation, God rested on the Sabbath (seventh day), setting a pattern for us that was to last for all eternity. If the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday (first day of the week), surely something as important as this would have been an explicit command of Jesus Himself! Yet we see no such command in the entire Canon of Scripture. We see the price of neglect of God’s Sabbath all around us, in the maladies of the depressed and anxious. People are suffering from stress, overwork and depression from their youth. God has given us a command to rest – if He has decreed it, why should we fight it? In God’s Kingdom made new, ALL peoples will celebrate the Sabbath. (Is 66:22-23) Why not embrace and enjoy it now!

* to sanctify = to set apart for holy use

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD."-Is 66:22-23