"I Can Do All Things"

Recently at the beginning of 2015, a couple of my friends and I took a van full of young university students to Powertalks.  It reminded me of my school days!  In school life while I was growing up, some of my school mates were said to have a very high IQ.  Students with a high IQ were the darlings of the teachers.  In Standard III, I was an average kid! We ranked 23 or 24 in our class of thirty-some pupils. Now I recall. 

A fact of life is that, "though some people do well in the IQ tests, it does not give a guarantee that they will do well in lfie".  It does not matter what the experts are saying about you. The important thing is what you believe God is saying about you.  Paul says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  All things!  The important thing is what you are saying about yourself based on what God says about you in His word - that is faith. So, no external voice has the power to shape your destiny if the voice inside you is louder than the voice outside you.

The School Master!

Chapter 2 in the small book by Ray Comfort about the myth of the Modern Message, was very difficult for me to comprehend! I would recommend every Pastor and Christian with a passion for Evangelism to delve into this message of this shattering publication.

I want to excerpt a paragraph by Martyn Lloyd-Jones on of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century,

"There is not true evangelism without the doctirne of sin, ad without an understanding of what sin is.  I do not want to be unfair, but I say that a gospel which merely says, "Come to Jesus," and offers Him as a Friend, and offers a marvelous new life, without convicting of sin, is not New Testament evangelism. The essence of evangelism is to start by preaching the Law; and it is because the Law has not been preached that e have had so much superficial evangelism.  True evangelism... must always start by preaching the Law."

Hmmmh! Think about that!

Stunned By His Grace - Max Lucado

Stunned By His Grace

by Max Lucado

I was mulling over a recent conversation I had with a disenchanted Christian brother. He was upset with me. So upset that he was considering rescinding his invitation for me to speak to his group. Seems he’d heard I was pretty open about who I have fellowship with. He’d read the words I wrote: “If God calls a person his child, shouldn’t I call him my brother?” And, “If God accepts others with their errors and misinterpretations, shouldn’t we?"

He didn’t like that. “Carrying it a bit too far,” he told me. “Fences are necessary,” he explained. “Scriptures are clear on such matters.” He read me a few and then urged me to be careful to whom I give grace.

“I don’t give it,” I assured. “I only spotlight where God already has.”

Later I had a great thought. A why-didn’t-I-think-to-say-that? insight.

If the subject resurfaces, I’ll say it. But in case it doesn’t, I’ll say it to you. (It’s too good to waste.) Just one sentence:

I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment, but I’m still stunned by his grace.

Story after story. Prayer after prayer. Surprise after surprise.

Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you. Search.

You won’t find it.

Seems to me God gives a lot more grace than we’d ever imagine.

We could do the same.

I’m not for watering down the truth or compromising the gospel. But if a fellow with a pure heart calls God Father, can’t I call that same man Brother? If God doesn’t make doctrinal perfection a requirement for family membership, should I?

And if we never agree, can’t we agree to disagree? If God can tolerate my mistakes, can’t I tolerate the mistakes of others? If God can overlook my errors, can’t I overlook the errors of others? If God allows me with my foibles and failures to call him Father, shouldn’t I extend the same grace to others?

One thing’s for sure. When we get to heaven, we’ll be surprised at some of the folks we see. And some of them will be surprised to see us.

Where Do I Strike The Balance?

Tucked between verses on servants submitting to their own matters - in today's language workers submitting to their employers, is a verse with seven words, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain."

Paul admonishes us 1 Timothy 4:7,8 
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come

Godliness, is a virtue we are embark training in through out life.  Godliness helps us in every way. Godliness is a virtue that invokes on God the Holy Spirit to help us in discernment! The Bible is helpful to that longing soul that seeks to satisfy a heart sold out to God! Godliness will be of value to help you in striking a balance so that you do not fall into fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition (6:9). Godliness will be of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (4:8).  Godliness in the allure of excess will open doors to help you see opportunities that leave a mark into eternity because only what is done for Jesus will last.

Contentment on the other hand tells us to be happy with what we have!  "Better is little" I believe through God the Holy Spirit I will be able to discern when my little is much! The emphasis I believe is remaining righteous - in other words considering the precepts of God's word as your guide.  Psalms 37:16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. Having the right attitude in obedience to God is also key. In a recent blog I referred to an elderly Bishop who said, "do not serve money but let money serve you!"  Prov 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom....  Prov 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. 

Paul concludes his admonition in verse 11 that,  But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

We are to flee: dishonoring/dispising our masters v 1,  false doctrine v 3, pride/ ignorance/arguments over words which bring all that is given in v4-5,  straying from the faith in greed v 10 etc

Lord, help us to strike that balance and be relevant as we serve You!

Integrity Check For Pastors

Recently I received hearty counsel from Bishop Tuimising - a man of God from the Rift Valley.  Having served for over 52 years is no simple lifetime task!

1 Samuel 12:1-5

Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. ² And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. ³ Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”

⁴ And they said, “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
⁵ Then he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
And they answered, “He is witness.”

In his counsel were five nuggets of wisdom that would guide each Pastor, Christian leader, professional, name it to live a life of integrity.

1. Balance your faith. 
Make sure that what motivates you in your walk of faith is the love you have for God!
Deuteronomy 6:5 
⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
2. Take care of your family.
Your spouse is more important than the church, your leadership, your profession, your business.  The "Church is the bride of Christ, not you Pastor!" Do not neglect your spouse because you are forever in Church and ministry or in your profession!
3. Friends.
Show me your friends and I will show you who you are! Walk with the wise!
Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed"
4. Finances
Be a good steward of resources that God places in your life. Make sure your money is your servant not you serving it.
5. Fitness
Do not be older than your age, watch what you eat.  Exercise.  Paul says that physical exercise profits little however that little is needful and necessary!
Five for now! I am sure there much many more areas that can make us faithful stewards of the mysteries of God.  Paul tells us that faithfulness is required of a steward.
1 Corinthians 4:2  ² Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

He who built all things is God.

A.W. Pink in his book The Doctrine of Revelation sites that, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews indulged in no mere poetic rhapsody when he wrote,  "For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” Hebrews 3:4

“The thoughtful observer must feel that in the heavens there is not only a testimony to a Creator, but a partial revelation of His character and attributes.  Such a work and workmanship not only reveal a Workman, but hint what sort of workman He is.  For example, as no bounds have ever been found in the universe, it is natural to infer an infinite Creator.  The vast periods discovered by astronomy suggest His eternity.  The forces of the universe displaying stupendous power, bespeak His omnipotence.  Waste, everywhere going on and needing perpetual resupply, demands omnipresence. The exact proportion and wise adaptation of every part to each other, and of all to the great whole, tell of omniscience, which includes both infinite knowledge and wisdom.  The Being who survives and guides all the changes of this universe must Himself be immutable; and He who lavishes upon His work such wealth of splendor and variety of beauty must be both infinitely rich in resources and versatile in invention.  So also the universal harmony by which the whole mechanism is regulated, indicates a character of infinite perfection in harmony with itself. Thus, seen from no higher point of view than the scientific and philosophical, the dome of the sky bears, wrought on its expanse, in starry mosaics, ‘There is a God’” (The Gordian Knot)

 Psalm 104:14* He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, 15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart.

I Believe I Can Change!

Wayne Cordeiro, in the chapter Believe You Can Change highlights a poem, that has impressed me.  It goes like this:

One ship sails east

and another sails west,

While the selfsame 

breezes blow.

But its the set of the sail

and not the winds

That determines where it will go.

And as the storms rage on,

as we journey through life,

It will be the set of our hearts

that determine where we go,

Not the storms or strife.

Wayne concludes by saying, "Your attitude is the set of your sail."  You and I must choose the direction you want your life to travel and set your heart accordingly. There will be storms, but it will be your attitude towards those storms that drives you in one direction or another, not the storm itself.

A poor attitude in the midst of the storm can cause the storm outside to rage inside for a lifetime.