09 Jun 2020
The other thing we could be doing is praying and keeping ourselves in God’s love. Pray for God’s mercy, for people during this difficult time and for transformation of lives. Spend time with God and show love to people around you. Jude:20-22.
08 Jun 2020
As we continue waiting upon God to deliver us from this pandemic, there a couple of things we could be doing as mentioned in Jude:20-23. The first one is building ourselves up in our faith. What are the things you could do to attain this goal? It could be different things for different people. May the Lord help us to see what we can do to achieve this.
04 Jun 2020
If we are going to stand out for God we ought to realise that it will be on His terms and according to His plan. Like Moses in Exodus 33:13, we had better start getting to know Him better, and His plan too. If He decides to allow us to stand out, we should be aware that we are fortunate to be considered worthy of His time. Trust and faith in Him are inevitable, if we are going on this journey with Him. I’m reminded of the phrase “finding your footing/feet” in a new situation or environment. May the Lord help us.
03 Jun 2020
The Lord’s presence brings distinction; it distinguishes His people from others. Moses was so desperate for God’s people to stand out that he declared he would not go without God’s presence. Exodus 33:15-16.
02 Jun 2020
To get to know someone better, one needs to interact with that person more. Moses desired to know God more and understood that he couldn’t perform the task of leading Israel without God’s help. In Exodus 33:12-14 he insisted on it and God agreed. One benefit of God’s presence is rest.
29 May 2020
Earlier in the gospel of Mark, the disciples had cast out demons, but they failed to do so in chapter 9 as we read earlier this week. We do not automatically get all that we desire in life. We must therefore learn to discern what is necessary for us to do God’s will. That should be our priority. Trusting and having faith in Him starts with Him (Ephesians 2:8-9) and grows as we make it a daily practice. In verse 29 Jesus says that prayer is crucial, so we must also learn to pray.
28 May 2020
Standing out for God is not possible by one’s own strength. The disciples were not able to cast the demon out in Mark 9:18-29. It took the hand of God to do it. Similarly, His followers depend on Him continuously for guidance and support.
27 May 2020
The appreciation of the values of God’s kingdom and how different they are from those of the world should make His followers stand out. In Mark 9:17-18, a man with a problem sought the help of the disciples because he believed they could help heal his son. Are people seeking your help and guidance? How are you impacting your sphere of influence? Is there something in you that makes you stand out?
26 May 2020
Mark 9:1-13 talks about the transfiguration of Jesus. In verse 11 the 3 disciples ask a question in their quest to understand the context of what they had witnessed. Jesus answers the question and then poses a question. He mentions about His impending suffering, something that they struggled to come to terms with. If Jesus was the Messiah, why should He suffer? He ought to have come to deliver them from their problems and political oppression. But they didn’t realise at that moment that God had different priorities; deliverance from sin and eternal life. The values of God’s eternal kingdom are different from those of the world. Our understanding and appreciation of the kingdom values and our relationship with God should go beyond our immediate circumstances.
22 May 2020
The other thing John did out of love for his friends and others was to warn them against false teachings. He had walked with Christ and knew the truth. I can imagine what must have transpired after Jesus died; many people must have come up claiming to have known Him and this must have led to false teachings and the misleading of many who had no access to the scriptures or to the disciples and apostles to verify what was being taught. We are living in a time where there is an overload of information. I hope we shall take time to seek out the truth. God desires a relationship with us and it is in walking with Him that we can grow in truth 1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-6 and 2 John 1-11.