GETTING CANED!!

 

One of the benefits of working in Teens Ministry is that I get to be at forums where parenting is discussed, I'm not a parent yet, I'm even yet to marry the amazing and beautiful girl who I'm dating as well... but I get to be a parent to the Teens I minister to, and start learning how to be a father to the kids I'll get in future. 

Not the point really, but I got to attend one such forum recently and we were discussing how parenting was a while ago. It was interesting to hear how people grew up and how parents raised them. 

I couldn't help but think of my own parents and how they raised me. You see, my mother was the final say in our house, it was her way or face her beating. It is quite many occasions that I had to face the cane. And she used the nearest thing that she could get her hands on... a leather belt, mwiko, a rubber slippers, name it. 

I remember one of those times... not very sure if it was a mwiko or slippers, but it was one of them. And she kept quarreling me between the caning... "Wewe," THWACK! "Who..." THWACK "... told..." THWACK! "... you..." THWACK! "...that..." THWACK! "... you..." THWACK! "...could..." THWACK! "...watch..." THWACK! "...TV..." THWACK! "... na..." THWACK! "... hujamaliza..." THWACK! "... homework!?!?"

Other times there was no break between those strokes... it felt like a rain of canes, like a hurricane coming down on me, and at the end of it, it was pain from head to toe. Or when it was slow and methodical and I was told to lie down on my stomach and she chose the toughest leather belt from my dad's wardrobe and I knew exactly what was coming my way. (Dad later hid that belt without mum's knowledge). 

It was not that dad was not into disciplining us... oh no! If dad called you and you knew it was a discipline case, you stated crying even before he spoke. He had this way of pinching the abdomen region and the pain would just flow from the head to the tip of your toes... like real pain, uncontrollable pain running through your body, tears would just flow. I think I dreaded him more than mum, his was just too predictable.

And this was not just with my parents, I hear my grandmother was no joke either... except for Sundays. Sunday was the only day a beating never came. If you happened to mess up on a Sunday, Cucu would take her cane and reign blows on a huge rock that was near the home. But dare you mess up during the week... it was a beating of the century, combining the beating you were meant to receive on Sunday as well. 

That's parenting... and I'd bet you had your experiences as well. We hated them, I know I did, and it sometimes felt as though our parents were being unfair, that they went too much with the cane and there was no need to be that hard on us... I mean, was it really necessary? All that went through my mind untilI understood why it had to be that way. 

There were rules, there were restrictions, there were regulations... and every time I chose not to obey those limits, there were consequences, the beating and punishment had to come. 

Does that mean they did not love me and that they enjoyed seeing me in pain and crying?? Not at all, they did it out of love. And many years down the line, I do appreciate that they punished me when I disobeyed, I appreciate that I grew up in a disciplined and controlled environment... they did it out of love. I credit a lot of who I am today to the fact that mum and dad disciplined me in the way they know how.

Just thinking about all these experiences reminded me of how our Heavenly Father is. He loves us much more than even our parents love us, He loves us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up His life on the cross for us. He gave us His word; the Bible. This is the rule book He expects us to live by

Now, just like my mum and dad would discipline me out of love, then what stops God? In our life of sin, God will judge us, we shall experience His wrath if we continue to live our life in sin. If we turn away from the truth, if we choose not to live by His word and instruction, what stops Him from punishing us? But unlike mum and dad, God's cane is much more severe. We are looking at a time of pain and suffering, a time when there will be so much pain that you will wish to die but it will  not come (Rev 9:6). It will be a life in hell... literally. 

But does that mean He does not love us??? Quite the contrary.. He loves us so much!! I mean, he died for you, it was supposed to be you and I hung on that cross, but He took that on my behalf, on your behalf... that we do not have to go through it because He did it for us. Is there any love greater than that?

So, yes... there will be punishment, but He is giving us a chance to turn back to Him, a second chance. Take it and experience His love.

BEFORE THE JUDGE

 

Ever been in a traffic violation? 

We'll, I was... it was in November last year and to be honest, there was definite reason for me to be locked up. We actually drove to the police station and there's no way I was getting away from this one.  

That was one dreadful drive... it was long, it was scary, it was a feeling I had ever felt inside. There was the guilt, the knowledge that I was on the wrong and that I deserved to be punished... But I still prayed, I still asked God to create a way in what was clearly a cul de suc... a dead end. 

I had this feeling that, in as much as I prayed to God, I was still going down, no way I was going to escape this one. 

Then it all changed, I have no idea how it happened... but we drove out of the station without my name even being written in the occurrence book, I do not know how, I do not know what happened... but have you ever got the feeling of going and not even turning back just because things might just turn back to the way they were before?? That was the feeling... run like Usain Bolt's 100 meters dash and do not even look back. 

I do not know how I escaped it, I can not explain it, don't know how it all happened, all I know is that I walked free. 

Question... does it make sense how, in all my guilt, in all my knowledge of my breaking the law, I still walked away without even a warning... and no, I did not give any bribes. It is in the very nature of Kenyans to take the easiest way out, but God told me not to take that route, and I listened to Him. 

I have known the answer... it is God's Grace...

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:9

That is grace... going before The Judge, accepting you are guilty, and The Judge forgives you for it... because He bore all the punishment when He died on the cross. It's hard to understand it, I know.

Now the interesting thing about This Judge we'll stand before, He is still a judge in the end... If you accept your guilt, you stand forgiven, if you do not, then His wrath will be unleashed.

For those He will have forgiven, in love and grace, He provides rescue from His just judgement through Jesus Christ, who was slain and yet triumphant.

For those who will continue to turn away from their Savior, will be destruction, bitterness, loss, pain, anguish, fear and death.

Now, the purpose of God's wrath is not that we suffer, but that we will repent and turn back to Him, that men, women and children will turn back to Him, will turn away from their sinful nature. In any case, rebellion against God will ruin spirituality, sexuality and human relations.

Ive' been studying Revelation, and it comes with the reality of this destruction, the reality of judgement coming upon all those who are not yet branded (link to my previous blog post on Christ's seal). Those in sin will continue to be tormented by the devil while those with the seal of the name of Jesus Christ will be free.

This is an earnest cry to you, if you are not saved, if you have not turned to the gracious judge for forgiveness, He is still waiting in mercy to give you the seal that is the source of salvation, He is just, yes, but merciful as well... turn back to Him before His destruction is unleashed.

Remember this, in a world that prefers the degradation of sin, God's people people are safe as God acts on His holiness

ARE YOU BRANDED?

 

Every time you thing about any industry in our economy, you can associate a major brand to go with it; the mobile phone industry has Samsung, Nokia, Huawei, Tecno etc... the telecommunication industry has Safaricom, Airtel, Orange etc... in banking there's the likes of Equity and K.C.B... in household items you have Haco Brands, Unilever... in social network we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... think about them all, Nakumatt, Coke, Jumia, Nation Media... just name them, every industry has its big shots. 

The thing about these brands, we all associate with them, we know them, our lives are surrounded by them, we know their slogans and what they are all about. We even know their colors. And every small entity in various industries strives to be like those big brands, to be known as the leader in the industry. 

By the mere fact that this brands are so big, it is so easy to reach out to consumers, it is so easy for us to associate with all these brands because we know they are the best.  Simply put, we know them.

I have been studying the book of Revelation, and that is what got me thinking about all these brands around us, how we know them, we want to associate with them, we want to be a part of these brands, we want to consume their products... we want the best, right? I bet you agree. 

Bottom line is, all these are worldly things... we are leaving them right here on this earth. The one thing that will leave, however, is our lives. 

Question, what is your brand??? Any idea???

Revelation can give you an idea of what brand you are, or should be, or just what you are not...

"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God" Rev 7:3

The seal... the mark... the brand...

And what exactly is this seal/mark/brand... you might be wondering...

Imagine how the Kings of old used to be... for you to know what was his, there was a seal made with his signet ring, an imprint of a crest, name or image. It showed what was the King's, or what had come from that king. 

So God is saying this, there is harm coming, but hold on till His servants get the mark, till they are branded. Everything else we can destroy. 

Then comes the question of how to get the mark... it is simple, does God know you so that He can give you His mark, dose He count you as His??? Because only that which He knows will get the mark, only that which He associates with counts.

Understand this about God, He is giving us a chance to get branded, He is waiting for us to turn back to Him, to turn away from our sin, to get to know Him and get the Seal of salvation... then we are assured that we are not facing destruction. That seal is the assurance that we are saved. 

Do you have the seal? What are you waiting for, God is gracious and is giving you the time to get the seal... well, that is if you haven't. If on the other hand you do have the seal, then we have assurance (coz I know I'm included there). If you do not, destruction is surely coming your way.

So, got an answer yet... free advice, get to know God, give Him your life, get the seal and get salvation. Hey, it's free advice... I leave the rest to God and the Holy Spirit... think about it. 

TIMOTHY LESSONS; CHRISTIAN LIVING

 

As the year was ending, I got the opportunity to teach on the book of 2 Timothy. It was quite the experience for me, firstly in teaching the word and secondly in the reminder of living as a Christian. 

I realized how important it is for us to understand that at the time Paul was writing the letter to Timothy, his situation was similar to our current generation in so many ways that it feels like Paul is writing to you and I. So out my experience and the lessons I learnt, I thought Id do a summary and share it so that even as we live as Christians, we understand the realities that come with our Faith. 

The image I got when studying the book was an old man (maybe in his late 60s), Paul, getting to the finish line before the much younger guy who is in his early 30s, Timothy, and the old man turns back to get the young guy so that he too can finish the race... and this is the advice the young fellow gets; 

1. GROW IN FAITH

The way Paul puts it, I realized that in as much as we have our faith, it is only likely to grow if we are the ones who put the effort to build it. What God has done is to provide us with the Holy Spirit who creates situations for us to work on our faith. 

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." 2 Tim 1:6

2. LIVE UNASHAMED

"So do not be unashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me His prisoner. But join in me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God" 2 Tim 1:8

Are you ashamed of who you are? Would you stand up in all situations and accept your Christianity or would you hide it to favour the situation?? Enough said...

3. ENDURANCE
Now who said Christianity is easy? Ever think of how easy it is to sim, how easy it is to gratify the desires of the flesh? The reverse is true, it takes pain and effort to deny the flesh and live in the Spirit. I can bet you we have all had the experience.

4. WORK FOR GOD
Next thing Paul talks about is being a good workman, approved by God. And it takes 2 things for the apporval;

• be unashamed
• study God's word

Question; any chance you want to get approved by God??

5. FLEE EVIL
Paul takes time to give a list of so many things that will destroy our lives  if we give them the chance to. He talks about the desires of our youth, a situation most of us are in right now. How many times does something feel right just because other people are doing it? How many times do we do things just because we only live once, Y.O.L.O?

"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 2 Tim 2;22

What do you pursue every single day of your life? And the reason Paul uses the word flee is because if you even give it a second thought, you will surely fall into sin... but he says flee, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

6. GOD'S WORD
He starts by talking about the false teachers... the lies that have been told to us. However, the only way to know a lie is to understand the truth. So what is the truth??

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Tim 3:16

 What matters is the word of God... if you understand the truth, then you will know a lie and flee from it.

7. FINISH THE RACE
At the end of it, Paul is rejoicing... He has finished the race. In any case, who does not rejoice when they finish a race? There is always a reward.

I do not know about you, but I am certain I want to work for that reward... at the end of it, I just cannot wait for God to look at me and say, "Well done good and faithful Servant"!!!

RESOLUTIONS 2015

 

Happy new year!!!  

We are in 2016 and I have to admit, it is God's doing that we are here. 

Yes, this post is titled Resolutions 2015, it's actually a reflection of the resolutions I made in 2015. 

Question... what was your resolution for 2015? Did you achieve it? No need to answers, these are rhetorical questions.

 

I have heard all sorts of resolutions in the few years I have been alive, made my own as well. I can't say I achieved them all at the end of each year, many at times I have forgotten them by the end of January. I can almost bet I'm not the only only who has gone through that. 

And 2015 was not any different for me, the year started and I was meant to make my resolution. But for the first time, I did it differently... I asked God what He wanted for my 2015, and that was the beginning of the most amazing year I have ever had. You see, at the point I asked God what He wants from me is the point where everything started. One huge lesson that I learn is that our resolutions are always based on our desires, forgetting that the most important desire is God's. 

God's desires for us are not always easy, that I came to know. But, they are always good desires. In as much as we have what we want to achieve, in as much as we have goals set in our lives, ever think of asking God what goal He has for you? Ever think of making it about God and not about what we (selfishly) desire?

"... Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8

 We are human; our desires, our wants, our directions... they all tend to take the human aspect of us. But, how often do you remember that God knows all that even before we ask of it? And how many times do we rely on doing things our own way even when we realize that we just can not do it? Maybe that is how we end up not achieving our resolutions. 

And that was my 2015. I asked God what he wanted of me, He told me, I (very reluctantly) took it, bore all that the decision came with and I can assure you, it did not come easy. But as the year was coming to an end, I had my testimony of the great and wonderful things God can do in our lives if we let Him take the wheel.

It occurs to me that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God. I inform God, as if God did not already know. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God’s mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead, I should start upstream where the flow begins; with God. 

And just like a river flows from its source, so it is with God... there is the source, He is the source. 

In my resolutions and commitments for this year, I am still going back to the source. From my 2015 experience, I know God may lead me through tough times, I may have to go through fire, but eventually I know God's plan for my life is a good one and my testimony at the end of it will be one of victory. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

So before you forget the resolutions you made 6 days ago, before you make all that a memory... ask God what He wants from you in 2016, make that your resolution and He that we serve and believe in is able, He is faithful to bring it to completion. I can assure you, it might mean that you let go of certain comforts in your life, or that you take a direction you never expected... all in all, whatever He will tell you to do, it is all good. 

Happy new year once again and may you have God guided resolutions in 2016!!!