We tend to overreact based on what man’s prediction is. How easily we forget that there is a God in Heaven, ready to provide us our smallest needs if ever we ask, and yet we continue to worry. When we don’t receive the answers to questions we’re riddled with, the tendency we have is to question whether or not God really exists. In some circumstances, even after receiving the answer, we still aren’t happy with the manner in which it was received. Isn’t humanity fickle? We are a spoiled generation, used to immediate gratification for paltry pleasures that must be acquired at the very moment they are desired. God desires to break that bad little habit by allowing us to develop another habit, dependence.

The origin of worry starts within each one of us. When we as God’s children forget our Redeemer, the panic sets us off and the frenzy begins. We start questioning decisions we made, we start questioning each other, and above all we start questioning the One who has been our true north since we first drew breath.

In the Bible we find several instances where worry is openly spoken against. Psalm 37:8 says “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm.” In retrospect, many of us would agree that, yes, worry does more harm than good. As humans, there is only so much we can do before the rest is found in supernatural territory. “And which of you by worrying can add one bit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26) While there is much that we cannot control, God has detailed within His word several things that we can do to ensure success in our relationship with Him. The rest He will be more than willing to do if we so choose to follow through on our end. What’s said in 1 Peter 5:6, 7 illustrates this concept beautifully: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”

The evil one uses worry as a tool to bog us down with thoughts that would otherwise have been occupied with God’s love. Our inability to see past a certain point is a bond that sin has placed upon us, but it is also because of this bond that we must so heavily rely upon our Savior. That, in and of itself, is the biggest blessing. Imagine an existence where all that we needed to accomplish would have to be done our own. The close shaves we were once grateful to escape, are, now in reality occurrences that might very well ensue without any protection. Imagine an existence where God’s hand was withdrawn from our lives. What kind of grief and pain would we have to endure? It’s a blessing to be able to depend upon a mighty, merciful and wondrous God without fear of tomorrow.

God loves us with such a powerful and incomprehensible love, that He was willing to allow His own Son to be brutally murdered so as to compensate for the sins of the entire world – past, present and future. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7)

If we have no need to fear eternal death, what other consequence is there worth worrying about? Nothing else compares to the debt that has already been paid. Our salvation has been personally gift-wrapped and hand-delivered. So yeah, about that tough life….no worries…

The fruit of the Spirit is self-control, also known by that insipid poly-syllabic word “temperance.”

So what comes to mind when you hear these words? For me, it usually has something to do with taking care of one’s body, breaking bad habits, or restraining one’s passions and appetite.

Sounds pretty good.

But lately I have been wondering whether it is humanly possible to live temperately, with self-control. Can I really break all my bad habits? I mean, I know I stopped sucking my thumb like a baby ages ago. But I have developed other ugly bad habits over the years. And worse yet, I like some of my bad habits. Now how about that?!

I can try all sorts of DIY tricks to break bad habits but when the blaring message of pop culture is “If it feels good, it must be right”… well, the still small voice within is silenced. So what then?

One of my favorite Bible writers, Apostle Paul, writes in Roman 12:1-2 (NIV):

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

Do not conform any longer 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.

Perhaps, what is needed is a focus on self-control as a spiritual act of worship. An act of worship to a merciful God. An act of worship that is guided by the Spirit who renews the mind so that patterns of this world are no longer desirable.

If God wants me not to conform to patterns of this world, He has got to have a better alternative. Something that is way more fulfilling than the cheap thrills of this world. And if God’s will is as “good, pleasing, and perfect” as Romans 12:2 promises, then His plan for me has got to be the better alternative, THE way to go!

So laying aside the temporal feelings that bad habits have to offer, I now seek to worship my Creator.

Self-control as an act of worship.

Care to join?

As youths, this word is something that rings a bell to most of us. We get impatient when we wait for too long. I remember when i was in Senior High School back in Kenya,every candidate had to and still has to sit for the  National Examination from September to beginning of December then we would all wait until the end of February for our results.It was one of the most painful moments of my life, i could not eat neither could i sleep.I kept on asking myself what my scores would be like, i became impatient and often at times, i would have dreams about my grades. The same kind of feeling is what is going on today among us especially among the youths.

How many times have we become impatient just because we can’t wait enough?Have we given up on waiting for God?Just as the children of Israel could not wait for Moses to come back from the mountain, so are we christians of today not able to wait for anything patiently.(Exodus 32)

Satan has been known to attack our faith when we are waiting patiently for something to happen.He makes it feel like God does not care.There are times in our lives when we feel like whatever it is that we are waiting for is not happening and not worth the wait.Recently, with the recession, so many people have lost their jobs and they keep on waiting and hoping that God will give them another job.When the wait is too long, they give up and begin to wonder why God is not there for them.2nd Peter 3:1-4 gives us a chronology of the letters Simon Peter sent just to encourage his friends in the Lord on the virtue of waiting patiently on the Lord.He tells us that Satan will come to deceive us and ask us why we keep on waiting for something that is not coming and how we should not loose hope but to hold on to that faith.

We hear about ’safe sex’.Is that really possible?Can a young woman or man stay pure (virgin) until they get married?How long can youths of  today abstain from sex?Waiting on the Lord has been compared to sexual purity.If we can stay sexually pure then we can be able to wait on the Lord to deliver unto us whatever it is that our hearts desire.

Remember that anything worth the wait is always sweet at the end.God makes it worth the wait, this is because anything good doesn’t come easily. One English saying ‘when the deal is too good, think twice’.In every waiting that we do, we should have this in mind.God’s plan for us is that he wants to bring out the very best in us and for this to happen, he takes his time hence the waiting.Just as David made waiting a part of his life, so should we Christians learn to wait as a normal part of our everyday  life.

To the youths, let us devote ourselves to doing the good we know to do and that we are able to do, while we wait. And most importantly,When God’s plan is for you to wait, He will make it all worth the wait.

Hmm.

The web definitions are not much better:

“humble in spirit or manner; very docile; tame obedience; evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; compliant and anxious to suit his opinions of those of others”

In our go-get-it, grab-life-by-the-horns, don’t-let-others-walk-over-you culture, meekness as defined above just doesn’t cut it. It is seen as a sign of weakness.

But the lesson gives us a slightly different definition of meekness, calling it instead “an attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward people - when we recognize that God is in control and we can trust Him even when things don’t go the way we like…” According to this definition, meekness still involves submission and compliance - but not to others - only to God.

That’s all well and good in theory but what does it mean on a day to day level? What does being meek mean for me when the cashier is rude to me in front of a long line of people; or for an employee who gets terminated in a rather unethical manner; or for a church brother who gets criticized for his best efforts? How do you display meekness in those situations?

For answers to these questions, the Bible points us to men like Abraham, who practiced meekness by placing others before himself, particularly his nephew Lot whom he gave the better portion of land. Another model is Joseph, who practiced meekness through forgiveness, and did not hold his brothers’ sin of selling him into slavery against him. Instead of exacting revenge when he had the opportunity, Joseph blessed his brothers from the wealth of his hand. The Bible is filled with examples of people who took humility to a whole new level, such as David, who despite having every right to defend himself from Saul’s attempts on his life, chose instead to not harm Saul though he had multiple opportunities. And most obvious of all, Jesus, who bore the shame and humiliation of the cross to save people who He knew would turn against Him.

Though each situation differed there are common threads through each.

1. Meekness is an attitude we must choose. It definitely does not come naturally, but Romans 12:3 counsels us with the words “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” The situations we face in life will call for us to decide if we will live for ourselves or for others.
2. Through each situation, the men of God chose to submit themselves to the will of God, and thus were witnesses and gave glory to Him through their lives. In living lives of humility we die to self and God is more clearly seen through us.

Though the world may see such an attitude as weakness, Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” shows us that the Lord will reward us for it. In Psalms 22:26 we are also promised that “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” As we surrender to God he satisfies all our needs.

Meekness is not about being weak. It is about having confidence, not in ourselves, but in the Lord.

As humans, we tend to forget that for everything God expects from us, He already has set an example and is still Himself a role model for us. Just like every other fruit of the spirit we have learnt thus far (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, and Goodness) God is the great model for this week’s fruit of the spirit – Faithfulness

Throughout the Bible right from the beginning, we can see God’s faithfulness towards mankind with the way He keeps His promises. Every time He promised to either bless (or) protect, God has been faithful in fulfilling His promises. It’s not just words that came out of His mouth; there were appropriate actions also that followed His words.

Faithfulness is not some kind of quality (or) characteristic that can stay dormant inside you. Faithfulness involves and REQUIRES ACTION. It is the exhibition of your faith. In the 11^th chapter of the book of Hebrews, there is a list of people who were very faithful to God. Their faith is commendable due to the extreme decisions and actions they took. Regardless of their circumstances, irrespective of the kind of environment they were in, in spite of the hardships they were going through, these men portrayed the true essence of faithfulness.

Some of the main challenges we face in regards to faithfulness in today’s world are:

a) Temporal Pleasures – Instant gratification of one’s desires

b) Compromises of values & beliefs – An attitude of ‘Nothing wrong if it is done once in a while’

c) Hypocrisy – one face for the world & the other face for yourself

I would like you to ask yourself the following questions to see where you stand in regards to you being faithful to God:

a) Dependability – Can God depend on you to fulfill His purpose of sharing the good news? (Throughout the last week, how many times have you talked to somebody about God’s love?)

b) Honesty – Can God trust you with His wealth (A lot or little) and that you would do everything in your might to make Him proud?

c) Integrity – Are you the same person that your church members know, when you are all by yourself? (How many times have you comprised your values in the last 1 week so you can be satisfied?)

d) Loyalty – Can God consider you as the one who will stand by Him in every plan that He has for the future and have assurance that you will fulfill His plans? (In the last 1 week, do you feel that you have stood by God’s side and made Him proud by just being there for God when needed as His representative in this sinful world?)

This world is definitely a tough place to live in…but God is asking us be faithful to Him and never get discouraged (or) give up hope on Him. The word of God says “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9, NKJV)

E.G. White wrote in the book of education, p. 57 – ‘The greatest want of the world is the want of men– men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall’

God is in need of ‘Faithful Men & Women’. Are you ready to be one?

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:15-16

Yesterday we inhaled the sweet scent of roses, savored the rich and milky chocolate, and maybe even whispered the four letter word amidst a sweet embrace.  Today, the commercial peer pressure quickly deflates with 50% off sales, and you might just have to wait till next year for that all-out sentimental “be mine.”

So what do you say to your most loyal Valentine?  We’re talking about the One you’re supposed to be in love with, because He died for you and wants you even after He catches you in bed with the enemy (not once, but on a daily basis).  So do you praise and adore Him with the Song of Songs, do you tell Him He’s the fairest of ten thousand, with all your heart do you praise Him for being altogether lovely?  Just how hot is your relationship with the one you call Savior?

We can all see He’s totally into you.  In fact, He’s crazy about you.  It’s a love worth talking about - more than the loaded vase on your desk.  And the really nice thing about this guy - His love is all in inclusive yet totally exclusive.  This relationship - it’s personal, not generic.  Anyone who wants Him can have Him, and anyone who has Him can’t stop sharing Him.

So let Him love on you today, tomorrow, and the next day.  He doesn’t wait for February 14th.  So maybe in those moments when we get a glimpse of the overwhelming magnitude of His love, and even in those moments when everything around us falls apart except Him, we too will proclaim our love out loud and clear.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5

I’ll leave you with a few love songs that go both ways - His love for us coupled with our desire to fall in love with Him. Enjoy!

*Image thanks to Liyin the Designer-in-Pajamas

Romans 3:23 (New International Version)
“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Thanx for the hope Juanfer… hold up I’m not done yet,
“24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

When we confess to God, when we go to him and say, “hey sorry it took me this long to figure out I’m a sinner… how can you fix this up” He lets you know he already took care of the problem.
Goodness is the result of close relationship with Christ.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10, NKJV).
Goodness is what you and I were created for, there’s no running away from being good when you walk with Christ. Real goodness cannot be fake, real goodness is not an outward action, is an action that comes from the heart Jesus put in you.
David had been taking it easy for a while, after all the battles and endless nights away from home, he had decided to skip this fight. As boredom crept in and David’s wondering eyes glazed over his beloved city, a great vision caught his attention. Soon after, David’s actions became very shady, sex, murder, cover up stories to name a few. Yet the day came up when He was confronted with his sins… David gets up and does something that exemplifies goodness
He cries

Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

I don’t know about you, but this is my prayer to God! This is the true source of Goodness!

Based on Colossians 3:12, Christians are called to be kind, not for the sake of self glory but for the sake of reflecting Christ’s character through them (I hope every Christian remembers that we are to reflect Christ & not ourselves in anything and everything we do). The essence and significance of Kindness lies in the fact that, there is always a proactive action involved by one person (Kind person) to another person (Receiver of the kindness). We all at some point of our life have been either on the giving end (or) the receiving end.

Unfortunately for most individuals, the act of kindness depends on the kind of person, his/her background, what kind of benefit we might get (immediate/near future) etc. But according to Jesus Christ, kindness is to depend on only one factor and that is the honest desire to be of help to others. Hence, a good way of examining ourselves with respect to our act of kindness is to, question and examine if our act of kindness is motivated by selfless & self-sacrificial love (or) by selfish desires of mutual benefit.

There are different forms of expressing kindness…but I think ‘Words & Acts’ interpret kindness at its strongest form. It was Jesus Christ’s words that most of the time melted people’s hearts and His actions showed His true compassion to His fellow brethren.

Kind words are easy written than practiced in day to day situations….specially the time when you are annoyed and made fun of by your worst enemies….But that’s where, we are called to exhibit kindness.(Proverbs 15:1). Kind actions are supposed to be selfless and readily available to people especially who don’t deserve it (Just like Jesus is kind to you and me…the worst sinners who don’t deserve anything from Christ)

Bottom line……you and I cannot exhibit kindness by mere passive state of mind…we must be proactive and action oriented to find every possible situation to be kind to others. This will not only be a blessing to others, but will also be a witness to the world about the God we worship.

Remember…….It is nice to be important, but it is very important to be nice.

I often am hesitant about making what I see as big life decisions. Where does God want me? What does He have planned for me, and how can I remain faithful to those plans? In Numbers 9:15-23, Moses describes how the people of Israel were led through their desert times after the Exodus. A cloud hovered over the tabernacle during the day, and looked like fire at night. When God wanted Israel to strike camp and move on, the cloud would lift off from the tabernacle; Israel then followed it wherever it went, and settled wherever it settled.

Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with His command through Moses.

— Numbers 9:22-23

Israel didn’t know where they were going. They didn’t know the plan, weren’t told the big picture. They just followed, even when nothing made sense. As hymn-writer E.S. Hall put it: “I may not know the way I go, but oh, I know my Guide.”

The beauty and appeal of this concept is astounding. But it’s not my story. I’ve often sought out for direction in my life choices, but have rarely gotten an answer. I don’t know what form of answer I was expecting, but I couldn’t figure out one way or the other what God wanted me to do. No matter the sincerity or duration of my prayers for guidance (though, admittedly, when it comes to prayer, I’m an extreme lightweight), no Voice from Heaven, closed and opened doors, or lighted path ever emerged. Not when I was choosing which college to go to, which professional career path to pursue, which law school to attend, or which job to work this summer. One exception may be my work for Summer 2008, with CASA, where of all the jobs I applied to, it was the only one that took me on. Nevertheless, even in hindsight, I’m still not sure why that was, though I suppose I’m asking too much.

So on this post I open it up to the wisdom of the readers: please post in your comments stories of how God has led you, directed you, or given discernment. I urge you to be open — even if anonymous — for, whether you realize it or not, it will be of great encouragement and edification to both me and all the other readers.

Greek defines patience in two words that express the meaning behind it. The first being hupomone (endurance) and makrothumia (great/long tempered).

A patient person is someone who is mild, gentle and constant in everything that they do. (James 1:4 but let patience has its perfect work, which you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing) And for one to have this kind of patient, one needs a lot of practice, God’s grace and willingness to put aside self and to surrender to the prompting of the hold spirit. Most of us not patient with so many of life’s things and that’s why we fail to achieve this virtue. We are not patient with our wives, husbands, children, job and most importantly God. Patient is God’s attribute (Exodus 34:6) and we see so many of God’s prophets who have shown what true patience means one of them being Jeremiah. Paul teaches us how we need to be patient especially in church with our fellow members. We need this virtue in order to get along as God’s children. We need a lot of patience to do God’s work as children of God. This is what is referred to as patience in the Gospel. We are impatient with people who do not know God’s word and we don’t seem to care about them. (2 Tim 4:2)

One person who has indicated to us that patience has no limits is God. At the same time, God has manifested his patience to human beings in ways that we cannot be able to compare. He was patience with children of Israel during Noah’s time for more than 120 years when the ark was being prepared. When he was tired, his patience reached its limit and those who did not enter the ark all perished. As human beings; we also have a limit to our patience. This is why we have so many divorces in the world, we have a lot of hatred for our brothers or sisters, we reach a limit where we cannot take it anymore and cannot forgive. Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel in the wilderness and the Babylonian captivity, their attitude reached a limit and the patience they had reached its limit.

How does one develop the fruit of being patient? James 1:2-4 tells us that we should count it all joy when we fall and learn to be patient. In our everyday life, we will face trials and tribulations but we ought to learn to be patient so as to develop this virtue that is very important. Just as Jesus was patient with those who persecuted him, does God wants us to be patient in everything that we do as to later inherit God’s kingdom. Good things only come to those who are patient in life, nothing comes easy, friendships are hard to maintain so are marriages, our jobs are hard to keep, it requires a lot of patience to keep up with everything in this world but if we develop this spirit of patience, then we can be able to overcome everything that comes our way and achieve the very best.

As youths, we need to learn to be patience with our church members and when teaching God’s word to those who are unaware of it. Developing all these would lead is into acquiring the other fruits of the holy spirit like meekness.