Until today, I have been under the delusion that love is a feeling.
Now I am talking of real love, not the eros or philia-the kinds which I now know do not last and are both selfish; but the real selfless agape love as commanded to us by God. I have waited a long, long time for someone to love me, [the proverbial “right person”] and all I have gotten is the roller-coaster, short-lived eros, philia type that has left me more drained than fulfilled.
Love is an art, it can be learnt and the real love still loves even when there is nothing in return. (1 Cor. 13: 5).
People end marriages mbu “I just do not love her anymore”- men say. The Bible commands “Husbands, love your wives”; thus if you do not love her, you are disobeying God! Funny, I have never heard a woman say that she is ending her marriage because she does not submit her husband anymore- seeing that we women are commanded to submit ourselves to our husbands.
Love is action. It can be demonstrated. If I say “I love John Smith”, he would not know it lest I show it. I would need to do or not do(for that matter) certain things for him to “see” my love; but with this feeling-based love, how would one see these so-called feelings? Love should be action-based, not feeling-based. Do (act) first and the feelings will follow.
The God-commanded love, the Agape Love is the one and only solid basis for marriage. In marriage one loves, even when they will not be loved in return- selflessly. Of course I am no authority on marriage, but if my newly acquired knowledge on love is any qualification to go by, I can say now I know one of, if not the most important thing about marriage.
“Love is not a feeling, love is a decision you make and continue to make in order to create an experience that is described as love. Love is an action that if you don't use it you lose it. Love is like any communication, if you never send it out, you won’t get a return. Love is something you give to others not something you feel because something happens to you.”
Remember love is not a feeling!
Have I finally realized the truth about love, how to have it, how to create it and how to sustain it? Maybe…
…and what is the point of having all this knowledge if I do not share it with the world. So here you go world!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Know Him
The whole world is full of the glory of God, and tonight I have seen His glory sparkle in my house, and I am inspired to share how such an awesome revelation has come to pass from the knowledge of God.
We spend a lot of time doing the things we need to do to survive and live in this world. We are always thinking about the things we need and how to get them in our possession, or it is about how we feel and how to hold on to those feelings if they are good or change them if they displease us. The jobs, the relationships, the money, the possessions, all the things in the world can never meet or give us that which we truly and inherently desire- God.
Believer or not, whether we realize it or not, we are all searching for the same thing- God and a knowledge Him. Sadly unbeknownst to most this is the only thing that will truly and permanently satisfy our souls.
“The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
We do not have to look very far to find Him. He is not in a particular worship house or present on Sundays only. He appears not only in the morning when we wake, or at night before we sleep. Remember his name is I AM, not “I was” or “I will be.” He is ever present, He is here now, He is here forever. So look into your soul, answer His call and dedicate your mind to seek, study, learn and know Him.
When know Him, then His glory is reflected through our lives and affects the lives of others. We need to spend quiet time with Him and in Him until we are so filled with His presence and glory that it reflects all about us.
However, to begin this journey, is to accept Jesus Christ.
We spend a lot of time doing the things we need to do to survive and live in this world. We are always thinking about the things we need and how to get them in our possession, or it is about how we feel and how to hold on to those feelings if they are good or change them if they displease us. The jobs, the relationships, the money, the possessions, all the things in the world can never meet or give us that which we truly and inherently desire- God.
Believer or not, whether we realize it or not, we are all searching for the same thing- God and a knowledge Him. Sadly unbeknownst to most this is the only thing that will truly and permanently satisfy our souls.
“The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
We do not have to look very far to find Him. He is not in a particular worship house or present on Sundays only. He appears not only in the morning when we wake, or at night before we sleep. Remember his name is I AM, not “I was” or “I will be.” He is ever present, He is here now, He is here forever. So look into your soul, answer His call and dedicate your mind to seek, study, learn and know Him.
When know Him, then His glory is reflected through our lives and affects the lives of others. We need to spend quiet time with Him and in Him until we are so filled with His presence and glory that it reflects all about us.
However, to begin this journey, is to accept Jesus Christ.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Importance of the Law
I have always wondered how the Law in the Old Testament is relevant to a believer in Christ, till I read an article by Tyndale, which I am going to attempt to summarize below:
The Law was given by Moses, for the purpose laying down the commands of God to His people, and the consequences of following or not following them. It laid down strict and specific instructions and only those that obeyed ALL of them were considered worthy of God’s love.
As a new covenant Christian, the purpose of the law is to bring us to the knowledge of who we are- so that we can perceive our nature. It is this Law that condemns us for from it we realize that we can never, even if we be ever so good, do anything by and of ourselves to please God. For the Law requires a perfect life and nothing less.
The Gospel is the good news, the news of joyous tidings about Christ and the evidence of God’s love for us by freeing us from this Law. It is Christ telling the whole world that if you repent and believe in Him through faith and grace, the bondage to the law will be broken and we will be restored to life and saved.
Man’s disobedience earned us a nature so evil and corrupt that we are bound by it. Because man chose to disobey God, the devil became our father. We naturally consent to the devil’s will and because of that we are nothing but loathsome and damming in God’s sight. For us to come to this realization of our nature is when we read and or hear the Law, for from it we then realize that we can never fulfill it to the extent that it requires. The Law convicts and sentences us to damnation and offers not a way out, and for this reason, without hope or mercy we are left with guilt and the fear of impending death.
This is what Christ came to save us from, for with His blood, he purchased for us new lives, loosed us from the law and through Him, Our God could then “see” us as His children once more! – This is the Gospel!
For when the Gospel is preached, and believed, then the Spirit of God begins its work in the new believer. Love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness then becomes evident in our lives. We live not to go to Heaven, for this is already obtained for us through the blood, but to love, obey, worship and follow the will of our Father. There is nothing we can do to earn ourselves a place in Heaven, but through Christ, we, by faith, believe that we are co-heirs of all that is promised.
…and now, I hope, I have shed, even if it be a miniature of light, on the value and importance of the law, without which we would never know the magnitude of what Christ did for us and how, without faith in Him, it is impossible to please God.
The Law was given by Moses, for the purpose laying down the commands of God to His people, and the consequences of following or not following them. It laid down strict and specific instructions and only those that obeyed ALL of them were considered worthy of God’s love.
As a new covenant Christian, the purpose of the law is to bring us to the knowledge of who we are- so that we can perceive our nature. It is this Law that condemns us for from it we realize that we can never, even if we be ever so good, do anything by and of ourselves to please God. For the Law requires a perfect life and nothing less.
The Gospel is the good news, the news of joyous tidings about Christ and the evidence of God’s love for us by freeing us from this Law. It is Christ telling the whole world that if you repent and believe in Him through faith and grace, the bondage to the law will be broken and we will be restored to life and saved.
Man’s disobedience earned us a nature so evil and corrupt that we are bound by it. Because man chose to disobey God, the devil became our father. We naturally consent to the devil’s will and because of that we are nothing but loathsome and damming in God’s sight. For us to come to this realization of our nature is when we read and or hear the Law, for from it we then realize that we can never fulfill it to the extent that it requires. The Law convicts and sentences us to damnation and offers not a way out, and for this reason, without hope or mercy we are left with guilt and the fear of impending death.
This is what Christ came to save us from, for with His blood, he purchased for us new lives, loosed us from the law and through Him, Our God could then “see” us as His children once more! – This is the Gospel!
For when the Gospel is preached, and believed, then the Spirit of God begins its work in the new believer. Love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness then becomes evident in our lives. We live not to go to Heaven, for this is already obtained for us through the blood, but to love, obey, worship and follow the will of our Father. There is nothing we can do to earn ourselves a place in Heaven, but through Christ, we, by faith, believe that we are co-heirs of all that is promised.
…and now, I hope, I have shed, even if it be a miniature of light, on the value and importance of the law, without which we would never know the magnitude of what Christ did for us and how, without faith in Him, it is impossible to please God.
“By Their Fruit”
The beauty of Christ is seen in the fruit of the spirit because Christ is the tree, and we are the branches. A life touched by and in-built in Christ will show a godly character.
True spiritual maturity is measured by the fruit of the spirit which are goodness, faithfulness, peace, patience et al (Gal 5); and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit like wisdom, knowledge, healing, speaking in tongues(1 Cor 12). Gifts are what God gives us, which we are supposed to use to edify others.
For us to know that we live in Christ and that He lives in us, the fruits of the Holy Spirit need to be part of our character and this is what we give to God by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to touch our personality.
So check yourself, do you use your gifts to educate, enlighten and teach others about God, Christ and the Gospel? Do these fruits (character, personality, behavior) continuously worship God?
A carnal person may be able to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it takes a person who has dedicated herself willingly to the Lord to manifest the fruit of the spirit.
True spiritual maturity is measured by the fruit of the spirit which are goodness, faithfulness, peace, patience et al (Gal 5); and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit like wisdom, knowledge, healing, speaking in tongues(1 Cor 12). Gifts are what God gives us, which we are supposed to use to edify others.
For us to know that we live in Christ and that He lives in us, the fruits of the Holy Spirit need to be part of our character and this is what we give to God by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to touch our personality.
So check yourself, do you use your gifts to educate, enlighten and teach others about God, Christ and the Gospel? Do these fruits (character, personality, behavior) continuously worship God?
A carnal person may be able to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it takes a person who has dedicated herself willingly to the Lord to manifest the fruit of the spirit.
Friday, July 30, 2010
This evening- a witness of the miracle at Cana
Tonight, God has dealt with me, and pleasantly so, about trusting Him to give us what we need in His time, not in the time we feel we need it.
Sometimes we feel that His presence is hidden from our hearts and He has forgotten about our needs, yet far be it from the truth. Like at the wedding in Cana when Jesus’ mother entreated unto him “They have no more wine” to which he seemingly checked her with “Woman, why do you involve me… my hour has not yet come.” sometimes His hour has not yet come for Him to act towards our needs. Out of ignorance, nonetheless, we have gone unto God, complaining that we have not seen the manifestation of His love in our lives for we lack those things that we believe we so earnestly deserve and at the exact time we think we need them. Sometimes Christ seems to be telling us, like unto His mother “why do you involve me?” which makes us downcast and dwindle in our faith.
Friends, do not become faithless before our God, even when the facts of life show that the sky is falling (like Chicken Little); because notwithstanding our circumstances, even those little things that may seem irrelevant for God to care for, like the fact that I was so wrought with sorrow, fury and an attitude of resignation towards my employ a few hours ago this evening, about a reprimand I believed I didn’t deserve; if we choose to cast it unto God, he will surely, as surely as I am testifying herewith, always, always come through for us; and with a wow manifestation. And like the master of the wedding banquet at Cana said “saved the best, till now” God’s timing is always perfect and the manifestation the best.
God will see us through the hours of painful extremity, till our human will is broken and till we learn to look up to Him, unto His blessed countenance, then He will show forth His glory, so that we can know for certain, that He will always turn our water into wine!
Be then not discouraged, when God does not immediately return your prayers, but at all times, praise Him, like I did while driving home tonight. Remember all the times He has saved, blessed, healed and answered you; and remember to, like His mother said “Do whatever He tells you.”
Ps: read Christ as God and the reverse- for they are one.
Sometimes we feel that His presence is hidden from our hearts and He has forgotten about our needs, yet far be it from the truth. Like at the wedding in Cana when Jesus’ mother entreated unto him “They have no more wine” to which he seemingly checked her with “Woman, why do you involve me… my hour has not yet come.” sometimes His hour has not yet come for Him to act towards our needs. Out of ignorance, nonetheless, we have gone unto God, complaining that we have not seen the manifestation of His love in our lives for we lack those things that we believe we so earnestly deserve and at the exact time we think we need them. Sometimes Christ seems to be telling us, like unto His mother “why do you involve me?” which makes us downcast and dwindle in our faith.
Friends, do not become faithless before our God, even when the facts of life show that the sky is falling (like Chicken Little); because notwithstanding our circumstances, even those little things that may seem irrelevant for God to care for, like the fact that I was so wrought with sorrow, fury and an attitude of resignation towards my employ a few hours ago this evening, about a reprimand I believed I didn’t deserve; if we choose to cast it unto God, he will surely, as surely as I am testifying herewith, always, always come through for us; and with a wow manifestation. And like the master of the wedding banquet at Cana said “saved the best, till now” God’s timing is always perfect and the manifestation the best.
God will see us through the hours of painful extremity, till our human will is broken and till we learn to look up to Him, unto His blessed countenance, then He will show forth His glory, so that we can know for certain, that He will always turn our water into wine!
Be then not discouraged, when God does not immediately return your prayers, but at all times, praise Him, like I did while driving home tonight. Remember all the times He has saved, blessed, healed and answered you; and remember to, like His mother said “Do whatever He tells you.”
Ps: read Christ as God and the reverse- for they are one.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
In the Spirit and Truth
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23
From the context above, we are told to worship God in the Spirit and in truth. These words were spoken to a Samaritan woman by our Saviour Jesus Christ, a woman from a culture that was never to associate with the Jews. But as it is to be feared, out of those many thousands of us that say we worship God daily, weekly or whenever we choose to, very few, comparatively speaking, are aware of the kind of worship that is acceptable to our God. I cannot, therefore, but think it very necessary to us all of the words of our Lord on the instructions of how to worship our Father in Heaven.
In accomplishment of which I shall:
First, define what is meant by worship;
Secondly, lay down a detailed discourse on how we are to worship in the Spirit;
Thirdly, expound briefly on how we are to worship in truth
The word “Spirit” here is written with an upper case “S”- which denotes the Spirit of God.
Worshiping God in the Spirit therefore, means that we should worship Him with all fullness of awareness in our hearts, and soul; with an attitude of consciousness about what we are doing and with the assistance of His Holy Spirit- in the Spirit. Our thoughts, at the time of worship, should be only on God, not on other things.
First, define what is meant by worship;
For us to fully comprehend how to worship, I feel inclined, first to define worship and how I understand it. English defines worship as the “reverent honor and homage paid to God”, but I will personally take it a step further and define it as an “act of conscious awareness, with the help of the Holy Spirit, intended to glorify, revere and pay tribute to our God, Father, Son and Spirit.” The emphasis I put here is on the words “act” and “awareness”.
Worship is an act, it should be actionable. Think of all the ways we worship God, all these ways should be “doing things”- if I can use our P.3 definition of a verb. Worship can be singing, dancing, praying (yes, prayer should actionable as well), even going about our daily activities. Realize here that worship is not limited to public praise in a gathering or amongst fellow believers. There is also private worship, and this can be expressed through our acts of obedience toward God. Suffice it to say that in the broad sense of the word, worship can be when we tell another about the Gospel, when we teach children about Jesus, when we help the needy, when we obey our elders, when we love our husbands and just about any obedience of the Word of God could be largely construed as worship.
Secondly, lay down a detailed discourse on how we are to worship in the Spirit;
Worship is a way of expressing our love, adoration, and thanks to God. However, it is only the Spirit of God, who can afford us the grace to worship God right. We cannot truthfully decide to praise and worship God outside of the Spirit that dwells in us. However, recognize that worshiping God is not for His own benefit. Whether or not we do it, God is not affected in anyway, He is unchangeable. Similarly, whether we glorify God or not, he is still the same yesterday, today and forever. Let me digress here and mention that when “give” glory to God, it is not because he does not have enough glory and thus He needs more, no. We give glory to Him because glory belongs to Him! Because he deserves it! Because He is glory, in and of Himself!
Worship has to be with “awareness”, and this in-Spirit awareness is of whom we are directing this worship to – God. Seeing that God is the object of worship, He has the right to specify and stipulate what kind of worship He accepts. Paul tells the people of Athens about a kind of “ignorant” worship “I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” in the verse preceding verse 23 above, Jesus says to the Samaritan woman “You Samaritans worship what you do not know”. Likewise, many of us today know not whom we worship. If we are ignorant of who God really is, how then can we claim to worship Him every day or every Sunday morning? (For those who put God in the “Sunday box”)
Thirdly, expound briefly on how we are to worship in truth
To worship in truth, one has to know what that truth is, and to know the truth, one has to read, meditate and understand what is in the Word. For us to truly worship God, we have to do whatever is commended in scripture. The Word of God, which God placed above His own name, has the dos and don’ts of His instruction. Do not be deceived by those who tell you that you can worship God in your own way, if it feels right then it is ok, or that God will understand. Nedda! God has laid down, and very explicitly so, the truth in the Bible, and if our ways of worshiping Him are outside His instruction, then that sacrifice of praise, or worship or prayer or dance or song, will be unacceptable. Just because worship is offered does not necessarily make it acceptable. Isaiah prophesied of those who worship God based on human teachings and principles (Is 29:13).
I must emphasize, that worship like prayer, is not optional, it is expected of us. When we learn study and receive the Grace to comprehend God in His fullness, we will understand why we need to worship Him. In the meantime, let me try and express upon you here the most basic example of our obligation to worship: We all know that God created Heaven and earth, and that he made all things and offered them to us for our own use. The Children, the Job, the family, the health, the joy the very air we breathe and everything that we see or do not see, everything that we know or cannot comprehend, all that we wish for… was created by God! If I offered you 100,000 shs, what would you say? Thank you, right? Now friends, God has given us life, breath, sight, love and so much more… how cannot we not say thank you? Friends, each time you take a step, know that God gave you those legs, each time you look at your children, remember God gave you those eyes, each time you breathe, remember God gave you that breath! We should be thanking God every day, every hour, every second we are alive! (PS 150: 6) How then, I fear, can we go about our own business, steal, kill, lie, cheat, fornicate, insult people, get drunk and then go to church on Sunday to worship Him? How can we? Some would say, ‘well I repent before I go to church.’ Sure, you do, but what is repentance if you are going to do it again next week? Others would say “I was tempted.” Ok, but there is a difference between premeditated sin and temptation. How insensible can we be of all the free gifts we have from God that we cannot afford true and Spiritual worship toward Him?
Worship is a culture; it is a culture of the children of God in the Kingdom of God. We should not only go to a worship service, we should BE a worship service! (Ps 34:1). We can tell a Muganda from the way they dance, we can tell a Munyoro from the pet names they have, all these cultures are observable and we move with them wherever we go. Likewise, seeing that worship is a culture, we should be worshiping God all day, every day as with our human cultures. We should me moving with a song on our lips, a spring in our steps all the while practicing our Kingdom culture of worship, prayer and praise all day and night!
Remember, God, the creator of all things seeks man’s worship; Let us ALWAYS give it to Him.
From the context above, we are told to worship God in the Spirit and in truth. These words were spoken to a Samaritan woman by our Saviour Jesus Christ, a woman from a culture that was never to associate with the Jews. But as it is to be feared, out of those many thousands of us that say we worship God daily, weekly or whenever we choose to, very few, comparatively speaking, are aware of the kind of worship that is acceptable to our God. I cannot, therefore, but think it very necessary to us all of the words of our Lord on the instructions of how to worship our Father in Heaven.
In accomplishment of which I shall:
First, define what is meant by worship;
Secondly, lay down a detailed discourse on how we are to worship in the Spirit;
Thirdly, expound briefly on how we are to worship in truth
The word “Spirit” here is written with an upper case “S”- which denotes the Spirit of God.
Worshiping God in the Spirit therefore, means that we should worship Him with all fullness of awareness in our hearts, and soul; with an attitude of consciousness about what we are doing and with the assistance of His Holy Spirit- in the Spirit. Our thoughts, at the time of worship, should be only on God, not on other things.
First, define what is meant by worship;
For us to fully comprehend how to worship, I feel inclined, first to define worship and how I understand it. English defines worship as the “reverent honor and homage paid to God”, but I will personally take it a step further and define it as an “act of conscious awareness, with the help of the Holy Spirit, intended to glorify, revere and pay tribute to our God, Father, Son and Spirit.” The emphasis I put here is on the words “act” and “awareness”.
Worship is an act, it should be actionable. Think of all the ways we worship God, all these ways should be “doing things”- if I can use our P.3 definition of a verb. Worship can be singing, dancing, praying (yes, prayer should actionable as well), even going about our daily activities. Realize here that worship is not limited to public praise in a gathering or amongst fellow believers. There is also private worship, and this can be expressed through our acts of obedience toward God. Suffice it to say that in the broad sense of the word, worship can be when we tell another about the Gospel, when we teach children about Jesus, when we help the needy, when we obey our elders, when we love our husbands and just about any obedience of the Word of God could be largely construed as worship.
Secondly, lay down a detailed discourse on how we are to worship in the Spirit;
Worship is a way of expressing our love, adoration, and thanks to God. However, it is only the Spirit of God, who can afford us the grace to worship God right. We cannot truthfully decide to praise and worship God outside of the Spirit that dwells in us. However, recognize that worshiping God is not for His own benefit. Whether or not we do it, God is not affected in anyway, He is unchangeable. Similarly, whether we glorify God or not, he is still the same yesterday, today and forever. Let me digress here and mention that when “give” glory to God, it is not because he does not have enough glory and thus He needs more, no. We give glory to Him because glory belongs to Him! Because he deserves it! Because He is glory, in and of Himself!
Worship has to be with “awareness”, and this in-Spirit awareness is of whom we are directing this worship to – God. Seeing that God is the object of worship, He has the right to specify and stipulate what kind of worship He accepts. Paul tells the people of Athens about a kind of “ignorant” worship “I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” in the verse preceding verse 23 above, Jesus says to the Samaritan woman “You Samaritans worship what you do not know”. Likewise, many of us today know not whom we worship. If we are ignorant of who God really is, how then can we claim to worship Him every day or every Sunday morning? (For those who put God in the “Sunday box”)
Thirdly, expound briefly on how we are to worship in truth
To worship in truth, one has to know what that truth is, and to know the truth, one has to read, meditate and understand what is in the Word. For us to truly worship God, we have to do whatever is commended in scripture. The Word of God, which God placed above His own name, has the dos and don’ts of His instruction. Do not be deceived by those who tell you that you can worship God in your own way, if it feels right then it is ok, or that God will understand. Nedda! God has laid down, and very explicitly so, the truth in the Bible, and if our ways of worshiping Him are outside His instruction, then that sacrifice of praise, or worship or prayer or dance or song, will be unacceptable. Just because worship is offered does not necessarily make it acceptable. Isaiah prophesied of those who worship God based on human teachings and principles (Is 29:13).
I must emphasize, that worship like prayer, is not optional, it is expected of us. When we learn study and receive the Grace to comprehend God in His fullness, we will understand why we need to worship Him. In the meantime, let me try and express upon you here the most basic example of our obligation to worship: We all know that God created Heaven and earth, and that he made all things and offered them to us for our own use. The Children, the Job, the family, the health, the joy the very air we breathe and everything that we see or do not see, everything that we know or cannot comprehend, all that we wish for… was created by God! If I offered you 100,000 shs, what would you say? Thank you, right? Now friends, God has given us life, breath, sight, love and so much more… how cannot we not say thank you? Friends, each time you take a step, know that God gave you those legs, each time you look at your children, remember God gave you those eyes, each time you breathe, remember God gave you that breath! We should be thanking God every day, every hour, every second we are alive! (PS 150: 6) How then, I fear, can we go about our own business, steal, kill, lie, cheat, fornicate, insult people, get drunk and then go to church on Sunday to worship Him? How can we? Some would say, ‘well I repent before I go to church.’ Sure, you do, but what is repentance if you are going to do it again next week? Others would say “I was tempted.” Ok, but there is a difference between premeditated sin and temptation. How insensible can we be of all the free gifts we have from God that we cannot afford true and Spiritual worship toward Him?
Worship is a culture; it is a culture of the children of God in the Kingdom of God. We should not only go to a worship service, we should BE a worship service! (Ps 34:1). We can tell a Muganda from the way they dance, we can tell a Munyoro from the pet names they have, all these cultures are observable and we move with them wherever we go. Likewise, seeing that worship is a culture, we should be worshiping God all day, every day as with our human cultures. We should me moving with a song on our lips, a spring in our steps all the while practicing our Kingdom culture of worship, prayer and praise all day and night!
Remember, God, the creator of all things seeks man’s worship; Let us ALWAYS give it to Him.
Putting God in a Box
We serve a limitless God, but in the routine walk of life, it is not shocking to see how many of us usually forget this. Our God, the God of Abraham, Moses, Jacob and David, is the same God we serve today. We all know the amazing things that God did for these men of faith- he parted the Red Sea, he fed His people bread from Heaven, He led a few hundred men to conquer an army of thousands and many other exciting things. These are the stories we heard in Sunday school and read from our Children’s Bible books, but sadly for most of us, this is where we left them.
The Old Testament God seems so ancient and distant to our seemingly modern and fast-paced lives. Our “modern “ lives have a timetable so God has to fall in there somewhere, and for most of us, Sunday morning is His time. All the praise, prayer, song, and obedience is done within that set time, outside of which, God and all that is “religious” would be definitely misplaced. We “modern” Christians have confined God in time and space and deciding for him when He can move and act. I was reading a Bible verse at work a few weeks back and a colleague saw me and said
“Eish, Florence, hope you are not starting a cult”- My heart wept!
Friends, allow here me to me share with you an excerpt from Andrew Wommack’s article:
“Many people think there can be no such thing as a limit on God. They see that as removing His divinity. A god that can be limited isn't really a god in many people's thinking.
I will say this: God isn't personally limited by anything or anyone. But when it comes to us receiving from Him, we can limit what He wants to do through us or for us. God doesn't sovereignly do what He wants with us. We have to cooperate.
God Himself is limitless, but what He can accomplish is limited. Not because of any lack of power or ability on His part, but because of the part we have to play.
Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us..." Many people stop after the first comma and proclaim God can do anything, but that's not the truth of this verse. God has limited Himself to what we believe Him to do. If there isn't the power of faith working in us, then He can't, or you could say, will not, work independent of us. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead” James 2:20
God is who He is, regardless of what we think or believe. If we don't believe God is real, that doesn't make Him cease to exist. As far as our experiences go, we won't encounter Him until we change that opinion.
Take salvation for example. Second Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." You can't make it any plainer than that. It is not God's will for people to perish, but they do. Why? Not because God wills it, but because God gave them a free will, and they choose to reject God's provision for their salvation.
That's a very sobering thought! People don't like that truth because it makes them responsible. Most people don't want to be responsible for their lives. They like to think that God just sovereignly makes things happen in their lives. That way, they can blame God for the mess they are in and say, "God is teaching me something or making me a better person." But that's not what God's Word says.
The Lord willed for the Israelites to enter into the Promised Land in a short period of time. But the generation that came out of Egypt died during the forty years in the wilderness. That wasn't God's will. That was because of their own choices.”
The Old Testament God seems so ancient and distant to our seemingly modern and fast-paced lives. Our “modern “ lives have a timetable so God has to fall in there somewhere, and for most of us, Sunday morning is His time. All the praise, prayer, song, and obedience is done within that set time, outside of which, God and all that is “religious” would be definitely misplaced. We “modern” Christians have confined God in time and space and deciding for him when He can move and act. I was reading a Bible verse at work a few weeks back and a colleague saw me and said
“Eish, Florence, hope you are not starting a cult”- My heart wept!
Friends, allow here me to me share with you an excerpt from Andrew Wommack’s article:
“Many people think there can be no such thing as a limit on God. They see that as removing His divinity. A god that can be limited isn't really a god in many people's thinking.
I will say this: God isn't personally limited by anything or anyone. But when it comes to us receiving from Him, we can limit what He wants to do through us or for us. God doesn't sovereignly do what He wants with us. We have to cooperate.
God Himself is limitless, but what He can accomplish is limited. Not because of any lack of power or ability on His part, but because of the part we have to play.
Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us..." Many people stop after the first comma and proclaim God can do anything, but that's not the truth of this verse. God has limited Himself to what we believe Him to do. If there isn't the power of faith working in us, then He can't, or you could say, will not, work independent of us. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead” James 2:20
God is who He is, regardless of what we think or believe. If we don't believe God is real, that doesn't make Him cease to exist. As far as our experiences go, we won't encounter Him until we change that opinion.
Take salvation for example. Second Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." You can't make it any plainer than that. It is not God's will for people to perish, but they do. Why? Not because God wills it, but because God gave them a free will, and they choose to reject God's provision for their salvation.
That's a very sobering thought! People don't like that truth because it makes them responsible. Most people don't want to be responsible for their lives. They like to think that God just sovereignly makes things happen in their lives. That way, they can blame God for the mess they are in and say, "God is teaching me something or making me a better person." But that's not what God's Word says.
The Lord willed for the Israelites to enter into the Promised Land in a short period of time. But the generation that came out of Egypt died during the forty years in the wilderness. That wasn't God's will. That was because of their own choices.”
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