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Sunday 15 February 2015

Just A Little More

You could pass us for twins;)






I'm the first born of two and truly the title 'firstborn' comes with a natural sense of inevitable responsibility..which I like actually.
I have a cousin though, who would always complain that her mother allocated more duties to her younger sister and on the other hand gave her very little to do, yet she was the older daughter..It felt wrong.
So one day she decided to ask her Mum why this was so.Her mother told her to first go to the bakery and inquire about a birthday cake she had wanted to book for their younger brother's birthday which was coming soon.
So Rynah obediently did as her mother told her and came back home with the report.She said, "Yes Mum, it's possible to book a cake for Dylan which they will be ready by the day of his birthday."
Her mother told her to go back and ask the price for the cake.Rynah went back and came with this report, "They sale a small cake at 550/=, a medium-sized cake at 1400/= and a large cake at 2300/=."
Again Rynah's mother sent her back to inquire the flavours they had available."They have vanilla, chocolate, banana, carrot, black-forest and fruit-flavoured cake."

Shortly after, my Aunt called Beryl, her second daughter and sent her to the bakery to inquire about the same thing.Beryl came back and enthusiastically as ever, she had this report for her Mum (in the presence of Rynah), "They said that it is possible to have the cake ready before Dylan's birthday.I asked them if it was possible to have it delivered to our home but they told me that they haven't began delivery services yet.A small cake goes for 550/=, a medium-sized cake 1400/= and they sell a large cake at 2300/=.We can choose from a variety of flavours such as vanilla, chocolate, black-forest, banana and fruit-cake.They also have them in different designs and I thought one in the shape of a soccer-ball would be good for Dylan."

VNotice the difference?
Rynah now understood why her Mum found it easier to entrust Beryl most of the duties.

A simple story in Genesis 24 tells us of how Rebecca was betrothed to Isaac, Abraham's son.Abraham sent his servant to look for a wife for his son, Isaac.When he got to the well, a beautiful virgin woman, Rebecca, came by.He requested her to give him water from her jar..She was very kind.She gave him water and he drank then this is what she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too until they have finished drinking."
This is actually the kind of woman the servant had prayed to find..A woman as kind as her..One who was willing to go the extra mile..

Settling for less is honestly something most of us do.The worst thing about it is that most times we are so comfortable that we fail to notice the necessity of doing more.
"Why should I work more anyway, I'll get the same salary after all!"
In a world that is all so materialistic, we only want to work for a reward.Truth is, a reward does not only come in tangible form; like money or an award.Rewards come in the form of favour, self-fullfillment, trust.........you name it..And besides, our Father (who sees what we do in secret) shall reward us in heaven.
Putting our heart into what we do is easier said that done..but we can give it a shot, ey?
It doesn't hurt to do a little more..not when you are that gifted!

Let us trive to be as reliable and ardent as Beryl and Rebecca.It'll earn us unsurmountable favour and trust..

Get up..step out if your comfort zone and do just a little more.......


Love,
Karwirwa Laura.


Tuesday 10 February 2015

Resist!






Temptations are definitely nothing good to come by..but here was Jesus, in the desert, hungry and exhausted..It was after his 40 days of fasting, when he was just breaking his fast, that the witty Satan appeared..
The devil has some pretty good timing.He took advantage of Jesus' physical weakness and exhaustion to tempt him..Looking at our lives, it's mostly when things are not okay that the devil creeps in and brings all sorts of bad ideas..Most if not all the time, these ideas just end up destroying a lot in our lives once we comply to Satan's wrong 'guidance'..

The first time I read this story (way back when I was in primary school), I didn't quite understand how come the devil knew scriptures from the Bible..I remember some day in Sunday school when our teacher explain to us how heaven and hell came to be..Satan was an angel; Lucifer was his name..He was the best musician in heaven at the time(which should explain how badly he has used music to stray so many from the word of God).
This link tells us more about Satan's rebellion from God, and the root of all evil:
 http://mcdonaldroad.org/bible/study/lucifer.htm 

As I was saying, Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus..(Oh, by the way, this story is in Matthew Chapter 4-I should have said this at the top..Oh well!:p)Yes, Satan knows scripture..don't be surprised, he may know more than you and I do.The devil will tempt you with the truth!
Look at what he did with Eve in Genesis 3..He told Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"Upon reading Genesis 2:16 you'll quickly realise that the devil was very wrong about this..God said they could actually eat from any tree in the garden EXCEPT the one in the midst of the garden.Satan wasn't unwary of this truth ; he was just being crafty..Then see what Eve said: "...............'and you must not touch it or you will die'"God did not say they shouldn't touch it!But Eve, so human..she complicated things for herself and even changed the instructions..Are you guilty of the same?God's intention isn't to make things so difficult for us..Just take His instructions as simple as they are..(that was just another by the way:):))
In 2 Cor 11:3, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians telling them that he is afraid that the the devil's cunningness shall lead them astray from their pure devotion in Christ.
Watch out too beloved, lest you fall in this same trap..

I won't proceed to explain the three ways in which the devil tempted Jesus, trusting that we are well familiar with them..
I just want to remind you that temptations are tailored to our vulnerabilities..I don't know what your weakness may be.As for me, though I don't like to admit, somewhere in deep I have a short temper....:):):)(I just put those uneccesarry smileys to sort of lighten the mood..haha..:p)Good thing though is that 99% of the couple of times I'm irate or angry, I'm able to control what I say or do.But I can honestly say that there are times the devil has taken advantage of my vulnerability at such a time to a point that I've hurt people so close to me..

For me, salvation gives me a sense of security.I'll tell you this though, great priviledges and divine favour will not secure anyone from being tempted..Satan is not looking out to bring down souls he has already won.He seeks to destroy those who have buried themselves in the faith if Christ..

Let your loyalty lie in Christ alone..Flee from this bad guy with an ugly name..Resist him.Ask God to open your inner eyes and to give you the wisdom to fight this bad guy whenever he comes through(because he will)

On a lighter note now:..
:):)..(I had to)
God loves you and I, He is watching over you and I.He knows we are naturally weak because of our humane nature but that is why there is GRACE..sufficient grace!
2 Cor 12:9,10.


Smile..
:)
Amidst temptations..
He's with you.
Just be true to Him..
And resist!

Love,
Karwirwa Laura.


Monday 9 February 2015

New Creation.....







You think you know enough until you share with people and realize how close to illiterate you may be.. Let me take you directly to the Book of Matthew, Chapter 1..What do you see there?The geneology of Jesus! I can read your thoughts:p..You are probably thinking how irrelevant this is..Truth is, EVERYTHING written in the Bible is relevant and of importance.. Look through your Bible for other places where geneologies have been given, for example, that of Noah in Genesis Chapter 5; you'll realise that women are not mentioned. In the first book of the New Testament, however, God is actually doing a new thing..four women are mentioned..

1.TAMAR
Genesis 38.
Judah was Tamar's father-in-law.I didn't know the Bible had such dramatic stories.Tamar had been married to one of Judah's sons, Er, who later died(God put him to death for he was wicked).Judah ordered Onan, his second son to sleep with Tamar and make her conceive of behalf if his late brother Er.Onan wasn't for this idea for he knew the children wouldn't be considered his, he was disobedient and was put to death too.. Judah's third son, Shelah, was too young for marriage at the time and so Judah told Tamar to go back to her father's house and live as a widow until Shelah was old enough. I'll fast forward.......... Tamar clothed herself as a prostitute and slept with Judah..yes!Judah..her father-in-lae..and she conceived twins by him.

2.RAHAB
Joshua 2
She was a prostitute. She hid the two spies of Shitim who had been sent by Joshua; through her help, they were able to complete their mission successfully.

3.RUTH
Book of Ruth
Ruth was a lovely woman, one who stood by Naomi at her time of great distress.She even found favour in the eyes of Boaz despite the fact that she was a Moabitess.Boaz describes her as 'a woman of noble character'(See Ruth3:11) Genesis 19:30-38 explains how the Moabites came to be.Lot's daughters got their father drunk and slept with him..Through their father, they conceived sons, Moab and Ben-Ammi. These was a bad background..one Ruth would definitely not be proud to tell about.. Read more about the Moabites and Ammonites: http://www.isaiah58.com/broadcasters/manda.htm

4.BATHSHEBA
(Uriah's wife)
2 Samuel 11
She cheated on her husband Uriah, with David and conceived.

5.MARY

My main focus, however, is on the first four women.

Notice that these four specific women mentioned here were not flawless..Tamar committed incest, Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth was a Moabite and Bathsheba was adulterous. What about you? What's are your flaws?Your misdeeds? What are those mistakes that make you feel unworthy of God's love and grace?
Fine, we may believe in the forgiveness of sins but we probably wouldn't ever imagine a time when God would actually USE us.

These four women fall in the geneology of the greatest man ever, Jesus Christ! They were not only forgiven but God also used them. Rahab hid the spies, Ruth stood by Naomi, how can/has God used you to be of impact in someone else's life or the world at large? I admire people who don't allow their backgrounds to affect their dreams and ambitions and where they are headed.Ruth was a Moabite, she came from a tribe which nobody else desired to be born of(though you can't really choose where to be born).Probably, you're reading this and reflecting on how broken your family may be, the fact you were born out of wedlock (like Moab), a time when somebody abused you in mone way or another.........
Whatever it may be, please, don't let this stop you..Keep moving.If you haven't started yet, it's high time you get up.

If you can confess it, you can be forgiven of it! It doesn't matter what you've done, if you turn to God and confess your sins, He will forgive you of ALL unrighteousness..that includes anything you've done, that you are willing to bring before Him! 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." The only sin that God doesn't forgive is that which you don't take to him.
As a child of God, you are a new creation! Your past has been wiped away, and you are given a fresh start.(2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, behold, the old is gone and the new has come")see Alsop
Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus..." Jesus did not come here to condemn you, but to save you!
(John 3:17)
Not only does God forgive our sins, but He also forgets our sins.(Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins.")(Also see Hebrews 10:17)
When your sins are forgiven, they are removed from you as far as the east is from the west. (Psalms 103:12) We are told not to look at the past, but press forward towards a brighter and better tomorrow.
(Philippians 3:13) These are just but a few examples of people who God has chos despite their flaws.I find David's story the most intriguing.We serve a God of love and grace, allow him to use you.Forgive yourself. You are a new creation:)

Special thanks:
Makena and Thika Methodist Church Youth Bible Study.

Love,
Karwirwa Laura.


Don't Just Wait For The Bus!





What does it mean to be entrusted with something?
It's basically bring given an assignment (Consider; assignments must be done, lest one gets punished..lol..).
Jesus was one very good teacher and in one of His teachings, He gave a story of a master who was going on a long journey for an unknown period of time.He therefore entrusted three of his servants talents ; and I quote (from the Bible) 'each according to his ability'..

Which brings me to my first point :
We are all gifted differently, according to our ability.Keep in mind that God created you and I, He designed our every being and hence gifted us according to the way he created us.This master did not leave any of his servants empty-handed, without a talent.Similarly, God gifted us all!All of us, inclusive of those who haven't discovered their gifting yet.

Hoping we all have altleast a rough idea of how this story goes, we know that the first and second servants put their (ten and five talents respectively) to work.Note: a talent in those days referred to several hundred pounds.
"Well done, good and faithful servant...,"said the master to the first two servants.Why?Simply because the master initially sought to measure the quality of their stewardship and they passed the test..

See, God has entrusted us with natural aptitudes that He expects us to invest in rather than bury our 'talent' (like the unfaithful servant) and await the master's return.
The master continued to say, "You have been faithful in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things."

Allow me to explain to you how God challenged me with this specific verse.
I'm a singer.I've always dreamt of recording my music, ministering to people around the globe and changing lives through my gift.One fine Sunday, I got to church over early, whispered a prayer and began to meditate on how my just-ended week had been.I was feeling a bit low that morning, and even worse, I was 'not in the mood' to lead Praise and Worship that day.I had also not been giving much of my time and attention to the practise sessions that went on every Saturday afternoon in church.I suddenly found myself thinking about it.I was honestly not being faithful in using my gift to glorify God at my local church.How then would God trust me to do the same to the whole world?!
I quickly resolved to change that and get moving, no excuses, no looking back.

It's important to note that God gave us talents; firstly, to glorify him..secondly, to let people know more about him and thirdly, so that we can benefit from them.God does not expect us to use our skills or talents and end up sleeping hungry, getting nothing out what we do.The faithful servants were out in charge of 10 and 5 cities respectively..they benefited from investing in their talents!

I'd like us to pay close attention to the actions and responses of the third servant.He buried his one talent beneath the ground.He didn't even consider banking it so that it could gain some interest(Matthew 25:27).What he gave as his excuse for doing so really caught my eye.He said,"I knew you were a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.So I was afraid and went out and his your talent in the ground.See, here is what belongs to you."
He was afraid..he couldn't even try!

What is your excuse for failing to put to work your gifting from God?
(Realise that this servant referred to the talent as 'your', which brings out the fact that he hadn't really owned this talent.Own that talent!It's yours..God GAVE it to you)
In the book of Exodus, Pharaoh once sent out the Israelites to make bricks without having given them the necessary materials to do the work.(Exodus 5:1-9)
This master, on the other hand, provided the means for his slave to make profit.He hadn't given any restrictions, nothing that could deter this servant from doing what was required of his like his comrades did.It was not the master's problem, it was the slave's problem.It's not God's problem, it's YOUR problem..
Quit making excuses.Maya Angelou once said, "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because with courage, you can practise any other virtue consistently."
Take a step of courage, friend.

God values a hard worker, not just a hard prayer.The two go well together.Never one without the other.
(1 Cor 10:31"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God)
Recall what Paul said in 2 Thes 2:3, "whoever shall not work, shall not eat.
In Genesis 2:15; The Lord took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work and keep it.

It's a sad reality that not everyone lives a life of gravity.Many talented and gifted people just drift along.Why?Because to fulfil your purpose in life, you have to be determined to grasp the reality of what you are destined for.Unfortunately, people are often under-challenged.There's nothing as sad as looking at a person living below their potential, never reaching a new level.I'm hoping that if you are not yet living to the fullness of your potential, you will now take stock of your life.God wants our lives to count for something, He wants us to vr productive.
As Christians, sometimes we take our salvation as a 'bus-ticket' to heaven.That phenomenon blinds us, causing us to fail to do what's required of us here on earth.Praying alone doesn't put food on your table, pray yes, then go out and work for it and God will see you through.True, earth is not our home but DON'T JUST WAIT FOT THE BUS!

Love,
Karwirwa Laura.


Sunday 8 February 2015

Virginity vs Purity







A friend of mine shared with me this link that really opened my eyes to the realisation of how this issue of keeping one's virginity has been sugar-coated, causing so many to lose their purity instead..
Or even worse, many young teenagers have completely lost their purity and their conscience, gradually leading to losing their virginity..

It is my desire that every young person will actually realise the value of their virginity as well as their purity..these two words mean totally different things but they are closely knit either way..

I hope this link will be of help to you as it was to me..

 http://theresponsechurch.com/i-kept-my-virginity-but-not-my-purity 

Love,
Karwirwa Laura.