I, We, They, He, She and You

I-magine

N-icola

C-ourageously

O-vercoming

N-umerous

G-rueling

R-ealities

U-ndaunted

O-ddly

U-nafraid

S-chizophrenic

What label do you have for yourself that helps you sleep at night.

Incongruous. That's me in a nutshell. I'm odd. Out of place. Oh and on special occasions, positively unsuitable. I say I'm writer but I haven't put words together in awhile. I say I'm a Christian but I haven't reached out to my neighbour. I say I'm whole but I haven't knelt down and strengthened the relationship with my creator. I say, I say...we say, they say, he she...you say. But thats about it, we decorate the air with the warmth of our breath drenched in mere words. “I,we, they, he, she and you” barely act anymore.

“We must ask ourselves how much of eternity is in what we are doing." We are merely moving through the motions losing touch. Blurring the lines of whats right and wrong. Moving further and further away into the shadows. I say shadows because we fool ourselves, just because we are partially in the dark doesn't mean we are all bad, right? There is no room for excuses, and partial belief in the place our Father has prepared for us.

It's time “ I, we, they, he, she and you” opened up our hearts. It's “ I, we, they, he, she and you” stopped trying to define ourselves with clever little phrases, with our own understanding of, well of nothing. It's time “ I, we, they, he, she and you” looked at the manual provided by our creator ie: the Bible. It's time we depended on the substance of the God we serve.

THE LION KING

Every Disney movie has is full of incredible life lessons. That's one of the reasons why they not only sell big year in and year out but kids and adults are typically spell bound and mesmerized when they watch them.

After last nights viewing of the Lion King I have to admit I was held captive and mesmerized by the lessons exploding from the movie.

Here are three you can use in your life.

1. Just because someone says it's your fault doesn't mean it is.

After Mufasa, Simba's father died in the stampede in the gully, Scar unraveled his plan and told Simba his fathers death was his fault. He told Simba to run away and when he did he sent the Hyena's to kill him.

All because he wanted to be king.

Remember, there are some bad people out there only looking out for their own interest. If bad things happen to you they are not always your fault but they are your responsibility to change if you don't like them.

2. You develop new beliefs almost every day. Are your current beliefs benefiting you?

As Simba grew up with Timon and Pumba he learned and adopted a new belief and mantra, "Hakuna Matata". "No Worries".

Later on he realized that his understanding of "No Worries" was really holding him back from being his true self, The King of the Pride Land.

If a current belief isn't getting you the results you want, change it and change if fast.

3. A coach can really help you see the true you.

Rafiki is a wise old baboon that knows what he knows. He's the humble advisor to Mufasa before he died and to Simba after he becomes King.

He's very instrumental in showing Simba who he truly is and what he's capable of achieving when he harnesses his internal powers.

Sound advice from a monkey... "look within". Sometimes the only way you can see your faults is to have someone you trust look at you from an external view point and give you feedback.

Deep inside all of us is the ability to accomplish all our desires and goals. Are you ready to use your inner abilities to get your dream job?

Claim it as already yours

I am an Eagle

1. The Eagle Flies At High Altitude And It does Alone. This is an amazing principle of the eagle which very few people can cope with. The eagle is not found among sparrows or other smaller birds. The eagles flies in altitude only one kind of bird can fly-the eagle. Never with other birds and never in flocks. What is the lesson here? If you ever want to do something great in life, learn to be alone and when you are with people, share your time with people of same ambition and desires

2. The Eagle Has Strong And Unbelievable Vision: This vision is so sharp to the extent that it can capture objects 5 kilometers from the air. No matter the obstacle, the eagle focus on its prey and does not back out until the prey is captured. Many obstacle will appear to distract you in life. Stay focused and never allow dissenting views and voices to deter you from your vital goals in life.

3. The Eagle Eats Fresh Prey. Vultures can feed on dead animals but not the eagle. The eagle is so choosy and special that it feeds on fresh prey only. What is the import of this principle to you? Stale information will never do you good. Update yourself regularly with fresh information from reliable sources. Research your subject areas and use it for maximum benefit.

4. The Eagle Gets Excited In The Midst Of Storm. Other animals can run from adversity but not the eagle. The eagle loves gathering cloud. In fact, it thrive best in the midst of storm and winds. How often do you allow opposition to discourage you? Learn from the eagle. Use life's storm to be better, wiser, greater, wealthier and healthier. Challenges should be your stepping stone to your success and not to your destruction. Jesus Christ went to sleep in the midst of the storm instead of fretting like the disciples. Learn to rest and soar during the time of storm in your life. That is the secret of the eagle.

5. The Eagle Tests Before Trusting. There is a saying that says 'trust but verify'. I believe it was coined from the principle of the eagle. This principle is peculiar to the female eagle which subject the male eagle to vigorous testing before allowing the male to mate with her. This principle could be applied in our relationship with others especially when we want to enter one kind of agreement or partnership with others. Test the commitment of people before you trust them with your time and resources.

6. The Eagles Prepares For Training: The male and female eagles takes the baby eagle to a mountain top at high altitude to prepare it for the challenge of flying at great heights. When the baby eagle is released, the free fall at first is frightening but the mother eagle soon come to the rescue and the process is repeated again until the baby eagle can fly alone at high altitude in the manner of the parents. Challenges of life are inevitable. It is a training period for higher responsibilities. The better you are at managing your battles in life, the wiser and more responsible you become. Preparation is vital for future success.

7. When The Eagle Feels Weak, And About To Die, He Retires To A Place Far Away In The Dark. The eagle does this to shed old wind and grow new ones. Stress and fatigue is part of life. There is need to learn how to retire to a quite place for periodic retreat and strategic thinking with planning. The freshness gained from such practice improves productivity and quality of life. It also prolongs life. Take time to refresh. It is and indispensable tool for success and longevity.

God bless you as you spread your wings and fly!!!

When i Say i Christian!!!....

When i say im a christian, i am not shouting that im clean living but im whispering that i was lost but now im found

When i say im a christian, i do not speak of this with pride but im confessing that i stumble and need Christ to be my guide

When i say i am a christian, i am not trying to be strong but im professing that i am week and need his strength to carry on

When i say i am a christian, im not bragging of success, i am admitting i have failed and need God to help me clean my mess

When i say i am a christian, i am not claiming to be perfect cause my flaws are far too visible but God believes i am worth it

When i say i am a christian, i still feel the sting of pain but i have my share of heartaches and need to call on his name

When i say i am a christian, i am not HOLIER than thou but im just a simple sinner who has recieved God's grace.

THATS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY "I AM A CHRISTIAN"

Tailor made...

What do you know? What is the knowledge we think we command. Does it benefit us in any way? Does it really matter? All we know is that its gets us from point A to B. But whats beyond that? What do we know as Christians, does the knowledge we “have” enrich our faith. Does it bring others closer to the word. What do we know?

I mean what's the point of getting up every morning. Why do we do the things we do? Is there a reason, or is it all part of one big script that's now been engraved into a daily routine. Who governs our actions and thoughts. Are we trying to be better . Or are we comfortable with the way things are, afraid to venture forth. When I say venture forth I mean, reaching within ourselves to find that place where it's just us and our God. When I say venture forth I mean, reaching out to help those in dire need. Have we become so selfish. Is it the norm these days to standby and watch sin consume us. Oh, we just don't know.

We have become pros at twisting the word and our situations to better suit our actions. Everything has become tailor made to suit the sinner within. Do we sin because we don't know better? Do we sin...oh yes because we are only human. We sin fully aware and in control of everything. We are making the devils job easier for him. It's all part of the script right. You do wrong, when you get to a certain point you decide to pray for forgiveness. You're forgiven and the cycle continues. When will enough be enough? Have we no compassion for our God? Oh, we don't know or we just don't understand.

The cycle continues. We keeping going. Hurting those in our path. Casting aside all who don't fall into our blind side. We turn away from the one who truly loves us. Have you ever been hurt by someone you love, now gather all that pain and note that it's not even a fraction of the pain we put God through. Because we don't know. Now gather up that love you had/have for that person, that cannot amount to the unconditional love our Father give us. Everything is tailor made to suit us and to heck with everyone else. Right?

We think we command knowledge. We think we know...better. Yet we do wrong all the time. Yes we make mistakes. But the time has come for us to learn from them. The time has come to shake off this spiritual blindness. “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind can see and those who see will become blind” John 9:39. We think we know it all. We think we can do wrong and still be one step ahead of our actions. We think its OK to do certain things as long as we don't go “too far”. We think. But my bible tells me we should lean not on our own understanding. What do we know? Nothing. Till we start to see with our open eyes we know nothing. Till we start to be governed by love and compassion we know nothing. Till we make an honest decision to truly accept God as our Saviour in our lives we know nothing. Till we stop altering and adjusting His teachings to suit our life styles we know nothing. We are turning from Him. And it hurts Him.

You don't know? Or you don't care? When will enough be enough? How far gone must you be before to you turn back. Turn back and return home. We think we can see where we are going. We think we are in control of everything. But when it all comes crashing down, what do we do...lets hope and pray it wont be too late. For the time is now for us to educate and to ready ourselves. One thing we should know is that we are not of this world. We are driven by the pleasures of this world that come with an after taste of nothingness. Emptiness. Lies. Heartache. Why must we settle for such...

It's time we made up our minds. It's time we stopped chopping and changing things. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”John 14:1. It's not an easy path to walk, but we are not alone. “There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God...”

Life is too short not to know God.

Break the silence

Feel like I'm moving in slow motion. Like I lack the energy to do what has to be done. I'm stuck in limbo, alone,unable just paralyzed. Stuck in a vegetative state. As the world moves forward I'm stuck in one place. Not moving, if I am on the move at a very very very slow pace. No growth. No progress. Nothing. Just bare and unfruitful in all I do. The question forms in my mind, yet I lack the will power to ask and follow it through. Why is that?

Why are we content with the unfulfillable nothingness of this world? Why is that. Why must our Spirits be starved of the Gospel? Why should we suffer in silence. We get stuck in a false comfort zone, I say we for I too have been enticed by its false sense of safety. What we don't realise is what we're letting go of, what we're distancing ourselves from. When we confine ourselves to these box like prisons of comfort, we're missing out. Our silence is taken as us accepting that we belong to this world and all it possesses. In no way is that true.

I spoke of no growth, of being unfruitful and bare in our faith. We're too blinded to understand or to do anything about it. I had a dream, that seemed so real. I was asleep,all was still around me. Then I could feel something moving beneath my skin of my right arm. Low and behold. When I looked. There was a tiny black worm like thing emerging. Without thinking twice I pulled it out and discarded it.

Spiritually there are somethings that are holding us back, slowing down our growth eating away at us like a worm. Though it was small the damage it does is huge, especially when it targets our faith. We have to remove such things from our lives in order to serve God, in order to move forward in our faith. In order to be fruitful. For too long we have suffered in silence, letting this parasite that is the devil in disguise to eat away at us. For too long we have let him drain us of our strength and will power. For too long we have allowed him to render us useless. Lets not be tricked out of prayer for that is our way of...breaking the silence.

It's time we broke the silence. My bible tells me we are more than conqueror. It's time we claimed what is rightfully ours.

Get on your knees, lift your hands bare your soul and say;

God I love you.

I've sinned. Forgive me.

I'm sorry. I love you.

Please help me Lord.

I need you to come into my life .

And save me. Save me. Save me.

Break the silence with me.

Amen.

The Armor of God

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

Ephesians 6:10-17.

On this journey I realised that I'm not alone. I decided to be a Christian and things only got harder. I felt the devil literally breathing down my neck. Filling my head with lies, bringing back painful memories that filled my heart with anger and hate. Filling me with things that blocked or some what clouded my view of God in my life. Someone said if your not bothering, the devil wont bother you. But since I decided and took a stand as Christian I've become an active target.

There are times when you'll feel like it's you against the world. Like your a one man team. The path you walk seems long, dark and lonely. But that is never the case. God is always there. Always by our side, if you let Him. There will be times you'll feel like crawling into a hole, times when you feel like the storms in your life are over powering you. You see the devil towering above you, pointing and laughing. But remember that you are never alone. Remember meaning to keep in mind or to bring back to mind. But the remember I speak of means “to keep in heart”. Keep it in your heart.

There are times we lose hope. Feel lost or just down in the dumps. You lose sight of your purpose or just stop trying to find out what it is. We get so consumed and taken aback by the things of this world, we forget, we don't remember, we don't keep it in heart ,that we are aliens here. We are not of this world. We are merely in training. We are soldiers in an ongoing battle. We can not get involved in domestic affairs. We can't lose sight of our enemy. Jehovah Nisi. We need keep our heads up and hold that banner high.

There are times when we are just stuck in limbo, we don't progress nor do we regress. We don't pose much of a threat. We need to up our game. We need to come together, we need to uplift each other. We need to ready ourselves.

There are times....theres are times...there are situations...Now is the time to put on the full armor of God. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” don't let the evil one lie to your face neither should you deceive yourself. Look deep within, do not be afraid to confront the demons in your life. Live by the spirit and move closer to being more Christ-like. It ain't easy but you are not alone on this journey. There are many people soldiering on with you. Stand firm in your belief in your God.

“take up the shield of faith,” this is one aspect we take for granted.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2 vs26. We need to nurture our faith “spit polish” it daily so that it may shine. We need it to counter everything the evil one throws at us. We need to be active as Christians, we have to do so or else we risk killing off our faith.

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” being Christ-like does not mean that u worry about your salvation alone. But that you worry about the salvation of your brothers and sisters. You need to keep in mind what we fighting for. Armed with the word of God we need to go head on with the evil one. Now is the time, we need to get up and fight. We constantly say we serve a mighty God, now is the time to truly see and experience for ourselves the extent of His power. Enough of this comfort zone nonsense that we have attached ourselves too. Now is the time to stand up to the devil. For too long he has afflicted us. It's time we showed him we do not serve a dormant God. “Do not be afraid for I am with you, do not be afraid for I am your God”. You are not alone. Keep that in heart.

There are times when as Christians we need to roll up our sleeves and actually practice what it is that we preach and or what it is that is preached to us. He would never send you out unprepared.

Dress and prepare yourself and accordingly and join in this fight on our journey back home.

The 13th disciple

I feel that this is the year of service. A pastor I heard preach labeled it the year of “Greater kingdom exploits”. A time for us to use our positions of authority as Christians to do good for the glory of the kingdom of God. We know of the 12 disciples that were handed picked by Jesus to follow, work with, learn from and take over from Him. The part we overlook is that of the next group. The 13th disciple. At the death of Christ, when all our sins were washed away by His blood. We were chosen. The baton was placed in our hands.


We read the word, we know of His teachings. We have seen and applied it to our lives. It's time we took over from the master, for he is no longer among us. We need to prepare for the 2nd coming. When I say prepare, the formula is a little different from what you may picture it to be.
Prepare=( personal preparation + preparation of others through our service) x faith. As much as we are accountable for our own actions in our lives, we play apart in the lives of our neighbours. Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Treat your neighbour as you would treat yourself. Equip your neighbour with vital information that you yourself have.


We are all yearning to reach the same destination, some more than others. Some like me get lost along the way. That's where you play a part. Be that beacon, be that helping hand, be that vessel that wants to be used by Christ. Be the 13th disciple. For those that are familiar with maths, you'll know that if one factor of the equation is missing, it will not balance and the right answer will not be determined. In the same way in our equation:
Prepare=( personal preparation + preparation of others through our service) x faith, I can't say I'm prepared if I stand by and watch my neighbour struggling. I can't say I'm prepared if I do not believe, and only go to church because I was born into a family that does. I can't say I'm prepared if I do not take the time get to know and nurture my relationship with God. We can not simply praise God with our mouths and not give.


The disciples were chosen, meaning they had a choice to decline. God as powerful and all knowing as He is. He can only do so much in terms of the choices we make. It's all up to us. Lets not be easily swayed by the bargains and trinkets presented by the devil. By now we all know the devil is a liar. He roars like a lion to strike fear into our hearts, but he's no lion. He has no dominion in our lives, he pretends he does. 2 chronicles 20:20 “believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm...”


As the saying goes life is no bed of roses. We all have our our struggles and problems why should we take on those of someone else. But one should take note that , the best exercise for strengthening the heart is reaching down and lifting people up. We are all made in His image, my struggles are as good as those of my neighbour and vice versa. The question now is how do we help? Where and when? We need to open up our eyes to what is right in front of us. We need to extend a hand or just merely present a shoulder of comfort. We need to pray. Pray in secret, bare your soul , praying for someone else is as good as speaking countless blessings into your own life. Pray together, we should start a culture of joining hands sharing in the presence of the Lord.


Be fit and ready there is much work to be done. Cast all doubt aside in terms of your abilities. You cant entertain fear together with faith. You may not be able to cast out demons but by faith it's the little things that matter. Be prepared. Let go of all that does not matter. Be receptive as a vessel to be filled, to be used. And in turn pour the word that is the bread of life, love, compassion, your experiences and testimonies into the lives of those around you.

Be the 13th disciple.

Favor with God

Text: Luke 1:6 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS…..38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (NKJV)

1. An Announcement from God (v26-28)
-Mary was made aware that God was speaking to her. In her case, it was an angel. God has a way of getting our attention when He desires to call us into action for His plans and purposes.

-(List the ways that God can speak to us and briefly share those here in the sermon)

2. A Response of Fear (v29-30)
-Mary was troubled and afraid. We too are initially afraid when God begins revealing what He wants to do. Even God speaking to us can be an intense experience that rattles us.

-(Share a time the Lord spoke to you and you were afraid when you considered what was happening.)

3. A Promise of Favor (v28-29)

-Twice the Lord lets Mary know He has come to favor her. It is important for us to know that God’s intentions for us are always in our best interest. It is a sign of favor when the Lord invites you into what He is doing.

-(share a story of someone who experienced God’s favor because of stepping into God’s plans)

4. A Conception and Birthing

-Mary was told she would conceive and birth a child. With us, there is also the development within us of what God wants to do. It is a step into a process. As we faithfully carry it, it will be brought forth.

-(share how it is important to be patient and allow God to develop things. Use other biblical examples here)

5. A Response of Faith (v38)

-Mary heard, overcame her fear and said "Yes, be it unto me!" She demonstrated faith and obedience.

-Call for people to say yes to what God is speaking to them.

6. A Focus on Jesus (v31)

-Mary’s call was to birth the Christ child.

-When God is at work in us, it is always about forming Christ in us and making him known to others. For us to live is Christ!!!

What happend in Jail last night?

Text: Acts 16:25 but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 but Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do you no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with his entire household. (NKJV)
This dramatic event has several elements that make up its fascinating story.
1. Maintain a Faith Filled Attitude Under Pressure
(Paul and Silas were praying and singing instead of griping and complaining)

2. Expect God to Shake Things Up When Crunch Time is On
(Many, many times in the Bible, we see God’s miracles related to timing. There are a lot of earthquakes, but this one happened at just the right time. Some might think this was a miraculous intervention but just a natural occurrence. Hamm? Why did the shackles release them but the place did not fall in on them and kill them. Doors opening and chains loosening sounds like some Angels were pretty busy.)
3. Look for Redemptive Opportunities in the Midst of the Shaking
(Often we miss the greatest opportunities by being distracted. Paul seized the opportunity to step in and minister to the jailor who assumed everyone had escaped which would have meant his life. I personally believe Paul had a word of knowledge about what the jailor was about to do because there was no light in the place. I think this added to the Jailor’s awareness that the God, to whom Paul and Silas had been singing, was doing something extraordinary.)
4. Learn to Receive Good from those Who Once Hurt You
(What a beautiful site to see the jailor washing their stripes. No bitterness in either heart. Wow!)
5. Watch the Ripple Effects of Obedience
(Paul and Silas were able to witness a whole family’s conversion because they kept their faith under pressure.)
Conclusion–What jail or you in this morning? In what way is pressure being placed upon you? How have you been handling it? What changes do you need to make?

Sermon: Thanksgiving

Luke 17:12-19

The story of the leper in Mark 1:40 this way
"'Hello, I'm a leper!' A man popped out from behind a building and stood right in front of Jesus. 'Please don't run away, Jesus!'

"'What's the matter with your skin?' asked Jesus.

"'Can't You see I'm covered with runny sores and crusty scabs?' No one wants to look at me, my face is so horrible.'

"'What do you want Me to do?'

"'You can make me better. I know You can,' said the man, falling on his knees in front of Jesus. 'If You don't, I'll scratch myself to death.'

"Jesus felt sorry for the poor man.

"'Don't touch me,' said the man. 'That's how you get it.'

"'I'm not afraid to touch you.' Jesus reached down and took hold of the man's arms and pulled him to his feet. The itching was gone. The sores started to dry. The scabs began to fall off.

"'Thank You, thank You, thank You!' shouted the man. 'What can I do to thank You?'

"'You can go to the temple, show yourself to a priest and say a prayer of thanks to God.'

"'Yes, yes; I will, I will!' promised the man hurrying off.

"'One more thing,' said Jesus.

"'Anything, anything,' said the man.

"'You don't have to tell anyone what I just did.'

"'I won't tell a soul,' said the man as he skipped toward Jerusalem; but the man was so happy and the walk to the temple was so long that he forgot and told everyone he met. Then all the other lepers along the road began to look for the wonderful Man with the healing touch."

The story well told of the gratitude of good lepers. Good lepers are those who are healed and never forget the disease they once had. They remember how good clean feels. Bad lepers, on the other hand, are those who are healed and go on acting as if they never had the disease.

Ninety percent of all the lepers in Luke 17 are ingrates—bad lepers pretending they never met Jesus. What a shame! They were so completely healed that there was not a smidgen of their former state of decay left to them. They were se healed, they headed back to the social centers of their communities. These pretenders were free to run for office—any office they might imagine. They were free to return to their former bridge clubs, Kiwanis clubs, golf clubs. Their once former scourge-word-confession, "Unclean!" had been replaced by, "Give me five!" The untouchables were now the embraceables. The infected had become the respected. The isolated tomb-dwellers had become the officers at Toastmasters.

However, for all the joy of their cleansing, we never would have known about them at all, except for the 10 percent of their group who knew the art of gratitude. One of the 10: "when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked a most perplexing question: 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to give praise to God except this foreigner?'" (Luke 17:15-18).

Sit at the once eroded feet of a thankful, Gentile leper and learn from him. It is the season of the year for us to come before God with the Old One-Hundredth on our lips and give praise to the Him for all of our abundance. I don't know if all lepers are pictured here to indicate that all praiseless people are in the 90th percentile of the blasé lepers who can receive so much from God and mention it so little.

C.S. Lewis said that ancient man approached God out of a strong feeling that he was approaching a judge. "For modern man, the roles are reversed," says Lewis. Modern man is the judge and God is in the dock (cited in A Hunger for Meaning, Inter Varsity Press, 1984, p. 114). Maybe this is why we feel we have no obligation to thank Him. I suspect this is what lies behind the reason we are developing a culture without a sense of thankfulness. For me, our thanklessness smacks of a lazy atheism. Remember, one old definition of atheist is "someone who sometimes feels gratitude, but has absolutely no one to thank for it!"

There are two sides in the issue of all self-righteous abundance. These two categories are the thankful and the thankless. The thankless tend to act as though they and their circumstances are entirely self-made. The thankful see the providence of God in all they hold. The thankful believe that it is not how much we have or have not in life, but what we see as the source of what we have or don't have that is the real issue.

I have sat down with a great many people who fed me more sumptuously, but their sign to begin eating was not a bowed head but the green light signal of a fork which the host picked up.

Back to the lone Samaritan leper, whose thankfulness mandated a bent neck and said, "God, you are the Giver of this feast": The 90th percentile lepers are those who begin to eat when the host picks up his fork. All of this goes to prove the old cliché: Gratitude is an attitude. Gratitude has absolutely nothing to do with what we have but is a lifestyle. It rehearses praise so continually that God is always the Giver, and lepers are cleansed by His giving.

Is Jesus sorry He cleanses ingrates? Of course not; it is God's nature to cleanse, heal and give; but He does ask a very profound question in Luke 17: "Where are the other nine?" It's a fair question! If 10 lepers are healed and only one comes back, where are the other nine?

We were eating out the other night and I happened to look around the restaurant filled with people, 39 percent of whom were born again then saw one person praying before beginning a meal. When he finished praying, I ask him, "Sir, I couldn't help but notice you were praying. Are you a Christian?"Yes!" he replied. "The Lord saved me four years ago. Ever since then I've been filled with gratitude for all God is doing in my life. I cannot cease to thank Him."

This lone believer reminded me that Jesus taught a very practical principle of rejoicing in the things that mean most to me. I enjoy singing the chorus: "Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul." It has old-fashioned words in the new world of upbeat worship. Still, I think about it often. My thankfulness is not rooted in the grace of mealtime, but in the awareness of my own salvation. If this Thanksgiving your own table is more sparse than you'd like it to be, just thank Him for saving your soul. Remember this great hymn:

Could my tears forever flow,

Could my zeal no languor know.

These for sin would not atone,

Thou must save and thou alone,

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to thy cross I cling.

Spafford—in that hymn which celebrated the death of all his family—would write that beautiful stanza:

"My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious tho't

"My sin not in part, but the whole

"Is nail'd to the cross and I bear it no more,

"Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

Horatio G. Spafford, "It Is Well with My Soul"

Therefore, let us live in a constant attitude of God's abundance along with the writer of Hebrews 12:28, who said, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe."

I know God does not always provide us all the abundance we want, but Psalm 37:25 says, "I am old but have been young and I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread." My suspicion is that this week most of you will sit down to a very fine meal. I hope as you do, Psalm 100:4 will come to you, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and enter his courts with praise." God is the Keeper of your feast. He is the Maker of your feast.

Tony Campolo said that as he was eating a meal in Haiti, he started to pick up his fork and eat when he glanced to the window, which was near his table, and saw the faces of little hungry Haitian children, faces pressed against the glass watching him eat, mesmerized.

"For a moment," he said, "I had the awful feeling of guilt and sat poised, not knowing whether to eat or not." Then the waiter stepped over and said, "Sir, don't let this bother you," and pulled the blinds. "I laid down my fork, unable to eat that meal."

He said, "It's so like the American culture to forget to thank God for what we have, to pull the blinds and forget that we are part of the 6 percent of the world that has enough continually to eat again and again and again. ‘Enter His courts with praise; enter His gates with thanksgiving.'"

While you eat your nice food , consider this: 600 people will die of starvation while you're eating that meal. On Thanksgiving Day, 12,000 people will die of starvation. Eight hundred million people in this world have not had enough to eat today. One of every 10 babies born this week will die within the first week. Twenty-five percent of those babies never will reach age 5. I now understand what it means to be a nation upon whom God has rained His blessings.

I understand how Malcolm Muggeridge must have felt when he watched Mother Teresa take from a dustbin a baby someone had cast aside, believing it dead, then suddenly chirping, "See, there's life in it!" Most of the world is not dying under nuclear annihilation; rather by the thousands, many die whimpering in the night. T.S. Eliot's lines haunt us: "This is the way the world ends for most people, not with a bang, but with a whimper!"

We all sometimes complain that God is unfair, but gratitude is an attitude. Habakkuk 3:17-18 shouts our obligation to praise, whatever our financial circumstances:

"Though the fig tree does not bud

"And there are no grapes on the vine,

"Though the olive crop fails

"And the fields produce no food,

"Though there are not sheep in the pen

"And no cattle in the stalls,

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

"I will be joyful in God my Savior."

There's no use whimpering. Harold Kushner said he once had an old teacher who said, "To say life is unfair is like saying a bull won't charge a man who happens to be a vegetarian." God has a plan for His world, and that plan is that everybody would know Christ. Somehow we are involved in that plan. If that plan does not speak in our lives a sense of worship and praise, we miss the whole point.

Jesus' lone leper is a picture of great gratitude, a picture of grace.

Those of us who have been redeemed by a living Lord Jesus cannot help but say, "Thank You, God. Thank You for eternal life. Thank You for our daily bread."

Break from that crowd of thankless lepers long enough to remember Somalia. Somalia is a land where there aren't any title holders any more. There are no grain fields. Everyone there lives in extremes. Somalians spend their days waiting on U.N. grain trucks.

Consider children of Somalia. Parents each morning send their children forward for rice. They are cheering and goading their children to be first in the line so they can be part of the 200 of 500 who are fed; 300 return to weeping parents, weeping themselves, because there wasn't enough for everyone.

A few years ago, one of my very favorite poets was picking up scraps of paper in a park in Brazil. Quite a poet she was. She saved the big pieces of paper that she found and wrote poems on them. Nobody really knew it then, but on those big scraps of paper with rough pencil, she wrote a book that was destined to be published in America as Child of the Dark. A woman starving to death with her poor little family wrote these words:

"Today I'm sad. I'm nervous. I don't know if I should start crying or running till I fall unconscious. At dawn it was raining…I have a few tin cans and another little scrap of metal that I'm going to sell to Señor Manuel…to buy food for the children). O Sao Paulo. A queen that vainly shows her skyscrapers as her crown of gold. All dressed up in velvet and in silk…but with the cheap stockings of the slums underneath. Sometimes I imagine I am a grand lady, dressed in a satin gown with diamonds shining in my black hair. But then the smell of the sewers comes in through the thin walls and my satin gown turns to rags, and the only thing shining in my hair is lice."

This Thanksgiving, enter His courts with thanksgiving and enter His gates with praise. "Were there not ten lepers healed? Where are the other nine?"

Then answer, "Lord, I do not know where the other nine have gone…I only know I have received healing and not to praise You is a sin I must not condone. I have been loved. I am clean. I must enter Your gates with thanksgiving. I must come into Your courts with praise."

(This Touched me as I read it..Thought id Share it.)

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Life is not easy, someone told me if it were then it would be boring. Life sucks sometimes it throws things at you that you never could see coming and if you could, you failed to dodge. So when you're beyond being lower than the lowest thing alive..what do you do? Who do you turn to? When things go wrong my first reflex isn't to get down on my knees and pray. No. I try fix it on my own, or tell a friend or drown our sorrows in earthly things.



What do you do when you have lost everything. When you are hurt beyond comprehension. When you feel like looking up and screaming “WHY GOD...WHY MEE!!!!”. Well if not you then who? Life is not easy at all. Awful things happen to the best of people. You read your bible everyday, you go to church and you say your prayers but still you seem to wind up with the short end of the stick. What do you do? Who do you turn to?



What can you do when your world is crashing down and your all alone and nobody understands or nobody seems to care. Where do you start, picking up the pieces. When the road you walk is paved with thorns. And the cross you carry just keeps getting heavier. What can you do when you feel like crying out “WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME LORD?”. You stumble, you fall, you make bad choices and the devil beacons you further into the dark. His offer seems more attractive than the pain you face. What do you do?



What happens when all your strength and will power is gone. When it seems like there is nothing to live for. You could just shout “here take your life back!”. What happens next. When your heart is broken and you feel like a fool. When you have lost so much and given just as much away. What in the world can you do!! How can you master the strength to rise again with your head held high. How? What is it that needs to be done. Who lied to us and said we were destined for greatness. Who lied to us and said we were the chosen people when all we do is struggle and fall flat on our faces. Why is it that the devil is always there. Why is it that we feel like God has turned away from us?



What do you do? Do you get up again, dust yourself off and keep going? I've been told the way to grow strong in Christ is to be weak in yourself. What does that mean? My bible tells me in Isaiah 40:29 “God gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.”. What do you do...you have faith and trust in your God. Let go of the steering wheel for a moment and let Him take over. Its hurts but trust and get down on your knees bare your soul to the one that truly deserves it and believe and know that help is on the way.



What can you do? Be patient and wait for the Lord. We do not serve a dormant God. Yes we are destined for something bigger than us, but it comes at a price. We have to fight to get it just as hard as the devil is to keep it away from us. It calls for patient endurance on our part and persistence in prayer. He will never forsake us. We are the chosen people,and because we were chosen we need to take courage “ be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord” Psalms 31:24.



“Jesus knows that we must come apart and rest a while, or else we may just plain fall apart.”

We need to take heart, and let God take over completely and not only when it suits us. The time to be Christians has come. We must use the little strength that we have even if it means hanging on His robes. Reach out and let Him do the rest. Keep the faith and love you have for him going. Keep praying, because the devil is always there always waiting and being watchful of every step you take.



Turn to our all mighty Father and He will be light at your feet.

by Nicola Manduna

When will you start being a Christian??

So I'm on this walk with Christ and we are getting really close. I mean the amount of love between us is amazing. Yet my heart is sore. My mind is troubled. As Shakespeare put it “oh full of scorpions is my mind”. I'm deeply troubled and for what?



The love I thought I had found with someone all gone. Just like all we had didn't matter.



Certain aspects of my life have changed though for the better. I've been called to step forward , yet I'm afraid I wont be able to keep up and do the right thing.



My family slowly falling to pieces.



My friends going through so much heartache and pain. Plagued by peer pressure as they wonder like the lost sheep they are.



Life on earth is not a pretty thing. Was walking the streets of Jo burg and I saw a “common” sight that broke my heart because there was nothing I could do. I saw a elderly woman sitting under the harsh sun on the the filth that we call the streets of jozi. A blind beggar, a woman that could've been my own mother. Sitting there dressed in rags like she had be stuffed into them. There she sat, trapped in her circumstances. She was eating as she sat, but what she ate...her meal for the day was a paper plate of chips generously covered in flies and mould. My heart sank. It became sore so sore. But I did nothing, I carried on walking.



My heart is sore, the tears keep coming, rolling down my cheeks filling my eyes till my vision gets so blurry I feel myself stumble as I walk. I walk. I walk. I continue on my daily walk with Christ. These are but a fraction of the things I face. What do you face or try to escape from. How can we say we walk with Christ when we do nothing in this world to help others?? That's all Christ did, that was His main objective, to help those in need. But what do we do, we keep walking thinking we're walking with Christ, while He's standing there next to the blind beggars in our lives. Waiting on us to be CHRISTIANS!



How many have you walked away from? For how long must it be this way. My bible tells me in Proverbs 19;17 “he who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord”. What will we lack by giving? Yes we have our own problems in life to face our “drama' to deal with. But “ the best exercise for strengthening the heart is reaching down and lifting people up.”. We have become so selfish and self absorbed in things we think matter most. But does the bible not say love thy neighbour as you love thy self.



What are we doing about the beggars in our lives? Literally the poor that need us to share just a bit of what we have. And the poor that are weak in their faith and need us to share our daily bread with them. My heart is sore.. but the love He has for me will make up for the love I lost. My mind is troubled but that call will keep coming, He'll hold my hand and as the light at my feet He will guide the way. But what of those that don't see and haven't learnt what it is that I have learnt on my daily walks with Christ. You can not walk with Him and not be affected by what He stands for.



Yes I do not understand His ways totally, but what would be the point if I did? The point is to grow, and with this growth in turn share it with others. Its time for us to start being Christians. Its time for us to start being active and help those around us that need it. Yes it may seem prayer is not effective but it is oh yes it is. Pray and be active be a vessel that wants to be used. It's time to pull each other up.



When I saw that woman it wasn't the first time I'd seen a beggar. But today I saw through different eyes. I felt, I was moved. Foolish of me to think nothing can be done. I'm reaching down, the beggars in my life are there for a reason and I will not be held accountable on judgment day for walking away. I've started, so I ask you now He wants to know after so long...When will you start being a Christian?

by Nicola Manduna

Inbox (1)

You hurt me but i still love you...I reached out to bring you closer, but you pushed my hand aside. "Not now" you said. Standing by me at that point in your life was not important to you. You hurt me but i still love you. I tried to get your attention, tried to make you see that the love i have for you is not the kind of love the world has blindly perverted. I tried to bring you to me. I still am...waiting for you. You hurt me but i still love you. YOU still mean everything to me..



Yes you there covered in sin and shame

yes you there choking on your lies

yes you there terrorizing your loved ones

yes you there with the broken heart

yes you there who is struggling with immoral temptations

yes you there fighting to get closer yet you feel your unworthy

yes you there with your head down

yes you there that feels so alone and unloved



Yes...You hurt me but i still love you....



Make the decision here and now....get on your knees where ever you are...and reach out; with your hand, with your heart, with your spirit. Reach out. He's right there doing the same...reaching out. We hurt Him but He still loves us, let Him fill the void. Reach out through prayer..and grab on to Him, once you do, your journey as a Christian and your journey to be more like Him begins.



let us pray....


by Nicola Manduna

Thank you

We all got to thank God for :
Who he is
What he does
Why he does it
When he will do what we ask
For friends
FAmily
HArd times
Good times
Happy times
Sad times
Tears & Laughter
Pain & Joy
Poverty & Riches
Nakedness or Clothing
Hunger & plenty
He still remains God, who does what he does to the Glory of His name!!!!

God bless you

The day i got down on my knees..

The day i got down on my knees,

the troubles around me were put under a spotlight

my soul was broken, on my knees my eyes were filled with tears,

like a never ending stream flowing,

with all my pain and afflictions wearing me thin

the day i got down on my knees,

i was in the dark i was alone,

i was misunderstood, shunned and judged



On my knees all was revealed

my heart in pieces, all my desires out in the open

all my fears towering above me

with sin stains on my being

the day i got on my knees;

i found myself at the feet of a merciful Saviour

the one who comforts you as a mother would her child





The day i got on my knees....I PRAYED

by Nicola Manduna

A dose of tough LOVE...

As Christians we love to romanticize things , I suppose it's human nature. We love to hear things like, “We are destined for great things' or “ My sister your husband is on his way”. We seem to overlook the fact that the devil hates us. He wont let us 2 step into heaven . He's going to fight tooth and nail to get what he wants. Trust me the battle will be scary and gruesome. It's time for us to face reality. I ain't a pastor or anyone with a degree to back me up. I may be uncultured in my speech but my Lord God has given me His stamp of approval. And I tell you now He is coming soon. Now is the time to ready ourselves, He may not be here tomorrow but I will sing this tune till the end of my days.



In 2 Peter 3:9 my bible tells me , “ The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” In the same way we do not view time the way He does. He may be arriving next week, next year or maybe in century or so, but the point I'm stressing is that the time is NOW for us to ready ourselves as the chosen people. Job 6:25 “ how painful are honest words” we make God sound like some hippie at times, who will not step up and get tough when the time comes. We view the devil as some guy that will consider your situation or your feelings before he strikes. That is not the case. He's the type of guy that will kick you when your down, spit in your face, push you so low and so far into the dark, you'll find yourself in a slump you will fail to rise from. Yes the battle is already won but it still needs to be fought!!



There is so much that has to be done we need to prepare ourselves and not stick to this comfort zone of following Christ. We need to break free from this cycle, the longer we stay the further we stray from a our true potential and purpose for which we were intended. There is nothing good about life on earth when God has prepared rooms for us up in heaven. We are simply passing through embarking on a journey that, yes, seems so never ending, but, here comes a cliché....there is light at the end of the tunnel. We say seek He 1st , but we don't really get the seriousness and intensity of such a statement. It took years of wading through sin, but when I finally surfaced I understood. Feeling anew. I was nothing and God gave me chance. What right do I have to give up on Him now?? Seek He 1st and everything else shall fall into place. I don't know about you but I do not serve a dormant God...Isaiah 66: 9 “ Do I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery?”



Like the lost coin in Luke 15:8 God will look high and low for us. It now becomes a personal choice as to whether you want to be found. And when you are found will you live by the spirit, will you “Endure hardship with us like the good solider of Christ Jesus. No-one serving as a solider gets involved in domestic affairs-he wants to please his commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Someone once said and I quote “ we are married to too many things here on earth” how can can we embrace Him if our fists are already tightly clenched with our fingers, lips and hearts stained with immorality. Which has now become part of our day-to-day life. Look deep within yourself and you will realize I'm talking about you, about your life. About the lives of those close to you and you do nothing but watch them slowly self-destruct.



Yes we are sinners but if we let go and let God, our sins though like scarlet shall be white as snow. Revelations 14:12 says it best “this calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints..”. Patience with others is Love. Patience with self is Hope. Patience with God is Faith. And that's what we need to cover ourselves with; love for one another that 1st Corinthians kinda love. Hope which in itself is such a powerful thing how can the devil win when there is still hope within us, we are more than conquerors because of the hope factor rooted within. Faith that link between us and our Saviour that needs to be nurtured daily through prayer and interaction with others in fellowship.



Lets not restrict ourselves by giving the devil free reign in our lives. We need to challenge ourselves more in our faith, we need to WAKE UP from this slumber and get to know God and get to experience Him fully. Because He loves us so much, giving up is not an option and if tough Love is required then so be it...

by Nicola Manduna

**Spiritual Ark**

The destination is Heaven....but....THE JOURNEY is very important. He said He is coming and He sounded very close. He didn't go into detail about the exact time or location but He said He is coming. Thus the crucial stages of my journey began. You've heard the saying each man for himself and God for us all..but who really wants to go to Heaven alone?? He said the the journey is very important meaning that He's giving us a chance to ensure that we make it to our final destination. It would be sooo easy for Him to determine who deserves to make it there, but yet He gives us a chance to make it back home. I say home because this is not home. We are merely visitors who will soon have over stayed their welcome.



The time has come to sort out our spiritual households. The time to be honest with ourselves, who knows you better than you?? The time to let go of the things that weigh us down. A time to be rooted in our belief in Christ. A time to get soo much closer to Him. A time to grow in our faith. I mean we don't seem to realise how powerful faith actually is, it doesn't have to be huge it can be the size of a mustard seed and it will be efficient. A time to let God take the wheel and steer us in the right direction, but we tend to be "backseat drivers" we don't did give Him full control and now as the vehicle spins out of control that's when we realise that we cannot do it alone. I hope and pray that when we do it wont be too late. My Bible tells me in psalms 118 :8 "it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man".



The journey is important as it prepares us for whats ahead. But being the "backseat drivers" we are we think we know best. Jeremiah 18 : 5-6 speaks of being in the potter's house. He says "like the clay in the hand of the potter so are you in my hand". The time has come for us to look deep within ourselves and let God take control. Like the clay we must be moulded for His intended purpose for us. We become vessels in which He fills with His word so that we may share it with others. Once moulded we will be put in to the furnace to make us steadfast in what God has intended. The furnace with it's blazing flames represents the afflictions we will face, they will burn, but according to your faith you will either harden and be rooted in your faith. And emerge being the vessel you were intended to be or you will merely be consumed by the flames.



We must seek God and follow His laws with the passion and determination expressed in psalms 119. To pray that the Lord forgives and over looks what it is we had become and to uplift what it is we are becoming. Moving forward with the Lord God being the light at our feet. Turning to Him when it seems our world is coming to end. Sharing with others the good and the bad things we go through and letting them know that having Christ in our lives makes life on earth a whole lot better. On this journey we will not emerge the same as when we entered.



This is our chance to grow.
There is a spiritual ark that's being built....and no-one should be left behind this time.

by Nicola Manduna

Proverb to ponder!

Proverbs 14:4

"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox"


Wisdom includes leveraging your efforts to accomplish much more than what one person can do. This proverb will teach you the lesson. God inspired King Solomon to write about economics, finance, and investments. God wants you to work smart to get ahead.



In his book of philosophy, he wrote, “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct” (Eccl 10:10). Wisdom includes working smart, like using a file to sharpen an axe, so you can cut down a tree faster than others, who foolishly continue to beat against the tree with a dull blade.



Adam Smith wrote, “The Wealth of Nations,” in 1776. Before then, little was understood about savings, investment, capital, means of production, income-producing assets, and distribution of labor. But Solomon had taught these things in 920 BC, or almost 3000 years before Adam Smith! Give God the glory! Love Scripture! Love Proverbs!



Oxen are large bovine animals God created for the service of man. Today, when domesticated, we generally call them cattle; and specifically, they are castrated bulls that have reached full maturity and strength. (Bulls do not submit well to handling, yokes, and plowing!) They may easily weigh one ton and have enormous strength for pulling.



A crib is a barred storage apparatus where corn and other grain products are kept for feeding cattle and other farm animals. From this usage we have adapted the word to mean the barred small bed for children, which has a similar appearance. A cattle crib is similar to the manger in which our Lord and Saviour was placed after birth (Luke 2:7).



If a farmer plows, cultivates, and harvests by hand, he only has the strength and endurance to work a very small section of ground. His family may barely survive. And he will never get ahead. The storage crib for corn or other produce will be clean – empty, because he and his family will have eaten all he could plant and harvest. Nations in the world even today that still rely on manual labor are as poor as they were 4000 years ago.



But if a farmer can scrimp and save to purchase an ox, he will have invested in the means of much greater production. The strong ox can pull a plow through the soil for many hours a day (I Kgs 19:19). Many acres can be cultivated. But that is not all!



The ox can also trample the raw grain to separate its components (Deut 25:4), and he can drive a grinding wheel (Judges 16:21). The ox can pull heavily loaded wagons to market (Num 7:3). The farmer now produces much more than he needs to eat and increases his wealth and farm. This great reversal of fortune came by saving and investing.



Saving and investing are pillars of a capitalistic and prosperous economy. To buy an ox, a farmer denies himself short-term pleasures to accumulate the needed funds: this is saving. Then he must spend those saved funds for an ox that eats much feed every day and is expensive to maintain: this is investing. Wisdom loves saving and investing.



By saving some of his own production, the farmer created capital; by investing it in better means of production, he has converted his capital to be income producing. Invested capital will bring wealth, which creates more capital and investment, which leads to even greater wealth. Much increase is by the strength of the ox! Thank you, Solomon!



Consider the wisdom of the proverb. Oxen eat a lot of corn and other feed, yet it is a farm without oxen that has nothing in the crib. Farms with oxen, though they eat much corn, have great increase in their net corn production. There is very much corn left over to sell and buy luxuries they never dreamed of when cultivating their land by hand. God created the means of production – the ox – that wisely used will produce far more than it consumes. Thank you, Lord. God also gave the wisdom to use the ox. Thank you, Lord.



Both the ox and the wisdom to use the ox come from God. In fact, even the knowledge of how to plant, harvest, and process various grains comes from Him (Is 28:23-29). Do you grasp this precious truth – even basic farming wisdom comes from God? It was not learned by trial and error (or the first generation would have died before they learned it).



Where do witty inventions come from? They are God’s blessing, and they are the result of wisdom (8:12). God puts exceptional abilities in the hearts of some men, and He stirs those men up to use their creative genius to make tools that we marvel about and use to leverage our efforts (Ex 31:1-6; 36:1-2; II Chr 26:15). Are you thankful to God for the labor-saving devices you use every day? He will judge unthankfulness (Rom 1:21-22).



Here is economic wisdom, and Solomon taught it 3000 years ago! But there are societies and nation that have not learned these simple lessons. They still rely on manual labor, do not understand saving, make no investments, and ignore the means of production that are available. They pick berries and nuts, hunt wild game, wear skins, and live in huts or tents. They have not changed in thousands of years. Are you thankful for wisdom?



The United States and other nations that love and use these principles of wisdom enjoy great wealth and prosperity. They enjoy luxuries and leisure more than any society in history. Men categorize the other nations not using Solomon’s wisdom as second world or third world countries based on their ignorance of these simple economic principles.



Once a man sees the profit of saving and investing in an ox, he becomes very conscious of other possibilities, so other witty inventions take place, which are a further blessing of God upon those who fear Him (8:12). They invent better plows, planters, pickers, threshing devices, and tractors! They invent chainsaws, combines, PTO’s, conveyors, washing machines, typewriters, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, and computers!



Would you like to be a lumberjack with an axe … or a chainsaw? Would you like to slice meat in a deli with a knife or a meat slicer? Would you like to be an accountant with an abacus or a computer? Would you like to unload trucks with a forklift or by hand? Would you accept the assignment to build a car by hand or on an assembly line?



Summarize the lesson, and bless the Lord! The ox, the economic wisdom to use the ox, agricultural wisdom, and witty inventions are all from the Lord! Give God the glory!



Are you saving and investing as wisely as you should? Are you obeying this proverb in your own life? Do you own any means of production? Do you have any income-producing assets? Are you accumulating funds – capital – to invest in such things? If you spend everything you earn, you are foolish. You need to learn from the ant (6:6-8; 30:25).



Paul applies the rules of caring for oxen to ministers, so consider how the proverb addresses them (I Cor 9:6-14; I Tim 5:17-18). A church without a pastor will see little spiritual growth, for the God-given strength of the spiritual ox is missing. But where there is a laboring pastor, the church will benefit by this God-ordained means of increase. A hard working minister can be very profitable – and this is his calling (I Tim 4:13-16). And the harder he works, the more he should be fed (I Tim 5:17-18).



Are you taking care of your ox – the watcher of your soul? Do you pray for him daily?



Further, it is the spiritual duty of God’s saints to seek the purity of their churches, for spiritual and carnal blessings are by His favor (Psalm 144:9-15). Even the means of natural production, and certainly the means of spiritual production, are by His blessing. Strong and healthy oxen and garners full of food are both by divine mercy (Psalm 144:13-14). And it is a happy people indeed who have honored the Lord with holy lives to bring these great blessings! Happy is that people whose God is the LORD (Ps 144:15)!

And who is my neighbor?

We live in a world today where we don't know who to turn to in times of need.Our fathers,mothers,sisters,brothers,friends,pastors and elders have become our enemies.Long ago we could walk with other men in the dark and you would be sure of your safety.Today,we run away from a crowd of men cause we don't know their next move

A question was posed to Jesus by an expect of the law,and today this same question faces me and you..."AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?..."
The book of Luke 10:30-37,we find a story that will answer who our true neighbors are.

Verse 30: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho"
He perhaps had something to do as he left the Holy City to go Down to Jericho.He may have people to see,business to handle,debts to pay,a small house(girlfriend)to see but all we know is he was going down.

Are you going Down?..

Is your life on a down hill and you don't have brakes to stop your fall? We have fallen from a place where we were once viewed well in society but not any more.We have gone down to the gutters of this world and have found a safe and comfort zone in the dirt of the world.We have gone down in spirituality and forgotten the God of Our Fathers.We have gone down to a point that even when we stand we can neither be seen or heard.Our lives are in tatters we cant mend them on our own when we are down there!!!...As we go down we are vulnerable.We are swayed by the wind.We are going to a place that is deep with sin and for us to fight it is another uphill battle.
As the man went down in his vulnerable state he was pounced on by robbers.Stripped him naked and left him for dead.

Have you been stripped naked and left for dead?..

As we go down in our vulnerability,the society strips us of a dignity that we once possessed.We no longer can stand proud and tall.We try to hide our nakedness by going further down into the chambers of sin.The society will strip you naked with the labels they put to your name,the comments they make about your character and the actions the make about your personality.They leave you for dead when they have stripped you of your true identity and given you a counterfeit identity of who they think you are.They don't care about you and they simply walk away!!!...

There are people who you think care about you.People who were suits to church every Saturday and call themselves pastors.They see you going down,stark naked,left for dead and all they can say is "WHAT A SHAME!!!"...(verse 31)The priest is on the same road as you are.He is also going down.Falling from divine grace to the simplicity of the sinful human race.All he can do is look at you and see a picture of what he could be in a few moments.He realizes he is going down too and he will pass on the other side.
(Verse 32)A levite may be on the way,but its not yet time to get all excited an think help is on the way because he is a passerby too.You see a deacon when you hold your can of CASTLE LAGER,and to you amazement they pass you by for they know they are going down too.A pastor meets his head elder walking hand in hand with another woman,he will pass by for he knows he is going down too.

But behold on the same road there is someone going up to Jerusalem.When we are going down,they are going up.We all don't fall at the same time.Amen!!!!.....They have been where we are and realize we are in need of help.They can not let society destroy us.(verse 33)People we do not expect,people we do not talk to,people who we distance ourselves from.Here they are covering our wounds,cleaning our wounds,dressing us up and taking us to a place of comfort where we can find healing and protection,taking us up the road we were going down.The good Samaritan came down his horse to help this man.We need people who are willing to come down from their financial horse,their spiritual horse,their educational horse and come to the level of the one who is labeled a nobody in this life.We need people who will cover our wounds not expose our pain and sorrow.Put oil on them for them to heal faster.

When we find such people embrace them then you will know who you neighbor is.

"A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU,THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU."

MAY YOU ALL BE BLESSED