Unmerited Favour!

God is so good! I had missed the deadline for the BID Challenge round 2 which was yesterday and had just figured it was too bad. Well, guess what? They called me today and asked why I hadn't turned it in. When I told them I had missed it they gave me till 8 pm tonight. Isn't that just God's grace? Needless to say, I figured God was giving me another chance and put it in ASAP! His mercies are new every morning.

MEEKNESS

Some of the Lord's teachings are so simple yet so hard. How do you self-efface when all you want to do is scream at the top of your lungs for your needs to be met? I am studying Meekness this morning. Check out the definition:

Humble, modest, self-effacing, submissive, despirited, or broken will.

To efface is to make oneself inobtrusive, to be inconspicuous. To be diffident is to lack confidence in one's self, distrust of one's own powers; not self reliant.

Meekness is a virtue in God's eyes. It doesn't mean that you become a door mat or get used and abused, it just means that you need to follow God's wisdom in everything. It means to put the needs of others before your own, it means to let go of your own way and embrace what others may put forward. It means being broken before God and not having a will of your own as we are so prone to doing.

I can not rely on my own strength or wisdom. I must mistrust my own wisdom and rely on God because his word tells me that my heart is utterly wicked and deceitful. That's how come you can make a decision that you thought was perfectly good only to realise it wasn't such a fine idea after all.

Here are some promises that God has given for those who choose to follow meekness:

Psalm 22:26
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalm 25:9
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Psalm 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 45:4
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness;

Psalm 76:9
When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

Psalm 147:6
The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground

Psalm 149:4
For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Isaiah 29:19
The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Look at that. It is the meek that shall inherit the land, experience true peace, be beautified in his salvation, lifted up, be joyful in the Lord, know his provision and saved by God. This is one of the treasures of Wisdom.

Even Christ showed meekness in taking on the Cross. He gave up his own will which was really not to face the cross. Why else would he pray "take this cup away from me" yet he yielded his own human will and did the will of the Father. Moses is declared the meekest man on the face of the earth:

Numbers 12:3
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Because of his meekness, God used him greatly. If we desire to be used of God in any area of our lives, be it in the market place, at home, or in ministry, meekness is a must. Make it the cry of your heart!

I come to you now Lord and ask that you will cause me to desire meekness from my inner being, and to practice it in my every day life. May I not conform to the image of this world that always cries "what about me?". Cause me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind as I behold as in a mirror what I really am and desire to make the neccessary changes. I thank you for showing me my faults that I may change them, and I praise you for initiating this changes in my life. I love you Lord. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

God makes no mistakes

Someone my heart dearly loves recently found out that his mother had wanted to abort him when she found herself pregnant with him. He is now daily plagued with thoughts and feelings of rejection that are causing him to go astray in life. My heart is breaking for him, but I have no idea how to make it better. I know that God doesn't make any of us by mistake. None of us are here by mistake. We each have a purpose in Christ. Oh that he may know the love and acceptance that comes from God. And know that even if his mother and father were to forsake him, God surely would not. I found this poem on the biblicalwomanhood blog and it blessed me tremendously. So if for whatever reason you think you are a mistake, may God put it in your heart to know that you are not. He knows the plans he has for you, to give you a future and a hope (Jer 29:11) and he saw you being formed in your mother's womb (Ps 139) and said it was good.

My Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll surely trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He'll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

- By A. H. Overton

Esther Passaris

I read in the September 2007 issue of Eve Magazine that Esther Passaris when asked of one great thing she would still like to do, said she would love to get married. Every woman, deep down, has a need for the covering that a husband provides. I appreciate that Esther is not afraid to stand up and say so despite the fact that she is the MD of Adop-a-light and the founder of One in a million. The one in a million site (www.oneinamillion.co.ke)is an excellent place for Kenyan's and others to join hands and make a difference. I dare say that her desire to be married puts the two of us in one pot (at least on that issue). I would love to meet her and just shake her hand... nah... I will just give her a big old hug!!

PS: Should she ever want to be president of this beautiful country, she has my vote!

Time

You know how you always feel it is time for something or other in your life and you can actually hear God saying it's time? Well, do you ever wonder what that means to him? I mean, if one thousand days are as one to him, and one day is as a thousand, what does that mean? Well, I think that really God thinks of time in two ways Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos is Chronological time. Minutes, hours, days, weeks etc. We tend to be more focused on Chronos time than Kairos time, but funny enough so does God. Kairos is God's "now" time. The appointed time. The set time for him to do something. God being a planner has set times for all things.

The reason why I say that God also focuses more on Chronos is because that is the time when all the waiting happens. We wait for healing, we wait for spouses, we wait for the business opportunity, children etc... This is also the time when God is focusing on character building, arming you with knowledge you will need later, drawing you closer to him. This is usually the longest time period in our lives. Don't thinks so? I bet you are waiting on God to come through for you in one area or another even now.

Kairos is what you are waiting for in Chronos time. This is when the light turns green and God releases you into what you have been waiting on him for. It is important to note that though this is an appointed time, we can sabotage our own Kairos by how we spend our Chronos. If you are disobedient it will take much longer for God to release you into what he has for you. But if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

So now that you are in Chronos time, how are you spending it? Are you arming yourself with godly knowledge and wisdom for where you are going? Are you faithful in the little you have to ensure that God gives you the much you long for? Are you preparing to be a wife or husband, or just sulking about being single?

Spend your Chronos wisely and your Kairos will come as God has purposed. Whatever you do, do not compromise, or be slack, or slow to hear and do what God asks you to.