A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

 Happy new year good people!!

Am excited about 2014!! Mostly because its a whole new year. A clean slate which I can fill with anything I wish. I purpose to fill it with valuable things in all aspects.

One of my goals this year is to acquire a gentle and quiet spirit. The Lord calls us to this. Actually, the bible calls it 'Imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.' I believe everyone of us wants to acquire imperishable beauty. I mean, we women rush for anti aging creams, sunscreens to say the least :-). How beautiful it is to realize that imperishable beauty is within our reach. With God's help, we can acquire.

So what does a gentle spirit mean?
It means to be calm, to be mindful of the people around you, The online dictionary describes the word as being considerate or kindly in disposition, amiable and tender. To be gentle is to not be harsh or severe but to be mild and soft.

A gentle person is not argumentative but one who loves peace and goodness.
You can say a gentle person has a sweet spirit.

What does a quiet spirit mean?
A quiet spirit is a rested spirit. A spirit that is not in a rush. A spirit that is not anxious or disturbed. A quiet spirit is one that has learned to trust and in our case, to trust in God. Its a spirit that believes that everything is working out for good because I trusts the Lord.

PS One needs not to be quiet in personality in order to have a gentle and quiet spirit. There are some quiet people who lack quietness of spirit. They worry, they are not kind, they do not guard their speech.
On the other hand, there are some very talkative people who have gentle and quiet spirits. They are kind and considerate, are easy to be with, are not anxious and trust things will turn out fine.

See dear people, we don't have to change our personalities in order to acquire imperishable beauty. All we need to do is obey God and have a renewal of the mind. God says "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. There we have our first 'to do' fill our hearts with gentle things, beautiful things,quiet things and our mouths and mannerisms and way of life will reflect the same goodness!

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1st Peter 3:3-4

Unequally Yoked: The story of two donkeys

Sometimes I feel like some of God's word is not very applicable now or its outdated. Especially when I want it to suit my will. Do you guys get that feeling? This time, God made it sink in such a way that left no doubt in my mind. I guess He saw I kept failing in this area :-)

Two weeks ago as I was heading home from work in the evening I saw a now familiar sight in Meru town. Donkeys! They are used to transport farm produce, house hold items when people are shifting and all sorts of things in this town. The beatings used to make me cry when I was new in Meru but now I just shake my head in sadness. I guess am getting hardened (how sad).

Anyway, to todays story. There was something unusual about this two yoked donkeys. They seem to be going slower and with much struggle. They kept jerking each other in different directions. No matter how much beatings they received on their already sore backs, they just did not seem to co-ordinate in harmony. This pitiful situation was causing distraction as all cars were hooting to the donkeys wanting to overtake them (they were very slow). The harder the hooting, the harder the man on the cart beat the donkeys.

Now, the thing that I noticed was how mismatched this two donkeys were. One was small, frail and thin while the other donkey was huge and strong. There and then, I felt in my heart clarity of the verse to be 'Unequally yoked'. God was speaking to me and making his word alive.The donkeys were unequally yoked. No matter how much the man beat the donkeys, there is no way they could coordinate. They were pulling each other in different directions. Its was uncomfortable for both donkeys to have to put too much effort in order to match with each other. For there to be harmony, the man in the cart had to find donkeys of the same size and strength so that they could be equally yoked!

To be unequally yoked simply means to be mismatched. Now, picture if the donkey was yoked with an ox. Even more chaos!

Dear friends, God is wise. when he tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, it is for our own benefit. When a born again christian marries a non believer, it results to much strive and struggle because you will be pulling each other in different directions. Its equivalent to a donkey being yoked to an ox or a donkey and a camel. If you want your marriage to be for keeps, well, isn't being unequally yoked a high risk to take? The marriage may last a lifetime but the struggle to maintain it will be too much.

This verse does not only apply to marriage only. It also applies to close friends, you know those that influence your life and thinking, the people we take advice from, role models. The bible says in 1st Cor 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Let us be warned. Forewarned is fore armed. Especially us who are young and yet to be married. If you are in an unequally yoked relationship (not a marriage), ask God to give you the strength to be detached. Lets not be in a rush. God knows you need someone who matches your faith. He will provide. Do not be unequally yoked.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 2nd Cor 6:14

Of swallowships and Fellowships

Last week was a crazy time at work. Really crazy that I worked on the weekend and I never do unless its absolutely necessary. In the process, I missed my Monday prayers at church and barely made it to the Thursday home fellowship. First, you have to know that I LOVE those two days of prayer and fellowship. I really do and I look forward to them. Its wonderful being with people of faith even if just to chat and enjoy ourselves and do swallowships.

Just in case your not aware, swallowships is where a group of Christians meet with the main agenda being to eat :-). They are so fun!

After I missed the Monday prayers at church, I felt so bad like something was missing. I knew technically I hadn't done anything wrong as I was genuinely busy at work. But by Thursday, I felt like I needed spiritual top-up from a group of believers. I practically ran to the home fellowship though I was late :-(

I realised, its true, what the bible says, do not neglect the coming together of brethren. God is wise! When you neglect fellowship with people of faith, your spirit weekens. Iron sharpens iron Prov 27:17 . No day will plastic ever sharpen iron. Same case, Believers sharpen believers. If you want your spiritual life to get better, good place to start will be looking for a bible believing fellowship and join ASAP.

Too many times I hear Christians say, they attend TV church from their living room and I just wonder. It is not right. God never intended us to replace human fellowship with virtual fellowship. So no, JCC church on TV cannot be your only church. Christian blogs cannot be your only bible study. Its during those times of solitude that the devil speaks lies to us and causes our faith to weaken. Its during those times of solitude that we are influenced by other things and we loose focus of our salvation.

God is wise. Lets listen to his counsel. We must never forsake fellowships and swallowships.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing Heb 10:25

Siyabonga Jesu: Thankyou Jesus

Pretty much the whole day, and the whole of yesterday, I have had the Siyabonga song on replay the entire time. Well, this is not a new song and I have heard it many times before but suddenly I cant get enough of it.
There is just something about giving thanks to God. And this song is right about that: Giving thanks.

You can listen to it below.

                

So today, as am singing along this siyabonga I was thinking about so many opportunities I had to give thanks to God but instead I complain.

• The long drives from Meru to Nairobi : I should have given thanks for the quiet time it gives me to pray and meditate on God's word or read a book. Instead, I complained of nausea.

• A lot of office work: I should be thankful because this job provides a livelihood instead, I complain for keeping me in the office after working hours.

• Neighborhood dogs that bark so loud in the night: I should be thankful that they provide security and companionship when I walk the stretch home. Instead, I complain that they are too loud.

• My alarm clock in the morning: I should be thankful for another day instead of complaining how short the night is.

You get the drift...

See, good people. We are supposed to be thankful. We are COMMANDED by God to be thankful. Its not an option. God hates complainers. And to see just how much the Lord hates it when we complain, see his wrath on Israelites when they used their mouths to mumble Numbers 14.

Let us have the attitude of Christ Phil 2:5. Even unto death, he was thankful and did not complain.

Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing.'
If you needed proof, there it is. Its sin to complain. Period.

Being thankful opens doors.
Being thankful draws beautiful things to us.
Being thankful causes showers of blessings to fall on us like rain.

And it doesnt matter what the cirsumstance is. Be it be in good times or in bad. Be it we are overwhelmed or underwhelmed. Our song should be 'thank you'.

Siyabonga Jesu!!!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1st Thes 5:18

Dressing to Please my Parents and an Epiphany

I attended a wedding this weekend for my friend. The wedding was at my home town in Nakuru so that means I had to travel home. My parents were also attending the wedding. As I was packing on Thursday, I noticed, like every other time when I am going home, that I had to wade through many clothes until I find those that are 'Parents appropriate'. This time it really hit me!

I realized that the clothes I was looking for were 'more modest' than the other ones I was ruling out. Just to qualify, I don't usually dress immodestly but lets just say I have some 'grey area clothes' :-). You know, those that are a little tighter and a little shorter. Suddenly I had an epiphany moment, I don't really have to be doing this every time I am visiting home. God's word says that my parents are my authority here on earth and they prefer me in my more modest dressing. So actually, God has been speaking to me all along to maintain the 'parents friendly' bar of modesty in and out of season (read at my home town or otherwise).

I ended up dressing like this...well, minus the top (obviously) minus the hat (because it was hot). I had a more covered up top. So lets just say I had the skirt :-)

So here I am extending the same challenge to all of us.
To purpose to be modest in our dressing. Someone told me a very interesting quote.

"Dress like you would like other women to dress near your husband".

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety... 1st Tim 2:9

Love - God's dictionary

 

Hello dear readers. I have missed you all so much and missed writing.

Lots have been happening in my life which maybe I will share some day but its been exciting and ...'working out for my good because I love the Lord :-)

Today's topic is about Love. I don't know of a more talked about topic.

Think about this scripture today:

1st Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

When I read this verse, I feel like I ALWAYS fall short in this love department. I mean, really think about it. Have you ever been rude to someone you claim to love? I know I have. Have I ever kept a record of wrongs? YES sir!

Let this verse speak to us today. Let us really meditate on this word of our Lord and let us learn from the best example of love how to really love.

God is love. 1st John 4:16b