REFLEXIONS

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) Complete dependence on God is the foundation of that which can be qualified as “good success”, for God alone is good. Whether you are building a house (or your life) or watching over the same, unless God is the ultimate builder, our passage insists that the effort is in vain. One key lesson that stands out from our passage, especially for the person for whom Jesus Christ is Lord, is the necessity of insisting on "good success" and of living by a different standard for evaluating success in your life and ministry. Child of God, your definition of success should have "Jehovah" at its core. It is about what God is achieving through you as you submit to His ways. Your decisions regarding the path you must walk to attain success in your endeavours will not be determined solely by the “end” itself, but by God’s ap...

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ” (Psalm 91:1–2, ESV) Fear is easily one of the most dominant force in people’s lives and we are ever seeking a safe place where we can be free of our fears. Consequently, people build hedges around their lives to shield themselves. Yet a complete sense of security continues to be elusive because ultimately trust is being placed in “humans” who are mortal and fallible, and in “things” that can readily cease to be as secure as we imagined. We accumulate wealth but it can lose its value; the security measures we set up for personal protection can fail; whether intentionally or unintentionally, man can disappoint us. In our passage, however, the psalmist tell us of another place where we can seek shelter. A “safe place” where we are totally free from all fears can be found neither in man nor in things. This safe place whi...

“Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness...” (Psalm 112:4) The upright person that is spoken of in our passage is such a person who worships God with sincerity, honesty, and in a way that is pleasing to God. The upright is a “True Worshipper” - worshipping God in spirit and truth. The sincerity of your walk with God, and as one who worships God without hypocrisy, should fill you with strong confidence even in your darkest hour just in the same way that our Lord Jesus’ sincerity in His relationship with the Father gave Him the confidence to embark upon His mission and boldness to declare that “He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29). It is the uprightness of a true worshipper's life that gives such a person confidence with God, and it is the light of God’s presence that will rise upon him even when there is darkness everywhere. “Sincerity lifts the Christian’s head above water” , William...

“ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ( John 4:23–24 , ESV) The word of the Lord implies that this is the hour of the true worshipper. It is an outcome of God’s redemptive plan: to raise a generation of worshippers who will worship the Father in spirit and in truth! God wants "True Worship" - Spiritual and of the Truth! When you made Jesus your Saviour and Lord you were quickened in the spirit. Now you have the ability to worship the Father who is Spirit the way He wants to be worshipped. This is the hour in which God wants to be worshipped in spirit and truth, and through Christ every Christian can be a true worshipper. True worship is a life of complete surrender to God. Romans12:1 is clear about that – “… present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable ...

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ” (Mark 12:30, ESV) It is so easy to claim to love the Lord with your heart, but with how much of your soul? How much of your mind reflects on His word and how much of your strength (physical and financial) are you willing to commit to serving Him? How do you prioritize your time, energy and life-focus? In our text, our Lord Jesus commands us as Christian to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It means that we are to give all to Him and He in turn will determine how much we commit to other things and to what other things we do actually commit the rest of our being. This means that we are to place the Lord first and seek to please Him in all things, thus fulfilling this first aspect of the most important commandment God has given us! When a believer’s lifestyle choices are such that leaves him or her too busy, too tired,...

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8) There is a huge difference between being a church-goer and being a member of the Church – not simply a member of the local church but, more importantly, of the body of Christ.   Not all who go to church are born again. However, not all who are born again are giving evidence of that “newness of life”, and that’s what I want us to reflect upon today. People want to see some evidence in you of the claims you are making. Genuine repentance, which is turning away from sin and turning to God by faith in Christ Jesus, is evidenced by those fruits which we bear in keeping with it. According to our Lord Jesus, we must get beyond what people say they are and evaluate them by the fruits they bear (Matt 7:16). The question is, “what do the kind of fruit are you bearing now say of you? Are you bearing fruits that are consistent with your public profession of repentance? Some Pharisees and Sadducees – religious men whom John the Baptizer ...

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” (Proverbs 11:24) As Christians, we have a moral and spiritual obligation to give freely, give generously and give cheerfully. Giving is an act of grace and a fruit of righteousness. But, sadly for some, giving is a subject that stirs strong negative emotion and selective hearing; they withhold what they should give. But why should a Christian struggle to give freely of their resources – to finance the gospel , to be hospitable and relieve the poor, to meet all kinds of need? We can suggest at least one reason why a person will withhold what they should give, but it certainly has nothing to do with lack of ability or opportunity. God will accept and bless your giving “according to your ability”. Withholding your giving, whatever the form, is always a reflection of a weak, or lack of, trust in God. First, it reflects that you do not believe God when He says He has given you see...

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1) This is the first of five admonitions in the book of Hebrews. It is first of all an insistence on the moral necessity for every believer to very carefully listen to, and keep, the truth they have heard. The word of God is “truth” and this “truth makes us free”, Jesus teaches. It is the will of God that His Word, which is both alive and active, should produce a life transforming effect on all who pay very closer  attention to them. Next, therefore, the passage warns that we stand to suffer tremendous loss if we neglect to heed the Word and keep it fresh in our hearts and acting on it. Every time we hear the word, there is always a chance that we will let it slip and drift away from conformity to it. We are sometimes confronted with the cynical question that, “Why, if God’s word is so powerful to change lives, are there many born again Christians in whose lives one ...

“And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see...” (Matthew 11:4) Our faith is frequently challenged. And when this happen our confidence in God is can be seriously shaken. It is not unusual for us to have doubts, and sometimes great faith and confidence have resulted from our subsequent re-evaluation of the place of God in our lives. Reasons abound why a person who hitherto walked in faith begins to doubt God and question His ways. And it is not strange to the Lord when we recall the encounter with the father who sought healing for his epileptic son and pleaded with Jesus saying, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). During the brief moment John the Baptist spent in prison, he had such a moment. He knew who Jesus was yet doubted that Jesus was who he claimed to be. Our perspective of Him may be altered along with our changing situations, but God never changes. His purpose and plans remain the same, His thought towa...

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”  (Matthew 11:3) This was the question John the Baptist sent his disciples to go and ask Jesus. Coming from John the Baptist, this is rather puzzling. This was John – the forerunner of Jesus, the one who knew him right from the womb and who later identified Him: “behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). So, what caused John to doubt that which he knew to be true about Jesus and to become offended in Him? (Matthew 11:6). John was serving God diligently; vociferous in proclaiming the kingdom of God and in denouncing the ills of society. However, John now finds himself imprisoned by Herod for his candidness (Matt 11:2), and to make matters worse, Jesus had not come to his aid; He had not even visited. As John thought about this and hearing that Jesus had carried on with ministry as usual, doubt must have grown. Obviously Jesus’ actions did not fit John’s expectation of what the messia...

“I have seen limit to all perfection, but Your command is without limit” ( Psalm 119:96 , HCSB) God’s word is broad, absolute, limitless and unrestrained. It can penetrate into the most evil heart and heal it. It can renew and revive the most difficult marriage. God’s command speaks to every situation and to everything He created. We can confidently say: “with God all things are possible ” ( Mark 10:27 )! Paul declared that whilst the enemies of the Gospel may have had him in chains and locked him up in jail, thus limiting his physical movement, yet the word of God is not bound ( 2 Tim 2:9 ).   The word of God is free to change lives, work miracles, and renew lives. The word of God is present, it is powerful and unlimited in its reach, and can impact any part of anyone’s life. However, unbelief limits manifestation because God never by-passes a person’s will: “and Jesus did not do many mighty works, because of their unbelief ” ( Matt. 13:58 ). Do not allow your consciousness of...

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” – ( Psalm 119:89 , NKJV) We make another faith-building observation about the word of God in today’s reflection on the scriptures. God’s word is “Forever…settled”, and consequently testifies of His faithfulness, His power, His unfailing love, and care. The “Settled Word” of God is not only firmly fixed in the heavens, but it is sure and certain, it is pure and without blemish or fault. You can trust in the immutability and integrity of God’s word. David said in this regard, “God has spoken once; twice have I heard this...” ( Psalm 62:11 ). “Settled Word” means that everything else may change (and will indeed change), but the Word of God never changes. In difficult times, when the heart grows weary and doubtful, the believer’s greatest need is to continue in strong confidence toward God. One thing that will contribute to this is an assurance of the reality that whatever God has already spoken is firmly fixed and settled - nothing more ...

"He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly." ( Psalm 147:15 ) Everything and everyone on earth are subject to commands sent out by God. From the force of gravity to the times and seasons, from beasts to humanity, God created all things and sustains all His creation by simply sending out His command. In continuing with this personification of God’s word, the second part of our text gives another great insight into the nature of the Word, namely: “His word runs swiftly ”! Praise God, His Word does not delay! His word moves swiftly into position at its destination ready to manifest. It will run swiftly into our hearts to accomplish the purpose for which God has sent it. Every word that God utters is strategically designed to have a specific impact and to produce His intended result without delay. Once it has gone out of His mouth, it is done. It will not return unaccomplished. How long will the word of God take to manifest in your life? That will depend o...

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction." ( Psalm 107:19-20 ) There in no trouble confronting you or distress weighing down your life that can withstand the power of God’s “sent” Word. The people cried to God in the midst of their trouble and distress; and how did He deliver them? By sending out a Word for their healing and deliverance, praise God! Is this true for you today? Certainly! What you need is just one word from God – a Sent Word. God’s word sent as a messenger to convey the express will of God for us in any given situation and the power of God to work the change. Your need might be a renewal of mind to break adverse mindsets and habits, a deliverance from addictions, a healing in your relationships with your spouse or other persons close to you, a physical healing, or some manner of deliverance, and you cry to God for help. That h...

“ Keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching... When you walk , they will guide you; when you sleep , they will watch over you; when you awake , they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life… ” ( Proverbs 6:20–23 ) Christian, the Word of God is relevant to every aspect of your life, every time, and in every situation! It is common to hear people speak about their lives and the situations they face as if to say that the word of God is powerless to penetrate and impact it. But that is simply the lie of the devil. The Word of God “ is the power of God… ” ( Rom 1:16 )! Its life transforming impact is only limited by the believer’s unwillingness to cooperate with it ( Heb 4:2 ). Whether we walk, sleep, or are awake, the word of God makes a difference in the believer’s life. It will guide anyone who chooses to faithfully walk with God; it will speak to you when you are awak...