Character Counts

"Talent will take you where only character can keep you." Jentezen Franklin

Last weekend I visited my home village along with my mum. We were going to sort out some family issues relating to land and since chiefs are involved when it comes to land issues we interacted with the chief of our area. In Malawi where I come from and am currently based the structure is such that you have a village headman/woman who reports to a Group Villageman/woman, then there is a senior Group Village Headma/woman, then I think you have a senior chief and above him/her is a sub-Traditional Authority then the Traditional Authority (TA)... not too sure there..

Anyway, we spent Sunday morning with the Traditional Authority of our area and just before he left he gave a short speech with some words of wisdom... as most chiefs would... since they are considered to be custodians of the elders' tradition and culture as well as wisdom. In his words he said "khalidwe ndi chuma" which translates "good character is wealth" (may not he the best way of putting it, but I guess you get the sense of it). This got me thinking.

I think we seem to forget the value of  good character. When the TA said these words I thought about their application. I could point to people who had good character and what this had gotten them in life and also those whom were said to have bad character. A good example is my own grandpa... the reason that the TA was able to come to our village and spend a whole morning with us was because he had a deep respect for my late grandfather whom he considered to have been a very humble man despite the fact that he was more educated than most in the village. He was approachable and helped where he could. As a result of this even his children were treated well by people. Of course some were not 'deserving' but for his sake, even after his death, they still received good treatment in general.

On the flip side, his younger brother was known to be a very difficult man. Today, although he is now quite old and is the only surviving member of his family, he does not command the same kind of respect people had for his older brother. This perception of his character filters through to the way people treat his children...

I think we can all point to such examples. It seems good character is indeed a very valuable resource that all of us should strive to possess. It will bring you favor with people and open doors that would otherwise would have been closed.

At the top of this post I have quoted Jentezen Franklin who said "Talent will take you where only character can keep you." You see, you might rise to the top, but if you do not have good character you will tumble down very quickly. We have good examples in some of the popular athletes and other celebrities. As much as the world will tell us to indulge in any and all the pleasures that are available to us and to satisfy our desires... the same world will crucify us if our character is compromised as we go about doing this. Again, we have many examples of this..

So to everyone reading this... recognize that character is a very valuable resource... one you should make all efforts to accumulate.

We Need Bereans

Last night I got home to find one of my sisters back from the village and she had an interesting story to tell.

Apparently, someone has started a church who's teachings are very unbiblical. One of the teachings is that Jesus said that your mother, brothers and sisters are those you pray with and not your biological ones and so you do not have to honor your biological parents and you can cut off any of your relations. This teaching has caused some havoc in the communities surrounding the church with families breaking down and relationships being destroyed.

When I was being told this,  there were several scriptures that were running through my mind that would dispute that teaching, I  did not even have to go and get a Bible to search them, I just knew them. I could not remember the exact verses off the top of my head but I knew what they said. For example, there is a scripture in Matthew where Jesus was asked by the Pharisees why His disciples did not follow the traditions of the elders and wash their hands before eating and Jesus responded by asking them why by their traditions they were breaking the commandments. He gave the example of a tradition that said one could tell his/her parents that everything he/she would have given them, he/she has given as a sacrifice to God and this would relieve them of the duty of honoring their parents... and even a close reading of the scripture from which this false teaching is based would reveal how flawed the argument is... or the scripture in Luke 2 where we are told that Jesus grew in wisdom and favor with men and He, Jesus Himself, was obedient to His parents.. if Jesus was against the teaching that relieved people of the duty to honor their parents and He Himself honored His parents..why should one not do so today? I mean I have just shown 2 scriptures directly related to Jesus.. who said the words from which the false teaching is based.. so it is already 2 scriptures against 1... not that it is just about the numbers.. but here is the point I am making..

The problem with a lot of Christians/church goers today is that they do not take time to read the Bible for themselves and discover whether the teachings they are receiving are true or not. As a result they are liable to accepting any teaching wholesale. Remember the Bereans... the people Paul preached to in Acts 17:10-14... the Bible tells us that they received the message that was preached, but they went further and examined the scriptures.. CAREFULLY EVERY DAY to see if the things they heard were really true. That is what we should be doing... the Bible tells us that in the last days (and we are in the very last of these) there shall be many false prophets.. teaching false doctrines.. what Paul calls doctrines of the devil.. and we ought to be on our guard against them.. but also be ready to refute them... I am encouraged by what Jesus said concerning the false prophets... He said they would try to deceive even the elect IF IT WERE POSSIBLE (Matthew 24:24)...now I am not going to go into the whole theology of election.. but the point is.. Jesus did not see the possibility of those He called being led astray.. why, I believe it is because they would have given themselves to the study of the scriptures and would be able to discern a false teaching from a mile off...

All this to say that we need more Bereans in the church today... people who will take time to study the Bible and not leave it to those who are Pastors or leaders in the church... Christianity is bout a relationship with God through Christ... Christ is the only medium.. and not your Pastor.. as much as he/she has been sent to help you with that relationship... develop a personal relationship with God.. He has given the Holy Spirit specifically for that purpose... make good use of Him..

with that... have a blessed day

A Theology of Work

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. - Proverbs 22:29

I got my first real job in October, 2009, 8 months after I finished college and 2 months after I graduated. I remember praying for a job when I was in my first year in college... I based my prayers then on Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help". At the time, I knew that once I finish college I needed God to help me get a job. In the subsequent years, I did not pray much for a job, but in my final year, I once again started praying about a job and by His goodness and faithfulness, He gave me the job that I had wanted.

Now, I believe a lot of Christians have a similar testimony, "I prayed to God for a job and He answered with this one." However, what I find lacking in many is God's perspective on work, at least what in my opinion is the whole picture. Most Christians see work as a means of making a living, after all the Bible says, he who does not work should  not eat right. Others go a bit further and see work as means of earning money that they can give to ministry or in other words to God's work.

But, I believe work is so much more than that. Work is actually a form of ministry in the sense that it is one of the ways in which we serve God. Mind you, I am not limiting this to Christian work or work in the church or Christian organizations. This work I am talking about includes working in the 'secular' world. Here is my thesis.

The Bible tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, mind, and strength right, basically we are to love God with our whole being. It goes on further to tell us that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God for that is an acceptable/reasonable act of worship or service (depending on which version you read). If we are truly doing this, then it means that everything we do in life is supposed to reveal our love for God and it is to be done in service to Him, hence Colossians 3:23-24. The scripture reads "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Notice the way in which it is phrased... WHATEVER YOU DO.. it is not restricted to those activities done for the church or Christian organization. It is all activities you are involved in. If we have this mindset then even our attitude at work will change. We will be more diligent and we are likely to work harder for we realise that ultimately we are not working for the organization or for our bosses, but we are actually doing it for God. In another sense, it is the best way for you to say thank you to Him for giving you the job.

And to give another thought... do you know where we get the first mention of wisdom in the Bible? The first use of the word wisdom is with reference to the abilities God had given to men He earmarked for making the tabernacle and everything in it as well as the priests' garments (see Exodus 28:3). The first mention of wisdom is in reference to craftsmen. God tells Moses that He filled these men with skill and wisdom to carry out their crafts. Interesting isn't it.. that the first mention of a word we usually relate with the abilities of the intellect was actually first spoken of with reference to hand skills or in other words to a work that these men did. In our era, craftsmen are looked down upon, yet the first mention of wisdom is about them.

What am I aiming at? The Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship" (Exodus 31:1-5). God gives us wisdom for the work we are involved in. This wisdom is actually an outworking of the Holy Spirit who resides in us.

Now, if God has given us the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom for work, why does the church seem to consider the workplace believer as a second class Christian? It almost seems like, if you are not involved in any of the church's ministries then you are not really a Christian or at least a 'strong' Christian. As a result, the church has not set out to equip those of its members who are in the workplace. Very rarely, do you hear sermons about how one is to conduct themselves in the workplace and how they can be an influence for the kingdom of God. Yet that is where the majority of the church can be found, in the workplace. It is also the place where they spend the majority of their time (5 days of the week) compared to the few hours spent at church on Sunday.

I think it is time the church starts teaching about God's perspective of work and equip the workplace believer. That way, we will become good stewards of the blessing God has given us.

Now that I think of it, I think I will put a proper write-up on this subject on my other blog (Dei Gratia) soon. But for now, these are my thoughts.

Bless..

Consider Huram, the master craftsman of bronze in whom Solomon entrusted much of the temple designs. He was a true master craftsman (see 1 Kings 7:14).

And So We Begin

Ok... first post on second blog :)

What to say... hhhmmm.. well the idea behind this blog is for me to just post quotes I find in my reading and just some of my ramblings or thoughts on different topics. I am not going to restrict this one to just posts on the Christian walk as I do on my other blog "Dei Gratia". Although I must say that much of what I write will be from a Christian worldview even if it does not have to do directly with the Bible. You see I cannot separate myself from my Christian belief system as it informs all that I do in life.


Let me talk a bit about myself... I come from a family of 3, with me being the only boy and being second born. Grew up in a single parent home and to be sincere I am grateful to God for this as it has shaped me in ways I know I would not have become if I was raised by both my parents. My mum, if I may say so, has done a tremendous job and I remain highly indebted to her as she is one of the main reasons I am who I am today.

I love reading and this is not novels as much as I read my fair share when I was in primary and high school. I am currently fascinated by books on leadership so that makes up a huge chunk of my library and this is mainly one author... John C. Maxwell. His first book I read was Developing the Leader Within You and ever since, I have read several of his books and in my opinion he is an authority in the area of leadership. Other writers I like reading are Myles Munroe and Gbile Akanni. The latter is a great Bible Teacher and he brings scriptures to light in a way very few teachers do.

Ok.. that's it about me for now... maybe as we go along I will write a bit..

Back to the purpose of the blog... I'll be posting up some quotes I find during my reading.. not just books but also articles that I come across or discussions I have with people.. and I'll also be putting up my thoughts on different topics.... these will most likely come in randomly.. as did the creation of this blog... so I hope you will not be checking my grammar and writing style... but I'd like to have your comments on the posts as well... lets engage the mind...

With that said... looking forward to this :)

Baraka Kibao