Month: December 2024

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By Your Truth

Remember how I got started on reading triple the word? (If not, you can click on the link) 

I thought I should share a quick update on how that’s going. 

This morning as I was having my morning chat with the Lord and acknowledging His grace in freeing me from holding onto an offence that I just couldn’t shake off no matter what, a verse dropped into my heart.

Before I share the verse, allow me to give you some background on the offence . . . since the year 2020, a young lady I had helped raise, began to increasingly speak to me with anger and disrespect. Her attitude got so bad that in 2022 she said the worst thing anyone has ever said to me. Her mother was with us at the time, and she made no effort to correct her daughter. Mark you, her mother is close to two decades older than me. I was very hurt and angry. I kept thinking “after all my time and effort in caring for her since she was a child this is how she treats me? And her mother is silent about it!” As I’ve since learnt, offence comes with the entitled attitude that “I deserve to be treated better because of what I have done for them.” 

Despite my entitled attitude, I knew the offence I was harbouring in my heart was wrong and not pleasing to God. Yet, no matter how much I prayed, the offence wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t get myself to say anything other than hello to the young lady. Which in turn made me feel terrible that I was not being a good ambassador of Christ. 

This tug-of-war ⏤ wanting to feel and act better, but instead holding on to the offence and being unable to speak to her ⏤ raged on and on. And doesn’t the Bible so aptly describe this struggle . . . 

“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Romans 7:22 —25 (NIV)

But this Christmas season, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the anger was no longer there. I could actually speak to her without an inner struggle! My deliverance from God had come through without me even realising it! This deliverance is what I was thanking the Lord for this morning when this verse dropped into my heart . . .

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:17 (NIV)

And it quickly dawned on me that one of the things that had happened as I spent more time in God’s Word was that He was sanctifying me. The offence had been cleaned out — swept away just like that! See how powerful God’s word is?

As we usher in the new year, I pray that in 2025 you would purpose to spend more time in God’s word, so He can sanctify you by His truth!  

Happy New Year and God bless you!  

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Gifts & Scars

Do you have a special Christmas Day tradition? Our family tradition since I was a child has been to gather together as the extended family to enjoy some nyama choma (roast meat). We used to get together at my grandparents’ place, but now we rotate venue between my siblings and me.  And this year’s Christmas get together was held at our place. 

My big concern as the day drew closer was on the preparation and post-cleanup. You know what it’s like when everyone leaves, and you have to deal with a sink overflowing with dirty dishes, an unclean floor, and messy living room? I’m happy to report that the Lord graciously gave strength and enthusiasm for all this. So much so that on the 26th of December, I was nowhere near as tired as I expected to be. All glory to God! 

Speaking of the 26th, a friend sent a belated Christmas card that mentioned cherished Christmas memories. As I read the card, my heart sank a little. It sank because I couldn’t help but wish that I had recent Christmas memories that I could treasure. You see, since I turned away from celebrating Christmas as a non-believer, to celebrating Christmas with understanding that it’s all about Jesus, I seem to end up with Christmas scars instead of gifts. I cannot remember the last time I had pleasant memories from Christmas Day. 

There seems to always be that one family member who is out to inflict pain or elicit offence in me, unprovoked. And I must confess that I have sometimes responded in ways that I’m not proud of. Which then makes me feel terrible because I know that I am not being the best representative of Christ, and yet my (many) unbelieving family members need to see the gospel in action.

As I reflect on this Christmas, I am reminded of God’s kindness to us in giving us His righteousness purely by His grace, and through faith. I am a child of God, and have eternal life because Jesus bore our sins, and I believe that He covered over all my sin. I am not born again because I do or say the right things. Isn’t this wonderful? I never tire of hearing this good news! 

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 
Romans 3:23—24 (NIV)

So, if you picked up a scar yesterday, or perhaps inflicted the scars, take heart! Your righteousness is a free gift from God. You didn’t earn it, and at your request, God is willing to help you become more and more like Jesus, and heal your scars. 

However, if you haven’t received this free gift yet, all you have to do is ask!

What good news!  

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Watch!

In the past few days, interesting content has popped onto my YouTube feed. I say interesting because these videos have spoken about Jesus’s return, and some of them have gone ahead to suggest roughly what year that will be. Before you roll your eyes and dismiss this post with “nobody knows the day or the hour,” (which, like you, I believe!) hear me out. 

As I watched the videos, and heard how close to the current year (2024) that these predictions are, I found myself wondering . . . what if they’re right, and Jesus’s return is that near? Am I watching out for the signs He said would precede His return? Am I being a wise and faithful servant? Am I living in the way that Jesus said I should live? Am I pursuing the things of the world, or am I pursuing things related to the Kingdom of Heaven? Am I living as though His return is a far-off event, and putting myself at risk of being caught unaware when He comes back? Will I be one of the wise or foolish virgins on His return? 

Weighty questions! And I find myself sighing as I share these thoughts because I can’t say that I am living as one who is aware that the King is coming soon. 

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Mark 13:35–37 (NIV)

So in addition to the new actions I purposed to take recently, I include a new prayer, 

“Our Father and our God, only You know when Jesus’s return is. I am not living in a way that has my focus on Your Kingdom and being found ready. There are so many distractions all around me! So many things for me to pursue so I can survive here. I need Your power and strength to stay awake and do the things that Jesus said I should be doing. I would like to be found ready on Jesus’s return. Help me, Lord.  Do a new thing in me and change my heart’s desires.  I ask in the name of Jesus.”


I am encouraged to know that God answers all prayers that are according to His will, so He will prepare me. He will prepare you too, if you ask Him. Consider praying the above prayer. 

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 1:24 (NIV)