WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL, 25TH SEPTEMBER - "EXCELLENCE"

EXCELLENCE

Excellence is defined as the quality of being outstanding or superb. Excellence, however, is a virtue that is dying in our society due to the allure of quick and easy gains. There is a shortcut available for achieving every goal, from good exam results to getting a good job. The question is, is excellence important to God? Why is it important for us as Christians to do our very best in everything we do? The Bible has several verses that talk about this. Let's have a look at them.

Romans 12:6 "In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well."(NLT)

God has given us the ability to do things well. We have no excuse.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever you do, do well.For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom." (NLT)

God expects us to do our best while here on earth, making use of all the abilities we have. Once we die, that will be it. Note that he will hold us accountable for the opportunities he gave us that we didn't utilize fully.

Galatians 6:9 "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." (NLT)

Doing the right thing always pays off. The results and rewards will come at the perfect time.

Colossians 3:23-24 "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward and that the Master you are serving is Christ." (NLT)

You may have an earthly employer, but your ultimate boss is Christ. He is the one who gave you that job. Work hard and work willingly, as though you are working for Christ. Even if you have an employer who is not nice, focus on pleasing God, and you will receive favor with everyone else.

As you start the week, remember that whatever task God has given you to do must be done well. Our goal should be to please our Father in whatever we do. God is pleased when we do our work well because it brings glory to Him. The verse below gives us a hint of the reward for an excellent worker.

Proverbs 22:29 "Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people." (NLT)

Let's all strive to be excellent and competent workers this week, while keeping our focus on the bigger picture. Pleasing God.

Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (NLT)

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL, 18TH SEPTEMBER - "MY SHELTER"

MY SHELTER

The word shelter appears several times in the Bible. Have you ever asked what this word means? Here are a few definitions from Webster's Dictionary.

a) One who protects, a guardian, a defender.

b) The state of being covered and protected.

c) To be a shelter for, to provide with a shelter, to cover from injury or annoyance, to shield, to protect.

d) To screen or cover from notice, to disguise.

One of the most familiar passages in the Bible that talks about shelter is Psalm 91. 

Psalm 91:1 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (NLT)

Isn't this verse encouraging? If you live close to the Lord, he will shield you and cover you. You can, therefore, be completely at rest in his secure care.

Psalm 91:2 "This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God and I trust him." (NLT)

A refuge is a place of shelter or a place of safety. God alone is our refuge and shelter. We need to learn to trust him and let him take care of us.

Psalm 91:9-10 "If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home." (NLT)

No evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. What more is there to say?

The Lord is saying to us this week that we need to dwell in his presence and let him be our shelter at all times. The fact that he mentions the word shelter in the above Psalm as well as in other parts of the Bible is a sign that this is something he genuinely desires to do for us. He wants to cover you and protect you. He wants to be your shelter and your refuge.

Let me conclude with another verse that is loved and quoted by many.

Psalm 46:1-2 "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea." (NLT)

Let the Lord shelter you throughout the week. 

I WANT TO GET MARRIED NOW!

LORD, I WANT TO GET MARRIED NOW!

Remember those fairy tales of long ago? Where the handsome prince would fall in love with the beautiful princess and ask for her hand in marriage? That is the dream of every young woman, to marry the perfect person. The question is what happens when you get to your mid-thirties, and you are yet to find this person, yet you have been waiting eagerly for God to bring him along? Where could you be going wrong?

1.    Where are you looking?

The short answer? Everywhere! Work, mutual friends, name it. These are all excellent places to look. Is that, however, where God wants you to look? Consider the following verses from Proverbs 3.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

These verses are saying to each young woman out there that all that is required is trust in God and seeking his will. Seeking his will involves being silent and listening to what he has to say to you. As you listen to him and read his word, he will reveal which direction you are to take, and where to look.

2.    How are you looking?

For a young woman who is a believer in Christ, this can get tricky. You do not want to flirt in a suggestive manner. You want to uphold your integrity even as you socialize with prospective partners. In short, you need wisdom. Where is such wisdom found? Let us look at the Bible again for guidance on this.

Proverbs 2:6 “For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”(NLT)

James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (NLT)

The wisdom that you need for this daunting task comes from God and is readily available to you. All you need to do is ask for it, and he will help you know how to relate with the opposite sex in a healthy manner. As you do so, people will respect you and even find the way that you conduct yourself quite attractive.

3. Why are you looking?

Most young women will say it is because everyone around them is married, their family members are pressurizing them to get married, or age is catching up with them. Now here is the thing. Those reasons are all very valid, but we need to remember that God made each one of us with a specific purpose to fulfill in our lives. 

Psalm 139:16 “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (NLT)

These verses tell us that God had our whole lives planned out long before we were born. Our lives are therefore to be lived to bring glory to him. The desire to get married therefore has to be part of his plan for your life. The verses below shed more light on this.

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

A young woman who desires to please God will let him transform her into a more godly person. As a result, her thought patterns will change, and she will see the big picture.  God is more interested in us becoming more like him. As we become more like him, we can discern his will for our lives and see more clearly where he is leading us.  The answer to why are you looking should, therefore, be, because God said so!

So what do we conclude? The desire to get married is real in many of us. The young woman who follows Christ should, however, try to approach this in a way that pleases God because he is the author of marriage. God’s will is that we are conformed to his likeness, and marriage is one of the avenues he uses. You as a young woman need to seek God and find out if this is his will for you. Surrender your desires to him, get busy with his work and keep your mind focused on him. The following words from Isaiah sum this up perfectly.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (NLT)

May the Lord help us to wait patiently on him for the perfection of his will in our lives.

THE SPARROW

THE SPARROW

Have you ever seen a sparrow? I am sure you have seen them. They are tiny birds, with a dull and bland colour. A sparrow is the kind of bird you would easily ignore because it doesn't stand out. Jesus referred to them several times in the scriptures. 

Jesus knew that people in that era had no time for sparrows. They would be chased and eaten by cats and birds of prey, tormented by children and treated like common pests by adults. The sparrow was a symbol of insignificance. In Luke 12:6 we read the following words about them; "What is the price of five sparrows - two copper coins?" (NLT) The sparrow was so insignificant that if you went to the market to buy four sparrows, you would be given one free! 

That is not all that the book of Luke had to say about them, though. Luke 12:6 continues, "Yet God does not forget a single one of them". Now, see what the next verse says. 

Luke 12:7 " And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a flock of sparrows."(NLT)

There are similar words in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 10:29 "What is the price of two sparrows -  one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are numbered. so don't be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (NLT)

Jesus was trying to make a point here. The sparrow, despite being as insignificant as it was, was still important to the Father. The Father had an enormous universe to take care of, yet he still had time to remember every single sparrow He created.

Do you ever feel like a sparrow? Insignificant, unloved, and ignored? Do you feel like things are not working out for you, like the sparrow who is always being chased by people and animals? There is good news. If God has time and space in his heart for a sparrow, he has the same for you. The Bible says he knows the exact number of hairs you have on your head.

As you start a new week, remember you have a Father in heaven who cares for you. He's watching over you and taking care of every detail. The next time you see a sparrow, think about how God loves that little bird, and how much he loves you as well.

Have a great week!

DOES YOUR CHAMA MAKE SENSE?

DOES YOUR  CHAMA MAKE SENSE?

The Chama fad has well and truly infected the women of Thika town. Why?  A Chama gives women the opportunity to form groups, get to know one another, and more importantly to save money together. The question is, however, can the idea of the Chama be taken to the next level? Can women move beyond the catch-up sessions and become serious businesspeople? The answer is yes. Below are some pointers to help you style up your Chama.

1.    Be choosy about the members

When you start a Chama, make sure you include people who are like-minded and share your values and business goals. For example, you do not form a Chama for buying foodstuffs every month with people who are trying to save up to start a business. Your values will clash at some point.  You should also not invite members who have a problem honoring financial obligations or who lack integrity.

2.   Have clear objectives for your group

The objectives of the group need to be set out clearly at the beginning. Every member needs to know the reason for joining the Chama, and what they will get out of it. At this point, any member who feels that they are not in agreement with the group objectives should opt out.

3.    Have a clear plan of action

This should be agreed on by all members.  For example, a group could decide to operate a merry-go-round for the first six months to build trust among members. They could then move on to lending money within the group at an agreed rate of interest.  A long-term plan could be investing in land, starting a business or investing in the money market.

4.    Have clear rules within your group

Your Chama should have rules for everything. These can include rules about defaulting on monthly payments, rules about lateness when attending meetings, and other rules the members deem necessary to regulate the operations of the group. The rules will help every member to be serious and more committed.

5.    Do your research

There is a lot to be read online about successful investment groups, and how they came into being. Did you know your Chama could also be an investment group? Research on the Internet and find out how successful Chamas operate and how they have grown their investments. You could also get information from friends and colleagues on how their Chamas operate.

6.    Be innovative

Your Chama does not have to be the same as the Chama next door, the reason being the members are not the same.  Identify the strengths of members and use them to improve your Chama. You could choose to start a mentorship program for young girls. You could support a children’s home.  Come up with ideas that will make your Chama stand out from the rest.

It is common knowledge that when women put their heads together, they do much more than they would as individuals. As you form your Chama, have this in mind. Do not just start a Chama to get rich and make your life better, think about how you can influence the community around you.  That way your Chama will certainly make sense.

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL - 4TH SEPTEMBER

THE UNKNOWN

Every day most of us wake up, get out of the house and go about our business fully trusting that God will take care of us like he always does. Many of us don't even remember to pray every morning before we leave the house. We clearly have faith that all will go well. Now what happens when things go badly during the day, and you suddenly find yourself in a difficult situation that you haven't experienced before? Welcome to the unknown!! 

Guess what. Nothing catches God by surprise. Look at the verses below.

Psalm139:16 "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before it had passed." (NLT)

Psalm 37:23-24 "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." (NLT)

These verses reassure us that God can handle whatever happens to us. It may seem very hard, confusing and stressful to go through trials and difficulties that you are not prepared for, but God will be right there all through. After all, he knows every detail of your life. He created you, remember?

Let me share one of my favourite verses to encourage you as you start the week.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Have an awesome week!