WordToday

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 1 John 3:8b Each year I find it perplexing that even those who do not consider themselves true followers of Christ celebrate Christmas. And they probably do it with more pomp than those who live by the commands of Christ. In any celebration or commemoration it is only a fool who participates without knowing the real reason behind the event. A wise man does a little research before lending his time and largesse to a holy day he doesn't fully understand. Only then can he appreciate the solemnity with which true believers carry the day.   It seems to me that the excessive carousing and binging around Christmas is testimony to man's ignorance on the things of God. Few stop to ask themselves; why Christmas? A Sunday school class might probably respond that Christmas is when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. To which I would pose the question; why is Christmas important? Christmas is not a special ho

There are moments I believe, that are reserved only for those who get to raise daughters. My five year old daughter gives me this privilege. The other day I came from work all tired and agitated. As I came round a corner that leads to the house my little girl spotted me some distance away. She gave me a mischievous look and then turned her back to me as only a woman can. Without uttering a single word she paused like someone preparing for a grand performance. Then she gingerly lifted one leg off the ground and with her other foot planted firmly on the ground, she twirled this way and that way, all the while waving her little hands in the air. Her eyes still carried that mischievous glint and every so often she looked my way to make sure that I was watching. It took me a while to figure out what she was doing. It was a ballet dance. I was the audience. And yes, it was the beautiful thing ever! J The following day did not turn out so well. As we left a friend’s house my daught

I once heard a preacher give a wonderful analogy on spiritual hunger. He said that out in a field lay a pebble and next to it a 10,000 litre open-top water drum. One day the skies burst open with torrential rain catching both the pebble and the tank unawares. After the rain stopped a man passing by came across the pebble and asked, “Sir, what was your experience in yesterday’s downpour?” The pebble being small in size and having no capacity to hold water replied rather nonchalantly, “Well, I caught a few drops of rain on me but as soon as the sun came out, I dried up pretty quickly.”  The man moved on to the 10,000 litre water tank and asked the same question. “Oh my God, you should have seen me! It poured cats and dogs and I caught much water. I am almost full to the brim as you can see. That was the most exciting experience I have had!” The man walked away pondering at how the same amount of rain could elicit such divergent views. One with little capacity to ‘catch’ the rain i

Near the throne-room a man waited anxiously for his turn. His name was Slim . He had read a passage in Hebrews and delighted at its import. Heb.4:16  ….let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.   He intended to test it out now.  The angels loved it. They were used to seeing him here at this particular hour. Their work was made all the more easier when souls such as this one stretched their faith.  Back on earth, Slim was by his bed-side doing his daily prayer. His knees ached as he prayed but he was determined to bring each of the things on his prayer-list before the Lord. He had no idea of the happenings in heaven-that as he knelt struggling in prayer, his spirit was with the angels angling for a chance to be heard before the King of kings. Day after day Slim came before the Lord and week after week, the angels were glad to deliver his answers but they were now getting worried.

A few days after my daughter’s 5 th  birthday, I found myself in an intense conversation with her over (what I thought should be) age-appropriate responsibilities. So here I was arguing with a girl barely the height of my knee, eyes blazing at me and small hands sweeping the air in wide arcs to emphasize a point. It took all I had to keep from bursting out in laughter. Me: “You are now 5 years old. Why is your food only half-eaten? A 5 year old is a big girl. You should be able to clear your plate without help!” Her: Staring at me as if she had just discovered a new pimple on my face. “But ‘daad’, even mama Kial helps him finish his food.” Me: “No, Kial is 4 years old! Her: “But ‘daaad’, he is going to be 5 years next year and be just like me! She then tilts her head in that funny way that girls do when they are about to say something incredulous but which they believe to be 100% okay. Sensing danger, I cut her off. Me: “And after you finish your food, get a table-c

Phil. 2:3-4(NLT)  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. One time, one of my college friends remarked out of the blue, “Hey, I think I am the most humble person among all of you.” We all burst out laughing and this became a running joke for the rest of the year. It pleased us to no end to see him squirm each time someone said (in a singsong   voice), “I am so humble, please give me some of that bread” or publicly to a girl, “I am so humble, please accompany me to the dining hall”. However it set me thinking about what it means NOT to be humble. So here is a sample. ·       A gentle or quiet personality does not equate to humility. I have met some very quiet, gentle-looking individuals who are also the most stubborn and big-headed men this side of town. I hear they are called the quietly proud. ·       To be shy is not a sign of