KACHELBELA: Living Life to the Fullest

KACHELBELA: Living Life to the Fullest: Dear Diary, #How_do_you_Hope_to_Die? These days lots of TV and radio talk shows and lifestyle magazines are dedicated to guide people to...

KACHELBELA: Creation and the Fall : Self-Indulgent Questions

KACHELBELA: Creation and the Fall : Self-Indulgent Questions: Dear Diary, Creation and the Fall. #Creation_Episode_One_and_Two Last Sunday (22/7/2018) I was teaching Sunday school about “The Activ...

Living Life to the Fullest

Dear Diary,

#How_do_you_Hope_to_Die?

These days lots of TV and radio talk shows and lifestyle magazines are dedicated to guide people to living well. Eg. by eating proper diet, having regular physical exercises, avoiding stress triggers, making money and preparing for a dignified retirement etc., but rarely will you hear or read about dying well. I know death is not something to joke about, in fact no one wants to think about it; we talk about it in hushed tones. I might sound frightening especially because recently I scribbled about the brevity of life and the inevitability of death, this one more time let me write something little about dying well. By the way, is there anything like dying well?

I have been journeying through the book of Genesis and I find some themes worth pondering on deeply. So, the past week, I was studying Genesis 25 and I found something to scribble about.

Here’s a brief background of Genesis 25:1-11, after the death of Sarah, Abraham remarried and continued to live a full life. He embraced the surprises that kept coming, you know, six times he woke up to good news, “We are going to have a baby!” While Abraham was still living, he left everything he owned to his son of promise, Isaac and gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from Isaac, v.5-6. At the age of 175, Abraham died full of years and he was buried by his sons, Ishmael and Isaac next to his wife, Sarah, v. 7-10. Isaac continued to live under the blessing of God, v.11.

How do you hope to die? What can we learn from father Abraham?
1. Live life to the fullest. I know life is hard and unfair a times; you may experience failures, losses and disappointments but stay alive. Quit complaining, be proactive, create your own opportunities, and importantly live with eternity in view.

2. Never give in except in convictions of good sense and never give up. No matter the life’s setbacks, remember, God’s will is for you to live each day to the fullest and for His glory.

3. After a certain age or setbacks in life, some people actually figure life is over for them; they feel they’ve nothing more to live for; they die long before they draw their last breath. Learn from father Abraham-keep serving God’s purpose in your generation; keep learning and growing. Stay strong and finish strong.

4. As you grow older physically, stay young at heart and purpose to make your life productive.

5. Age is just but a number so said the wise guys. How old are you, not chronologically but emotionally, mentally and spiritually? Maturity is key.

6. When you draw your last breath and in your absence, what inheritance and legacy will you leave behind for your children? Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”

7. Take care of the children God has blessed you with. See, father Abraham cared for his children and even established them financially as they left to start their families. How about you, are you preparing for your family in case of your death?

8. Finally, bless your children. While you are still living, speak blessings over their lives, pray that they will continually live under the blessing of God. Above all else, train them in the way of the Lord.

Yours faithful scribbler,
NzakuNashipae

Creation and the Fall : Self-Indulgent Questions

Dear Diary,

Creation and the Fall.

#Creation_Episode_One_and_Two

Last Sunday (22/7/2018) I was teaching Sunday school about “The Activity of Creation,” from Genesis 1:1-2:7. Though I solely focused on the activities of the 6-Days and God's characteristics revealed in the passage, as I was preparing and meditating on this lesson, I was marvelling at God’s boundless and infinite wisdom, sovereignty, power and greatness. A few questions kept lingering in my finite mind: where did God come from; when the beginning of the beginnings is and how many times did God create! In addition, Genesis 1:2, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters,” made me wonder if there's a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Gen 1:2! All this self-indulgent questions flooded my limited intelligence. What’s important is that in the first 4 days of creation activity, God put order in creation and in the last 2 days of creation activity, He gave it life.

Genesis 1:1 opens with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” First, this verse assumes the pre-existence of God. Before time was, God was, in the eternity past. Second, this verse tells us that He created the heavens and earth. My question is, were heavens and earth created in the eternity past? Unfathomable! As the 6-day activity of creation unfold, I am curious; when were the celestial beings including Satan created? Could it be that there were two CREATION EPISODES?

Now, let me ASSUME there were two Creation Episodes: then my assumption is that in creation episode one, in the eternity past God created the heavens and earth and the celestial beings-in angelic order (angelology). Some are called cherubim, Gen. 3:24, Eze. 28:14-15; some seraphim, Is. 6:1-7; and some archangels. My hypothesis, Genesis 1:3-2:7 constitute creation episode 2, being the creation of the physical universe which took place within 6 days. God created mankind in His image and likeness, male and female. He gave him dominion over His physical creation, to rule and subdue it.

#The_Fall, Season I and II

Both the celestial and physical worlds were created by God, beautiful, perfect and morally good but something astonishing happened. I know Ezekiel 28:12-18 and Isaiah 14:12-16 allusion to Satan’s fall and his activity prior to the fall is debatable; nevertheless, in season one of the fall, Satan sinned and was cast out from heaven. His heart became lifted up because of his beauty. Sin was born in his heart. He decided to supplant his Creator (this is the greatest struggle of the ages, conflict between the evil of Satan and the mind of God).  The ancient war began. As a result of his fall, God’s beautiful  world fell into emptiness and formlessness. Satan led a cosmic revolt against God, his Creator. That was not enough; in season 2 of the fall, Satan further attempted to enlist mankind to join him. At the garden, the sinister being entered the serpent and deceived the woman to eat from the forbidden tree plunging God’s creation into darkness, emptiness, formlessness and chaos.

#Gods_Redemption_Plan
Thank God for the scarlet thread and the crimson stain, the Blood of Jesus Christ thoughout the Bible; GOD declared His divine redemption plan in Gen. 3:15, 21; it's sorted for in the Blood of the Lamb. Christ's death took away the power of Sin, Heb 9:23_28.

Yours faithful scribbler,
NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: Random Pop-Quizzes

KACHELBELA: Random Pop-Quizzes: Dear Diary, # Random_Pop_Quizzes # Integrity_Tests #Commitment_tests #Faith_tests My character, faith, love, com...

Random Pop-Quizzes

Dear Diary,

#Random_Pop_Quizzes

#Integrity_Tests

#Commitment_tests

#Faith_tests

My character, faith, love, commitment, loyalty and integrity have been tried and tested several times. Sometimes I didn't even notice I was having those random pop quizzes

so I passed well on some and failed on others.

Consider the following pop quizes that Uncle Abraham went through:

In Gen 12:1-7, God told Abraham to leave his country, his father's household for an unknown destination at God's direction. He did! Well, you may agree with me that leaving your comfort zone for unknown future isn't just a walk in the park. It takes TRUST. Can I/do I trust God with my unknown future?

Gen 13:8-13, when uncle Abe left Ur God promised Him land. So, he tagged along his nephew but then a conflict ensued and they had to separate. Lot chose the best plain yet it is Abraham who had been promised land. Interestingly, he generously let Lot choose his portion of land first. Wasn't it an unfair settlement? If it were me, hehee!

In Gen 14:17-24, Abraham marshaled and led his army to defeat the confederacy of five kings who had taken the cities of the plain-including Sodom, Lot and his possession captive. When the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham with a tremendous prize for all he did in recovering what was taken by the confederation of the 5kings, Abraham refused the spoil but gave credit to God. In addition, Abraham gave a tithe to the godly king of Salem, Melchizedek. Wow! What an attitude! Do I give credit to God for my successes? Do I pay the whole tithe?

God gave Abraham a promise-of land and a son which he received by faith. He continued to trust to God although at some point he failed. Now, when am required to wait for God's promise, how is my attitude? Oh, on this, God we need to talk, Gen 15:1-6; 16.

So, in Gen 17:9-27, at God's command Abraham circumcised every male in his household. Wait a minute! Did he even understand the significance? Has God ever instructed you to do something that sounded ridiculous? In such occasions, can I act in obedience? What if it doesn't make sense?

Gen 18:1-8, imagine having a siesta one sunny afternoon then some strangers decide to show up at your home unannounced? What's your possible attitude and reaction? Can I/do I sacrifice my siesta to practice loving hospitality to the starngers? Well, there are times I am pissed off and I grumble in my heart.

Gen 18:22-33, Lot selfishly chose the best well-watered plain but now, it's doomsday! Will Abraham be eager to see Lot punished for his selfishness? Actually, uncle cared. He prayed for sinful Sodom. Do I care for people in spite of their sinfulness or am I eager to see them suffer/punished for their blunders! Let me do a soul search!

In Gen 20:1-17, uncle lied about his relationship with his wife. When you find yourself between a rock and hard place, do you tell a white lie in order to save yourself or do you tell nothing but the whole truth? When confronted about the lie do you confess or cover up your sin? Eeh, there are times my tendency has been to cover up instead of confessing and repenting. Sometimes, I have even been economical with apologies.

In Gen 21:22-34, you remember that uncle Abe lied to Aking Abimelek? His trust was severed. Given another chance, Abraham had to make his word be his bond. Now, I am a talker, I am wondering, can people take my word to the bank? Do people depend on my words and promises? Wah! There are times I have made promises that I wasn't able to deliver. How do I save myself?

Finally, the ultimate pop quiz! Abraham has to sacrifice his only son, the one he loves, Gen 22:1-22! If God is to ask for my most valued resource, how be the attitude of my heart and reaction? Will I hesitate?

Some pop quizes are tricky-de.

Yours faithful scribbler,
NzakuNashipae

© Jesus loves you

KACHELBELA: The Case of Undeserved Mercy and Ultimate Grace

KACHELBELA: The Case of Undeserved Mercy and Ultimate Grace: Dear Diary, # The_Case_of_Underserved_Mercy_and_Ultimate_Grace Discovering mercy and grace in Genesis 21 narrative I...

The Case of Undeserved Mercy and Ultimate Grace

Dear Diary,

#The_Case_of_Underserved_Mercy_and_Ultimate_Grace

Discovering mercy and grace in Genesis 21 narrative

I have been doing a soul search these past few days and I realize that God’s mercy and grace been bigger than my blunders. Mercy is defined as not getting the punishment one deserves as a consequence. Grace can be defined as free gift and undeserved favour of God as manifested in the salvation of a sinner and bestowal of blessings; there’s nothing I can do to earn it.

In Genesis 21:1-6, we discover that God was gracious to Sarah as He had promised. In due time, she got pregnant and bore a son according to God’s promise. It took 25years but God was faithful to His promise. The promise was fulfilled by grace not because Abraham was perfect in his obedience but because God was faithful to His word. Previously, Sarah and Abraham attempted a shortcut to speed up the fulfillment of God’s promise, Gen. 16. In spite of Abraham’s rendezvous with Hagar, God still honored His promise. Additionally, in Genesis 12:10-20; 20:2, both Sarah and Abraham lied about their relationships jeopardizing Pharaoh and Abimelek’s households, yet God showed Abraham mercy and grace.

In Gen. 21:8-20, God graciously and mercifully preserved the life of Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. Sarah demanded that Abraham send away Hagar and Ishmael, saying Ishmael would never share in the inheritance of her son Isaac, v.10. With no water to drink in the desert, God heard the boy’s cry and provided water, v.19. Though Ishmael was a result of a human effort, devoid of faith, God was with the boy as he grew up in the desert and He graciously promised to make him a great nation, v.13, 18-20.

In v. 21-33, God graciously brought about an alliance with a pagan king who gave Abraham a position of favour in spite of having dealt with him deceitfully.

Okay. If it hadn’t been for God’s mercy and grace, what would be your story? Where/what/how would you be?

Position yourself for God’s mercy and grace by approaching His throne of grace boldly, Heb. 4:16.

Yours graced scribbler,
NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: #HalfTruth_is_a_Lie

KACHELBELA: #HalfTruth_is_a_Lie: Dear Diary, Have you ever told a white lie or half-truth? #Repent Did you know that telling half-truth is a lie; it’s sinful and it ha...

#HalfTruth_is_a_Lie

Dear Diary,

Have you ever told a white lie or half-truth? #Repent

Did you know that telling half-truth is a lie; it’s sinful and it has consequences? Yes. “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy,” Pr. 12:22.

Yesterday I preached in our church about sin, its consequences and how to overcome it. One of the points I shared is that sin manifests in myriad different ways. As I reflect on this, God just mulikad me about the many times I have told white-lies/half-truths in order to protect myself. I don’t know about my readers’ experiences but, I acknowledge and admit that the many times that I have ever told half-truths, I have always had an excuse which made the matter even more complicated and embarrassing.

Well, here’s a case study, uncle Abe. This man! So, in Genesis 12:10-20, uncle lied. Sorry, he told a half-truth about his relationship with Sarah. There was famine in Canaan and so uncle decided to sojourn in Egypt. While entering there, he feared that he’d be killed because of his relationship with Sarah. She was such a beauty even in her 65th birthyear (kuoa msichana mrembo lazma ukae rada!) So he told her to maintain a brother-sister ruse in order to protect himself. So,  Pharaoh took Sarah into his harem but then God protected her by plaguing Pharaoh and his household with a great plague, v. 16-17. Years later, uncle Abe was at it again. He lied to King Abimelek that Sarah was his sister, Gen 20:3. But, was he lying really? It was half-truth and half-truth is a lie. Thankfully, God appeared to Abimelek and made it clear that Sarah was a married woman and if he dared lay his hand on her he’d be as good as dead, Gen 20:3-7.

But why uncle Abe? Why did you have to make Pharaoh suffer because of your white lie? Even now you had to put Abimelek’s household in trouble with your God? Thankfully, God kept king Abimelek from committing adultery. Interestingly, he even had to pray for healing of Abimelek’s household from temporal barrenness. Abraham was even lucky that Pharaoh graciously let him keep all that he had acquired in Egypt, although he suffered shameful deportation from Egypt, Gen 12:19.

Was uncle Abe remorseful and repentant about his little lie? Uncle was quite defensive and excused himself. His flawed assessment of people and situations made him justify his white lies. He believed that he’d be killed if the Egyptians knew the beautiful Sarah was his wife, Gen 12:12; He believed there was no fear of God in Gerar, Gen 20:11; besides he successfully proved that indeed Sarah was his half-sister, v. 12 and he even tried to implicate God, that it’s He who made him a wanderer, v.13. Eish!

Dear friend, you might be telling some white lies/ half-truth in order to protect yourself but hear me. It is sin to tell half-truths. The consequences are dire. When you lie, you bring reproach to God’s name; you loose an opportunity for credible witness; you loose respect; you undermine the effectiveness of your communication and worst of all, lying can undermine the promise and purposes of God concerning your life. In fact lying is a sign of lack of faith in God; your flawed character can even be passed to your children. You see, Abraham lied about his wife so did his son, Isaac. His grandson Jacob too told a little lie to his father. Your little lie can even bring fatal consequences on you and the persons involved.

So, be intentional about telling nothing but the whole truth.

So help me God to tell nothing but the whole truth.

Yours faithful scribbler,
NzakuNashipae
©Jesus Loves You