Pride vs Confidence
I came across advice offered to businesses that seek to grow: Under promise and over-deliver. In the spirit of celebrating my readers, I promised five conflicts but will over-deliver by one more conflict; the pride versus confidence dilemma.
In an interview with OZY on the meaning of work, Satya Nadella the CEO of Microsoft tries to trace the fine line between confidence and pride. I quote him “To assume destination … is more hubris (pride) than confidence. Great achievement requires belief in oneself, but there is this fine line between confidence and hubris.” http://www.ozy.com/pov/satya-nadella-on-the-meaning-of-work/62332
Confidence in simple terms is belief in one self . Confident people radiate energy, charisma and passion through what they say and do. This is probably the reason why confidence appeals to all of us and is, on many occasion an integral component of a successful individual. We all love confident people, men or women exuding a dose of healthy self-esteem, sure of themselves and what they are doing and are able to project it externally to other who in turn buy into or ride on their self-assurance. We want to hear what they have to say and see what they do. Their confidence engage us, it draws us in and convinces us that if we miss out on them we miss out on big deal.
Pride on the other hand puts us off. It annoys us, and repels us from people who exude it (at least it supposed to). Pride is an ugly trait in any individual and does not accessorize well with any personality.
When I think of confident characters in the scriptures, my thoughts go to 1 Samuel 17 where a young juvenile, David makes bold claims which he follows with action as he rushes to the battle front to take-on a giant of a fighting man, Goliath of Gath in a duel to the death. His statement of intent in 1 Samuel 17:45-47 to his adversary is confidence cast in speech. I also look to John 2:5, to Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ who, with all the confidence she could muster directs the servants at a wedding banquet to pay attention to her Son and carry out His instructions if they are to save the wedding feast from, God forbid, empty wine chalices and the irreparable shame due to the newly wed as a result. Hebrews 10:35 tells us “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” Certainly David and Mary enjoyed their rich reward.
When I think of pride, I travel to 600 BC Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar, inspecting his city from the rooftop of his palace utters the most regrettable words to come from his mouth “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”. The consequence of his pride-soaked statement was seven years of herbivorous insanity. Acts 12:20-24 chronicles the death of King Herod … by pride no less.
I have come to the conclusion that, pride is simply confidence that has been idolized. That said I will attempt to define the thin borderline between confidence and pride one which, once you have crossed, you are beyond the estimable confines of confidence and are now in the dangerous territory of pride.
As gospel artistes we know we have crossed from confidence to pride when our life and music is targeted at attracting the adulations, praise and applause of people at any cost. Confidence will takes us to the platform, pulpit or stage to minister through our music but pride will retain us there, as we binge on the adulation from the audience, absorbing the glory for ourselves.
We have crossed from confidence to pride when we harbour a sense of entitlement. The blessings of favour from God will at time raise our profile in the public eye. This is obviously a great confidence booster. But when we expect everyone to know us, acknowledge us, level with us, support us, like our music, join our fan club, follow us on twitter, like our facebook, instagram posts and if they don’t our discontent goes viral on social media then it is probably pride gnawing at us.
We have crossed from confidence to pride when we are not willing to be held accountable. When we cannot be corrected, or avail our celebrity self to learn from our mistakes. We will make mistakes. It is human. We will have moments of failure. It is part (big part) of the cost of success. Confidence does not shield us from making errors. It is more likely to multiply them. Pride stops us from humbly acknowledging our failures, owning our mistakes and yielding when clearly in the wrong.
We have crossed over from confidence to pride when our confidence is drawn from and propped up by our physical or material accessories. These includes our bank balance, the vehicle we drive, clothes we wear, our looks, house, hair style, swag, talent, abilities, accomplishments and the like. Godly confidence must be found in our relationship with God, the complete work of Christ on the cross, His promises in the scriptures, and the workings of the Holy Spirit in us.
We have crossed over from confidence to pride when our preoccupation is all about constructing our image in the eyes of the world rather than ‘working out our salvation with fear and trembling’ Philippians 2:12. Pride has everything to do with our brand appeal at the expense of character and Christian values formation. A red flag in this instance is if we hang out more and have better, close, tight-bond relationship with journalists and Djs more than our Pastor, spiritual mentor, Bible study fellowship, prayer group or other faith affirming relationships.
We have crossed over from confidence to pride when our music, lyrics, video content is all about us; our blessings, our prosperity, our righteousness, our suffering, our skills, talents, abilities and acquisition rather than Christ’s glory, His love, grace and mercy, His power, light, sacrifice, wrath, beauty and goodness – Essentially, His Gospel. We go by the title gospel artistes, don’t we?
I could go on and on but suffice to say that pride and confidence are neighbours with barely recognizable boundaries demarcation. It will require that we, gospel artistes be very careful least we find ourselves strayed deep into enemy’s terrain all the while claiming confidence. I will end with Paul caution to the Corinthian believers ‘So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!’ 1 Corinthians 10:12 . 
Enjoy a confidence-rich week.
Tag: Henrie Mutuku News
Free Agent vs Church-bound
Today I pen the final of my five internal conflicts of a gospel artiste. I will reiterate that these points are based on my experience as a gospel artiste. I acknowledge that other gospel artistes may have different opinions and experiences and their dilemmas may be similar or different to mine. It would be good to hear from them on the conflicts they experience.
My fifth conflict is that of a Free Agent versus Church-bound dilemma. Here is what I mean. Like every other person who has talent that endear him/herself to many, it becomes a challenge to restrict oneself to, say a club (for football players), a company/organisation (for gifted performance-oriented workers), a political party (for politicians) or a church (for gospel artiste). You are always on demand. People love talent particularly when it is coupled with success. Talented people have offers placed at their feet, choices spread on the table and several door of opportunities open before them. Everybody wants a piece of you (your success) and we mostly likely gravitate toward the best offer available. 
For a gospel artiste, particularly one with success under the belt, it becomes a challenge to be bound to or connected to one church, a home church. This is because there are many churches that desire our gift and it is highly likely that every Sunday we are at a different church or church function performing. This makes it hard to be bound to one congregation, take root in a fellowship of believers where we are accountable, pastured in the God’s word and serve in the ministry as expected of church members. Remember, before we were gospel artistes, we are first and foremost believers. We feel more like free-agents, available to be wherever we are called or needed. Sunday happens to be the busiest day for a gospel artiste and one can find themselves hoping from one church to another.
This defies the time-tested wisdom of being connected to, integrated and plugged in a church fellowship that reinforces our Christian beliefs and values. One where we are known, spiritually cared for, mentored, held accountable by credible spiritual authority, rebuked in love, encouraged in the walk of faith, tested in our gifts and calling and provided with the opportunity to serve the body (not necessary in music. Gospel artistes can teach Sunday school which happens to be a priceless experience). The writer of Hebrew in 10:24-25 cannot be more categorical ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’
But didn’t Jesus Christ command us to ‘Go ye’ in Matthew 28:19. It has been hypothesized that the persecution that erupted in Jerusalem in Acts 8 was divinely orchestrated to launch missionaries from the cosy, tight-fellowship and mission-averse church to all parts of Judea and the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire. It may be argued that ‘free agent’ gospel artistes are best placed to do mission work through music because they are not held back by local church ‘constrains’. 
I have it on good authority that genuine gospel artistes are committed, faithful and accountable to a local (gospel professing) church and subject to credible spiritual authority. This keeps them grounded in the true doctrine of the scriptures which is evidenced in their lifestyle and the music they produce. They are mature(ring) in their faith, teachable, consistent, humble, integrity-minded amongst other characteristic of a spiritually healthy believer. I will say it again; before we are gospel artistes, we are first and foremost believers (professing the gospel). We propagate the Gospel through music because it has, in the first place, talent aside, transformed us.
What about the fellowships by gospel artistes that meet together to pray, study the Bible, challenge one another and so on? While these fellowships are important and useful for peer motivation they are not church. Church is diverse, made up both the rich and poor, young and old, gifted and the-rest-of-us, famous and the not-so-famous, Greeks as well as the Jews. We meet, worship together, serve and are served by people whom we may have very little in common save for the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the most powerful common denominator in all the universe.
Like Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:1-3, it makes all the difference in our ministry when the church sends us to go do the work the Holy Spirit has called us to do which is evangelizing through gospel music. Like Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:26-27 we must go back to the church that sent us and ‘reported all that God had done through them (us)’(Acts 14:27).
Whichever way you choose to look at it (genre, industry, ministry), gospel music is part of and subservient to the Church of Jesus Christ not above or a complimentary equal. This means that genuine gospel artistes cannot be free-agents. They are compelled, submissive servants of the church of Jesus Christ. This is an invariable quality of a gospel artiste.
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Entertainment Vs Worship
“Smells like a Teen spirit” was the American rock band Nirvana biggest song. It was dubbed “anthem for apathetic kids” of Generation X. Of interest to this article is the refrain of the song whose lyrics read;
With the lights out, it’s less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
This week, I focus on the fourth of the five internal conflicts of a gospel artiste (based on my own experience) which is the entertainment versus worship dilemma.
As with the other conflicts I have already written about i.e. ministry vs industry, spirit led vs market driven and fame vs faith, this one too can be termed as a no-contest matter. Gospel music is meant to, above all else, deliver worship to the God of the Bible, the God of the gospel otherwise it is no gospel at all.
Nowhere in the Bible is entertainment forbidden. To laugh, sing, dance and be generally happy seem like a natural, God given desire lurking deep inside all of us and waiting for the slightest of moment in order to be expressed outwardly. Proverbs 17:22 says ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ Part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is actually joy (Galatians 5:22) and it can be argued that entertainment serves to deposit joy in the otherwise humdrum life of the average Christian.
A few years back, it became apparent that churches (particularly metropolitan ones) needed to re-brand in an effort to attract more people for their services. The church was ‘boring’ to say the least and old ways of doing things i.e. a hymn here, a testimony there, a composed sermon, amateur worship leader and the self-taught, one-key-serves-all-songs keyboard players etc was not having the desired effect. Some ‘groove’ needed to be injected into the way things are done in order to provide some impetus to the house of God. Education and mass media (radio, TV and print) was transforming the average Kenyan into a complex individual with quickly evolving tastes and the church needed to play catch-up real quick or else it was doomed. One solution was to appeal to one of man’s most ubiquitous need; entertainment. Lo and behold the gospel artiste new role in this new order was that of a celebrity entertainer whose job is to lure the crowds back to church and the pastor will do the rest. It worked. The pews were filled with people expectant and eager only that their posture and predisposition can easily be captured in Smell Like a Teen Spirit refrain ‘here we are now, entertain us’.
Who am I kidding, we are African and the drums seem to resonate with our hips, sometime too perfectly. We have the rhythm built in us (save for one or two people I know whom I will not mention for obvious reason). The music is in us and it doesn’t take much to get us moving in sync with the beat. This is by all means God given. Right? So why don’t we, as gospel artistes appeal to the instinctive dance in all of us in the name of the Lord and while at it, fill the church with happy congregants? In any case King David danced before the Lord until his clothes fell off (though I am yet to find a scripture in the Bible that authenticate his clothes falling off).
Worship centered on the Triune God of the Bible is the highest undertaking of all creation, not just humans (Psalms 19:1-4). The first five commandments in Exodus 20:1-11 are to do with proper worship which God expected from His people Israel. God is not only worthy of worship (Revelation 4:11), but He expect… no… demand it (Romans 1:21) with dire consequences when we fail to deliver.
As gospel artistes our primary call is to use our gift of music to facilitate worship under the unction of the Holy Spirit. It does not get more gospel than that. Obviously worship is much more than singing emotionally charged songs. There is no doubt that dancing and celebration are included in worship according to the Holy Scriptures King David being a case in point 2 Samuel 6:14 but worship goes deeper. It is the dethroning of self, the capitulation of the body, soul and spirit at the feet of the all conquering Jesus Christ. It is the heart of man coming to terms with its meagerness and frailty in contrast with the awesomeness of God’s grandness, His power, love and truth. In a culture that abhors silence (the show must go on!), worship at times calls for stillness (Revelation 8:1) a silence that screams of the greatness of God beyond any human language or comprehension.
Though this is easier said and done, I challenge all gospel artistes (myself included) to leave entertainment to entertainers and focus on giving oneself to worship God. It is probably not as lucrative as entertaining but that’s because we are only taking into consideration our present life and not factoring eternity.
How do you tell the difference between entertainment and worship? Again, I do not have all the answers but if the people we are ministering to are more tired as a result of all the dancing rather than sick and tired of their sins, repentant and convicted by the Holy Spirit, we probably have been entertaining them. If the people we are ministering to end up being more enamored with themselves rather than consumed with a death-defying passion for Jesus Christ, we probably just entertained them. If they remember our names, lyrics, fashion e.t.c. more than they know scriptures then it is probably entertainment. It is a tragedy when those who love, enjoy and consume our music remain the same; song after song, album after album, concert after concert singing along and dancing to lyrics that have no life-transforming, destiny-defining, cross-embracing, eternity-securing, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying effect.
I speak, not as one who has already made it. I have my entertainment versus worship wars too. I came to the realisation that the world already has all the entertainment it needs (Nirvana and the like). They seek something else. Something that the world, money, power, pleasure, position can never offer. This is an encounter with the true God. Our job as gospel artistes is to organize a rendezvous. John 4:23 says “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers”. The assumption here is that as gospel artiste we have already met HIM prior otherwise we will gravitate to entertainers, spiritual baby sitters, keeping people occupied as they wait for the real thing – WORSHIP.
Join me next week for the last installment of the five internal conflicts of a gospel artiste.
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FAME Vs FAITH
I remember my name being called out. It was surreal. I was not quite sure whether it was real or I was dreaming. I stood up from the table and made my way towards the elegantly illuminated stage still dazed by the moment as all around me, luminaries of the African music and invited guests applauded at the packed auditorium of the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand in Johannesburg. Eric Wainaina met me at the foot of the stairs that led up to the podium where the hostess was waiting to hand us our Kora Award trophies. He, in a gentleman’s gesture offered me his hand and together we ascended the few steps. So there I was, an unknown, struggling gospel artiste from Kenya standing on the podium, facing the crème of African music, celebrities with a global appeal and certainly millions of viewers watching from all over the continent of Africa and beyond. The significance of the moment was not lost to me as I clutched on the Kora trophy and prepared to speak to Africa. I was later to learn that I made the front page of the Nation Newspaper the next day. I was a Kora Awards winner, Best Female Artiste East Africa category. Overnight, a struggling gospel artiste had delectable fame.
The world has radically changed since 2002 and now there are new ways of judging your fame-altitude. There is twitter and instagram followers, page likes on facebook, youtube clicks, call-back and ringtone downloads and the like.
Let no one deceive you, it does feel good to be celebrated, to have the admiration, respect and loyalty of adoring fans from all walks of life. It is quite a feeling to know that people take note of your achievements, they acknowledge the hard work which you have invested into perfecting your craft, enjoy the fruits of your labour with an eager appetite for more, and associate you with happiness. You can easily get used to such a life. 
Faith in Christ demands a life of humility and complete dependence on God (in His Triune nature) if it is to be genuine and lead to eternity with Him. Proverbs 3:5 encourages us to ‘Trust in the Lord with all our heart’, which translate to complete and absolute dependence on Him alone. Faith in Christ calls for complete disentanglement with the world (which uses fame to reward its darlings) and its satanically inspired systems that are peculiarly designed to silence the gospel of Jesus Christ and its proponents. John 12:43 spotlights people that prefer the praises of men at the expense of their faith in Christ Jesus. They are bound by the vice of vain glory – seeking human praise for its own sake.
On the other hand, we have scripture like Joshua 6:27 which talk of Joshua’s fame after the very dramatic and supernatural destruction of the fortified city Jericho. David, a young lad returning home after the resounding defeat of the Philistines occasioned by his implausible-if-not-true slaying of Goliath is celebrated by the women of Israel with dancing and songs recounting his heroism (1 Samuel 18:7) much to the chagrin of King Saul. His son Solomon had serious fame attached to his image as the wisest and richest King ever. He was so famous that he attracted high value tourists like Queen of Sheba to Israel to come and test him with difficult questions (1 Samuel 10:1). We can say the same about Mordecai in Esther 9:4.
New Testament example of fame is none other than Jesus Christ. The reason why he attracted massive crowds to Himself as he traveled through Israel preaching was because His fame preceded Him. Matthew 4:24, 9:31 and Luke 5:15 points to the unwitting PR mechanism that was responsible for His fame.
All of the above serves to conjure-up my third dilemma; fame versus faith. Are they compatible? Can I be a faithful spirit-led, godly, gifted gospel artiste and still attract admiration, love, respect and appreciation from the world (read fans)? Should I actively seek fame and how would such a pursuit reflect on my faith? These are probably the questions that arise from faith vs fame dilemma.
My opinion is, as a minister of the gospel through music, God reserves the right to make me famous or not. His (God’s) glory is the singular pursuit I must preoccupy myself with and not making a name for myself. Joshua did not go out to seek fame. Neither did Mordecai, David or Solomon. They were all preoccupied in doing the will of God, obeying Him, carrying out His instructions and in the process, God eternalized their names. Jesus Christ did not have a designated P.R. Unit responsible for cleaning up His image (He would not need it anyway) and publishing His miracles in an effort to grow the crowds attending His meetings. John 4:34 captures Jesus life’s mission verbatim ‘”My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’
I speak to individuals out there who feel that they must be famous to be gospel artiste or prove they have been called by God to gospel music ministry – Don’t believe the lie. Serve God. Do it faithfully where you are. It could be in your local church, at home, on a street corner somewhere. Don’t be preoccupied with getting your songs played by DJs, or videos for TV shows and youtube. Don’t bother much with facebook likes and twitter follower. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12 admonishes us. Simply do what God asked you to do when He called you to sing for His glory. Let Him bother with the Djs, the youtube views and all.
I have come to two conclusions; One – fame can rival any drug in addiction and two – fame is fickle. One moment the crowds were so enthralled with Jesus for miraculously feeding them with two fishes and five loaves of bread, the next they were ready to stone Him (John 8:59). One time they wanted to crown Him King, the next moment they were going to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29). Eventually, they laid a carpet of their garments for His colt to walk on, singing hosanna and waving palm branches as He entered Jerusalem only for a few days later to demand for His execution through crucifixion. We will do well, as gospel artistes to borrow from Jesus wisdom of not ‘entrusting Himself to man’ John 2:24. Humans do not only celebrate and idolise their heroes, they also celebrate and idolise their sacrifice. This would account for the many scandals following celebrities (some justifiably so) in tabloids and blogs. In most cases these media is patronised and consumed by some so called ‘fans’.
I will conclude by drawing our attention to Matthew 6:13 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ We seek the Kingdom (God’s interests on earth), fame may (or may not) be added unto us. All in all, God gets His glory and we can rest easy knowing that we have done our job as ministers through gospel music. If we do our job well, two things with result; the maturing of our faith and the fame of God. Join me next week for my forth installment of the series.
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Spirit Led Vs Market Driven life
Last week, I began a series of articles on the 5 internal conflicts of a gospel artiste, mostly based on my experience. I discussed the ministry versus industry dilemma. I resolved this by concluding that we need industrious hands that are attached to and get their strength from a ministry heart.
In this article, I deal with another dilemma; Spirit-led or Market driven ministry. The choice here seems quite obvious to anyone who has attended at least three services in an evangelical church. Right?
The Bible is very clear, our lives as faithful, Bible-believing, Christ-focused Christians are to be led by the Holy Spirit. ‘For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God’ Romans 8:41 tells us. Galatians 5:16 urges us to ‘….walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.’
There exists no other way to live a fruitful Christian life victorious over the sinful flesh and it’s enslaving passions apart from a life fully controlled and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. I believe this with as great conviction as I believe that the earth is spherical.
What about the 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 which states ‘To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.’ It could be argued that Paul is responding to his target audiences, judging their comprehension levels, adjusting himself or the presentation of the gospel to fit their ‘biases’ and predisposition. It sounds as if Paul has adopted an audience-determined relevance approach to the preaching of the gospel. A 21st century business honcho reading 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 would probably come to the conclusion that Paul’s ministry was, in certain aspects ‘market-driven’.
What does this mean for Gospel Artistes who are expected to produce music that resonates with the consuming public, believer or non-believers alike? I find myself trapped in this dilemma, walking the thin line between being led of the Holy Spirit and at the same time relevant to the world I seek to reach with the good news of Jesus Christ. If I get Paul right, I need to have an informed awareness of those that appreciate and respond to the gift and calling God has given me namely, music.
So which is it? let the Holy Spirit lead me as a gospel artiste; determine my style, sound, lyrics, melody, attire, video concept, performance (where and how), brand association e.t.c. Allow for ‘market’ force, my target audience to determine my style, sound, lyrics, melody, attire, video concept, performance (where and how), brand association e.t.c.
It is easy and quite lucrative to be ‘market-driven’. Interestingly, our highly electronised world with its numerous digital radio and TV channels (Hallo Professor Jackton), smart phones, social media platforms has not diversified our tastes (at least to a noticeable extent) with a majority, subscribing to, for-lack-of-a-better-word industry-defined standard taste for music, particularly gospel music. If you seek to prosper, particularly in local gospel music, you will do well to adopt, copy and perfect the pattern and I can almost guarantee a Groove 2016 nomination.
On the other hand, to be led of the Holy Spirit would require I spend quality time in prayer, reading God’s word, seeking wisdom, direction and counsel as far as my music is concerned. It demands a life (not just music) of holiness, consistent obedience to God and a fervent desire to do His will always. It takes being surrounded and being part a spiritual unit with other Spirit-led believers for fellowship, accountability and ministry. Spirit-Led gospel artiste will not conform to any ‘pattern of this world’ given that they are constantly receiving their inspiration from the eternally creative creator, God. They will ‘sing a new song’, and ‘forget the former things’ and quickly align themselves, their life and ministry to the ‘new thing’ God is effecting according to Isaiah 43:18-19. Finally, a Spirit-led gospel artiste will need to redefine the term ‘success’ because Holy Spirit’s definition of success and what the world calls success are at times (many times) as divergent as night and day. It is possible, very likely, to be Spirit-led to write and record song(s) that will not receive much reception in terms of airplay, download, single or album sales. Ask Prophet Jeremiah. He was led of the Spirit of God to prophecy in Judah and Jerusalem about the impending wrath of God if the nation repudiated his call to repent of their idolatry, injustice and pervasive wickedness. No one cared. No one listened. He was persecuted for his prophecies and even when they were fulfilled and Babylonian forces shredded Jerusalem, its wall and beloved temple, Jeremiah ends up as a refugee, fleeing to Egypt to escape further Babylonian wrath. Was he led of the Spirit? YES. Was his ministry a success? That depends on who you are asking; God or man.
Spirit-led or market-driven? I believe we must be led of the Holy Spirit. I also know that Holy Spirit will open our eyes (like he did Paul’s) to see His people as He sees them. He will show us theirs context, boundaries, biases, values, predisposition, whatever is relevant for us in order to reach them with the pure un-adulterated gospel music. He will cause us to write, record and perform music that will cause their spirit to dance to the truth, minister to their real needs and not just felt needs. And all this will be to His glory alone.
Please visit us here next week for no.3 of the 5 internal conflict of a gospel artiste.
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I certainly do not claim to be an authority in gospel music, contemporary or otherwise. I however, have made some observation from my life and others whom I have associated with and from this experience I can confidently say that it’s never easy. A major reason is because we are wracked with conflicts that we need to resolve if we are to be effective conduits of the gospel through music.
The gospel artiste is no different from any other believer whose life and Christian experience is at time filled with conflicts and dilemmas on issues that we rightly or wrongly deem the Bible to be silent on. The Bible records accounts of well meaning, faithful servants of God faced with conflicts that put to the test their faith and allegiance to God. Abraham is conflicted when Sarah demands he sends away Hagar together with his son Ishmael (Genesis 21:11). The Bible records that this was a very stressful matter to Abraham were it not for God’s intervention in verse 12. Moses, growing up as a prince in Pharaoh’s Palace experience turmoil in his heart, one that pits his royalty status against the kinship he shares with the appallingly-treated and enslaved Jews (Exodus 2:11). David’s conscience is wracked by guilt after he cuts the corner of King Saul’s robe obviously violating his honour code (1 Samuel 24:5-6). Queen Esther hesitates to approach the King to plead for the life of her people, the Jews because she is unsure of the reception she will receive (Esther 4:9-11). In the New Testament we meet Paul, torn between dying and living (as if that is ever a multiple choice problem) in Philippians 1:23-24. 
As a gospel Artiste, I have faced my own internal conflicts and, while I cannot generalize, my informed guess is that many others in gospel music have had their fair share of internal turmoil to reckon with. I wish to share at least five (I’m sure there could be more than these and anyone out there is welcome to add to the list) conflicts I have had to grapple with as I endevour to serve God through the gift He has given me, that of making music.
- The Ministry Vs Industry question
Is the gospel musician involved in ministry or is he/she part of an industry? More aptly, can both ministry and industry co-exist or are they mutually exclusive undertaking?
By definition, ministry is always a not-for-profit undertaking that is geared towards spreading the gospel to the furthest reaches of the world in compliance to the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20
Industry has to do with production of goods and services within an economy. Obviously it needs to meet the profits threshold otherwise the industry will collapse.
Given the two, very basic definitions, I would say that the challenge is the criteria used to judge success in ministry and industry. Ministry measures its success by souls won into the kingdom while industry does the same by the balance sheet – Profit and loss statements.
As a gospel musician, I have had this conflict. Should I go the industry way and think of myself as a consumer service provider – gospel music (which by the way seem to be quite in demand by the look of things)? Should I offer my talent to the market with a keen eye on the balance sheet/bank statement? The important thing is that gospel music is in the airwaves. Right? Industry forces professionalism and raises standards. Right?
Or should my focus be reaching the lost at whatever cost, spend and be spent (as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 12:15), and at the end of the day judge my music by its redemptive effect to a lost world to the exclusion of the financial remuneration thereof?
I don’t think that industry thinking is necessarily sin. Paul actually rejoice in Philippians 1:17 – 18 that the gospel is preached (sang) whatever the underlying motive of the preacher (singer) is. Industries are great. They provide goods, services, jobs, taxes etc to an economy and that too is godly.
Personally, I resolved this conflict by deciding to be a faithful steward of what has been committed to me by God. I desire that my success be determined by His approval – the words ‘well done good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:21) rather than anything else. The talent I have was committed to me by Him and He has expectations. With this in mind, I will strive to be excellent, diligent, consistent with scriptures and sound doctrine, in integrity and deliberate in the exercise of the gift so that when time comes to settle accounts with Him, I will not be put to shame.
Ministry vs industry? My answer is industrious faithfulness to the Master.
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TO ALL LEADERS – GOD IS YOUR BOSS!
In my last article, I discussed the need to submit to authorities be they parental, spiritual or civil. I pointed out that authority is necessary for holding our society together, suppressing chaos and allowing for continuity and progress. More importantly, authority is God ordained.
This week, I wish to address all those who are vested with authority. Those who have the mandate and goodwill to provide leadership whether it is at home, in the church or society in general.
2 Samuel 23:2 – 4 in the Amplified version reads as follow:
The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, When one rules over men righteously, ruling in the fear of God, He dawns on them like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through clear shining after rain.
The fact that God has endowed you with authority and requires all to submit to it should inspire both excitement and foreboding emotions at the same time. This is because God happens to be your Boss. He delegated the powers you wield to you with certain expectations and in time will require you to account for it.
This is a beautiful, poetic illustration of authority that has been wielded through righteousness. David, having enjoyed immense power over the Kingdom of Israel and its perennial enemy, is inspired by God to record these words. The first verse of chapter 23 gives us insight into the significance of this chapter. They are David’s last words, his valedictorian speech if you like. As an anointed King (with divine right to rule), a valiant warrior (earned his throne by defeating the enemies of Israel) and a popular monarch (enjoying high popularity rating with his subjects), at the end of his career, he shares the philosophy that coagulated his success – Ruling men with RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The resulting effect of righteous leadership is similar to the effect dawn create on earth after a dark night. Dawn – morning light that expels the long reign of darkness, birthing new hope, faith, vision and prospects of better life to come. Dawn inspires life, it is the resurrection of dreams, love, energy and all that is good with life.
The other effect of good leadership – authority wielded in righteousness, is the same effect of a gentle rain on the land. It provides the nourishment the tender grass needs to grow. We grow, thrive and flourish under righteous authority. We become productive and not dependent on hand-outs or freebies but are empowered with the tools and opportunities we need to better ourselves and others.
I appeal to all leaders; at home, in churches, market place, County assemblies, parliament, senate, Governors, and Head of State – we need your authority to dawn and rain gently on us. We don’t mind your pity, promises, handouts, favouritism, political rhetoric/posturing, P.R. gimmicks and the like. They can be quite helpful and at times quite entertaining. What we actually, truly, genuinely need from you is some good-old-fashioned righteous leading.
What is righteous leading? To attempt to fully posit on all the aspects of righteous leadership is way outside the scope of this article and platform on which it is published on. All the same I will venture to offer a simple definition – It is doing what is right, just and fair (Proverbs 1:3) with the authority entrusted to you. May I encourage you to please study the book of Proverbs for more insights on this subject matter.
This week, I urge all leaders to take time to dawn, rain… gently..
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I am not much of a scientist though I did enjoy some physics in High School. Art was, and still is, more or less my thing. That said, my curiosity is piqued by scientific discourse that particularly touches on the universe, its origins and composition. Of particular interest is the concept of dark matter, the invisible element that makes up most of the universe and is thought to be responsible for holding the universe together (I imagine that this is a scientist way of admitting the existence of God and holding on to their brain). On a less grander scale, there are forces that are responsible for holding families, communities and nation together, suppressing chaos, sustaining order, continuity and nurturing progress. Romans 13 lets us in on one of this force: AUTHORITY.
Paul, had his fair share of running with the Roman authorities. At one time, he handed himself over to the Roman authorities because he was a Roman citizen. He was seeking for justice and at the same time looking to share the gospel with those in governing positions.
He begins chapter 13 of Romans with a directive at all believers “Everyone must submit himself to governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” What a revolutionary thought. According to the scriptures, everyone, not some people, but everyone should submit himself to the authorities.
Why?
What if it is illegitimate? Incompetent? Oppressive or down-right tyrannical?
I imagine that these would be the questions a sober, rational mind would ask in response to the command.
While Paul does not address this (at least not in this passage), we know that at the time of writing the letter to Romans the government of the day was an oppressive, military-styled tyrannical power ruling from Rome, the eternal city. 
God is a God of order and He establishes authorities to put society in order. Paul continues, “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you”.
In this era of democracy, free speech, freedom of choice and political expression, we who are believers are held to a higher standard in relating to God-ordained authority whether it is at home, church or State. We are certainly entitled to our choice, opinion and expression but at the end of the day, God’s word demand we submit to the authority He has established and/or permitted. Our submission allow God to do what only He can, hold responsible and punish those that desecrate power (which by the way proceeds from Him) by using it in their self interests by oppressing, destroying and harming fellow man.
Submission to authority does not mean subservience or timid silence when things go wrong or when power is abused and lives are at stake. It means that even when we stand to challenge authority, we do it respectfully. Our action, attitude and language should take cognizance that the authority in place would not exist if God did not allow them to. Ultimately all things, good or bad are employed in the business of bringing God glory. Even the satanically evil Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler whose primary objective was to annihilate the Jewish people served to achieve the very opposite, precipitation of the rebirth of a Jewish State, Israel in fulfillment of the Scriptures. 
Just like dark matter is thought to be the source of order, pattern, consistency and regeneration of the universe, authority plays a similar kind of role in human societies, spiritual or secular and you and I would do our society some good by heeding the Holy Spirit who inspired Paul to write: “Everyone must submit himself to governing authorities….”
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A mother is an amazing creation. My mother happens to be a strong, hardworking, diligent, Christian woman with seemingly inexhaustible energy. My memory is replete with images of her as a working woman, a wife, mother of three boys and a girl (moi – think french) , disciplinarian, church women leader, missionary, humanitarian, farmer, businesswoman, CD distributor (She used to distribute my CD’s to retailers) problem solver and more rolled up into a single, averagely sized, petite, dark complexion, bright-eyed, shy-smile woman.
Woman was not created last because she was the least, but because she was ‘cream’ of creation. She came fully fitted with the ability to conceive life, protect, preserve and nurture it at its most delicate form for nine month. Thereafter she continues to love, nurture, discipline, grow, counsel, bless, protect, pinch, forgive, rebuke, risk, sacrifice, embarrass, feed, slap, clean, provide, educate, whip, caution, celebrate, support, pat, defend, struggle, lead and generally offer unconditional love to the child for rest of either of their lives.
Moses mother, befittingly named Jochebed (meaning God’s glory, glorious or honourable) is a model of motherhood at its finest as recorded Exodus 2:1-10. She takes on grave risk by defying Pharaoh’s law that enforced genocide on all Jewish baby boys. She protects, nurture, provides for and does all that is in her power to ensure the survival of her offspring under very difficult circumstances. When she reached her wits end, she decided to take the ultimate risk to ensure the survival of her son by putting her in a basket and letting him float among the reeds of the Nile. I’m not sure whether she wanted to give the baby up or simply hide him more discreetly all I know is she had the survival of the baby in mind and heart. If her child’s survival was at stake in her care, she would rather give him up. Such risk. Such faith!
Long story short, the Princess of Egypt comes across the basket, opens it, sees the crying child, her heart goes out to him and she decided to adopt him. The beauty of the story is how God choreographed the drama with Jochebed eventually ending up nursing her son without the previous danger to both their lives and, get this, getting paid for it! I’m sure she would have done it for free if the Princess had asked…politely. My interpretation is God was honouring the spirit of a mother. He had to get in on the act and express His pleasure and Jochebed, a true mother. Quoting Marguerite Gardiner ‘A mother’s love! O holy, boundless thing! Fountain whose waters never cease to spring!’
I am cautiously weary of adopting all things American lock-stock-and-barrel but Mother’s day is a bit of an exemption. If we ignore the obvious commercialization and focus on honoring and appreciating the Jochebeds (God’s glory or glorious ones) of our lives we will do just fine. In fact, it will please God and invite His goodness upon ourselves.
Are mothers perfect? Absolutely No. Mine is not and God permitting, I am already reconciled to the fact that I will not be a perfect mother to my children. Mothers make mistakes and I’m sure Moses would have a thing or two to say in the negative about his mother Jochebed. We don’t honour our mothers because they are perfect but because, in spite their human foibles they continue to sacrificially love and give of themselves to make our lives better.
This week and going forward, let your mother (biological, adopted, step-mom, spiritual or guardian) know that you appreciate them. Call, text, visit, buy a gift, take them out – do whatever is within your means to bless your Jochebed.
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For real the wedding of Henrie Mutuku was one of the most simplest but exquisite wedding ceremonies you will ever attend as it was filled with harmonious melodies of accapella and hymns to usher the marriage spirit.
It was one of the surprise weddings of the christian circles, very few people knew that it was taking place and even very few people attended at the wedding was an invite only. Later on Uliza Links published the story and every one went like : ‘Wow did that just happen without us noticing ?’.
Now one year later Henrie Mutuku is looking back at the special day that she bid good bye to the dating life to become the wife of his one true love, Charles Njau whom she had been dating for years. On April 21st she walked down the aisle and said I do and now she is walking on a journey that will be filled with Love for the rest of her life.
Time does fly but GOD blessings are new every morning.
Congrats to Henrie Mutuku
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You will agree with me that people in the performing arts are peculiarly susceptible to that ugly attitude commonly referred to as pride. A fair part of the entertainment pages are as a result of egos clashing, egos tryst, egos on interview, egos partying, egos performing and generally egos behaving as they usually do.. badly.
I will tell you for free that I, as a musician, have dressed-up in pride on certain-many occasions than I’m embarrassed to admit. It is the accompanying temptation of the trade together with its foul twin conceit – thinking of oneself as better than others. One of the lies that talent tells is your gift is yours and yours alone, to control and carry out as the artiste deems and wishes. Into this pit, I have fallen quite a number of times. Thank God for the grace to get out. Apparently, these verses from Romans 12:3-5 teach us something else all together.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each one of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Two phrases jump out at me in these Scripture. “With sober judgment” and “each member belongs to all the others.” I think of how difficult it is to judge oneself soberly because it is the tendency, to judge oneself with much leniency. Each one of us as Christians is apportioned a grace and a measure of faith and it is to be appropriated for the benefit of other believers.
Everything we do ought to reflect this truth – that our lives, work, ministry is not self-interest but all-interest, particularly to those we claim to share faith with. I can’t help but think how much I have done for the non-believer without considering the believer. Think of how we have written songs for ‘evangelism’ rather than consider its effect or influence on a fellow believer. It occurs to me that we have written songs that pander to the world for the sake of being accepted by the world so that our music is played on their popular radio and TV shows and we walk the red carpets of their glamorous award ceremonies and after-parties/events, without giving a thought that by naming it ‘gospel’ it will be consumed by a believer with the likely possibility that it may weaken their faith stance.
We do not belong to ourselves. We belong to other believers and are to be accountable to them. Anyone in the service of the gospel must move from self-interest to ALL -INTEREST (GOD Inclusive). It’s the only ay to conquer pride.
Finally this is what I have learned; Pride does not accessorize well with any skin-colour, hairstyle, designer clothing, brand, job title, skills, talents, faith e.t.c It tends to tarnish everything it coats. It does blend with all dump-sites though! Have a safe pride-defying and accountable week. Will you?
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It has been a very somber Easter holiday hasn’t it? It seems like a dark curtain was draped over the nation by the gruesome attack at Garrisa University yet I will venture to wish good day to you. I hope your long weekend was meaningful and full of good times, Al shabab notwithstanding.
There is no denying that, as a nation, we are grieving because of the tragedy that happened in Garissa. The feelings of anger, fear, wrath and revenge come naturally and without a struggle. It is human nature. That is why the scripture passage for today, Romans 12: 17-end is a real surprise to me. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It teaches, “Recompense to no man evil for evil.” What happened in Garissa, to borrow the words of some, was sheer evil.
Stark and grotesque as it is, we are not to reply in its language. There must be a clear difference – visible from space – between the children of light and children of darkness. The Bible continues to teach, “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.” This further challenges us to go the extra miles are being asked of us, that in the face of evil, our lives and conduct must be guided by godly values, righteous conduct ‘doing right’ and not the strong emotional desire to avenge ourselves.
We are to sweep away all the blame from our doorsteps and gates not by covering up but doing what is right and honest in the sight of all men, not kinship, not our own race but all men. It adds, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” As believers, we are wells and springs of peace from which all, including our enemies, those wishing us harm can drink from.
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but (rather) give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance (is)mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” With these instructions, the burden of revenge is lifted from our hearts, minds and shoulders. God takes full responsibility for vengeance and we on the other hand we become instruments of His mercy. We are not to give ourselves in any way, to the cause of revenge.
The last instructions are, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” The purpose of evil is to turn us into angry, bitter, vengeful propagators of the same but it is God’s design to use that which was meant to destroy us to transform us in Christlikeness – propagators of godliness.
Does this mean that Al-Shaabab and the likes will/should get away with their heinous crime. No. God does hold them accountable. The goal for us believers is not really the crushing of Al-Shabaab but the proliferation of Christlikeness all over our sphere of influence. Last week, Kenyans and the world witnessed to what evil is, this week lets show them what good looks like. Let us exhibit Christlikeness.
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Scripture Reference: Psalm 51
So whose fault is it? Who is to blame? We have all become experts in passing the buck. We blame our parents, our society, the government, the church, even the poor dog.
Psalms 51 is a somber reflection of a soul that finally comes to terms with its wickedness. David, a great King by all accounts, loved by God and revered by his subjects probably reckons he could get away with adultery and murder. God was not amused.
Once the spotlight of guilt falls on him, David owns his sin and repents. He acknowledges his fallibility before God and asks for a clean heart and right spirit, conceding that his old heart and spirit were corrupt and beyond repair. His old heart and spirit may have blamed Uriah’s absence, Bathsheba’s beauty (and bath habits), the loneliness of palace life e.t.c. for his sin. God wasn’t buying it.
Naomba is the desperate prayer from a soul that has come to terms with its own foibles as contrasted against God’s holiness. It’s a cry for help to the One and Only professional that owns the patent for the heart with a monopoly on solutions to its problem; GOD.
I quote Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
So, whose fault is it? Who is to blame? Only ourselves. And yes, we are underlings, but only of a compassionate, loving and forgiving God.
APPLICATION
Have you been blaming others for the wrongs, sins, failures and shortcomings in your life? Its time you take responsibility, own it before God. Repent and see how God’s mercy and grace will flood your life and carry you to freedom.
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One of the best things that happened to me had nothing to do with my choice. My parent moved into a residential estate – Buruburu where our neighbours were drawn from different tribal background. Next they enrolled me in a public school that accommodated children from diverse backgrounds, (maybe just two – the poor and emerging middle class. Rich kids had their expensive private catholic schools with their swimming pools, non-humiliating uniforms and branded busses).
This taught me early in life to appreciate all kinds of people and never to judge based on mother-tongue dialect or social position. I will be cautious here and add that tribal sentiments still influenced conversations and interactions but they never seemed to matter particularly when, for example, we played ‘house’ or needed to ‘borrow a ride’ from the kid turned playground demi-god because he owned a BMX bike! I do not imagine myself superior, smarter, more-deserving or entitled just because of a family name.
Long before Kenya figured out the need for National Cohesion and Integration Commission the Bible, 2000 year ago had already commanded “Live in harmony with one another” Romans 12:16. The instruction is so simple and clear, it is easy to miss it or disregard its importance in the life of an individual Christian and the society as a whole.
When as a nation we chose to disregarded this instruction in 2007 – 2008, all hell broke loose as neighbors accosted each other with a cutlass, a church was burned with people inside, the railway was uprooted, property destroyed, over a thousand people lost their live and thousands others became internally displaced. It took the intervention of the international community, with Kofi Annan eventually securing a deal to cease the mayhem. Unfortunately the damage was already done and Kenya was never going to be the same again but for the grace of God.
Apostle Paul writing to the Roman believers (and by extension all his readers) gives us guideline on how to live in harmony with everyone. First, ‘Do not be proud’ – Pride inflates us to the point we believe we are much better, smarter, superior, cooler, hip e.t.c. than everyone else and therefore more deserving than them. Pride uses anything; tribe, academic prowess, money, looks and even shoe lace to over-emphasize our sense of self importance. DO NOT BE PROUD.
Secondly, Paul urges us to “..be willing to associate with people of low position” – In a culture that emphasizes on hanging-out with those greater than you in order to succeed, I will venture to encourage you to associate with those that seem less privileged than you. Some of the greatest lessons you will learn will at times come from those that seem ‘lesser’ than you in accomplishment, status, influence and qualification.
Pray ask ‘what if Jesus decided to only hang-out with His greater equals – Father and Holy Spirit?’, ‘What if He only spent His time with the ‘righteous’ while He was here on earth?’ Obviously there would be no church, no saints, no Christian, no you, no me, no Ulizalinks to talk about.
Thirdly, Paul writes ‘Do not be conceited’ – which is to say, do not be vain, smug or snobbish or arrogant. Obviously it is so difficult to have a harmonious relationship with someone who fancy themselves to be God’s-gift to humanity and we all should capitulate at their brimming awesomeness.
This week, lets endevour at be harmoniously cohesive.
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Caution. Parental Advisory. P.G. rating. Warning. These are very important terms. More often they save our lives or at least stops us from watching a movie or series that leaves is psychological scarred for life. Are there experiences you have gone through and wished someone warned you about before hand?
I wish I was told clearly when I was getting born again is that as a Christian, you must plan and prepare yourself for persecution. The Christian lifestyle and attitudes go against the grain of our natural tendencies and sometimes this lead to persecution.
Paul reminds the disciple of Christ that he or she will be persecuted in Romans 12:14. When this happens, we are expected to “Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.”
How much more peaceful would life be if we looked for the good in our adversary and insisted on treating them based on it. God cares very much for our persecutors. He wants to give them every chance to turn away from their sin too. He is interested in showing them kindness that they don’t deserve, so that perhaps in that kindness, they will see their wrong and turn away from it.
In the book of John 3:17 and 18,we are taught that God did not send Jesus, His only begotten Son, to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
That condemnation of being an unbeliever and living an unbeliever’s life is enough for us to take pity on our persecutors for they are already condemned and in need of a Saviour. If we are truly Christ’s disciples then we cannot, and must not rejoice at the condemnation of those who are in the world but live in a manner that will not hinder their souls from being saved. We are to sincerely bless those who seek to do us harm.
So, I will do for you what I now wish was done for me when I got born again; Warning: Following Christ may attract persecution! Yet I do not want to infuse you with fear. Be reassured that God’s divine protection is on you. He has angels specifically mandated to “..lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone”, Psalm 91:12. I can go on and on quoting scriptural assurance in the midst of trial and persecution. This is one of the reason why we are mandated to bless those who persecute us, because in the end, we are better for it.
I do sincerely hope that this week you will not have to face persecution because of your faith in Christ. But just incase you do. Please note that it is not an abnormality. I pray that you enjoy a peaceful and harmonious week. But incase of persecution, remember to bless and not curse. bless and not curse, bless….
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Jimmy Gathu once had a show on KTN…I think.. called what it takes. I was once his guest! But that’s not my story for today. The objective of the show was to interview super-achiever’s (Now I wonder why he hosted me) in hope of gleaming from them the secrets, wisdom and reason of their success. Verbs like ‘hard work’ ‘vision’, ‘purpose’, ‘goal-oriented’, ‘intelligence’, ‘smarts’, and the occasional ‘God’s blessings’, were common in the show. But have you ever wondered what makes us ‘successful'(‘Faithful’ in Christian lingo) followers of Christ?
Last week we were reminded of the fact that since we are Christians, we should be given to hospitality. It should be our propensity and in our new nature to be kind and generous to strangers. We should learn ardently on how to be hospitable with our time, our food and water, our money and even our clothing. The NIV says “Practice hospitality.” meaning it is a discipline that is learnt and undertaken over and over again. It is not in our basic human nature to share but we can, by the help of the Holy Spirit, learn this new attitude.
This week, we will continue with another reminder from Romans 12. In fact these entries, will be, for a time, based on this chapter that teaches us new attitudes now that we are in Christ. This time it comes from verse 12. Three things are required of us in this verse. They all have to do with how to conduct ourselves especially when in trouble.
The first is “Rejoicing in hope:
” We are known to be Christians and are effective when we make it our business to be joyful. We are to shake off sadness and rejoice. How can we do this? No matter how bad things are, we have a hope. We have hope that God is, forever. He is always there no matter what we are going through. He is everlasting. He is present. We also have hope that He loves us. He already showed His love once for all when He gave His only Son, a whole part of Himself, to take the punishment of every human being’s sin. If He already did this for us, went into Hades and rose again from the dead, His victory complete, why should we worry or be anxious? We have hope too that He is God over the future. He has promised us He is preparing a place for us to call home for all eternity. He has promised that we will resurrect in Him even if we face death. When we think on these lines, we have much to rejoice in.
Secondly, we are urged to be, “..patient in tribulation”
NIV says we are to be “patient in affliction.” As I write this, a dear woman in my local church has been struggling with a heart issue for several years. She is the picture of patience in affliction. Though she herself is suffering greatly, her spirit is strong. She is still concerned with the welfare of others. Her hope in God is strong. She still believes He is the healer but also has resigned herself to His sovereignty. Patience includes knowing that God is working out a bigger and better plan even though we don’t understand what it is.
Thirdly, we are required to be, “continuing instant in prayer” which NIV (New International Version) states as being “faithful in prayer.”
Prayer is the living breath of a believer. It shows that a believer is alive in their faith. When our faith takes a hit, our prayer life plummets. We are to harness our faith and keep it well watered with faithful prayer which includes supplication, thanksgiving, requests, intercession and petitions. These are the three habits we are reminded of this week that will keep us going in God’s direction.
So, what does it take? I’m not quite sure but a great place to starts is, rejoicing in hope, patience in tribulation and continuing in instant prayer. Have a safe and happy week.
Catch my segment every Tuesday on ulizalinks.co.ke
