Who do you condemn?The sinner or sin?

As Christians, we should not judge or condemn people based on their actions. We should acknowledge sin and let the Holy Spirit do the conviction and conversion. The problem we have these days is that some Christians play as God. Manipulating scriptures to suite a few people’s interests at the expense of others is wrong. Discriminating people based on church traditions may draw the discriminated even further from the truth. As Christians, we ought to go back to the truth and ask ourselves of what Jesus would do whenever making decisions. Can one fight sin without fighting the sinner? Yes, with effective communication. Let us ponder on Jesus’ reaction when they brought an adulterous woman to him. The rest of the people accused the adulterous woman but Jesus’ approach was a different one. His response was one that condemns none but one that is compelling to stop someone from sinning anymore (John 8: 2-11).

Stop panicking and wondering

I love starting my day with quiet time and devotion. In today’s devotion, the word of God encouraged me to stop panicking when in difficult situations. Have you gone into situations where you fail to see God through it? When nights seem to be longer than they actually are?  When are you anxious and panicking? If you are in such a situation right now, I would like to let you know that God stays true to his sovereign plan and knows the end from the very beginning. I may not know what you are going through but God knows. Philippians 4:19-20 tells of the way God will supply all our needs according to his riches in Glory. Glory will always be to him forever and ever.

I have been following the political climate in my mother country Uganda and to be honest, am not so happy with what is going on. I have often been wondering whether God is even working things out for the good of the country. Been asking myself several questions like why do people react the way they do? How does the president feel when such is going on in the country that he claims to be leading so well? Why do honest souls die from gunshots? What happened to freedom of expression?

The more I ask myself these questions, the more my mind goes into a wonderland! I am reminded that God is never anxious and never gets confused. I thus trust in all that he is doing even in situations that seem hopeless. The solution to today’s political situations does not rely on people with political might; it relies on the sovereign God. I would like to request you to join me in praying for politics of not only my motherland but also for the whole world. It is my prayer that God will do what only he can do.

I know that leadership comes from God and I am well assured that he can transform the hearts of the bad leaders into the leaders he wants them to be. God predestined us for adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purposes of his will, to the praise of his Glorious Grace.

For further reading and encouragement please consider reading my main devotional text today; Ephesians 1:3-12. Wishing you a blessed day and a fruitful week.

Good Bye Colorado

If my life was a book, today would be the end of my chapter in Colorado Springs.  God has immensely Blessed me and always opens doors for me whenever I need one open!!. To note is that the doors he opens always have more to offer and most of them come through the people he brings along my paths. When I look back to where he has brought me from I feel like trusting his leading even more. He knows the way and mine is to only follow.  Meeting you (Reader of this post) might have been a portion of the chapter that needed to be written in the past 1.5 years and am thankful for all your input.  Based from the many conversations held over work and meals shared together; a number of you may be co-authors in my next chapter of life.  From Wednesday last week till today I have been going out for breakfast, Lunch and dinner as a way of saying bye to my friends.  I have had a limited time to say bye to all of my great friends and that’s why I have decided to draft a good bye message to whoever might be interested in one. 

 

I trust that the Lord will reveal the many other pieces of my next chapter and perhaps one of you would be the person that the Lord uses to do that. 

In as much as I don’t feel like leaving Colorado I feel like the Lord chooses me to leave and I must say good bye to you in love.  To all the people that I have met; just know that you have been a divine appointment to me and I will miss you so dearly. I look forward to seeing you again either in this side of the earth or in heaven. I will be heading to Pennsylvania tomorrow morning where I will eventually set off from to go back to my homeland Uganda at a time that is not yet determined. Who knows, maybe I will write another Colorado Chapter. Stay Tuned!!!!!!

Embracing Diversity

Uniqueness among us leads to diversity which can sometimes be a form of Entertainment. In the time I have been in the USA, my lack of knowledge on some American basic things has been a source of Entertainment to me and those around me, especially as I asked or was asked questions that seemed to be comic in nature. When I visited an American restaurant during the “Genesis” of my stay here, I got asked about the kind of dressing that I wanted. I thought to myself, do men here put on dresses? Do I have a wound that has to be dressed? Little did I know that all that I had to say was that I needed Italian dressing or a thousand Island. My culture is simply different from US culture and can often be distinguished by my accent.  Maybe that’s why people ask me about where my accent is from. Surprisingly those who call my way of speaking an “accent” also have an accent. Who does not have an accent??As I reflect on my stay in the “dream land” I realize that I have learned a lot about this culture and hope those who get to interact with me learn somethings about my culture.  God in his wisdom allowed us to be born where we were born. It’s not a mistake that we have so many cultural affiliations today. Our uniqueness is something that has to be embraced with open hands because of the following truths.

1.  Nobody will be you: God in his own wisdom made us so unique that even those with the same DNA have distinct values. So why waste time wanting somebody else to be like you simply because you think you are more perfect than him. We all have strengths and weaknesses and have to learn to bear with each other if we are to live harmoniously. No human is perfect, and just like no human is perfect no culture, ethnicity, tribe or clan is perfect. Being different from others does not justify that you are right and they are wrong. All that we should care about is building human relationships and reaching a mutual understanding.
2. We are here to serve:  God made us the way we are for a purpose, to serve him and those around us. Have you wondered about why you do what you do? Like it or not, what you do affects others, either directly or indirectly. We all work on products or services that are used by others. Not even those who claim to be self-employed are self-employed in the real sense because they will at least need clients. Instead of being obsessed with personal ego, power, prominence or position we should endeavor to do onto others what we would love them do onto us since we get things from others anyway.
3.  Value what we can do together: I have realized that nothing can defeat a united team and believe that every person has a something to bring on the table. I’m always amazed by the way our different gifting’s compliments each other. I know that my worth is not based on what I have (Talk of education, skill sets, resume, authority, net worth to mention but a few) but rather on how ready and willing I’m to let God use me wherever he leads me. Reminds me about the boy who had what the disciples considered little (only had five small barley loaves and two small fish John 6:9) and how God used that for his Glory.  I know that a team that has Jesus at the center can be unstoppable. If the world is to be a better place we have to let go of what divides us and cling on what unites us.

  

Being “You”

Have you had moments in your life when you wished you were someone else? Or wished you were born from a particular family/country or wished you had pursued a different career? Or basically found yourself drifting into wishful thoughts? 

If your answer to all these questions is a yes I would like to encourage you to develop pride and confidence in whom you are. I do not know what you believe in; Good Luck or Karma but I know there is a creator who designed you the way you are. He knew you before you were created in your mothers’ womb, watches over you and in his perfect plan, sees you through whatever life brings your way. You are the only “you “that God created. So unique and special in your own way. You may not be like your brother or neighbor but you can be “you”. 

The only person you should be in competition with should be yourself. You can determine to be the best “you” that ever lived. I love the fact that God created us in his own Image. Since we bare his own image, we can endeavor to be like him. Stop doing things because others are doing them but rather do them because you think that’s what God wants you to do. If you have the best Architect of your future (God) with you, you will never go wrong. 

We can overcome this technologically advanced, secularized and fast paced society if we remain faithful to the Biblical foundations. We have to silence the noise from our environments and get a peace of mind that the Lord gives. ''Be you''

The Flaws with in our leaders is a human flaw

Yesterday was Trump’s Inauguration ceremony and according to him the four years of his presidency are going to be a historical moment (Every moment can be historical; good or bad).  In his inauguration speech he sounded to be the only outstanding leader America has been waiting for. He seems to be the only one with a clear course of action for the government. He somehow made it sound like the past 44 presidents of the USA have not done much for such a beloved nation. Was he true about himself? May be yes or may be no. Moreover there have been strikes here and there to oppose his presidency. If he was as good as he claims to be, may be people would not be having mixed feelings. 

A thorough analysis of all the governments of the world clearly shows that not even one of them comprises of the best leadership. Each of the leaders takes themselves to be the very best even when they have those who do not approve what they say. Truth be told, there is no perfect leader on this planet. Humans are imperfect by nature and that’s why each of us has weaknesses. The fact is that, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does well and who never sins. Not even the best “Christians”!!!.

 If we are our selves are not perfect why then do we expect our leaders to be perfect yet they have the same human nature? Job answered it clearly in Job 9:20 "Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty”. James went ahead to remind us that we all stumble as in James 3:2 “For we all stumble in many ways If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well”.

The good news is that there is one perfect man who ever lived, who lives and who lives forever. His name is Jesus and his main concern is to make us perfect like him. May be instead of blaming our leaders and counting ourselves better than them we should start praying for them. We should keep stepping in Jesus’ footsteps if we are to be perfect. If we are to attain the crown he has for us. We should wake up, and strengthen our faith as we find our deeds successful according to the sight of God. We have to yield to his leading and let his will be done.

The truth is that God can use even the imperfect leaders for his Glory. May be according to you Trump is not qualified to be the president of USA. Can you trust God to use him? Our human flaws can be used by God. He is the only savior that the world needs. He has the answers to all our questions and we can have a peace of mind in him alone. 

The lives we need to Live

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mathew 11:28-30). Simply put complete freedom can only be found under his yoke. As Human beings we were created for dependency first to God and then on one another in a loving and caring community. Reminds me of an African saying that am because we are and since we are I think therefore am. No man is an Island!!!. The belief in self sufficiency is thus a total lie. God created us in his own image and we belong to him even when we may decide to live in total denial. Its high time we realized that our autonomy/independence is not right at all. Yes we have free will and can decide to live as we wish but we should have reverence to the one who created us in the first place. We should hunger for his correction and allow him to take lead of our lives. True rest can only be found from him not from our egos or selfish desires. If we abide and cling on him we will love what he loves and hate what he hates. We will esteem others better than ourselves and the world would be a better place. We should admit that as human beings we are all imperfect and stop practicing self-righteousness. Do you ever imagine what would happen if we stopped the blame game and had forgiving hearts? (As in the Lord's Prayer: Forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us). If we loved Jesus a little more and did what is desired of us, families would be strengthened and the world would be a better place. Personal Prayer, Lord may you grant us the peace of mind that only you can give and may you restore any broken relationship between you and those around us in Jesus' Name I pray. Amen. #DrawingclosertoGod #Restoring #Relationships #Forgiveness, #Prayer