Monday Muses
The process of spiritual maturity and purification is a function of time! There is a vintage characteristic one acquires as a result of time. Purification and maturity happens in those seasons of seeking and waiting on God!
Wait on God! My pastor loves to constantly say that you will never go wrong by waiting on God.
Mary K.
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
Jesus came to seek the lost, call sinners to repentance and reveal the love of God to the world. Several instances in the bible, we see Jesus dining with tax collectors. In another, He goes to the extent of defending a prostitute from mob justice. The end result was a converted heart and a changed lifestyle stirred by an encounter with the love of God. In like manner, believers have a mandate to do what Jesus did and even greater.
This month of December, we as New Life Fellowship Doha, opened our doors and prepared a feast of the word and food…literally, to Celebrate Christmas with our friends who haven’t encountered Christ. New Life Fellowship (NLF), is a Christ centered church located in Doha, Qatar. Every NLF member was to invite their friend(s) or colleague(s) who haven’t known the love of Christ to our Christmas event themed “The Prodigal”.
There was much lined up for our guest including the fun filled riddles, gift raffles, a skit, performance by NLF ladies, moments of worship and most important sharing the Word.
Out MCs George and Esther did an impeccable job as they kicked off the evening with quizzes that were accompanied by gifts for every correct answer. The questions ranged from the bible, history and current events happening here in Doha.
One of the performances that stood out was by the NLF kids. Here at NLF we believe that children are a heritage and gift from God and every parent has a responsibility to faithful train a child in the ways of Lord as the bible commands. Therefore, we invest in our children as much as we can, so that they can shine the light of God to the world and demonstrate Christ as they did through the song they performed.
Ladies! What would ministry be like if we didn’t have women around. Women were also a huge deal in the ministry of Jesus here on earth. NLF women worked tirelessly behind the scene and on screen as they prepared a skit and dance presentation that pointed us to the King Jesus. We hailed the King of kings through their awesome performance as He is the reason for our Christmas celebration.
The event could not be complete without the most important reason for the gathering, which was the Word! Our NLF’s pastor,Ranjith Philip, shared about the love of Christ and how he came to seek and save those who are lost. He reminded us that we can have all things, but without Christ, it is all vanity
Christmas is a season that brings family and friends together. Back in my country Kenya we spend much money and time making travel arrangements to be with our relatives and family living in the countryside. For this reason, we are likely to limit the meaning of Christmas to our schedules, travel plans, family reunions, vacays or Christmas presents.
For us at NLF, it was a season to reflect on the love that God demonstrated towards us. This love is meant for every single person on the face of the earth, so much so, that God sent his only begotten son, Jesus, so that NO ONE would perish. Celebrating with family is good, but going the extra mile and celebrating with strangers just to let them know that Christ loves them is much better. No matter where you are today, let someone know that Christ is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas 🎄
To watch our Christmas event in full “The Prodigal” visit our YouTube channel, New Life Fellowship Doha or click here
Mary K.
I bumped on this quote this morning and it got me musing.
Every gift and grace put into practice for God’s glory reveals a facet of the manifold wisdom of God to the world, to powers and principalities!
God has so much wisdom. Prophet Isaiah called it unsearchable! It cannot be contained in one person! So, God has deposited a portion His unsearchable wisdom and creative power in every single one of us.
When you receive (and I mean appreciate from a pure heart) the gift other people carry, you open your heart up to receive more grace, wisdom and learn some more in that particular area of their gifting, making you more skillful and better equiped!
So y’all writers creating and telling your stories on the blogs without fail, keep sharing and God will keep teaching and unveiling His wisdom to you. No one can see or tell it better like you do! We are all uniquely gifted. We are co-creators with our God!💪
Happy New Month❤️
Mary K.
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
Acts 2:17
At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, the best wine was served last.
In these last days, God has poured His spirit upon all flesh. So we are living in good days.
An Olive tree may take years to grow, but thereafter it bears much fruit effortlessly for many centuries. So does the righteous.
Our cup overflows to the next generations. Timothy, Paul’s protégée and faithful disciple, was a great missioner because of the sincere faith he had received from his mother Eunice and granny Lois 2 Timothy 1:5 . We now have the church founded on doctrine from letters written to Timothy by the Apostle Paul centuries later. There is indeed no limit to the Life of God in a person.
The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the LORD’s house, they grow in the courts of our God. They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.
Psm 92:12-14
The more you abide (Greek menō), remain, stay, tarry, be present or continue in expectancy and take root in Jesus, the stronger and richer your spirit-man gets. Precious things are not found on the surface. Linger in God’s presence some more!
Make it your ambition to grow by every degree higher and higher, stronger and stronger, from faith to faith and glory to glory unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Then you will know how the best wine tastes like!
Happy new month! Remain rooted in Christ
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
Living soberly: We ought to live our lives so soberly, so much so, that we see everyday as a day to sow into righteousness. You see, every day presents us with opportunities to serve God, spend time with Him and serve others. Spending time with God in itself, is one of the greatest spiritual investment one can make. It affects both the spiritual and our physical realm. More so, you redeem time and gain something you will never lose here on earth or the life after. You metamorphoo, becoming more like God! Jesus commended, Mary, Martha’s sister for doing so. She chose the best thing (Luke 10:41-42). Cause life is about choices! Chose to disconnect from your daily busyness and enter into this spiritual realm at the feet of Jesus, it builds your spirit man so you can live soberly and righteously here on earth, and prepares you for the next life. Or shall we receive a reward in heaven for something we never lived for? Possibly not.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness –
Psm 37:3 NKJV
Invest in good works: The motives of our daily good works should be founded on the Word! We don’t do good to clear our conscience or relieve ourselves from the burden of guilt. In the case of guilt, we repent and believe by that faith, Christ has purged our conscience from any dead works! (Hebrews 9:14). But when what governs our actions and good works is based on the Word, that is, our faith in Jesus, then our good works have a reward here on earth, as well as, in eternity. Therefore, sow kindness, goodness, mercy, use your resources, skills and graces with your heart set to help, restore, revive and serve others, expecting nothing in return. When a time comes and you’ll be the one in need, God will send you help in His own grand way! It can be through the people you have labored to help, sometimes through strangers and many times through people you least expect!
Lord, your word continues forever in heaven.
Psm 119:89 ERV
The Word is eternal: This means that the great or little acts we do here on earth in obedience to the Word or by the leading of the Holy Spirit have an eternal lifespan! They accumulates into an eternal reward and just like Abraham, righteousness is credited into our heavenly account.
“What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness
Rom 4:3
May the Lord help us to live with an eternal perspective; soberly and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit every moment and every day!
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
These are muses from my heart, a summary of my previous article on Gifts and talents (click here to read).
If you do not share the gift or the grace you carry, it will never grow and multiply. You become better by raising others and investing what you have in them.
When you pour out the wisdom, craft, skill you’ve built overtime by mentoring others, training them, preaching to them or giving them counsel, you become better yourself. And in doing so, you add value and enrich others making room for more fresh ideas, insights and experience. Within us is a well that can never run dry, no matter how much we keep pouring our knowledge on others. Putting your skills into service is how you find favour with God and people.
Envy, strife, bitterness and fits of anger chokes and stagnates your fruitfulness. These are works of the flesh and that’s what they do; they hinder your effectiveness. Find rest within your heart, in knowing that your grace and gifting is unique and you are irreplaceable. In the Kingdom of God, no one is in a competition with the other! No one should make you feel threatened. Your ability will not be measured against your work mates or church friends. As in the parable of the talents, your gift will be measured against the measure of grace you received from God and your accountability in stewarding that grace. If only we could run our lane so faithfully, with your eyes fixed on Jesus, not others!
It is indeed a huge loss on any person, when they withhold their gift to help or serve others. Could be because they don’t want others to be as good as they are, or for whatever other selfish reason. In that case, the person withholding or burying their talent miss out opportunities to sow righteousness and reap it’s fruit thereof. Freely you have received freely give!
We ought to carry out whatever responsibility entrusted to us, whether it be in our workplace or our local church, heartily without looking out for commendation from people. God sees your heart even when you are serving in oblivion and that’s enough. In due time, He will surely reward you in public!
Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people
Col 3:23 ISV
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
For the Kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Matt 25:14-18 NKJV
The parable of talents. Growing up, you must have heard this parable narrated in Sunday school. One servant received 5 talents, multiplied them and brought in 5 more. Another servant got 2, multiplied them and brought in 2 more. The one who got 1 talent despised it, went ahead and buried it, reason being, He feared and claimed to know His master as a hard man (v.24).
We are stewards. Jesus taught using parables to show how the Kingdom of God operates and how we ought to live. Every person (believer or not) has a purpose here on earth, and has grace, gifts, skill, talent or abilities entrusted to them by God. We realize some of these skills and gifts when we go through training or while in school. Some could be self-taught because we have a passion in some craft. Others are simply gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received when we believed or while serving in church. Thing is, no matter how you’ve mastered and grown in your gift, it has an important role to play in your local church. And as a steward over that grace and gifting, God expects you to put it to work in serving and advancing His Kingdom here on earth!
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17 NIV
We function as a body: We tend to compartmentalize our skills and gifts and think we can be useful in the local church only if we have gifts, say like the prophetic or speaking in tongues. You see, those research, accounting or artistic skills you acquired in school are as important to the body of Christ as much as the teaching or prophetic grace is. In this digital age, the teacher of the Word will need believers who are computer literate or IT nerds on site to project and broadcast the Word of God on media for effective teaching ministry. Every single one of us has a measure of grace and gifting that is relevant so that the church can function as a body!
The gift changes your heart: You see, God gives us gifts and talents according to our ability. Despising the little we have, defiles our heart hindering our lives from being fruitful. However, when we put the gift to work no matter how small it may seem in the eyes of men, it begins to grow! Better still, the more we use the gift to glorify God and not self, the more our character and heart poster changes. God will faithfully provide grace and mercy as we express our need-ness for His presence in serving Him. Our dependence on God to nourish and multiply our influence using our gift also grows. Just like a mustard seed, the gift grows to a huge tree that can shelter others.
So, no matter how gifted or talented you are, ministry and serving is about continually seeking God’s grace and mercy in order to carry out the task entrusted to you by God using that gift!
The increase: The more we have believers operating in their gifts in the church, the better. God may have freely given us gifts, but it’s upon us to choose where to invest. Sadly like the third trader, we can chose to burry them on the church pews. I know for certain, people who would choose to sit back and watch rather than invest their time and gift in church work…claiming “churches don’t pay”. Thing is, serving God should bring you joy whether there is a pay or not, or whether they recognize your labour or not. Keep on cause God takes note, and the only way to learn some more, sharpen that gift and become better is through serving! Then God in his time will bring you into visibility. He is also able to compensate you much more in one season, than what a pay slip can offer in one year.
I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
1 Cor 3:6 NLT
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord: Your knowledge of God or lack of it will influence how you use your gift and talent. If you withhold what he gave you freely at the first place, and see God as a hard Master, you’ll know him as a hard man. If you serve him faithfully without holding back because you know him as a generous Master, then He will unveil Himself to you as a generous Master.
May the Lord help us seek to grow in the knowledge and revelation of who He is, because this knowledge will always translate to our service and pursuit for Him!
To the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the devious you show Yourself shrewd.
2 Sam 22:27 NIV
You may want to check out this sermon from our Friday service that covers on gifts and talents. Our theme this month of October is “Well done, good and faithful servant”
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
Monday again! For most of us, Monday is the start of the work week, bringing with them a depressing realization that the weekend is definitely over. But if you want to live a contented & productive life, you’ve got to start looking on the bright side of things! Monday is just another day, with tons […]
What are the 20% thing you can do on a Monday to revitalize your week and make it more meaningful? Podcast Episode#3
Sing and shout, even though you have never had children! The LORD has promised that you will have more children than someone married for a long time
Isaiah 54:1 CEV
Great kingdom exploits are birthed in prayer. Great people with great spiritual impact are a product of prayers they have made or prayers made by others for them.
Prophetic utterances or God’s promises should not take away the place of prayer. These utterances and promises are good spiritual insights that guide us in knowing what we ought to pray for!
John the Baptist had his birth and assignment foretold by the prophets of Old. But His mother was aging and barren! His parents prayed, and birthed this promise that seemed so long coming.(Luke 1:13). John was mighty, he was never a reed shaken by wind! He confronted religious leaders and kings without fear.
Rachael and Hannah of Elkanah were barren! They raised a desperate cry to God and brought forth Joseph and Samuel respectively! Prayers made by these women, aligned these boys to their purpose, calling and the assignment God had for them in Israel. Joseph became a prime minister in Egypt and preserved God’s people in a foreign land during a time of famine.
Samuel’s leadership as the last judge and the first of the prophets after Moses in Israel was remarkable! His mother’s prayers must have had a whole lot to do with his kind of dedication and devotion to God!
For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Isa 51:3
God has a knack for turning barren situations into fruitfulness! We have Sarah, who begot Isaac at an old age after Abraham petitioned God. Rebecca’s womb opened when her husband, Isaac, sought the Lord for her.
We tend to think that we are disadvantaged when we have what looks like a seemingly shameful and overstayed situation. With God, that is not so! In fact, it is an opportunity to see the glory, majesty and the wisdom of God in display, when we cry out to Him.
Our pursuit in prayer will always yield. I’ve come to see that there is always a grand divine plan that triggers a person to raise an intense heart cry to God. This divine plan is normally greater than our current need. We may not immediately understand His divine plan and bigger picture, but as we continue in prayer, He responds and unveils it progressively and overtime! These answered prayers will always leave us with a divine knowledge and revelation of God, which is beyond what we can learn from books or a bible school.
So, today if you feel barren in your finances, relationships, career, calling…pray! You might just bring forth ideas that will preserve generations!
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
Different names in the Old Testament were ascribed to God, hinting on His nature and character. For instance;
Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will provide (Gen 22:14)
Jehovah Shalom – The Lord our peace (Judges 6:23-24)
Jehovah Nissi – The Lord my banner (Exodus 17:8-15)
Every time God intervened in a situation or whenever He spoke a promise to his servants or people, He would attach His name on the promise, describing what He is or what He will do. God re-introduced Himself to Abraham as El-Shaddai; the Almighty, All powerful, and the All-sufficient one. Many generations later, He is still the Almighty and the One who supplies more than enough!
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
Gen 17:1-2
Hebrew translations further define the name El Shaddai showing God’s nature as a nurturer. God is the many breasted one, the nurturer of babies, the provider of the nourishment that we need in life, one who satisfies and one who is more than enough!
God, as our El Shaddai, has multiple feeding opportunities for us. We can trust Him to take care of all of us, our children and the generations after us. He made a covenant with Abraham that not only provided for him but covers us, as well!
In Genesis 13, Abraham’s and Lot’s herdsmen got into a heated dispute over land. The land was getting smaller to contain the two families because God had prospered them! Abraham must known God as the sufficient one, when he chose stretching further over contention with his nephew Lot! He even gave Lot the privilege to chose which side he would go. Then Lot chose the well watered garden on the East while Abraham had no choice but to go on the opposite direction.
Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
Gen 13:10-11NIV
Interesting, right after Abram parted ways with Lot, God appeared to Him, promising to give him and his descendants the entire land, which included the East where Lot had chosen!
The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.
Gen 13:14-15
As long as Abraham walked blameless before God, he had the assurance of the nurturer and nourisher on his side, no matter how disadvantaged his circumstance may have looked like.
Isaac was in a similar circumstance. While living in Gerar valley, Isaac and his servants dug wells that belonged to His father Abraham. The Gerar herders displaced them twice, because of strife, contention and envy, then claimed ownership of the wells. Just like His father Abraham, Isaac choose to move and stretch further to new territories instead of disputing with the Philistines. Again, Isaac dug a well further from their border and called it Rehoboth, signifying broad, spacious place and enlargement (Gen 26:22). This time, the well dispute came to an end.
We would not be reading of Rehoboth today if Isaac went to war or tried to prove how much privileged he was as Abraham’s son. Yet, he had all the reasons to contend in order to preserve His father’s legacy. Many may argue so. But you see, sometimes walking away, or choosing not to fight back may seem as weakness in the eyes of people, but it is not so in the eyes of God. We are peace makers, and peace will always prevail over contention!
Later on, Isaac prevails! King Abimelek realizes God is with this man, Isaac, and goes to him to make a peace treaty. God also appears to Isaac, Just like he did to Abraham after he had a similar contention with Lot, and reaffirms His promise to Isaac, just as he had spoken to Abraham. (Gen 26:24-30)
The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
Gen 26:24
Enlarge your vision:
When you begin to see God as El Shaddai, the many breasted one, the God who satisfies you, your nuturer and nourisher, then you will not see the need to contend with people whose limitation is on present circumstance like the Gerar herders. Instead, upgrade your dreams, talk to Him about your heart desires! Like Abraham, lift your eyes and see further. Enlarge your vision, stretch out your dwelling. Lengthen and strengthen your communion with God in prayer and the Word until you see every prophetic word spoken concerning you established!
El Shaddai also has more than enough resources, wisdom, revelation, opportunities, graces, business ideas, spiritual gifts …to keep the church of Jesus Christ alive for many lifetimes. This includes every individual believer, because we are His chosen generation and His peculiar people.
As graced ministers in the body of Christ, we don’t have to compete in order to prevail. We ALL are on a mission, with one goal in mind; to make Christ known! Just because someone is suckling (or say prevailing in their calling, gifting or business) it doesn’t mean that they have taken your place.
There is more than enough in God and we can never suck him dry. God’s stage and spotlight is big enough for every child of God. So much so, that you don’t have to deem another person’s light for yours to shine brighter! Neither do you need to compete for numbers to look better or accomplished than others.
We are all unique vessels, created and set apart for the master’s use! See, Christ as the head of the church, has one bride! Therefore, our different gifting, talents and ministries are meant to glorify and advance the Kingdom of God!
Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
Isa 54:2 ESV
His nature revealed through us:
God is willing to nurture, nourish and prosper us! We also need to know that as the body of Christ we are all team mates! The grace and gift we have received are for the benefit and nourishment of others. The more we have many believers advancing in their gifting and graces, the better. So, you should not feel threatened when things “seem” to be working for another person better than they are working for you. God nourishes us so that we are able to nourish others. We are to rejoice with others as they prevail in God. We are to open our heart to receive their grace and gifting in their ministration, as we find peace in our heart, knowing that what God can do for one, He can do even much more for another! If He so wishes to nourish or nurture us through others, Just know its because He is the many breasted one! He is El shaddai!
Copyright©2021 Mary Kinuthia
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