AS WE GET CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS,.....................

[Matt 6:33,34] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

I took my self back memory lane when I was a kid. During those days, when christmas gets near we have in mind the usual time that our christmas goodies come from our parents so we usually make our request early before the deadline and when they don't come, the disturbing starts. We disturb our parents and sometimes cry especially when we see our neighbours displaying their christmas presents. Hahaha, that was then.

With about two weeks to christmas, there are troubles in homes now. Some parents are thinking very hard where to get solutions to making the family happy especially the kids. Ask any child what he or she needs for Christmas as the list he or she will provide is more than even what the elderly needs. When I grew up,I began to understand what our parents go through. The questions they have to ask themselves as in the bible verse above. As the festive season approaches, parents are asking similar questions. I don't know what actually happens in the developed countries but in the developing countries, you will understand.

Looking at the word we have as our introduction brings us hope but this can only be achieved by faith. It is time we stop worrying about what we will eat, drink, wear and even where to get funds to paint the house. Times are difficult as the world sees it but there is a Father who understands our needs. Parents, keep the faith in God. Stop worrying your self with these. They are added benefits. Remember the Bible said we should seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto us. God knows we need shelter, food, drinks and clothing etc. Stop worrying and trust God to provide.
Children or my fellow brothers and sisters, let us stop putting pressure on our parents as the time approaches. They already have you in mind. They are thinking about your needs as well. Pray for them instead and when the gift or presents doesn't come at the time expected, understand them. As far as you are alive, Christmas will always and forever come and meet you. Thinking everyday will only make you see your problems bigger than the God you serve.

There is no need to worry, there is no need to think. We are bearing a needless pain all because we do not carry everything to God in prayers as the song writer said.Your heavenly father already knows that you need them and He has made provisions for them. He will provide and make a way. Only trust in Him.

Stay blessed as we enter into the festive mood. Also look out for the coming weeks as we read some series of articles reviewing the year 2010. God bless you.

WHY WORRY?

That is life. Sometimes, I think its funny but it is worth thinking off . It is nature and this is what I call the mystery of life. I have never stopped to think but it unfolds every second. Some of which we are witnesses, others we only hear on the world news networks.

In this world;
Whiles bush burning is becoming the order of the day in some countries, natives of other countries are busily planting trees with the aim of greening their environment.

Whiles companies are laying off because of credit crunch, others are employing.

Whiles some people are sad, others are busily making merry.

Some relationships are broken whiles others are busily falling in love.

Whiles people are afraid to build because of the earthquake in Haiti, Dubai now boast of the world tallest building.

Whiles there are wars in some countries, other countries are busily signing peace agreements.

There are shortages of water in other countries whiles others experience flood and are fed up with God.

People are being taken to the morgue or mortuary whiles others are happily returning home from the maternity ward with their newly born bady.

Whiles some married couples are childless and their marriage is about to hit the rock, another couple have about six to eight children but they are all disrespectful and a nuissance to the community in which they live.

Others are dying whiles new ones are being born.

It can go on and on and on but never forget that whiles man continue to sin, God keeps loving us and forgiving us.
That is life. What we need is patience and trust in God.It may not go well for you today but trust God for a better tommorrow.
Its nice to wish for something but don't worry if you dont have it because you don't know what having that might have done to you. Trust God. He knows what you need at each and every second to put that smile on your face.

Why worry? Leave all to God and stop the thinking. God bless you.

TRY THESE USEFUL TIPS

If you have been expecting something from God and it seems to delay, the solution may be among the following;

1. Ask yourself if you have seeked first the kingdom of God because it is after this that ALL other things shall be added. (Matthew 6:33)
2. Have you really asked? (Matthew 7:7)
3. I think sometimes there is absolutely no need to be asking for only such riches from God when He gives you the chance to. (1 Kings 3:5-13)
4. Maybe you just did not ask in His name. (John 14:13, 15:16)
5. Do you love God yourself? (Romans 8:28)
6. I think God is preparing you for something bigger. Just endure the delay and you will be amazed at the results. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
7. Maybe you just don’t give or you usually give expecting something in return.For all I know, it is when you give that you receive and God also loves a chearful giver.

Have you faithfully answered them? How do you rate yourself? Why not make the necessary corrections and try again?

To be continued.........

MY PRAYER

A new year,

A new begining,

Great expectations with great aspirations,

Change in attitudes filled with love and patience towards fellow man

MY PRAYER.........................

Dear God, thank you for putting a seal on me and my friends to stay alive to see this year.

We are grateful for all you did for us in the previous year and we say we appreciate them a lot.

We pray commiting this new year into your care. We are human and therefore we seek for understanding from above and strenght to walk through this new year.

We pray for your presence in all that we do or say. Please season our lips so that words that comes out will be of blessing to others and encouragement to the discouraged.

In the previous year, you loved us oh Lord even when we were full of hate for you,

You were faithful unto us even when we were still unfaithful towards you,

Your love never departed from us.

Please God, see us through this new year and beyond.

My friends are in your care. Continue to bind us together and make us faithful to each other.

Bless us oh Lord and never let thy words depart from us as you thought us to pray and say;

Our father

Which art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done on earth

As it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom

The power and the Glory

Forever and ever

AMEN.............

A 31st DECEMBER IN GHANA.

With a note book in hand, one is expected to utilise all pages when one pays a visit to Ghana during the christmas period through to the new year. Ghana is a country in West Africa with lots of history. A country characterised by the giving of gifts where one is not expected to reject any gift given to hm or her, people share gifts ranging from live goats through to a plate of rice with one wing of a fowl.

Brisk business begins in my country Ghana especially from the 24th of December through to the 1st January of the new year. A country where citizens are known for their warm hospitality, a new year is welcomed like welcoming a new born baby with prayers and fun.

It is also a time for most media houses to harvest all that eluded them during the year besause advertising shall be on the increase with companies selling chicken and even churches advertising for what I call "floating christians". Listen to a radio station, watch a television station or walk through a busy street in Ghana and you will either hear churches saying the things you should expect in the coming year when one worships with them on the new year eve.

This is the time the " big english" lovers come to town. Banners fly with insciptions such as " 2010 my year of blessings, Enter your blessings in 2010, Crossover 2010, etc.

On the 31st of December, popularly reffered to as "31st watch night service' one is expected to attend church service. Service start from 7:30 pm and is expected to come to an end on the 1st of January the following day around 2:00am at dawn. Unlike other countries where people stand on the street to watch fire works ect to welcome the new year, Ghanaians are well noted for attending church service on this day. Prayers are said with all seriousness and I think even though God sees what we do everyday, this is the time He gets a second chance to listen to all the sins one commited during the year.

When you visit Ghana and you found yourself at a church service, just moniter the following especially during prayers. Prayers are said aloud when the prayer topic is pray for your country, your work, friend etc. Immediately the prayer topic changes to pray and ask for forgiveness of sins or pray and bring your needs before the Lord, the room dies out quietly. People pray at a low tone now and make sure one standing or sitting by does not hear the list of sins as that are being rolled out.

Back to the 31st wacth night service, ghanaians attach a lot of seriousness to this service. As for new year resolutions, only God can tell. People who did not attend church service through-out the passing year found themselves at church praying to God. Thank God He is ever welcoming or else............. Like a guy making promises to his newly found girlfriend, ghanaians make a lot of promises to God especially regarding their sins. Smokers promise to stop smoking, armed robbers promises to lay down their working tools, as for those who rape innocent victims, one cant find any other source of happiness when they declare a new attitute to have their pants on at all times. As for politicians, we leave that to God because..................

Pastors and Ministers of God are always busy on such important nights. Those who find themselves in churches expect men of God or leaders of the service to pour prophecies upon prophecies on them. People expect to hear things such as " on the coming year, you will buy a car, build a house, get a promotion at work, get money and when I say money, I mean money and the last but not the least, if you are a ghanaian having a relative abroad but do not hear from him or her, if the man of God prophesy that your relative will come and take you away with him or her or you will travel overseeas in the coming year, you are the king of the service even when the country is Togo that can be entered into from Ghana even on foot.

Life in the morning of the 1st of January every year is interesting. People meet each other on the street and great " Afehyia pa" meaning happy new year and the response is usually "Afe nko mbra mb) to yen" meaning the year should go and come back meeting us alive.

Do you want to know what happens a month or two after all those brisk prayers are said in Ghana and after all those promises of good behaviour are made to God, meet me in my next blog.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF THIS?

I just hope am not scaring you with this my blog because I feel the fear myself anytime I tend to think about this subject. Hve you thought of it too? Is there any day you decided to stop thinking how to make money or run your business and focus on this alone?
The question I want to ask here is very simple. What would have been your punishment for man if you were God on the judgement day?
None is perfect I know and we are full of mistakes also. The rate at which we break promises to our husbands and wifes and even to those we are in relationships with, twice that rate we do break our promises that we make to God.
From creation, man has always been different. You just look at this comparison; during creation, God said "let there be light", ect and there was. Its like almost all the things he created He did so out of just mentioning it or as I do say speaking the word.
Now let us come to the creation of you and I. I remember very well that God said "let us create man in our own image and in our likeness" Wow!! What an oppurtunity to be exactly like the potter Himself. Everyday, we meet people with some deformities or illness that has deformed parts of their bodies making them look "a little bit strange" not like ourselves and we look like them in certain ways and styles. Some of them had this from birth and it is no fault of theirs but you and I despise them even though God said He created us in His own image.
In us is the breath of life. We breath before singing, speaking, etc but the question is do we do that in the glorification of God? How effectively can you account for the breath of life God has given you so far? To steal, kill as is going on in Africa and you name it.
Hmmmm, others say God is caring, loving and good. I see no wrong with that but the question that most people ask is that if God really loves us and knows all that will happen to us even before we were born, why did He not put measures in place to stop us from sinning? Why does God still want the evil to happen, our friends to die, people to fall sick etc? I also understand God too because man has never been faithful to Him. Even when Adam sinned, God himself came around in the Garden that night to look for Adam. Hope you have seen the picture am trying to exhibit here. Man sinned and instead of man going to God to confess and plead for forgiveness, he decided to hide from God and to my supprise, man added that " he was afraid and hid himself when he heard the voice of God". Oh man, when?
As for me, I don't really know but have we been faithful to God enough? Does God really deserve the kind of lifestyle you are putting up before Him? At what percentage will you rate yourself when God gives you the chance?
Is this not worth to think off?