Kigoye Eriya

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. While it's said that Faith is the hand that receives what God has already provided by His Grace, hope is that which keeps our faith alive.  Many downplay the power of hope yet it's one of the three cardinal things that remain, 1 Cor 13:3. Hope is not weak for it's essential for faith. Faith merely gives substance to what hope anticipates.  I love being in hope of a bright future. This keeps me excited about what God is about to accomplish. Being hope doesn't negate my firm confidence or faith that God has already moved by grace in providing all that I need through His Son's death, burial and resurrection. Have you ever met a believer who no longer has hope? They can be so bitter.They can be hard on themselves and others around them. They quickly eliminate themselves from receiving any promises for a good future. No wonder new believers are quick to receive from any sermon b...

 Luke 18:8 b Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Everyday we are experiencing the world losing faith in God's goodness, His love and mercy. It has reached a point when people think that spiritual things are not real and resort to what they can see, feel, taste, touch and smell. A scientists discovery may capture the attention of most than an ancient reading of the Word which may say to their current situation. Merely mentioning that here is a man of God attracts mockery in some circles. Everything spiritual is being watered down for the carnal.  The world is void of faith, hope and love yet this is exactly what Christianity and the church is hinged on. Any Christian who is not walking in the light of those three is missing out on what Christianity is all about.  Everything in the world is working together to make you faithless, hopeless and loveless starting from the news to current events. You hear of countries fighting, politician...

   3 John 1:1-2 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. God is willing for us to prosper. To prosper means to experience success in our endeavours.  God doesn't will that we fail or live in pathetic situations. His desire that we are prosperous, perfectly healthy, increase in knowledge in our souls.  Some Christians only want spiritual and soulish prosperity for example salvation, joy, peace, happiness and don't expect anything good apart from those. That level of thinking hinders their receiving from God.  Align your thinking to God's will as far as prosperity is concerned and your results in the natural will tremendously change.

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:  How does it feel when one doesn't reach their dreams? Frustrating. Will they carry such frustrations even in heaven? No.  The fulfilment and satisfaction you will get in heaven will be so satisfactory that you won't even regret why you didn't achieve this or that. Humanistic thinking wants us to think that the earth is all there is. So people are all out to meet earthly, carnal and fleshy desires. If they don't get married they want to curse God and everyone, if they don't get their dream house, dream job, dream car then they live gloomy lives. The bible says we are complete in Christ. Nothing adds to that perfection if it is earthly in nature. A broken relationship doesn't complete or perfect you, you are already complete.  The same completeness we have in our spirits is what we shall enjoy throughout eternity. Although the memory of having not achieved this and that w...

  1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: One of the most perversions we have heard propagated is that being a God fearing person means you have to be serious, unhappy, and without joy at all. On the contrary that is not true.  There is so much fun in the Lord, in fact laughter too in the presence of the Lord. There's a revival which happened in the near past where people were simply bursting out in laughter throughout the revival. The devil's children cannot have true fun at all. Bibe says the blessing of God it makes rich and adds no sorrow to it. It means those who are not experiencing God's blessings are in perpetual sorrow and without peace. There's a man who sacrificed his child to get wealth and faced it rough all his life. Could he have meaningful rest anymore, never? The ghost of his child would wake him up even after having slept for a little while to go ...

Mark 10:29-30 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.   God is not unjust to forget every sacrifice we make for the advancement of His kingdom. Due time is coming when He will repay whether here on Earth or in heaven.  Sometimes as a minister you make many sacrifices for the sake of the gospel and you appear to be foolish both to your natural mind and to those who are watching, but God is not like some earthly masters who sometimes forget or even don't care. He will compensate all that you have lost and even reward you much more than if you wouldn't have done so.  I remember the earlier times of the church we planted when we ha...

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. What forms a nice conversation? Exchange of knowledge and sharing experiences. It means learning, acquiring facts which we didn't early on know early on.  Some accounts of those who have gone to heaven reveal that apostle Paul sits some some men in a circle to talk about what? His revelations in the Word as he was doing so in the world when he was alive.  They say that in heaven you won't fail to recognize David because you would see someone obviously worshipping. It will be awesome to ask him about the Psalms.  I wonder whether those who don't read their bibles will have to ask the other bible characters about theirs experiences while on earth? Some only want to find out from the Lord why their mother died? Why they didn't get married? Questions which are so carnal. How shall one who was not serving at all while on earth...

Revelation 7:9-11 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Heaven will be made of all tribes, languages, people groups. The Lord is the God of variety. He created each of us uniquely. No two human beings are exactly the same. This is so wonderful to comprehend.  How often do you appreciate your unique personality and the unique contribution that you bring to life in this world? There's so much beauty in variety which the Lord to delights in which we should delight in as well. No wonder the judgement you will receive will be on you as an i...

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 18-21 And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Everyone loves a beautiful home to dwell in. And you notice people's tastes in the kind of homes they build. They plan to put their best in it and spend all their savings for it.  God too has an eternal ...

Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. The thought of ruling with Christ forever captivates every believer. Just as there are ranks now, even then there will be ranks. All of us have eternal life, a gift and a reward for salvation but the other rewards for serving God will not be the same for each of us. Your level of rewards then is hinged on your present faithfulness.  I now pity those who want to make last minute confessions of salvation on their death beds! Five minutes into eternity, they will wish that they got saved early in their early years and worked for God. Bishop Gerald Mwebe always says some people will thank us (pastors) in heaven for having pushed them to serve God while on earth. They will forever be grateful for having obeyed to serve God because of the rewards they will receive then. Your faithfulness in han...

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. What comes to mind when you think of heaven, is about the mansions, the glory of heaven or the person of God? If it's only about the other things then you are missing out the main gist of the matter. The main point about ceasing to live here on earth is being with the most important of all God.  Heaven is not heaven without God. Dwelling with Him will satisfy us more than all the other pleasures we shall meet there. He's the central part of our satisfaction. Nothing else will matter when we are with Him. When we meet Him, we shall know all things even as we are fully known. Think about going to meet a friend of yours and you actually don't get to see him yet you are given a very good reception. I don't think your joy will be full if you happen to go back without having met him. It's also weird to go and enjoy the reception more than the host. ...

Isaiah 11:6-9 " The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.  Some of the events which are to happen at the end of this age include the rupture of the church, the millennial reign of Christ which will take 1000 years and the eternal reign with Christ on the new Earth.  In the new Earth the Lord promises us that everything shall be restored. The restoration began at the crucifixion of Jesus where Christ restored man and things to God and the climax of it will be at his second co...

  John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he comforted the disciples by pointing them to heaven, a place where he was about to go to. What this means to us is that whenever we go through trials and our hearts are troubled, we need to remember that Jesus is preparing for us something greater in heaven. It helps put hardship in perspective.  I have heard descriptions of heaven as merely a state, an atmosphere or God's presence and not a place. Eden is a word which means beautiful, delight, pleasure. So some argue that God placed man in his presence in Genesis which was a beautiful, delightful and pleasurable place. Obviously God's presence is beautif...

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. There's a place for actions in the kingdom of God. I mean those actions which do not grant us salvation but they follow our salvation.  Every small act that we do on earth will be rewarded in heaven. If believers knew how important this is, they would straighten up. There's what I call negative energy. This is when someone wastes their life with actions that won't matter in eternity. Christians should be wiser than that. Any act however much it looks insignificant will be rewarded. There are two sides to it, if you aren't motivated by love, let rewards for everything done for the sake of the kingdom be your motivation. There's a certain amount of money you need to acquire some valuable property here on Earth, but that's not it to God. To God what appears to be insignificant, is what...

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us,] and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Yesterday after Sunday service I realized I got a new evangelism partner thanks to my wife and can you guess who that is? My 4 year old son Elisha! This is the second time we have gone out with him but he loves every bit of it. With him we go with other church members to knock on doors and spread the gospel where our church is located.  What encouraged me was he was the one knocking the doors, so passionately because he just wants us to talk to people about Jesus. And you don't want to miss a door if he knows you haven't gone there! He will literally talk you i...

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. What happens when a person dies? His body decays in the grave while his spirit either ascends to heaven or descends hell. Death therefore simply means a separation of one's spirit from his body but this is for a while. It's at the second...

 Luke 23:42-43 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus told one of the men who were crucified with Him that today he will be with Him in paradise. Paradise is another term for heaven. But it's not the final destination of the believers.  Whenever we reach out to the lost, one of the things we tell them is get saved so that you may go to heaven after you die. Do you know that the heaven we usually refer to is not the eternal place where they will be?  There's another eternal place which will out live the current heaven. It's the new Earth which will be joined with the new heaven at the end of the age. So in fact heaven currently is not the aim of the why we preach however much it brings some hope. What then should we look forward to? To live forever with the Lord.  The current heaven is also temporary, the eternal and permanent heaven is one which w...

Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, [ [and be] their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. Whatever we see today on earth is not the end of all that God has in stock for us. God promises us a new earth where we shall dwell with Him forever. Are you looking forward to that day? I am actually. Imagine the throne of God and His presence dwelling with us forever! Man has attempted to make earth a beautiful space to live in but it falls ...

Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  The Bible tells us all of us are invited to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb, Rev 19:9, but the ones who will attend are only those who have responded to God's invitation by way of repentance from their sin, received salvation and we made right with God. This is so simple but the masses have been deceived that their good deeds or one's good name will grant them access which is not true. Others are deceived that some others will plead their case while they are dead for the Lord to accept them to enter heaven. All that they do is in vain. Have you ever attempted to attend a wedding whereby the only way into the celebrations is when your name is on the guest list? Surprisingly getting on the guest list was so simple, you had to accept to register prior to the wedding date. Meaning the invite...

1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; I am yet to meet someone without desires for good things like love, a good marriage, good friendship, care, good food etc. If someone doesn't look forward to having good things like those, their view of God could be the issue.  There's a teaching which prevailed so much in the time of John the revelator which advocated that all fleshy desires are evil. So men desired the spiritual above all else. No wonder religion has advocated that some of their leaders shouldn't marry. Others want you to think that having good things will actually compete with your relationship with God and therefore you shouldn't look forward to them. They feel these things will become idols. They say poverty, suffering and hardship is the lot of the Christian and that the more you suffer the more spiritual you are or the...

Colossians 3:1-2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians was a book written to believers and therefore Bible scholars argue that the word "if" in our theme scripture should have been written as "since". Paul already knew that they were already believers and didn't doubt any bit whether they were saved or not. The word if sounds conditional yet it should have been written in an affirmative way.  It's certainly true that we have been risen with Christ, we ought to set our affections on things above and also set our eyes on heavenly things. I don't think an ambassador can be of any impact in a nation they have been sent to if they think as the locals. He has to think differently so that he can be of help to the people he's been sent to. We are ambassadors of Christ, we cannot afford to think like the world...

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. How many times do you think about heaven? When in pain, what goes into your mind? Why do some give up on the hope of salvation? All these answers find their place in thinking deeply about heaven.  A firm grasp of heaven's joys makes everything else shrink in comparison. Paul himself went through so much pain because of the gospel but he didn't hang up his boots. He remained steadfast by focusing on something far greater than his present circumstances. I don't think Paul had sad moments or pity parties when his gaze was on heaven. Why then do some Christians of today have depression, stress, worries, partly because they are losing the bigger picture. If you really considered that in eternity, it won...

Proverbs 13:22 A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just. A good man leaves and inheritance for his children's children. That scripture tells us that as good parents, we need to leave possessions in the hands of our grand children. That's how Jews do it to date. When a parent is to leave property before he dies, instead of giving it to his own children, he instead gives it to the grand children. Why do they do it that way? Life was lived in community and land was difficult to obtain. I also suppose that they knew this adult is already wealthy because their grand father left them property and second because they wouldn't want to cripple this adult child from working for themselves and to attain wealth by themselves neither.  Inheritance can either become a blessing or a curse but for most a curse if they don't know wise handling of it. If a child knows that daddy will leave me with his estat...

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Our scripture commands us not to owe or be indebted to anyone except the indebtedness of loving them. However some Christians don't have this mind. They simply borrow from anyone they can find. If they are in church, they are good at befriending new members who don't know their habit and ask them to lend them money. This is not good because most of the time they don't pay back and they are not even moved at all. I wonder how they can comfortably coexist with the people who owe them. They even go ahead to purchase new items in full view of their borrowers since they can notice that so and so has new clothes, new shoes etc yet they haven't even paid a coin back to them!  In all good conscience that habit is wrong and those who do it must repent. Once you are indebted, the bible says you should run like a gazelle to clear it off. Some urgency needs to be applied in...

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent [man] foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished. There's time for everything, a time when you have all the strength in this world and that time when you don't. The time of being a youth and the time of being old, when you cannot do a lot physically. Prepare for that time today.  Youths boast in their strength but old men boast about their grey hair. Grey hair denotes experience and advancement in the affairs of life. Old age comes with a certain wisdom that young people only only dream about. The reason being that they have seen a lot. Jacob told Pharaoh when he was asked about his age, he replied, 130 hard years. One version says 130 few and difficult, Genesis 47:9. There are difficult pasts, those you even don't wish to go through again but there is some difficulty ahead too if you don't plan for it. There will be times when you will look back and feel like you would have acted wiser with your spending, yet you ca...

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Financial experts say that any worthwhile investment that will make one really wealthy takes a while, not 2, 5 or 10 years but a minimum of 20 years. Am not a money expert, neither have I done any investment for 20 years yet for all that for that time, but I bet those experts aren't wrong. Infact some allude that many wealthy people are in their 50s and above. I mean the really wealthy and not merely rich ones.  There are three types of investments with different levels of risk. Those are high risk, medium risk and low risk investments. High risk include include things like putting up a business. There is no guarantee that the money will give you return. And in those high risk, once you have lost your money, you can lose it completely. Take for instance the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses didn't survive the pandemic because they are in the high risk zone. Advise is to have as little as ...

 Budgeting  Proverbs 27:23-24 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. One of the ways one can avoid going into unnecessary debts is through budgeting. Nations have budgets which are carefully thought-out. Infact at the beginning of a financial year, the budget for the next financial year starts to be made.  At an individual or family level, do you know how much you need to spend on in a month? And how will you know unless you write all the expenses you anticipate to make? Except for emergencies, you should know how much you need for food, transport, airtime, data etc. If you can discipline yourself not to go above budget, you can actually save money and have some to give.  A budget is made based on money you get on a monthly basis or anticipate to get. It doesn't matter whether you are a business person or one who is employed with a fixed inco...

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender. If I may paraphrase what Dave Ramsey said, "some people buy the things they don't need, with money they don't have, inorder to impress the people they don't like and yet those people don't care at all." What is funny is that sometimes they don't even afford those things and since they have to get it now, they borrow to get it.  But can't they wait a little longer upon the Lord to meet that need without necessarily entering into debt? Definitely they can. Why become a slave of another man through borrowing and losing your freedom to them? Why spend tomorrow's freedom away by careless spending today, impatient spending today or going for loans? It's because we have been sold a lie by the world that we cannot succeed without debt. The advert on TV also appeals to your appetite that newer is stylish and is in vogue. True it is stylish but examine whether it is...

1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. If all we are up to is to work, work and work but we don't get to enjoy that which God has given us to enjoy, then we risk breaking down at one point.  Some fail to enjoy their possessions because they feel guilty to do so. They feel like they should be living on the edge all the time, working themselves off all year and throughout most of their day!  You need to take sabbaticals to rest from a day's work, enjoy being with family, take a walk, etc without the tension of ever running up and about. There's a term called the work - life balance. This means that it's not only work that should occupy our time. Other things matter and should not be neglected. Now on exceptional cases, one needs to carry work home but that shouldn't be the norm. You fi...

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] When countries are at war, a lot of money is spent on purchase of ammunition and feeding the soldiers. If one wants to win the war, they spend on the best of the equipment they can. Why enter war without the intention of winning it and why spend on what won't help you win well?  The same it is with us believers, the bible says we are at war against evil spirits. Anything which can aid our work to go on smoothly is worth spending on. If we want to reach more people, spending on efficient equipment will aid us in spreading the gospel far and wide.  The irony to this is when some Christians want to live without the best of these tools because they think being poor is related to being spiritual. If you can afford to buy something to improve your lifestyle and enha...

  John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. There are reasons why we do what we do especially when it pertains to God's vineyard. You are likely falling in any of these I will highlight here.  One motivation is that we are responding to God's love. Since God loved us first, we respond to his love by our selfless giving. At one point I used to preach only on love as the motivation. I was not wrong but the Bible is much broader than that.  The second is the reward(s) they will get when the Lord returns. People need to be reminded that heaven is real, more real than the earth we see. The mere fact that we cannot see it doesn't mean it does not exist. We serve because God promises us rewards the day we are to meet him face to face. Amy worker works in hope that at the agreed time period, they will be rewarded. Although love for their job and boss is a good starting point, ...

Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given. There are and will always be poor people among us. If therefore we can have a decent living, there's one who really can't and we need to consider them in our distribution of resources.  When one gives to one who cannot give back to them, they are lending to the Lord. If banks of this world gain interest on the loans they give out, how much more will God give back to you when you give to poor people.  The church has different people who earn differently. There are those who are needy and don't have enough. And a good pastor knows them. Every church should have a percentage of their collections say 10% which is to help the poor people both in the church and outside the church. Even at an individual level, do the same on every earning you get.  Poor people are helped best by first giving them the gospel. When all things are said and done, their eternal destiny matters most....

Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called [unto him] his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all [they] did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, [even] all her living. It's normal for many including I to give what we can afford to part with. It's not usual to give beyond what we cannot afford. I call the first sensible giving and the second one nonsensical giving.  The widow gave her two remaining coins and it got Jesus' commendation. The others gave pocket change. The widow gave until it hurt. She might have given her Penney's for her food that day.  Have you ever visited someone who gives you more than you expect...

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Jesus' death on the cross is the ultimate model for God giving us his son freely. God did not just talk the talk, He walked the path of exemplary giving. One thing to keep at the back of our minds is God increases or prospers us financially to increase our standard of giving. Above all else, giving shouldn't be affected because we are having difficulty in some seasons of our lives. Instead, we should lower our standards in some unnecessary areas so that our giving is not affected. This is not the mind of most believers. To them when things are going bad, that's when their spiritual lives suffer most. And yet those are some of the best times to up our giving, praying, fasting etc.  In times of much abundance, it isn't the time to think about what cloth, or car, you have always wanted to buy, it's best to think like "how much more...

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. When one is to take a journey of a thousand miles, it only takes a step to start that journey. When one is to take a step into radical generosity, they need to start with giving a tithe.  What is then radical generosity? Simply giving over and beyond 10 percent. But it's important to know why people don't even tithe in the first place. First of all they don't believe right. They attribute it to the law and that we who are in the grace don't need to give. Such a mind robs men of even giving a tenth to even giving nothing at all! After all they advocate that we are in grace! God's standards have never been lowered just because we are in grace! His view on adultery, stealing, covetousness is still th...

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. I stumbled on the scripture which says after giving the tithe, one learns to fear the Lord. That's powerful. Many cry out in deep desire to know God and fear Him but it starts with being faithful in giving of your tithe.  There's another who reads their Bible and don't get any revelation from it, according to the theme scripture, we conclude that faithfully tithing will bring a fuller understanding of who God is to you through His word.  We attach value to the things we spend on. The more we spend on it, the more value we attach to it. If you consider it valuable, then your money goes there.  ...

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Faith without works is dead. Works which are aimed to obtain salvation, are those that the bible calls dead towards God. However there are good deeds which should accompany our salvation, these works matter so much before God and believers will be judged based on them.  It matters what you do as well as what you believe. It's not only good to have right beliefs, based on right knowledge, it matters what you do with them. What are you up to with your life? What are you using your time, resources, talents for? Is your faith leading you to do more, or only sending you into hiding in the prayer closet? Until recently, there are these questions which we always ask ourselves whenever we are done hearing a sermon during family time, "What have you learned, what are you going to do about it?" They really used to nag me but it's until...

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Parents, how are you training your children not to be overly desirous for material things? It's important we raised our children so that they won't become a problem to society tomorrow.  I have come to know this about parents, any good parent wouldn't want their children to suffer like they did. They at least strive to give them a little bit better conditions than they had growing up. They take them to good schools, better clothes etc. How about parents who instead of good training they instead end up spoiling their children in the name of love? They purchase any toy the child mentions, hears, or sees the other children in the neighborhood having. Does this in anyway solve the problem of a lack of a toy or creates another problem which will be a menace some time to come?  I have heard from some parents who grew up hearing the phrase "I don't have the money for ...

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. There are life's greatest treasures which money, gold and silver cannot buy. These are riches which only God through Christ can give. The gift of salvation is the greatest gift a man can ever get. But how many rich people appreciate this gift? How many value it's worth more than anything they own? The numbers may not be many.  With everything within their reach, it's hard for men to hunger for God because they tend to independence from God instead. Someone has ever asked a question which seems so typical of independent mindedness. If I find you praying to God to give you something a...