New Testament Exhortations: From a Personal Journal

By Dorothy Mutanu Kagwaini PhD

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution of converging genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, synthetic, biology, nanotechnology, and dimensional spiritual welfare, humanity will be exposed to the most fantastic – most far reaching – supernatural implications. The destiny of each individual and the future of generation will depend on knowledge of the True Being - Jesus Christ.

Technology has challenged Christianity and New Testament fundamental precepts abandoned, giving birth to new form of secularized spirituality. Thus, prosperity theology has been elevated instead of theology of the counsel of God. In addition, living by faith defined in the scriptures as centered on the person of Jesus Christ and expressed in personal sacrifice and transformation, this has been changed to thrilling unorthodox theology. The faith that once delivered saints is no longer familiar, not only among the teens, but also in parents.

Mankind has begun to play God; but we know God alone is Creator of life. It is for this reason that the New Testament Exhortations book will outline in chapters based on the Sovereignty of God’s love to mankind. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that will never ever change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jul 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543751703

Dorothy Mutanu Kagwaini PhD

Dorothy is a senior lecturer Daystar University and author of a motivational book ‘Exceeding abundantly: Do you know who you are?” She worked ten years in Finance Office and taught over ten years Accounting and Finance. Her love for mentoring students is her way of giving back to build society.

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Copyright © 2019 by DOROTHY MUTANU KAGWAINI, PhD.

ISBN:                     eBook                        978-1-5437-5170-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, Copyright ©1983 published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Editor: Damaris Kimilu

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my husband William K. Mwangi for teaching us godliness as the head of our home. I also dedicate it all my biological and spiritual children: Isaac, God’s Power, Sidou Leng, Deya, Esther Mwikali, Christine Baraka, Dorcas Mutheu, Matthew Amani and my namesake Joy Mutanu Jr. To my brothers and sisters in the Lord all over the world starting from South Korea to India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, South Africa, Switzerland, Cambodia, Singapore, United States of America, The Philippines, and to the ends of the earth. I pray that you hold these lessons close to your heart and mind so that you may live to please our God.

Foreword

Writing in a style that appeals not only to the reader but also speaks to the inner being, the author has developed a knack of crafting simple yet memorable lines.

Dorothy’s journey of exhortation is anchored on her walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and on God’s response to the expectations of a young woman. From the onset, Dorothy seeks to define a Christian and the process of becoming a true disciple through confession and acceptance of the finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. The Christian life is brought out very clearly as the main theme of the book with an attempt to interpret what its daily application means in view of different facets of the New Testament.

God expects us to demonstrate servanthood in all the different areas of our Christian walk both physically and spiritually – be it at home, workplace, school, church or community. The basic concept of family both in the physical (biological) and spiritual dimensions is well taught and demonstrated in the early church which forms the foundation of the church throughout the ages. The importance of Scripture cannot be over emphasized. Paul writes: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good work in (2Timothy 3:16-17). Obedience to God’s commandments is therefore an obligation for every believer.

The author proceeds to show the stand a Christian should take upon conversion to enhance the mission of God by sharing knowledge about the Kingdom and pointing men to heaven. That is why the Great Commission should be every believer’s responsibility as we journey to our heavenly home.

On issues relating to money and power, Dorothy uses the parable of the rich man and the servants to challenge the reader to take responsibility to keep God’s commandments, for his own benefit.

On the other hand, Dorothy clearly brings out the infallible help God grants Christians in the diverse challenges. Through a very well-articulated part – Journey of Thorns – this book further exposes the challenges and persecutions that Christians face or should expect.

Each of the topics considered in this book as exhortations will help the reader of the Bible and especially the New Testament of which Dorothy has used to exemplify using her personal journal in her doctorate journey in a foreign country. She majorly uses the words of Jesus and also quotes some Old Testament prophets to confirm the word of God never changes. Therefore, using the New Testament exhortation words helps the reader to understand more deeper and fully the Christian life as practised in the early church, the journey of the Christian life, God’s expectations of the Christian, the challenges a Christian faces and the optimal help God has given the Christian just as he exemplified in the New Testament church.

Rev. Josephine Mutuota

Clergy, P.C.E.A. Church

Acknowledgement

The literary journey of penning my second book began in South Korea at Hannam University, Daejon City in 2016 while pursuing my doctoral studies in Accounting. At first, I thought my main purpose for being in that country was just to study. However, after one year I realized there was a higher calling in my life. Jehovah God in His infinite wisdom reminded me a word He had spoken to me repeatedly before my studies: Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations (Isaiah 60:15).

I truly thank God for allowing Pastor Lee Woo Choul to be the spiritual Shepherd of my life while in South Korea. As God brought me under his care, I realized that he was one of the wisest Pastors I had ever met. He taught me the love of God, the NEED to read and study the Bible, and the power of prayer. He only asked me to have one mission, to read the Word of God and pray. It sounds like a military warning! However, that has sensitized me and I have understood his point of view ever since– how could I be reading such huge Accounting books yet I had never ever read the whole Bible even once! I began the challenge. Many times I would read the Bible because I feared meeting with Pastor Choul and not have an answer if he would ask which chapter of the Bible I had read. That would be war! So, I kept reading on. I understood the work of the Holy Spirit is actually to TEACH.

My life in South Korea would not have been complete without my Korean family. With Chu, Sook Hee, Lee Sing, Jihan and Elva, I could not have asked for a better family. God allowed me to be accountable to them and they made His word so real to me. They began with teaching me the POWER and NEED of giving to others. Jesus said in Matthew 19:16-30, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked how to inherit eternal life. Jesus instructed him to keep the commandments, to which in response he claimed to have observed thee law since his youth. Then Jesus told him to go and sell all he had and give it to the poor (that is anyone who cannot repay you back) so that he can have a treasure in heaven, then come and follow Him.. The man, because he had a lot of wealth, departed from Jesus sorrowful. How could he sell it off and then give all that money to the poor! The disciples really wondered who then could be saved. Jesus answered them: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Try and see! With the understanding of the Holy Ghost, this is possible. I am a witness!" So, when it comes to giving, it is not just to the poor but also to believers in the church (the church of Macedonia did that). That’s the secret to the treasure of the Kingdom. Jesus taught us by example in that He laid down His life for us in order to redeem us back to God; and by actually losing His life on the Cross, He regained it through resurrection, and much more – the souls of men. That’s unconditional love. This family gave me everything. I mean everything, unconditionally!

I, therefore, asked the Holy Spirit to personally teach me the words of Jesus that He spoke to the disciples so that I may understand what He intended for me since the creation of the world. I am thankful to the Spirit of the living God who has been helping me to understand so that I can be a WITNESS of His Word. He has made every letter of the scriptures become real to me. The best gift I could give back to Yahweh is just to obey. Acts 1:8 says: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. After three full years of reading and studying the Bible, the Holy Spirit put some life lessons in my spirit and I felt an urgent need to share the same with His children around the world. For Jesus commissioned us only one thing before He went to heaven - "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another: as I have loved you, That ye also love one another. By this shall ALL men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John13:34-35). John the disciple who Jesus loved understood these words and reminded the early church the same so that they may never ever forget the basis of the gospel, when he wrote: "And this is the commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment" (1st John 3: 23).

I thank Judy Muruga-Mwas because out of the challenge we started of sharing the lessons God was teaching us while in South Korea, this book has come into being. It has been an awesome experience and journey.

God bless you all as you embark to read!

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgement

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

Matthew Chapter 1 - 5: Christian Family Line And The Need Of Scriptures

Matthew 6 – 10: Jesus’ Way Of Being A Christian

Matthew 11 – 15: Who Do You Believe In?

Matthew 16 – 20: How To Enter The Kingdom Of God

Lessons:

Matthew 21 – 25: The Greatest Commandment Is Love

Lesson:

Lesson:

Matthew 26 – Mark 2: The Day God Made Me His Son

THE BOOK OF MARK

Mark 3 – 7: Knowledge Of The Kingdom Of God

Mark 8 – 12: The Call Of Help

Mark 13 – 16: Signs Of The End

THE BOOK OF LUKE

Luke 1 – 5: The Inflammable Word Of God

Lesson:

Luke 6 – 10: Same Mission We Are Called To

Lesson:

Luke 11 – 15: Why Pray?

Lesson:

KEY LESSON:

Luke 16 – 20: Money And Power

The Greatest Lesson:

Lesson:

Luke 21 – 24: The Way Of The Cross

Lesson:

BOOK OF JOHN

John 1 – 5: Becoming A Son Of God

The lesson here is that:

John 6 -10 Jesus The Bread Of Life

Lesson:

John 11 – 15: The Issue Of Unblief

Lesson:

Lesson:

John 16 – 21: Jesus Prayer For The Believers

A CALL:

THE BOOK OF ACTS

Acts 1 – 5: The Early Church

GREAT QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

Acts 6 – 10: The Persecution Of Believers

Lesson:

Acts 11- 15: Persecution Of The Church

Acts 16 – 20: The Work Of Paul In Establishment Of Churches

A Great Lesson:

Acts 21 – 25: Pauls’ Defense Before Kings

Acts 26 – 28: Paul’s Mission Accomplished

Lesson:

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

Romans 1 – 5: We Are All Guilty Before God

Romans 6 - 10: Believers And The God’s Gift Of Righteousness

Romans 11 – 16: The Grace For Israelites And The Christian Conduct

THE BOOK OF CORINTHIANS

1ST Corinthians 1 – 5: God’s Wisdom On Believers

Great Lessons:

1ST Corinthians 6 – 10: Matters Of The Law Between Believers

Lessons:

1ST Corinthians 11 – 15: The Lord’s Table And Spiritual Gifts

1ST Corinthians 16: Concerning Collections In The Church

Lesson:

2ND Corinthians 1 – 5: The Ministry Of Glory

Lesson:

2ND Corinthians 6 – 10: Believers Are God’s Temple

2ND Corinthians 11 – 15: Repentance

Lesson:

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS

Galatians 1 – 6: There Is No Other Gospel

Lesson:

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

Ephesians 1 – 6: My Favourite Book In The Whole Bible

Lessons:

THE BOOK OF PHILLIPIANS

Phillipians 1 – 4: Christian Life

THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS

Colossians 1 - 4: What Is The Center Of Christian Life?

THE BOOK OF THESSALONIANS

1ST Thessalonians 1 – 5: The Second Coming Of The Lord

2ND Thessalonians 1 – 3: The Man Of Sin

THE BOOK OF TIMOTHY

1ST Timothy 1 -5: Daily Living

Lesson:

2ND Timothy 1 – 3: Servants Of God

THE BOOK OF TITUS

Titus 1 – 3: Thanksgiving Life

THE BOOK OF PHILEMON

THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

Hebrews 1 – 5: Jesus Our High Priest

Hebrews 6 – 10: Dads And Mums

Lesson:

Hebrews 11 – 13: Final Words

THE BOOK OF JAMES

James 1 -5: The Journey Of Thorns

THE BOOK OF PETER

1ST Peter 1 – 5: Will Of God

Lesson

2ND Peter 1 – 3: Christian Call

THE BOOK OF JOHN

1ST John 1 – 5: God’s Love

2ND & 3Rd John And Jude: Be Compassionate By Making A Difference

THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Revelation 1 – 5: Message To The Various Churches

Revelation 6 – 10: The Urgent Need Of The Holy Spirit

The Great Lesson

Revelation 11 -15: History Events That Point To The Future

FINAL GREAT LESSONS:

Revelation 16 – 19: The Revenge Of God On The Evil Done Against His Children On Earth

Great Lessons:

Revelation 20 – 22: The Coming Millenium And The Great Throne Of God

The Final Lesson:

References

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

Matthew Chapter 1 - 5: Christian Family Line And The Need Of Scriptures

T he words in this book start with the genealogy of Jesus. Previously, in the Old Testament the other major generations started from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Kings and such others. However we see the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham, fourteen generations; from David to captivity in Babylon, fourteen generations and from Captivity to Joseph as also fourteen generations. The first chapter makes slight mention of women whom the society would have ignored like Rahab, Tamar and Bathsheba, due to their stereotype kind of life they had lived. However, God does not look at us and judge us by what we have done but by what He has willed and has done. Our worth is not in what we have done, but in what God has input in us for His glory. In the same way, God orchestrated each one of us to be born in our specific families that He may be recognized through our lives. Our day-to-day choices should be guided by God’s will so that He may be glorified in our lives. The question is: ‘Are your choices aligned to His will and purpose’?

After reading this first chapter I understood that every situation in each of our lives is orchestrated by God; even the most difficult ones. God allows things to happen with an intention of fulfilling His purpose; which is His plan unfolding in our lives for our good and to God’s glory. In God, even the deepest darkness eventually resolves into light, if we obey. Therefore, we should never be the ones to gossip publicly the negative things about our friends, families and more so of spouses IF we love them. It is important to cover them with love and you should not publicly rebuke them in areas that are not good. In this way, we play our part in helping them be in touch with their destiny in God and by so fulfill God’s plan for their purpose. We should be thankful for the simple things we have gone through in our lives and aspire for the great and positive things that God is preparing for us. Joseph, the father of Jesus, serves as a good example; he did not want to leave Mary publicly but privately when he discovered she was pregnant, yet he had not touched her or any physical interactions. Joseph thought Mary had another man who had made her pregnant. By that time, Joseph was so disturbed and could not take it in. The Holy Spirit heard Joseph’s thoughts and worries and He purposed to visit Joseph while he was sleeping. We also should be careful about what we wish or pray for irrespective of the situation; God has a commissioned way of how we should do things. God is the architect of our lives, and has the designs of how we should live.

God answered Joseph and told him not to leave his espoused wife – fiancée. Joseph in obedience abstained from having physical intimacy with Mary until the child conceived by the Holy Spirit was born. To the married couples, God will sometimes allow you to keep off sex. For the engaged couples it is a command to keep off sex before marriage – what is known as ‘avoiding fornication’. To the married sometimes they will have to keep off sex due to reasons such as studies, work, and sickness or even to set a time of prayer. In totality, the married are warned from committing adultery. Such periods (of ‘keeping sex off’) call for couples to agree on how to go about it and to be committed to their decisions. It is important for a husband and wife to remain loyal to one another in every agreement they make with each other. Such faithfulness is desired of us by God. We must therefore learn to be contented at all times, and be patient as God takes us through the processes He has ordained for our lives. Joseph waited for Mary until she had brought forth the child! It is clear that there are seasons that will demand more from us; some that will demand that we deny our flesh completely. Only the Holy Spirit is able to helps us to let go our flesh and obey God. We just have to learn Self Control even in such times.

After the birth of baby Jesus, Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt and remain there as Herod would kill the children in Bethlehem. Wow! I paused and questioned myself, IF really God is as powerful as He says, then why did He not just protect Jesus in Bethlehem? Why FLEE?. I understood God is Sovereign! He had already spoken these words before through the prophets and He had to make sure HIS WORD was fulfilled no matter the circumstances. Consequently, let us look at what God commissions us to do, through His eyes and not through our eyes because He knows the end from the beginning. When we are led of God, the beauty is that He always leads us to victory because God will always warn us before anything evil/bad happens to us. Everything Joseph did was a fulfillment of a promise…even when it was tough!

Another interesting dimension of God is seen where HE spoke about Jesus, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased – this was before Jesus had done anything yet! This is how God loves us; He loved us (and still loves us) as we were even before we ever knew him or loved him. He loves us just the way we are and not because of our achievements or failures; awards or lack of them; wealth or poverty, but because He is Sovereign! We therefore do not obey so that He can love us (He already has loved us), but so that we can bring Him honor. We must realize that, when we disobey Him, we let Him down and he gets disappointed with us. After this powerful proclamation by the Father, Jesus was led by the Holy Ghost to the desert to be tempted. Note that, it was the work of the Holy Spirit.

You see, sometimes temptations come our way because it could be a time when God wants to show us off (be proud of us) and give us major victories AGAINST the devil. The devil hates us and always wants to prove to God that we are not worthy of His love; always accusing us before God. Remember the story of Job. When the sons of God came to present themselves before God, the devil also was present. God asked the devil whether he had considered HIS SERVANT Job and that there was none like him on earth; a perfect and an upright man that feared God and eschewed evil! See what the devil’s answer was, "Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased. BUT put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face" (Job 1: 10-11; KJV). God permitted to the devil to do whatsoever he wanted to do with Job, not because He wanted to punish Job, but because He was proud of him (Job) and knew he would have victory against his accuser (Satan). God had confidence in Job’s integrity and Job honored that – he remained faithful even when all was lost, he was sick, and slept in ashes – he kept his integrity and never charged God foolishly. Hallelujah! Job sets a good example for us, showing us why we should learn NOT to complaint before God when tough circumstances come our way but; ASK God ‘the how’ of going about it. Remember, He is the architect of your life has all the designs in the palm of his hands simply ask Him. Let us strive to make our God pleased. We aren’t alone – the Holy Spirit is ever present with us to help us each and every step of the journey. After Jesus had gone through all the trials and temptations, the angels came to minister to him and immediately went to preach his first message.

The greatest preaching that was ever heard was: "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand". Unfortunately, in the modern day Christianity, many have neglected this gospel and focused on prosperity preaching. Many of us Christians have become self-absorbed and are more concerned about accumulating material wealth as opposed to the simple gospel of repentance, righteousness and holiness. Please understand I am not against people getting and creating wealth; I actually teach that on a daily basis. The problem is when the love of creating that wealth comes before everything else and becomes an obsession with accumulating material wealth. When Christ returns, shall He find faith in the earth? Selah! Every day our hearts should be filled with repentance, and we should continually ask for the forgiveness of our sins and seek the Holy Spirit to lead us in every endeavor of our lives. Jesus came to fulfill ALL the law! The obedience of the LAW is one subject that many people would rather not pay attention to but that is the full counsel of God. Jesus himself says, Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19, KJV). The grace message has been misinterpreted and only God can teach what He meant when he said this.

Many people want to evade the truth because we are supposedly living in the times of grace. However, Jesus’ words are so stern on issues of being the salt and light of the earth and peacemakers; it is also clear on what our response should be with regard to adultery, divorce, communication, lending to others…and so on. The word of God provides the roadmap as to how we should live. These words are tough and no one can heed or keep them without the help of the Holy Spirit. No human effort can guarantee holiness. It is about fulfilling the law by God’s grace! Imagine if we all loved God – there would be no idolatry. If we loved one another there would be no theft, killing, divorce, envy and covetousness. The world would be as perfect as it was in the beginning. But there is good news! The first words of Jesus in the beatitude were: "Blessed are the POOR in SPIRIT; Blessed are they that mourn; Blessed are the meek; Blessed are the merciful; Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness; Blessed are the merciful; Blessed are pure in heart; Blessed are the peacemakers; Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; "Blessed are you when men revile(abuse) you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake" – this, Jesus repeats twice for the entire human life is hinged on these last sentence. He gives comfort and encourages rejoicing in the Lord for we are the salt of the earth. Beloved, without you on earth, it would be meaningless; you stand in representation of God (as His image and sons), linking the earth with God’s heavenly purpose. So, above all let your light shine!

The rest of the other promises relate to the Kingdom of heaven being yours…(You) shall be comforted, shall inherit the earth, shall see God and be filled, Shall receive mercy, shall be called children of God and finally God in all His fullness shall be revealed. " You cannot attain all this in one go; you just need to take one step of faithfulness each day, in complete obedience of God’s word and you shall be there! You shall BECOME what God has desired of you. AMEN and AMEN! Be sure to always do the next right thing even in the face of evil!

Matthew 6 – 10: Jesus’ Way Of Being A Christian

Jesus addresses the issue of giving. He wants us to give according to the ability we have been given. However, it is in secret so that the how much you give the glory does not go to men in being seen as a giver but the glory may go directly to God. He further explains also when we pray we should not go shouting and speaking loudly so that other people may know ‘we know how to pray’ but Jesus said you should go in a quiet place alone. Then pray directly to our heavenly Father who sees the desires and attitudes of our hearts with no repetitions of words. This is because our Father already knows what we need even before we ask! The other issue Jesus addressed was on fasting! Fasting is important to connect with the ‘spirit man’. Remember when the disciples were given power to heal and preach the Gospel. They were unable to heal one boy that had epilepsy. When the boy was brought to Jesus, He rebuked that demon and the boy was healed. So the disciples went secretly to ask Jesus why they could not heal the boy. Then Jesus answered some diseases require prayer and fasting to have power over them. Therefore, fasting helps in forsaking physical food and that time is spend in prayer. That is what is said to ‘feed the inner man’ more than the physical man. For the body shall die but the Spirit lives eternally. In addition, looking at the Old Testament, Prophet Zechariah insists to not just fast but being merciful, practicing justice, not thinking evil against one another, being truthful and taking care of the poor, fatherless, aliens and widows.

Another interesting thing that Jesus spoke about was the issue of our treasures. This is connected to giving. Jesus took this issue as a big issue in those days where people were keeping huge sums of money for their future needs. Jesus wondered actually which ‘bank accounts’ should be filled – the ones on earth or the one that is in heaven? We need to learn to be generous and be a blessing to the people around us so that we can fill our banks in heaven. Did you know that when you give a poor person the Bible says you lend to God? And from my personal experience there is no outstanding debt that God maintains. That is why he commissioned not to have ‘other debts’ but the debt of love. At this point, I would like to share a personal testimony from my journal. When I went to Korea, I received a full government scholarship. I left all the responsibility of the family to my husband. However, I came guided by a verse in Ezra 7:18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. I knew my dad and his congregation in African Inland Church (AIC) Kee (our local church) had begun church construction project. Sometimes God will extremely bless you to test exactly what is in your heart. Hence, I purposed to send all my tithes and offering to that local church as well as my Korean church, support was provided and I gave what they had given me. I faithfully gave to the church without the church members ever knowing who was sending the money to them. Later, I felt the need to support my family back in Kenya, but I hardly had any money left after sending to that project. The situation hit me harder during my last summer vacation when I was about to go back home. My spirit was filled with sadness knowing that I was going back home without any gifts for my entire family but having invested heavily in God’s work. However, I prayed one prayer that, Lord do not put me to shame. People will hear I have supported the house of God and not my family, and to you: if a person does not help his/her family is like an infidel. Please LORD help me. After three weeks while I was on my vacation at home; I received an email that I had been appointed for teaching job at my University in South Korea. That meant, in my last year, I would have enough money to be give my family and the loved ones! I also got funding to attend one of the world’s international conferences the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) Conference organized by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) hosted in Switzerland. I now truly understand when you take care of God’s business sincerely and sacrificially; He also takes care of your personal business. Therefore, God knows everything and in whatever we do, let us do it with a grateful heart!

Jesus, in his teaching presents us with the analogy of a fowl of the air and the lily of the valley to assure us of God’s constant provision. Think Big for our God is a big God – that is what my Pastor Rev. Chuol kept telling us! The call today is to start living by faith and trusting each and every word that Jesus spoke for it is completely true. For the wealth of the wicked is preserved for the righteous. Let us start practicing to live by faith even before the hard times of difficulty come. Let’s learn to live by faith even when we think we have everything and everyone we need. Let’s not put our hope in thing but be anchored on what is mortal, but on the one who is immortal – Christ is our hope! I remember how the children of Israelites were caught being up in their failure to believe God as their provider in the days of Moses. God allowed them to all die in the desert except Caleb and Joshua due to their unbelief. Yet after all that, God would reveal His glory to them