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In the presence of Jesus: Martha’s lesson

We all have that moment when we think the presence of Jesus is the least important thing in our lives. There is too much to prepare for; life is busy, so the moment all this is going on, we easily put aside being in the presence of Jesus. I get it because I have many times gotten so busy with other things while Jesus just wanted me to be in his presence. I have missed opportunities to be with Jesus because I was distracted and frustrated by the preparations. I know I am not the only one, so to you, that was been distracted and frustrated with the preparations, it may be time to be in the presence of Jesus.

Just likE MARTHA

I have been watching the show The Chosen, and if you have not yet, I highly recommend it. I watched the episode that told the story of Martha and Mary and loved how well it showed the difference between the two women. Growing up in the church, going as far back as Sunday school, we know we were taught this story and the lesson we could learn from it. We were taught as children that being in the presence of Jesus was of the utmost importance. The teaching and lesson remain, except we grow and may have a lot more responsibility, distractions, and frustrations, so the presence of Jesus sometimes becomes less important. Just like Martha, we toil away in our kitchens (life) alone and forget the importance of Jesus’s presence.

For those of you who may not know Martha, let me introduce her to you and an important lesson we can learn from her. This particular story in Luke 10:38-42 gives us a glimpse into Martha’s life. She welcomes people into her home and from all the effort she puts into it, seems like second nature. Martha is receiving a special guest, and preparations are ongoing to ensure the special guest receives the very best. This is great! This special guest is Jesus! He deserves the very best. So she toils away in the kitchen to make sure there is a well-prepared meal ready for Jesus. While she toils away in the kitchen, her sister Mary decides to stay at the feet of Jesus and listen to him. She chooses to be in the presence of Jesus. To Martha this is not fair, her sister could be helping her prepare, but instead, she stays in the presence of Jesus? Is that even fair? Because I am like Martha sometimes, I totally understand her feelings at the moment. In the lens of Martha, what she is doing is of utmost importance, her sister should also treat it the same way. Her sister’s decision to be with Jesus frustrates her and eventually upsets her to the point she brings it up to Jesus. What Martha fails to realize at this moment is Jesus, the son of God is in her presence. Her preparations for Jesus were not wrong, and I am sure she was sincere in her desire to serve Jesus. However, this did not matter to Jesus, what mattered was Martha joining her sister Mary to partake in his presence. Being in Jesus’s presence still matters to him for us as well. If we could only step away from our kitchens and decide to join him.

Preparations vs presence

After reading Luke 10: 38-42, it is quite easy to tell if you have been more of a Martha or a Mary. Have you been more concerned about the preparations that you have entirely ignored the presence of Jesus? Or have you put all your preparations on hold just so that you can lean into the presence of Jesus? Let us compare preparation and presence, both are not bad things to to by the way, but each has its timing and if well balanced, could work incredibly well. With preparation from our example of Martha, preparations were distracting, frustrating, and brought unawareness of what matters in the moment. For Mary who chose the presence of Jesus, she experienced joy, revelation through his teaching, and closeness with God. Given a choice, I would decide like Mary did and hope you would too. An opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus surpasses all the preparations. I know that the decision is easier said than done especially for nature Marthas who are typically overtaken by the preparations. To us all I say, let us not miss any opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus because we are distracted. Martha nearly missed a physical moment in Jesus’s presence, let us not do the same by missing his presence in the spirit. Our spirit lets us know when we have put preparations above presence, and so we are pushed towards his presence. With the push of the spirit to be in the presence of Jesus, we desire his word, to pray, to obey, and to draw closer to him. Remember this is of utmost importance above the preparation. There are many amazing things you can receive just by being in the presence of Jesus. Jesus says to you;

I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. -John 15:5 AMP-

It is time to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

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Laws and Holiness: What I have learned so far in Leviticus

I will outrightly say that I am not the Christian girl who woke up one morning and decided to read the book of Leviticus. I fought strongly to skip over this book because in my head I was convinced this book did not apply to me. What is in the book of Leviticus that can apply to my life? I would further argue in my mind that all the laws in the book are quite intense and I thank God for Jesus because I am free from the laws. I have been slowly reading the book of Leviticus and I see the importance of this book even for me as a modern-day Christian. Thank goodness that I have not been reading it alone, two of my friends have come alongside me to help me get through this book. They have been sharing their reflections and with each shared reflection, I am starting to learn the importance of Leviticus.

One main theme in Leviticus is that God through the laws called for his people to be holy. Laws and Holiness had to be a means for God’s people to still have relation to a holy God. These people could not approach a holy God while being unholy themselves (read Leviticus 19:2). To establish order on how to approach a holy God they needed these laws, and people to mediate. God helps establish these laws through Moses and the other priests to draw his people closer to him through Holiness.

Why ALL these laws?

I have asked myself this question, why all these laws? I am only 6 chapters in Leviticus, thinking these are many laws, and I have not even made it halfway. Luckily, my friend helped me understand why with videos and voice notes of her reflections. To help answer this question we have to backtrack a little bit. These laws are now being given to people who not too long ago were living as slaves in Egypt. During their time in Egypt, 400 years to be precise, these people may have even worshipped and offered to the gods of Egypt. How then would they establish a relationship with God and distinguish from the other gods they may have worshipped in the past? This was a new way of living life, something they needed to learn and have guidance. After 400 years of a different way of life, surely they needed to start over, and starting over meant a new set of laws. God had to provide them these laws, not as punishment, but for God in his holiness to dwell with his people. A holy God could not dwell with an unholy people, but he bridged the gap and instructed them through these laws on how they could make atonement and live holy lives. These laws called for them to be separate, they couldn’t do what everyone else was doing. Their desire for God’s holy presence, fellowship, and sovereignty meant fulfilling these laws given to them.

Living A Holy Life in Leviticus

What did living a holy life look like for an Israelite in Leviticus? I know it looked nothing like mine because of Jesus and I am grateful. I jokingly thought living a holy life in Leviticus was expensive and while I was listening to a podcast from the Bible project, they confirmed my thoughts. All jokes aside, living a holy life then and now does come with a price, which I without a doubt think is worth it! The Israelites were called to be holy and to do so they were to follow God’s commandments and direction. What God instructed, they were to do it. They made sacrificial offerings for atonement to God for their wrongdoings and also they freely gave to God as a way to honor him. At that time, I want to assume their way of living a holy life was not appealing to others who did not worship God and they may have even received mockery of how they lived their lives. However, their life lived under the direction of God was worth it. They bore witness to what God could do for them, these are a people who saw what happened to the many gods of Egypt. They also witnessed God mightly provide for them while in the wilderness, truly they would want to live a life holy and pleasing to the Lord. Having fellowship with a Holy God meant being holy as he is. (Read Leviticus 19:2).

We too are called to be holy, yes, we are not making sacrificial offerings of atonement like the Israelites, but we are to be set apart.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrew 12:14

The Israelites wanted to see God, we want to see God, and that all happens when we make the effort to live holy lives. What I have learned so far from reading Leviticus is that God wanted from the Israelites what he wants from us now, a reconciled and fulfilling fellowship with him. I have learned that the laws of Leviticus were not to punish the Israelites but to bring them back to complete reverence to God and desire for him to dwell with them. Just like us, they struggled with sin, but God made a way for them to not be without help through the laws he commanded. They could now follow these laws and through them make an effort to live holy lives. What a blessing! We can learn from them too! It is time for us to take our rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

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Firmly may your house stand: Christ your firm foundation

Many of you may be familiar with Matthew 7: 24-27. This portion of the famous Sermon on the Mount describes two people building houses; one built on rock foundation and the other on sand. I had the great privilege to dive deep into this portion of the study with some women in small group. We shared what Jesus meant by this illustration and how personally how rock and sand foundations worked out in our lives. Jesus from this illustration did not mean us building physical houses on either rock or sand. He meant building our hope, trust, and faith on either of these foundations will determine how we withstand the storm. The storms could be the pain we experience, the setbacks, the loss, the changes that come with life here on earth. Much simply said it is the trials and tribulations of life, which God did say we even as Christians will experience here on earth.

It is no surprise that when we build ourselves on a sandy foundation, it isn’t long before our house comes crumbling down. A sandy foundation was one where we lived without Christ being our foundation, hope, and faith. So when the storms of life came, it was very hard to withstand them. With sandy foundations, it meant doing this over and over again without any guaranteed hope that when the next storm passes, will we still stand? On the flip side, there is the house built on a rock, this rock being Christ Jesus. Anyone who builds on this foundation can be assured that even with the storms that come, yet will the house still stand! How then can your house firmly stand?

building your house on a solid foundation

I am not a builder, but from watching enough HGTV shows, I think I roughly have an idea of how the process works. Typically, the builders will examine the blueprint of the house they are to build before gathering the required material. The process of building starts with the foundation, the builder can not put the rest of the material without the foundation. The foundation is so important that the builder can’t compromise on it. Compromising the foundation can cause the house to collapse. In a similar this is how you would start to build your house on a solid foundation, which is Jesus Christ. You will need a blueprint, all required materials, and a solid foundation.

  • Blueprint – By definition, a blueprint is a guide used to make something. We also have a blueprint for our lives and it is the Bible. The Bible helps guide us on how to build our hope, faith, and trust in Christ. If we want to build our houses correctly, we follow the layout (words) and instructions that the Bible provides us.
  • Gather the required Material – To build our solid foundation in Christ we need the required material, we already know that sand does not build a solid foundation, so we gather the necessary material to help establish a firm foundation. This can be seeking God in prayer, putting faith into action, trusting his ways, spending time in his word, and listening to his said words so we can carefully follow them. (Read Matthew 7 v 25).
  • Establishing a solid foundation – If Christ is the solid foundation, then you need to start by knowing him and believing in him. if you are equipped with the material, now is the time to put it all into action and build. You are now establishing an intentional relationship with Jesus. This relationship is one you could never regret! Compromising the relationship can shake up your foundation, I speak for experience and encourage you not to do it. By you not compromising, you are assured a solid foundation even for the storms that will come.

Your life with Christ as your firm Foundation

There is this wonderful song that I highly recommend you listen to if you have not had a chance. It sums up what I will probably say here, it is called Firm Foundation (He won’t) by Maverick City and Cody Carnes. Your life in Christ does not mean that you are exempt from trials and tribulations. The difference between going through trials and tribulations with Christ as your foundation is that you go through them knowing that indeed he will not fail you. It will be evident in how he helped you get through tough times even in your past. Christ as a firm foundation in your life gives you peace, you find peace even when you go through trials because there is an assurance that he is there with you. (Read John 16:33). Your life may not be the perfectly perfect life that you may have imagined, but it surely is Jesus who helps keep you from falling. Christ as your foundation means that you hope and trust him with all your heart. (Read Proverbs 3: 5-6). There is no other greater foundation you would want to ground yourself in aside from that of Christ Jesus. Your faith will be tested as you experience life with Christ, but hold on dearly to what you know is true! Listen to his words and follow them diligently. Watch how with every trial your house shall still stand because you were wise to make Christ your foundation.

It is time to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

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What a friend we have in Jesus: The truest friend

Growing up in a traditional church meant singing hymns and I must admit it is hard to pick my favorite hymns since I have many! One of my many favorite hymnal songs is ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’. Singing this song as a child, I did not understand what it truly meant to have Jesus as a friend. I am now grown enough to understand the precious gift and privilege of friendship with Jesus. Jesus on earth was the perfect model of friendship and without going against his word, he demonstrated true friendship with those he called his friends.

This does not take away from his Majesty, it reminds us that he has a love for us that is so deep that even in his sovereignty he can still be a friend.

Jesus as a friend

What is Jesus as like as a friend? This is not a mysterious question we will only know when we reach heaven. When Jesus was on earth he was a friend to many and evidently, the stories tell us how good of a friend he was. He understood the need for connection and relationship more than anyone he surrounded himself with. Because he knew we were created to connect with each other, he too made the effort to cultivate and nurture friendships. Jesus as a friend is;

  1. Sincere – Jesus genuinely wants to connect and form a friendship with us.
  2. Intentional – Jesus is an active participant in the friendship we have with him and purposefully engages with us.
  3. Present – Jesus is attentive to our needs and our desire for connection.
  4. Truthful – Jesus tells us the truth even when we may not like it.
  5. Reliable – Jesus will be there for us always.
  6. Trustworthy – Jesus would not betray our trust in him.
  7. Selfless – Jesus loves and cares for us deeply.

What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus! From experience, I can confirm he has been the truest friend to me. It is such a blessing to be connected with Jesus in friendship. I feel like an unworthy friend at times because I don’t steward my friendship with him very well. I know we have all been there, but I hope this does not stop you from cultivating your friendship and stewarding it well.

Being a friend of Jesus

If we know how Jesus is as a friend, how can we be friends of Jesus? He says it clearly in his word, we can not miss it if we are desiring his friendship. In John 15:14 Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you”. What does Jesus command us to do? Let us read Matthew 22: 37-39, he says,

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].'

By obeying these commands we can create friendship with Jesus. Obeying these commands comes with intentionality from us. Our love for God and God’s people must be sincere without wrong motives. When we continuously make the choice to obey these commandments, we draw ourselves closer to friendship with Jesus. We can also cultivate our friendship with Jesus by communing with him. Communing with him is finding opportunities to engage with him, after all no good friendship is without coming together. As you cultivate your friendship with Jesus, remember to converse with him through prayer, and read his word so it can help you understand him more. Take some time to share your joys and burdens with him as you would with a sincere friend here on earth. He desires as much as you do for connection and a deep relationship with you. Set aside all the things that pull you away from cultivating a friendship with him. Being a friend of Jesus is truly a precious gift and privilege that we should not take for granted. Through his friendship, we find such great love and care that can never be compared to any other. It is something we should desire and treasure. It is time to take our rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Xholiwe

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Who knocks at your door: Draw your attention

In a modern world of doorbells, buzzers, intercoms, and text messages I would like to point out the good old-fashioned hand knocking. Knocking on doors has been used to draw our attention since time. The expected knock of family or friends coming to visit, the unexpected knock of strangers, the knock of urgency/warning, and many other code knocks you can remember. A common question we typically ask ourselves after a knock is who is at the door? If you have lived quite a bit like I have, based on the knock, you may know who is at your door. This is all physical, our ears hear and know and we proceed with action. Can I shift your attention for the sake of this blog? Keep the idea of knocking and knowing who is at the door in the physical. The Bible in many examples has used knocking to illustrate this call of our attention to God. In the book of Revelations, God says in chapter 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” How does the knock from God sound? Of course, it is not one we can recognize with our ears, but surely our hearts know when God stands at the door and knocks.

When the heart knows who knocks at the door

Aside from keeping us alive, the heart is the internal ear of one’s soul. There are several things that we can know based on our hearts. We know when we are in love, afraid, excited, nervous, heartbroken, calm, and at peace when we pay attention to our hearts. How then can the heart communicate to us and draw our attention to hear and know who is at the door? If the heart is the internal ear of the soul, it will know what the knock from the Lord sounds like. He is the Creator of it all after all! Think of it this way, when an app is down or does not function as it should, it will only respond to the app developers coding correction because they created it. This is the same way our hearts respond to God’s knocking. It is almost like a natural incline of our hearts to know who exactly is at the door. We can ignore the knocking for a while until we can not anymore. God gently knocks, he doesn’t force his way into your life or like a robber breaks through your doors and steals from you. He stands there and your heart hears him knocking, the question is, do you respond?

Who is the knock for?

The knock is for all of us! The word in Revelations 3:20 was addressed to a people who knew God and probably heard him knock several times. They knew what his knock sounded like, but eventually had their attention drawn to other things. They no longer wanted to allow God into their lives as they were filled with their own means of sustenance. We are no different from these people, we have been hard of hearing because of our very own means to sustain ourselves. We may not see the need to respond to God’s knocking when we are preoccupied with our lives. Yet, he still stands at the door and knocks to draw our attention to him and do life with him.

Opening the door and inviting him

Opening the door for the Lord to come in is pleasant, and the heart tells you immediately. The times I have tried to keep the door shut after hearing God knocking were probably the most difficult in my life. I thought I could get by just fine on my own until I couldn’t anymore. Overwhelmed by the hurt and pain I concealed, my heart drew my attention to the door, and opening it was the best thing I could ever have done for myself. It was a different experience and from then on I decided to keep the door open and always invite God in. Opening the door and inviting him in means you want to have an intimate relationship with him. He no longer is just a God you read about in the books, but you know him and desire to have him in your life. You fellowship with him and him with you (Rev 3:20). What a beautiful opportunity we have to open our hearts to the Lord. If you have been hearing this knock for a while now, please don’t ignore it anymore. Allow him in! Your heart knows who is knocking at your door. It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

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Intentional encounters: Make the time

In the 24 hours we have in the day, we can do as much as we possibly can. Before bed, we may think where did the time go? Time does have a way of slipping by us so easily and we oftentimes tend to lack the intentionality of our time. Typically, what usually suffers is our intentional time spent meeting with God. We have limited our encounter with God to only our Sabbath days when there are so many more opportunities for us to meet with him in our daily 24 hours. I am guilty of this sometimes, I get caught up in my own timetable, and making time to meet with the Lord becomes difficult. In these situations, being intentional about connecting with the Lord helps take away the focus from our own timetable to then connect with God. Making the time, and preparing to have an encounter with God does change the day-to-day. If you are struggling with intentionally encountering the Lord, please keep reading.

INTENTIONAL about your time with the Lord

By definition, to be intentional is doing something on purpose. When we think of ‘purpose’ of this blog post we must think of preparation to successfully meet with the Lord. I was speaking with a dear friend of mine and she was sharing her amazing encounters with the Lord. She told me how before these many encounters with the Lord through confirming scriptures, dreams, and visions, she took time to prepare herself. She did a Daniel’s fast for 21 days and was intentional about how she spent her time. In her preparation, she ensured that her food planning was well-curated and this helped her avoid the temptation of meat and animal products. Every day during the 21 days she spent an hour in prayer. She went even further to put away all distractions, things such as social media accounts, TV shows, etc. All this was intentional and well thought through, I can’t go into detail about her beautiful encounters with the Lord in these 21 days, but rest assured it was great! While you may not be thinking about a 21-day Daniel fast as a means to encounter the Lord, you can still be intentional in your daily encounter with the Lord. Understand that God wants to be connected with you, he wants to spend time with you. How then can you be intentional about your time spent with him?

  • Start your day with devotion and prayer.
  • Listen to praise and worship music.
  • Study your Bible and seek understanding.
  • Listen to a podcast/sermon on a specific topic you want to gain more understanding from.
  • Write your prayers and thoughts by journaling.
  • Create times when you fast and pray.
  • Create absolute quiet time where you can just focus on your time with the Lord with no distractions (especially your smartphone). Allow yourself to quiet the noise of each busy day.

These are a few things that I do that help me intentionally make time to spend with the Lord. You may look at the list and think these feel like chores, and honestly when I have fed my flesh more than my spirit, they have felt like chores to me too. Almost like a to-do list that I am supposed to check off and feel great about my accomplishments at the end of my day. But these intentional things listed above are far from feeling like chores when continuously done with the purpose in mind that we get to encounter God. The idea of intimately connecting with our creator holds greater significance when we make the time to do these things. We intentionally prepare ourselves for an encounter knowing that he too wants to commune with us. In our intentionality, we find the very thing that we so desperately need. 

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence].

1 Chronicles 16:11 AMP

The scriptures invite us to draw near to God and to continually Seek his face. May your intentions to seek God and draw closer to him be pure and true. It will surprise you what God can do with your intentional ways to encounter him daily. Encountering God does do so much for one’s journey, I can testify to how being intentional has helped my closeness to God. In your intentions to encounter the Lord, your faith is built, you are strengthened, you establish discipline and most importantly deepen your relationship with God. Intentionally making time for the Lord means that you recognize his significance in your life! If it has been a while since encountered the Lord and want to re-establish your connection start with making time for him in your day. He is waiting for you and eager to draw nearer to you as well.

It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

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Thoughts on Peter’s Repentance: The bitter weeping of repentance

I have been on this thought of repentance for a while now and I hope my thoughts also allow you to think of repentance much more deeply. Over the weekend I read a chapter in Andrew Murray’s book called ‘Absolute Surrender’, my dear friend recommended this book and I would highly recommend it to you. Especially if you are struggling with absolute surrender or in other words repentance to the Lord. I am far into the book, but this chapter, quite shorter than the other chapters I have read, highlighted Peter’s story. I must admit this chapter was so thought-provoking, hence me thinking my thoughts louder to you.

If you were by any chance raised in the church, as kids we infamously were taught that; Peter walked on water with Jesus, he was one of the close disciples called by Jesus, and he loved Jesus so much, that he eventually became a diligent messenger of the Gospel. I personally loved these stories and as a kid, it was a great way to establish my faith and love for Jesus. Our study school teachers may have intentionally left out the fact that Peter was flawed, just like most of us. I understand them, as a kid, I wouldn’t fully understand, but how I wish it was much clearer. Well, I now get to learn more about flaws as I figure out my own flaws with the Lord. Another famous story of Peter that was taught in Sunday school, was Peter denying Jesus. I wouldn’t fully understand the magnitude of this moment for Peter until I had denied Jesus in my actions.

Back to the book, after reading this short chapter in Andrew Murray’s book, I think, it brought much understanding to the denial and what it meant. In my thoughts I was thinking, how could Peter a man who walked on water with Jesus, gave up his career as a fisherman to follow Jesus, saw Jesus perform miracles, and defended Jesus still deny him. Andrew had the answers to my questions, he said in his book “I do not know a man in the Bible who gives us greater comfort. When we look at his character so full of failures and at what Christ made him by the power of the Holy Spirit, there is hope for every one of us.” This immediately gave me hope! As I read this, I thought of my own failures and how much at that moment I related to Peter. But if not for the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe as you read this, you feel the same way and I hope that gives you comfort.

The turning point of Peter

Think with me for a minute, would you? Peter denied Jesus, right? something he said he wouldn’t do even when Jesus said he would. The time comes, and at the third crow of the rooster, Peter denied Jesus. This was just as Jesus had told him. He must have been devastated, disappointed, and guilted by his action. This fulfillment led Peter to weep bitterly because he knew what this meant to him. But according to Andrew Murray, he said that weeping bitterly was Peter’s turning point. What changed in Peter’s heart in this moment? Most scholars of the bible and theologians say that this was the moment of Peter’s repentance. I think this was not the idea I had for Peter’s repentance, bitter weeping? Why would a friend of Jesus weep bitterly, he should have an easy turn point, right? He worked with Jesus for three years, and he surely must not weep, what does he even have to weep about? Well, he wept bitterly because in that moment he knew that his self-will was not greater than God’s will. In his action of denying Christ, it meant that he did not deny himself. Andrew says, “There is no choice for us; we must either deny self or deny Christ. There are two great powers fighting each other – the self-nature in the power of sin and Christ in the power of God. Either of these must rule within us.” Peter in his realization of choosing self knew he denied God and this is Peter’s turning point. What is yours?

Peter was not the only one

Sincere repentance comes with changed actions. Peter showed us this after this turning point. He was about Jesus’s work until his very last breath. He spread the Gospel and I am certain that came with a lot of denying of self. He was human just as we are, so I could imagine that even in the temptations to choose himself, he would go back to that very moment he denied Christ. He was not a man without sin, but his actions showed that he chose Christ even when he was put to death. He was persecuted for the Gospel, yet he continued to pursue Christ. The bitter weeping meant something, it meant a change of heart, an entire purge of the choice of self.

You may be exactly where Peter was, given the choice between self or Christ. Peter was not the only one who had to fight between the two choices. If like Peter you chose self and denied Christ, do not be guilted by your actions, but instead make it your turning point. You can change the choice you made and fully accept Christ. Walk with Christ like Peter did and find Christ again. You may not have a rooster crow for the third time like Peter did, but you do know the actions of self that drew you further away from Christ. It may cause you to weep because you then realize the magnitude of your actions, but take heart, weeping bitterly is sometimes what is needed for us to remember Christ and repent. 

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God. - 1 Peter 2:16 (AMP)
for you have been born again [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God. - 1 Peter 1:23 (AMP)
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you. - 1 Peter 5:6 (AMPC)

It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Kholiwe

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The Sobering Thoughts of Good Friday

After attending a Good Friday service yesterday at my home church, I couldn’t help but take my thoughts to the moments Jesus Christ said his last words and took his final breath on the cross. I love to have these moments of sobering thoughts because that final breath on that cross holds such great significance. With every passing Good Friday that I have walked with the Lord and deepened my relationship with him, it becomes much clearer to me that what he did was far too great to be taken lightly. I hope as you remember what Jesus did for you on that cross, these sobering thoughts can help you understand the magnitude of his death for us.

Sobering thoughts of his teachings and MIracles

Jesus did not start his full teachings until he was thirty. It was only after his baptism that he began to read of his teaching and miracles (read Matthew 3: 13-17). He was the son of God but humbly allowed a man to baptize him. Even man felt unworthy, yet he allowed it. When he began to teach and perform miracles people could not resist hearing him teach or bearing witness to his miracles. Why was this significant before? Unlike what was taught to them, this was different, his teaching dealt with the heart and sinful nature of man. He did not address people to condemn them but called them to repentance. From the start, his purpose was to reconcile them with God through his teachings. I have been studying the sermon on the mount with my Bible study group, which I consider one of Jesus’s greatest sermons by the way. From this sermon can get a full scope of his reconciliation message between God and man. In Matthew 7:29 it says the crowds that gathered at the mount concluded that he taught with authority, unlike the teachers of religious law. Similarly, those who bore witness to his miracles were never the same again. How could these very same people who sat under his teachings and saw his miracles still watch him be crucified? The sobering thought here is Jesus was humble, taught with authority, and performed miracles all for the sole purpose of reconciliation. He came to change the narrative of the old through his teaching. The greatest teacher I know to date. It is something people needed to sit under and bear witness that truly the Messiah was on earth.

sOBERING THOUGHTS OF god WITH US

Before his death and resurrection, through Christ Jesus, God was with us. Emmanuel! God was with his people (read Matthew 1:23). He was born and grew up just like you and I. He was cared for by his earthly parents as some of us. He felt like you and I, joy, sadness, pain, and other emotions. He formed relationships and lived with mankind on Earth. He worked! can you imagine that, he actually worked and probably at the end of the day needed to rest from a day’s work, just like we do. How can we not see the magnitude of his purpose to reconcile us with God? For God so loved the world that he gave us his son Jesus! And through Jesus, people were with God. The sobering thought here is that God was no longer only reached by one man, or by one group, but all could come to freely and be near God through Christ Jesus!

sOBERING THOUGHTS OF gOD’S WILL THROUGH CHRIST

We read several times in the gospels that Jesus even after miracles happened, asked that it not be shared. It was not yet time. The timing of it all was not up to him, it was as God willed. He was on earth to do the Lord’s will. It was God’s will that his son would die on the cross for us all. Because of God’s will the timing of everything was important and what happened during Jesus’s time had to happen, what happened before the cross was God’s will;

  • Jesus born of a virgin.
  • Jesus saved from Herod’s order to kill male children.
  • The baptism of Jesus.
  • Jesus being tempted by the devil.
  • Jesus’s teachings and miracles.
  • His disciples who followed him and would later spread the gospel.
  • The denial of his teachings by teachers of religious law.
  • The hostility and fear of the Roman Empire.
  • The sharing of the last meal and washing his disciples’ feet.
  • The betrayal of Judas.

All of it was in the will of God. However, before the cross, Jesus in great anguish asked if this crucifixion could pass him by, yet if not, that God’s will would come to pass. And so it did. The son of God was arrested to be crucified, even Peter’s wrath could not stop the will of God. For what crime? There was no crime he had committed, but declare he is the Messiah that those of old have spoken about. The sobering thought here is that Jesus came to do God’s will for you and me! He at the hands of the very people he came to save, was arrested to be crucified. He freely gave himself to the will of God. The more you sit with this thought, the more it reminds you of how great Good Friday means for you.

The sobering thought of the cross

I looked at the cross yesterday during our Good Friday service and tears ran down my face. As Christians, that symbolic cross we look at is a reminder that the son of man, came down from heaven to render us free from sin and shame. He took the suffering and the brutal pain of the cross so that we would be free. His act of such great love and sacrifice allowed us to be reconciled with God. Even when we think we are undeserving of the act of love on that cross, he did it! Jesus felt the pain of the cross and as he hung, he called out to his father, he cried out as darkness settled on earth. In a loud voice, he said “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). He was surrounded by the world and some of the people of the world did not know what all this meant for them. Jesus in the last of his life asked that God would forgive them for they did not know what they were doing (read Luke 23:34). Jesus even in his death remembered that it was for the people he came to die for and even though they did not know it, he asked God to forgive them. This very same forgiveness is why we are here, forgiven for our sins. Thank you, Lord. Jesus committed his spirit to God and said it was finished (read John 19:30). What was finished? The will of his Father! The sobering thought here is that Jesus fulfilled the will of God, it was finished. What does that mean for those that were present then and what does it mean now for us? Because Jesus gave himself as a living sacrifice for all humanity, we can freely come to God. If we confess that Jesus died on the cross for us all. When repent and accept Jesus as our savior, our reconciliation is established through the cross where Jesus died. The greatest act of love! Keep these sobering thoughts with you as you go into celebrating his resurrection. He has risen! He is alive!

Much love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

Commitment Issues: You made the decision, now what?

Crowned Royals!! Greetings! Greetings! and many more greetings! This is to make up for all the months that have went passed without my hellos. I hope you are well and are using everyday to trade those thorns for crowns. Forgive my silence, I used most of my time away to catch up with travel, something that makes me feel connect to the world and absolutely love. Last year was pretty hard for a travel junkie like me because of the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, but I am thankful to God I got to see a few places this summer. My last blog was about making decisions and I wanted to pick up where I left off and tie this bow up. Decisions are often followed with commitment, and while making decisions can be easy, commitment to those decision can be hard. Just like you, I have made the decision and struggled with the commitment, so how can we deal with our commitment issues?

Did you notice the blog photo I settled for captures two wedding bands? I couldn’t think of any other form of commitment that holds so much weight than marriage. Yes, I know 50% of marriages end up in divorce, but before that happened two people decided to commit to it and along the way for various reasons, things changed. No, this is not turning into a relationship blog, but keep the idea of this type of commitment to your decision making and commitment as we unpack together. Many of the decisions we make whether small or major require some level of commitment, but what happens when we fear commitment to those decisions? we run into commitment issues! What are commitment issues?

commitment issues

Commitment issues can stem up from several places, it would be fear based off past experiences or difference in opinions. When someone is having commitment issues, most of their decision making can be based off a fear of the unknown. The fear of the unknown raises the question of what ifs….The danger to this is that we could be making the right decisions, but would be unable to accomplish because of our commitment issues, hence limiting ourselves. For example, I watched a BBQ show sometime ago on Netflix and one episode told a story of a young man from a little town in the South that was good at barbecuing. His barbecue joint was in the family for many years and passed down to him and he would also train his son to take over the business after him. He know his place was good and people in the bigger city would want to have a taste of his amazing food, however, his family feared for him to move to a bigger city and that eventually made him fear as well for years. He would be offered an opportunity to expand his business, but would decline it and not commit even though he wanted to. After some years, he finally got the courage to commit to his decision to move to the bigger city and he never looked back. He grew his business in the big city and investors invested into his eating place all because he committed himself to his decision. Perfect happy ending right? What if he decided to stay in the small city and allowed his commitment issues to limit his reach? We would be telling a different story and that story would not be as great as what changed for the young man. While we are not facing the decision to move our eating places to a bigger city, we are still facing some decisions we are having a tough time committing to due to our commitment issues.

Why Commitment?

Ever heard of someone not committed to anything accomplish something significant in their lives or that of others? I will wait. I bet you haven’t, but we hear many stories of those that commited and accomplished much. Commitment is an action and if one struggles with commitment issues that means that decisions are made without action or intention to commit.

Imagine with me for a second, Jesus’s commitment to die on the cross for us…significant right? but imagine if he dealt with commitment issues, what would have that meant for us? But Jesus was commitment till the very end even with the process, the pain and the sacrifice. The whole point of commitment is not giving up. What makes it so difficult for us to commit to a decision that will be for our good? While there are several excuses and reasons we can use to justify our lack of commitment or fear of it, what then do we do when our commitment issues contribute to our constant draw back? T.D Jakes said this “you cannot conquer what you are not committed to.” Many of us want accomplish this change in our lives and all that is good to manifest in our lives, but have we ever thought the reasoning behind us not accomplishing is due to our struggle with commitment issues. We want the good [insert your heart’s desire], but the good cannot be achieved if we don’t commit to our decision. Here is why you should commit;

  1. Your commitment pleases God
  2. Commitment helps build your character
  3. Commitment makes you accountable for your own progress, errors and corrections
  4. Commitment makes dreams a reality
  5. Commitment is rewarding when you put in the work
  6. Commitment pushes you to succeed

Still need more reasons to convince you to commitment to your decisions? I don’t have to go have far. Just think of the many things that you have limited yourself of accomplishing by allowing your commitment issues to hold you back. I get it, I too have had some things that I convinced myself out of because of the fear that came from my commitment issues. Just like you I have had my many excuses that were backed up with detailed reasoning, but at the end I still was the one that lost. Many of us are losing because we are afraid, and if we were to all critically look at our lives we would see that our loses are coming from our lack of commitment.

GOD AND COMMITMENT

As a kid we used to sing this song ‘No Turning Back’ in Sunday school and to be honest it didn’t mean much to me until I understood my commitment to God. The words to the song are pretty simple… I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back… I interpret the words to this song as commitment. We decide to follow Jesus and not turn back, almost like how Jesus said that no man will put his hand to the plow and looks back (Luke 9 vs 62).

Our commitment to God pleases him. He desires our commitment to him and all that is about him. He exemplifies commitment by allowing his son Jesus to die for us. Jesus his beloved son he gave to us because of his commitment to free set us. He shows us that commitment issues do not help us accomplish something significant by this very act. Understand that it is very easy for our commitment to God to easily also affect our other commitments in different areas your lives. For some it starts there, at least for me it did! It starts with knowing that you are committed to a God that is also committed to you and has your best interest. God has your best interest, he too wants to see you accomplish based off your commitment. The good part about all this is that God wants us to commit to him whatever we do and he will help! Don’t believe me? here is some word for you;

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”

-Proverbs 16:3-

Rather than constantly being with the fear of committing to your decision alone, why not make the commit to the Lord and find your strength even when fear wants to give you an excuse or reason to quit. He being God will help you establish you plans, but you have to stay committed.

I will end by saying, there is nothing you accomplish when you allow commitment issues to limit your reach, growth, change etc. There is however, much to be accomplished with you deciding to fully commit to your decision in the good and in the bad. You continue to trust the process and fight off the fear that comes from your commitment issues. It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time for you to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

For the hurting neighbor: How to show love, kindness and mercy

Photo by Andrea Tummons on Unsplash

Hello Crowned Royals! I hope you are doing good and are as excited as I am about the changing season. I love autumn and would not be mad if it was an all year-round season. I look forward to all possible autumn activities and cozy nights where I can write to you.

I had this thought last week about how easy it is for us to get so engrossed in our own lives ups and downs that we so easily forget about our neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is everyone! It is the person we walk pass in the store, the pan handler on the street, the teller at the bank, your co-worker, the person that lives next door, your close knit circle such as friends and family and the list goes on. The well being of our neighbor depends on how we show love, kindness and extend mercy to them. I wouldn’t say I have been at the best at showing love, kindness and mercy to my neighbors at all times and I know I don’t speak for myself. How well have you been looking out for your neighbor? I am most certain that not all our neighbors are excited about their lives and may be hurting, right now, they need your love, kindness and mercy just as much as you would want theirs if you were hurting. It shouldn’t surprise you that alot of what we call our society or community walks hurt, talks hurt and continue to deal with life hurt. You may not be a hurting neighbor right now, but you do know how it feels to hurt from your personal experiences. I bet while you were hurting you appreicated the love, kindness and mercy that people showed to you and to some extent it helped you get through. So, why not show the same love, kindness and mercy to a hurting neighbor?

My heart was moved to think about the hurting neighbor after looking at a random post on facebook asking on who attempted suicide this year alone. The many comments that flooded that post overwhelmed me and from that one post, it was so evident that our neighbors are hurting. What broke my heart is that they were hurting that much that taking their own life felt like the better option as they thought no body cared about them. Showing love, kindness and mercy to these neighbors may not be as complicated as you think. Sometimes in life all what people need is a smile, a hug and a listening ear. Caring for another person shouldn’t feel like a chore that you hate doing and trust me there are several chores that I wouldn’t be opposed if someone else did them for me. According to the dictionary, care is defined as the feel of concern or interest or attaching importance to something. The word we would like to think everyone wants to hear is ”I love you”, but for the hurting neighbor we might want to start by saying “I care for you”. In some cases care could be misunderstood as providing provision of material things for someone’s well being, but it is more than that because care goes far beyond material provison. Care in the literal sense is the providing of time and effort to see another human being feel better about their situation. Many people are in dire need for people that actually care. People that care to listen, care to share, care to be present and that is to mention a few. Your might have to be that person for others right about now.

5 ways to show love, kindness and mercy to the hurting

I know there are several ways that this can be done, but I choose to share on these 5 ways and hope it resignates in your heart and pushes you to take a second and check on your neighbor.

  1. Give genuine care: Show that you care for someone, be genuinely concerned, interested and attach equal importance to all those you come across.
  2. Be a listening ear: This can be hard for most of us to do because we are always ready to talk, but when in conversation with a hurting neighbor listening can be of great help to them. Understand that sometimes the hurting neighbor already knows the solution, so your immediate advice or response/react is not not they may need at present, but just allow them to speak.
  3. Fellowship with them: Just like Jesus fellowshipped with the 12 and bigger multitudes, amongst themselves were some that actually hurt and needed to feel like they belong. So you follow the example of Jesus and fellowship together. The word of God does encourage us to do so. Fellowship can be a done through sharing a meal or even ashared fun activity or outing.
  4. Actions speak louder than words: We are not only to think of love, kindness and mercy as an after thought and carry on with our lives, but we are to be doing these very things that show them. Love in action looks like sacrifice, kindness in action looks like helping the our community and mercy on action looks like showing compassion to those that need it as much as we do when we are in need of it.
  5. Use your words wisely: You can speak to the hurting, but choose to be wise about it. Words have this way of either building or breaking others. How you choose to comfort or encourage the hurting is very crucial and should be done with much wisdom and be of genuine intention. The Bible says that words have the power to heal, bring life, bring health, crush the spirit, are life-giving and refreshing (Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 16:24 and Proverbs 18:4). Read one of my older blogs on how words can make or break a person for an indepth understanding on the power of words.

Start with these few steps and let the hurting neighbor know that you care. We are commanded by the word of God to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, which is one of the greatest commandments that Jesus spoke of in the new testament. (Matthew 22 v 39). This particular verse reminds me that the same love I show for myself, I should show to my neighbor and Visa versa. Unfortunatley, with so many hurting people, not so many are loving themselves enough to extend their love to others, but if you are able to do so, please be the one that is looking out for the hurting neighbor and letting them know that they are not alone. If you find it hard to do so, just reference to Jesus, he examplifed great ways on how we are to show love, kindness and mercy to the hurting neighbor. You can do the same too! It is time for us to make our rightful place! It is time for us to trade thorns for crowns.

Much Love,

Xholiwe