On Being Hospitable

And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my Lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Genesis 18:1‭-‬14 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.18.1-14.ESV

A while back I was asked by a friend to share my thought on how we can be hospitable people. As I thought about that I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to this portion of Scripture. I've read this countless but I gelt the Lord talking to me in a very simple yet profound way 

Gear Up! - first written on 06/04/2020

 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

It is Monday, April 06, 2020 – and the time is 22:20

Going through this lockdown period, there are just some things that one gets to process and thoughts that come up to mind. The Scripture above came to mind today and got me thinking: what a time for this very word to be much more alive right now!

The whole world is indeed fighting against the invisible enemy called Coronavirus. An enemy we cannot see, touch, smell, and definitely cannot taste. We can’t tell if a person has been infected by the virus just by looking at them. And the virus just keeps spreading and spreading. Even the person infected can walk around for days without knowing that they have been infected, and a lot of times they will not know the exact time they got infected or even the person who infected them.

It is only when one sees the symptoms of the virus that they will seek medical help. And by the time they do, it could be that they, unknowingly, had also infected other people as well. And hence, we have been given the steps we can take to protect ourselves, washing of hands, the hand sanitizers, the masks, the gloves, and so forth. Medical personnel has been under the pressure of having to be brave and go and help the infected people. They can’t turn them away, even though this poses a risk to their own lives. They have to help the sick – but while doing so, they have to ensure that they are geared up in the best personal protective equipment that is available. The medical professional would not even dream of going to do the work without the right gear!

Now, it would be considered illegal for the practitioners to try and “eliminate/kill” the infected person, but their aim is to eliminate/kill the virus, at whatever cost.

This got me thinking; isn’t this what the Scripture has been telling us though? Sometimes we, unknowingly, walk around carrying so many ‘viruses/sicknesses’ in life. The virus/sickness of hate, greed, jealousy, bitterness, gossip, slander, anger, etc. These could be things that we have been carrying around since childhood, and a lot of times we do not even know where we first got ‘infected’. Or that we are even infected- to begin with- until we see the symptoms in ourselves or see them in others. Or others seeing these symptoms in us.

Each one of us has the potential to ‘infect’ others with our pains and heartaches just like we can also be ‘infected’ by theirs. There are a few lessons that we can learn from the Coronavirus situation.

1.    1. No one is immune to such infections

2.    2. There are things we can do to protect ourselves

3.    3. We can always lend a helping hand in the midst of the pain/heartache

See, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:13 to “put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm.” As children of God, we are constantly fighting against our invisible enemy, the devil. Sometimes we get mad at people for all the bad stuff they do to us, and we want to take revenge, while these people are mere “carriers” of the different things that seek to trip us up in our faith.

The questions we have to ask ourselves though are:

1.    1. How is my immune system? Do I have enough of God's Word inside of me that when - not if – the devil comes knocking at my door I will be able to "sanitize" myself for protection?

 2.    How is my PPE (personal protective clothing)? Am I geared up for victory? Do I daily put on the whole armor of God? We wouldn’t imagine any of the medical staff rocking up at work unprotected, would we? They would be signing up for their death sentence! Why would we then, as Christians, think that we could fight the enemy of our faith without the right protection?

 3.    Are we even fighting the right enemy? Medical personnel never fight with the virus carriers, they fight the virus itself! Hasn’t the devil kept us busy by blinding us into fighting the wrong enemy? God’s people, whom He loves so much and He created in His very own image? For as long as we – born again, Bible-believing, sanctified children of God – keep being offended by the actions of others, we will be fighting a losing battle. We need to fight with the spirit that is behind every attack, bearing in mind that some people have multiple diseases that they carry with them! And as we daily choose to walk with the Lord, it may require of us to give them dose after dose of grace! We need to keep loving people while fighting the enemy.

 4.    Could we also be, in some way or the other, be walking around with a virus? Do we have daily check-ins with the Lord to check how our walk is towards others? What does He say? Do we have safe relationships? Where, as soon as they see the symptoms of sickness, they will call us aside and offer help? Are we those kinds of people, who love others in their weakness; with a love whose end goal is to win them to the Lord (if they don’t know Him yet), or a love that will stir up the faith of those who do know Him?

Remember, do not attack the carrier, attack the virus! 

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.1 Peter 5:8

 

Mooihoek Strawberry Farm & Bergvenster Short Hike

Hey friend, I trust you will enjoy this blog which we enjoyed as family and friends.

Here's a suggestion on how you can get the most out of this trip. To start off, arrive as early as you possibly can.

1. Start with the relatively steep but short hike and check out Bergvenster (Mountain Window). This is about a 3-minute drive (or less) from where you will be picking your strawberries (you use the same entrance). At the parking lot, from where your hike will start, you will find Phillips tunnel. There is nothing much to see in this "tunnel" except for reading its history, smiling, and taking those photos!

Phillips Tunnel

The good news is that the trail has been upgraded, even a 6 and a 10-year-old could do it - those young people mara!! And if you are brave enough, once you reach the window, climb a few steps to your left and you will reach the top of the mountain - your eyes will thank your legs! The entire hike takes about 30 minutes to complete, but if you wanna take longer (for those photos) I would say an hour (max). NB: Take water with you! Even with some shade along the trail, this area can reach high temperatures, and that 30 minutes will seem like a lifetime when you are thirsty!

Part of the upgrade

The kids reached the window

The view up close

2. Once this is accomplished, you can then drive back and start your strawberry picking.

Our delicious harvest. Yay

3. But there is another fun activity you can add...the quiz around the strawberry picking area: we didn't t know about this and only found out on the day and we decided to do it. Best decision! We laughed so hard

For your benefit, I hope they will change this question

4. At the end of it all, go reward yourself with a meal at Berry Barn across the road. Their food is so worth the wait (the restaurant was packed when we were there) and their service is excellent. The view of the farm from here is also beautiful.

View from Berry Barn Restaurant

As a side note: If you are driving from Port Elizabeth (aka Gqeberha) side and decide to take the first off-ramp to Hankey, be prepared for a slow drive as the tar road is narrow in some places and has many potholes. The alternative is to take the Humasdorp off-ramp. This will add more mileage to your vehicle but the road is far better, wider, and with no potholes.

God's Throne of Grace - first written on 19/11/2021

Friend, I don't know about you, but a lot of times the weight of sin makes me feel unworthy to approach God's throne of grace. I think it is maybe because I feel I should have done better. I have been serving the Lord for a long time and I feel I  should not be struggling as I am in my walk with Him. But I fail dismally! At certain times, I have been so ashamed to "tell" God what I am going through. Yip, as if He doesn't already know about it. I would feel like God would tell me how disappointed He was in me! And I would sometimes imagine Him with this sad, disappointed look on this face!

 But how far off the truth this thinking is! The Bible says "while we were sinners, Christ died for us." Before I was even aware I needed His grace, Christ extended this grace to me. There is nothing that I did that qualified me to receive His grace in the first place. He gave and continues to give it freely.

As I sit here, I realize just how much the devil has robbed me of God's abundance, and stolen from me the pleasure of living forgiven. I often wonder how many great things and opportunities I have missed of living fully for Christ. I wonder about the many blessings I missed out on simply because I was too ashamed to approach God's throne of grace, being bound by shackles of feeling unworthy?

 Even if I did approach Him at times, it would be from a position of saying ‘Lord, I understand why I am going through this difficulty. I understand why You won't give me what I need.’ How insane! As a mother, there are so many times that my kids have done things I don't approve of, and at times, one could not go back and undo what has been done. I correct, discipline them, and we move on as a family. My kids would think it weird if I carried on correcting and disciplining them for the same thing over and over again if their behavior had changed. And yet here I am, thinking that this is what God does with me.

 God looks at the heart and, funny enough, this is the response I always look for at my kids. It is not what they did that matters, but their attitude or behavior after they have done the wrong deed. Yes, I do teach them that there are consequences for their actions, but I watch how my kids never beat themselves up for days after being corrected or disciplined. They never stop talking to me or asking for stuff. And yet, my guilt and shame stop me from talking to God.

 The feeling of being condemned so consumes me and leaves me paralyzed at times. I know the Bible tells me that there is no condemnation in Christ, but this is easier to say than to believe. I forget that Jesus thought I was to die for, and knew that I would fall short sometimes, but He loved me anyway (we all fall short of the glory of God). But now I honestly ask myself, why do I feel ashamed to approach the throne of God with boldness? It's because I listen to the wrong voice in my head! When Jesus hung on that rugged cross, all was paid for! My past, present, and future sins - yes, future sins! His blood does not lose its power because of my sins. It flows constantly and for me to continue walking in victory, I have to keep tapping and being connected to this life-giving blood. I have to acknowledge that there is nothing I can do apart from Him. I cannot forgive my own sins. How weird! Coz sometimes this is what I would be saying to God, ‘don't worry about this one, Lord, I will sort it out myself.’ Oh my goodness! What a lie!

 So, I am reminded of how privileged we are in being given the opportunity to approach God's throne even in our worst of sins. Remember one of the two men who was crucified along with Christ? How in his utmost state of unworthiness boldly reached out to Jesus and asked for mercy? Jesus did not turn him away. Jesus did not ask him to give a long list of what he had done in the past. While the man acknowledged his shortcomings, but he did not stop there. He pressed beyond his failure and reached out to Jesus. And Jesus saved the day and told the man that he was going to be with Him in Paradise that very day! Jesus' forgiveness is readily available to anyone who would care to ask.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we also press past our failures and look to what Jesus has already done? And here's the cool part, Jesus is still not done with us, as at this very moment, He is seated at the right hand of the Father INTERCEDING for us. Just like He prayed for us before leaving this earth, He is still praying for us. When we approach God's throne, may we always remember that our High Priest is already there for us and we go in His strength and not our own! We can do nothing apart from Him.

 I am so thankful that Jesus left me with the Holy Spirit who keeps reminding me to look to Jesus. Yes, I fall short sometimes but the Holy Spirit knows this and does not grow tired of pointing me in the right direction. Oh, how patient He is with me! I can boldly approach God's grace, without shame.

 Hebrews 4:16: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need

Stay The Course - first written on 14/05/2020

With things going crazy around us, it is understandable that some of us may be going through a lot of emotions during this season. Life, in general, is a roller coaster, and adding to that, our current situation can easily make us experience more lows than highs. With that in mind, I thought I should share some of the strategies that I have put in place over the years that have come in handy. These are the practical things that I have done and continue to do because God is not done with me yet. There is a lot more that I still need to learn and I am excited about the journey ahead with the Lord.

 

To stay the course means - to persevere with as much determination, energy, or fortitude (courage in pain or adversity) as one can until the end of the race. OR to continue attempting something difficult to its end or conclusion. (source: Free Dictionary)

 

Our purpose here on earth is to glorify our Father in everything we do, and we have the awesome privilege of being Jesus’ hands and feet. What an amazing time to live in, and we are so honored by the Lord to be able to shine His light in these darkest hours the world seems to see. Think about that for a moment! So, my precious friend, life is not about us (though we tend to think it is), but about the One who has sent us.

 

In trying to understand our purpose, we sometimes think that we have to be strong, know-it-all people before God can use us, but He says “come as you are, I know exactly where you fit in in the bigger picture.” So, knowing our purpose means we need to know our strengths and, equally more important, our weaknesses and limitations. If we look at our weaknesses and limitations in a negative way, then we will struggle to allow God to work in and through us. But if we view them positively then we’ll realize that our weaknesses and limitations are an invitation for the Holy Spirit to help us, in order for God to be glorified in every part of our lives. 2 Corinthians 12:5a says “I will boast only of my weaknesses…” God’s grace, my friend, is all that we need, His power works best in weakness.

 

 I pray that you will be blessed by my journey and I would be delighted if you could share your journey as well in order that I, too, can learn from you. J  

 

a)   Being real with God, my Father: There is no darkness in Him because darkness to Him is as light to God – Psalm 139:12. I journal a lot, writing my raw feelings to Him because He knows them anyway. This helps me when I look back and reflect, seeing His grace upon my life and how He has always carried me through in those up and down moments.

 

b)   Mentorship: Years ago I had a longing for someone to mother me in my spiritual walk. God answered that prayer by sending me a special lady who continues to encourage and lift me up when I am down. She also challenges me to do things that are way out of my comfort zone. Through her prayers and much encouragement, I have learned and I am constantly learning to walk in bold faith. I am grateful that the Lord brought her to me in a way that only He could.

 

c)    Godly friendships: Proverbs 15:22 -  Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed. We are relational beings and life is not meant to be lived alone. One has to ditch the saying that goes “love them all but trust no one.” Ask the Lord to show you or bring about Jonathans in your life. People that you can openly talk to, about your every issue or the challenges you face. Not only that but to talk about your dreams and desires of your heart. These are people who are happy for you when things go well and will also cry with you when things get tough. I have surrounded myself with people whom I have given permission to speak over my life. Good or bad - as I may view their opinions at times -   I know that these people are FOR me and love me lots. Whatever they do or say always comes from a good place.

 

d)   Knowing the season that you are in: The Bible says there is a time for everything under the sun. What has God called you to do in this present time? I have stopped wasting time doing things that I am not called to do now! I am a divorcee but God has not called me to the ministry of encouraging divorcees, though I do not shy away from helping when He directs me to, my heart is for single parents.  I enjoy having conversations about this journey and also discussing the practical things single parents can do which would allow us to live content in every situation and at the same time raise God-fearing kids.

 e)    Getting rid of offense: This is one sure way to give the devil a beachhead over our lives. For Christ’s sake and our sake, we just have to let go of any offense, then we will experience the freedom of walking in forgiveness! We’ve got to trust that God is a good judge and that He will never allow the guilty to walk free. He is faithful and He stands by His word. Let us allow Him to minister to us through our disappointments, heartaches, and feelings of betrayal.

 

f)     Expecting obstacles: “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. This does not mean that we need to be miserable souls, seeing trouble in everything! It simply means that when trouble comes, we need to understand that Jesus already has a solution for it. Sometimes we walk around feeling defeated, forgetting that over 2000 years ago Jesus won the victory for us. We need to face challenges with this mentality and that is what will keep us going. The Bible also says that God is faithful and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

 

g)   Choosing God over any circumstances: Choose life, choose His joy. Nehemiah 8:10b – “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” You know the saying that goes, “Fake it till you make it?” Well, I say, speak God’s word until your perspective or your situation changes. We can call into existence the things that do not exist - Romans: 4:17

 

h)    Speak the word of God over your life: I say again, SPEAK IT OUT! With His spoken word, God created the universe, so it makes sense that we, as people created in His image, also need to speak things into being. As mindful as we are of what is going on around us, we resolve to trust that God has something great in store for us. We’ve got to remind ourselves of who God says we are before others tell us who we should be. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21a. Speak life!

 

i)      God wants to use you where you are: The Bible has many examples of people being used by God while in difficult situations, and I think He did this just to show us that His power is not limited or linked to any earthly title/s we have. His Holy Spirit inside each one of us is the One who does all the work. One such example is the young girl who was used by God to bring about Naaman’s healing – 2 Kings 5:1-14. She is easily overlooked in the story, as we tend to concentrate on the miraculous healing of Naaman – and there is nothing wrong with that. This servant girl’s name is not even mentioned in the book. All we know is that she was taken from her home and to a foreign country against her will. But that’s the point! God knows who she is. She was now a maid to Naaman’s wife. But even as a maid, she knew her identity in the Lord. Her earthly title did not stop her from living out a life that is totally surrendered to God. She did not hold back from preaching the Good News to Naaman’s household and eventually her words came to the king’s ears. Even though the Bible does not say much about her, I am convinced that, as a maid, she had lived a God-honoring life, which gave her credibility when she spoke about her God.

 

The world would love for us to keep believing that we need to have some sort of a title before we can do anything of significance. God knows the real us and has entrusted the spreading of Good News to us – what a privilege! So we need to stop trying to get recognition from people. Getting feedback from people is good, but our lives should not depend on it. If we get crushed every time no one says “well done,” we will be discouraged and shrink back from serving God wholeheartedly. God knows who we are, and that is enough! Let us allow Him to use us wherever we are. There are no external bondages or circumstances that can ever chain us – Christ set us free. Paul preached the Gospel even when was in prison. I pray we will be a generation that proclaims the Lord’s goodness even when things do not seem to go our way. “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1

 

May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Forgetfulness and Fearfulness - first written on 20/07/2020

 In reading the creation story we see how God spoke light and darkness disappeared. The sky, the land, the seas, the vegetation, day and night, seasons and years, living creatures (of the seas and land), the stars, the moon, and the sun, etc. all came into existence through His spoken Word.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

I have read this verse before but while reading it recently I noticed something remarkable which I never thought about before. In the verses preceding 26, God spoke a word, and creation came into existence. But in verse 26 God said, “Let us make human beings in our own image.”

So here’s a confession:  I have a mind that enjoys imagining things.  While reading this verse, I imagined there being a meeting in heaven, and God Almighty, excitedly, saying to attendees; “As you all have seen, I created everything with the power of my spoken word. But there is one last creation we need to make, and it’s going to be a masterpiece! Let us make human beings, in our own likeness. Not only are they going to look like us, but I will give them dominion over creation.”

I’m imagining the conversation going along those lines…

When it comes to human beings, I see God letting us in on His thoughts, by again communicating His intentions to create us (spoken word). So, the LORD got down to business and created mankind from the dust of the ground and the result was a lifeless body. Since God is God and can do anything, with a spoken word He could have spoken life into the lifeless body.” But, no, God chose to breathe His breath of life into man’s nostrils. I often wonder how close God was to Adam’s nose when He was breathing life into his nostrils? Was it like some CPR type of a scene? I believe that's how close God was. 

Reading this story has left me convinced, once again, that God’s thoughts have always been on humankind - way before creating the universe. He provided for our needs (what we would eat and drink) and gave us a purpose for our existence – to reign over every living creature – then He created us. How awesome!

Psalm 8:3-5 “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place — ⁴ what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? ⁵ Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.

Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered ¹⁸ I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Matthew 10:30 “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

We serve an unchanging God. He is the God Who Was, Who Is, and Is To Come. He has placed each one of us in this world, at this present moment, for a specific reason. Through Jesus, He also opened the eyes of our hearts, so that we may view the world differently from those who don’t know Him. Seeing things from God’s perspective enables us to walk in victory. His Spirit empowers us to look beyond what is seen to the confident hope we have in Jesus.

So, if we believe that God does not change, can we - considering what the world is going through - ask ourselves the following questions?

1.    Do we truly believe that God cares for us, individually?

2.    Is it possible that He can, even for a brief moment, forget us?

3.    Do we have any personal testimonies of His goodness and faithfulness?

4.    Having truthfully answered the above questions, do we have any reason to be fearful?

Our forgetfulness can leave us paralyzed with fear. I think that forgetting to continuously remember how God has rescued us in previous struggles results in us finding it difficult to see past our current struggles. Because of this forgetfulness, fear becomes our companion – something that God does not desire for us.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity but of love, power, and self-discipline - 2 Timothy 1:7. Through Christ we are victorious and, therefore, we fight every battle from a point of victory.

We were created for so much more. And since our life here on earth is not a matter of what we eat or drink – as stated in Matthew 6 – we ought to be the bright lights that shine in this dark world. We ought to live by example and not be swayed by every negative report we get. Our confident hope is in the Lord. Let us, therefore, use every opportunity we get to advance His kingdom.

Yes, we can’t ignore the devastation caused by the Coronavirus. For many of us, this is a tough season. A season where we would have to walk by faith, one day at a time.

While acknowledging the season we are in, we must also be careful not to neglect the power of the Cross. Now, more than ever is the time to be purposeful in our walk with the Lord, and take everything to Him in prayer.

In reflecting on our personal journey with the Lord we need to maybe consider the following;

1.    Has the Lord ever been good to us? Then we need to thank Him.

2.    Do we believe that His mighty power at work within us can accomplish infinitely more than we can ask or think? Then we need to declare this over our lives, or to anyone who would care to listen.

3.    Are all our needs met? Then we ought to praise Him. If we have any lack we can ask of the father and not worry about tomorrow for He will supply all our needs according to His riches.

4.    Can we trust Him in the middle of our current storm? What a hope we have in Jesus! We can lift His name up high and declare His glory to all nations.

Psalm 103:2 says, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”

God is still in control. He cares so deeply for us, therefore, we can trust Him even in this season.

Prayer: Father, because our hope is in You, and You alone, I pray that You will keep renewing our strength. Oh dear Father, may we never forget the good things that You have done and continue to do for and through us. You are always mindful of us, and for this, we thank You. We bless your holy name, Father. We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus, our risen Lord, and Savior. Amen