As citizens of God's Kingdom we have been commissioned as ambassadors to go forth and spread the Gospel to all nations. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in His Great Commission, made it mandatory for us to proclaim His Gospel boldly and courageously. Unfortunately for one reason or another we often fail to adhere to this mandate, feeling weary and fatigued by the berate reception we often receive for the faith we have in our Lord. However we must stand firm and never feel fragmentary in doing the works of our Heavenly Father, we can make a difference. Be encouraged. God bless.
19
RYA-30-"Made a Difference to That One!"
13
RYA-29-Wilful Submission
Have you ever been faced with a compromising situation where, in that classical Augustinian scenario, you find yourself in the middle of choosing the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do? Do you sometimes realise how the balance is often more towards the negative than towards the postive? As I always say intent is prior to content and our intention springs from what we naturally will to do. Today we reflect upon the wilful submission unto the Lord we must undergo in order to do the right thing, at the right time, at the right place etc. God bless and I pray the you will be encouraged and edified. Amen.
10
RYA -28-Facing the World: A Renewed Perception
Please visit www.facinghtheworld.net this is the charity that influenced today’s reflection. The following excerpt is taken from their mission statement. The face, says the poet, is the window to the soul. It presents us to the world, expressing how we feel without a word being said. "The face bears our identity, our character and our individuality. People with ‘normal’ faces take this for granted and can enjoy all that life has to offer. Life is very different for those people who have faces that look ‘abnormal’."
29
RYA-27-The Spurious Costume of a Lie
Youthful years are important in our lives, they are considered to be our formative years. Alot of thinking occurs during this time and our belief structure begins to take its form. We must make sure that our beliefs are in line with truth and not falsehoods. Today we reflect upon these very issues.
23
RYA-26-"God. Or Self, Which?"
Have you ever finished reading a great piece of writing, and given praise immediately to the author? You don't stare at the letters and say this is magnificent ink, or look at the paper and glorify it, you don't even commend yourself for reading with such splendour. It is almost a instinct to glorify the mind behind the masterpiece. Have you ever thought and stood in awe of the works of the Master Creator? Today we look at how self often gets in the way of bringing His name glory, and the only way we can tame our flesh.
15
RYA-25-Concealed Wonder
“To see things in the seed, that is genius." This quote is so simple yet so sublime. The veiled potential that lies deep within a seed is only truly understood by one with deeper insight. Farmers labor for hours ploughing and cultivating their soil making sure that it is conducive for the sowing of new seeds. Many of us carry our very own seeds deep within the very recesses of our hearts and these concealed wonders lie dormant waiting to be revealed, the ultimate genius, the Lord Most High anxiouisly awaits for them to be drawn out but work is required of us. Today we reflect upon the concealed wonders that lie within us all and examine how these great potentials can be drawn out.
01
RYA-24-"Is Experience The Best Teacher?" (Free 4 All)
Is experience the best teacher? This question has been on my mind for quite a while and at many times of personal meditation it has been my main point of reflection. The question is philosophically influenced, and really opens up the floor some good debating. The point of today’s reflection is to do just that, I’d like to call it a ‘free 4 all’ or an ‘open mic’ an opportunity for us to reason together on an important issue that effects and shapes our perception of this life. I’m throwing the question out to everybody, what say ye “Is Experience the Best Teacher?” Please fill up the comment box, we can learn so much from one another.
25
RYA-23-Naughty by Nature: A Letter to the Streets
In today's reflection I will be reciting a letter I recently wrote to the 'Streets'. In the letter I personify the Streets as a former friend of mine and explain the things I experienced in my relationship with the streets. It could be described as an 'abstract' testimony. My purpose for writing the letter, was stimulated by a season I recently went through in which I pondered upon my past life and gave God thanks for where he has brought me too, I began to think about those who are still trapped in the lifestyle of the Streets and began to write aiming at those suffering from peer pressure, identity crisis and many other issues. Please be encouraged and refer friends who you think may benefit from listening to this message. God bless you.
18
RYA-22-Regaining the Kingdom: Keep it Kingdom, Keep it Kingdom
Keep it King, Keep it Kingdom. This quote has become central to my life and is the last statement I make in all of my reflections. Jesus Christ once said "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness", so as a constant reminder I make it imperative to make sure these two things are what I seek after diligently. In today's reflection we round up the Regaining the Kingdom series by reminding ourselves of the importance of a relationship and not merely a religion with our Lord. I pray that you have both encouraged and edified and that you have gained something new over the past weeks, join us in the last episode of this series as we pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Keep it King, keep it Kingdom.
27
RYA-21-Regaining the Kingdom: Rebelling Against the Rebel
A famous actress once said “I've been reckless, but I'm not a rebel without a cause.” The course of history and humanity itself has been greatly affected by a paricular rebel, who most certainly has been reckless and has always had a cause. This rebel himself taught the very first human beings to rebel against the Creator and this rebellious spirit against God has carried on all the way through history. Sin is rebellion against God, we live in a sinful world, that continues to push God away becoming more and more secularized by the day. Genesis 4:7 says; "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." Sin must be mastered but how? How do we rebel who are sinful rebel against the rebel?
23
RYA-20-Regaining the Kingdom: Where It All Went Wrong
Part two of a sub series entitled "Seek ye first..." In the last reflection we discovered the beauty of a relationship, birthed out love, that was shared between God and Man. We learned the way in which God both created and formed man, and the mystery that the creation process reveals in God's original plan, the Kingom concept. But as many of us know somewhere down the line it all went sour. A serious incident occured in the Garden of Eden that would change the course of history. This week we will evaluate where it all went wrong and we will study the causes and effects. We will round of by taking a brief look at the surface of the message Christ brought and see how the illness of humanity is offered a solution by His liberating proclamation of the Kingdom. C.S. Lewis says this "Enemy occupied territory that is what the world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign sabotage." Join us today as we Regain the Kingdom!
22
RYA-19-Regaining the Kingdom: Rudiments of a Broken Relationship
Part one of a sub series entitled "Seek ye first..." We discussed last week, the fact that religion, in it's widely known term, is a destructive force devised by man and will only lead to our downfall, we found the only solution to be a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is imperative therefore for us to delve into the relationship between God and man at it's most rudimentary stages, the creation process. What is our relation to God? and how did are remote ancestors, Adam and Eve, relate to God in the Garden of Eden? What were the rudiments of our broken relationship with God?
20
RYA-18-Regaining the Kingdom: Losing Religion
"It is usually when men are at their most religious that they behave with the least sense and the greatest cruelty."- Ilka Chase. Why does religion have such a control over ones actions, so much so that they can behave in such irrational ways? Religion has been loved and loathed by many over the centuries, people have died for and against religion. Religion is often described as the poison of society, but why? Is Christianity truly a religion? Mahatma Ghandi once said "If it weren't for Christians I'd be a Christian." I believe this statement was influenced by his religion and by the Christian's 'religion'. Whether we like it or not Christianity has been dubbed a religion, but we must analyze and find out what the Lord truly intended. Join me today as we reflect upon this serious issue.
13
RYA-17-Overcoming Laziness and Growing Diligent
Laziness is an issue that many people are faced with today. Youths are often top of the lazy list. Our gadget filled society has enabled us to do quite a few things at the flick of the wrist, and we wonder why obesity is becoming a major issue in our country. Where will this 'couch potatoe' attitude lead us to? and what is the malady for our current state? Tomorrow's leaders are being developed today, and to be an efficient leader one must be diligent. King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, once looked at the ant for inspiration on how to diligent. We can learn alot by studying the ways of the ant, and that is the point of today's reflection.
12
RYA-14-Truth on Trial:Who Is Jesus?1
Some might say he is a great prophet who stands equal to Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and others. Some give him credit for being a profound moral teacher. Still others might say he was a loving, but weak person who happened to get killed for a noble, but lost, cause. Who Is Jesus? We hope to find out as we put Truth on Trial.
12
RYA-15-Truth on Trial: Who Is Jesus?2
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher."-C.S. Lewis. So what did Jesus say? What claims did he make of himself? Who did he claim to be? Who Is Jesus?
11
RYA-16-Truth on Trial: Who Is Jesus?3
"Intent, in the pursuit of truth, is prior to content, or to the availability of it. The love of truth and the willingness to submit to its ... all » demands is the first step."-Ravi Zacharias. To put it simply in the pursuit of truth, intent is prior to content. Our generation is full of skeptics, the university campuses are flooded with students who graduate claiming they can never really know anything. 'Truth is merely relative' they proclaim, but is it? Does this generation really want truth? Martin Luther King Jr. once said; "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Is this generation even prepared to take the first step? Come let us reason in the last reflection of this series.