Everywhere we look, we see a lot of chaos in our world. We don’t need to look very far, we only need to turn on the news, the pages of magazines and newspapers or look at social media. I don’t think there has been a single day in History where any human being has said “all is right with the world”. Every time and everywhere, there has been trouble in the world.

We also fear for our lives in light of all that is happening in the world. Sometimes we see it and turn a blind eye, glad that in our corner of the world, we may not be affected by what others are experiencing. Everyone is looking out for themselves, it’s called self-preservation. We crave that at all costs, and it breeds all kinds of injustices and hatred of the “other” in an attempt to elevate and preserve oneself.

It wasn’t always this way. God created perfect human beings in His own image, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). He created everything and it was good, He created human beings and they were very very very good. But sin came into the world when man decided to disobey God and do things that God told them not to do (Romans 5:12). That one action, brought sin into the world, that has separated man from God and been passed on from generation to generation. As human beings, we want to live our own way, and not the way we were intended to live, as God created us. This affects us all, as we are all born from the first created human beings, Adam and Eve, who’s sin has affected us all.

What is going on in the world? We all want power, we all want to do things our own way apart from God. We don’t want Him to be all powerful, we want the power, in one way or another, and this shows in the way we live our lives apart from Him. This power breeds a hatred of anything that stands in the way of us wanting power. For centuries, we have drawn lines of race, class and gender to put people in categories that make us stand out from other people, and we want to be better than them. We don’t want to be equal, we want to be better at all costs. We don’t see ourselves as being created equal, with two gender roles, with no one role being better than the other. Different skin tones, to reflect the beauty and image of God. Different roles in society to glorify God. All these differences that are to glorify God are used to glorify ourselves. To create an “us and them” mentality that propagates our self-preservation, our power over others.

This striving to be better than others, means that we see others as less than ourselves. This notion breeds hatred of anyone who threatens to “usurp” our power. We compare ourselves to others, imitating those who we see as better than us, and ridiculing those who we see as lesser, wanting to keep them suppressed, oppressed and in their place. We don’t see God as the ultimate power, because we want the ultimate power to lie with us. Thank God this will never happen! He is still in control and will always have all the power, no matter how hard we try, and we have tried! But where has this gotten us? Nowhere. And we don’t see it. It has been happening for centuries, the cycle of man thinking he can have ultimate power. Yet we still try, time and time and again, not seeing that history repeats itself:

“All that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” C.S Lewis

Power and hatred all stem from a heart that does not recognize God as the ultimate power and the definition of love.

Continue reading…Part 2

The post The cycle of sin in the world: Power and hatred in a world that is anti-God – Part 1 appeared first on Proverbs 31.

Media has been abuzz with news about South Africa these past few weeks. Men who have raped and killed women, and men who have kidnapped children. Is this something new? No. There have been a number of violent attacks on African people, by other African people, simply because they are from a different part of the African continent. Are these xenophobic attacks new? No. Is this a phenomenon that has occurred in the past? Yes. Here again, sin in the form of power and hatred rears its ugly head. Men wanting power over women, different cultural groups wanting power over one another. Not seeing one another as human beings, created in the image of God, as fellow image bearers (Genesis 1:27). Sin is sin, and it manifests itself in different forms.

Looking at the history of South Africa, we see how sin manifested itself in the form of apartheid. People of one skin tone thinking they are better than people of another skin tone. Why? For one group to have power over the other. Let’s think about this. What happens to someone who has been sold the narrative of being lesser than another over time, decades and centuries? Will that person just decide to change their mind and start seeing themselves as equal to those who have been believed to be superior all this time? Will all the hatred towards the other, automatically change? Will a period of 25 years of freedom from the oppressor undo centuries of oppression, just like that? We would have to have a greater power than man believes himself to be, to truly change the mindset of both the oppressor and the oppressed to do truly do that. We are still seeing the effects of apartheid today.

Am I saying that apartheid has caused all the wrong that is happening today? No. It’s sin, and that sin manifested itself in the form of apartheid.

Apartheid aside, have we forgotten about the wars between different cultural groups in Africa and South Africa? Have we forgotten about the Mfecane? The period of widespread chaos and warfare among indigenous ethnic communities in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1840? Many may say a lot of the conflict was instigated by the colonial forces in order to destabilize African cultural groups, but whether or not that was the case, we still see sin at play, with the quest for power and a hatred of the other, being evident. We still see this happening today, the cycle continues, not only on the African continent, but in the world.

What is the cause of what is happening?

What is the cause of all that is wrong in this world? Sin. “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12) Once we deny this very fact, human beings are doomed. Denying this means there is no hope and we will continue to spiral into destruction and chaos. Recognising the one problem of this world, the biggest problem there will ever be, shows us that there is a problem that needs a solution.

We have seen sin manifest itself in power and hatred, which has led to many consequences. The world has been in deadly wars, genocides, all because of the need for power over the other and hatred of the other to have power over them. These are all means of destruction, caused by the need to want more,

be more, and have power. Our sinful need for power causes hatred, caused by sin. The sin of loving the self, more than others. The sin of loving ourselves more than our creator. When will we learn?

Only God has power! Jeremiah 10:12-13 says “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens: And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.” Who in this world has such power? Which being that ever existed?

Romans 1:20 tells us “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse”

Only God provides us with what we need! He has given us everything by His power:

“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” 2 Peter 1:3

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:26-34

He provides us with what we need including our need for a savior from sin.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is our only hope in the world. We have a way out from trying to satisfy ourselves. A way out from all the sin that is causing destruction in this world. From all the sin that is destroying us. From being far away from the one who created us and has provided all we need. There is a way to be content with what He has given us. A way to love others and see others as fellow image-bearers in Christ. A way from not competing with others and thinking more of ourselves. His name is Jesus.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you

have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10

He is the spotless lamb, the only one who has ever lived without sin, yet took the punishment of the sins of the world upon Himself. The only begotten son of God, fully God and fully man, who came to save us. The righteous one who imparts His righteousness on us, so that we may be reconciled to the Father. He took the wrath that we deserve, upon Himself and has ascended into heaven as His work on earth has been completed.

He left us with His Holy Spirit, to continue the work of transforming us into the likeness of Himself.

To help us understand His will for us through the scriptures, and applying it to our lives:

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15

To convict and transform us, to hate sin and turn away from it:

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:8-15

To rely on His ultimate power in our lives and to put all our trust in Him. For our good.

“My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:2

To teach us to love one another as he loved us.

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” Romans 5:5

We cannot do any of these things unless we turn to Christ, (Matthew 6: 33) have faith in Him through His word (Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Corinthians 2:5), believe in Him (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9) turn from our sins and live our lives according to his will (1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19).

We can never have all the power, because all power belongs to the Lord. We can never provide ourselves with all we need because only God can do that. We cannot love our neighbours without knowing the love of God, without knowing God who is love Himself. My prayer is that the Lord will, through the preaching of His word, transform hearts. It’s the only solution to the problems of the world. It has been the only solution and will always be. For those who do not know the Lord, seek Him, turn to Him in repentance that He may transform your heart and mold and make you into His likeness. That you may live a full life honouring to Him and be reconciled to Him. For those who know the Lord, let us continue to seek Him, let us continue to share the good news of the gospel with our neighbours. Let us love them so much that we don’t want them to perish. Let us not be shocked at the state of the world and say “look at them, look at what sinful people are doing,” Let us love God and His people, taking heed to the great commission:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

This is the only remedy to the problem of sin that plagues our societies and causes destruction.

Tell of the good news! Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika

The post The cycle of sin in the world: Power and hatred in a world that is anti-God – Part 2 appeared first on Proverbs 31.

I read up a bit on the heritage of Naomi Osaka, who won the US Open, against Serena Williams. The whole story about that game has been making its rounds in social media, with so much being said about Serena’s behaviour etc, but this is not what this post is about. I saw something on Facebook about how Wikipedia had Naomi’s heritage as Haitian-Japanese, and after her grand win,changed it to Japanese. I have no idea why that was done, but I know that half of who she was, was left out deliberately. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian- American father (according to Wikipedia, she and her sister kept their mother’s surname for practical reasons while they lived in Japan) . Naomi left Japan for the United States when she was 3 years old, and has dual citizenship from both countries. In the United States, if you are of mixed race, and have a black parent, you are classified as African American, if I am correct…So what does that make Naomi, Japanese? Haitian American? It’s quite clear what the media prefers to call her, probably because she represents Japan in the game. She is also not fluent in Japanese. Whatever the case, I find her beautiful, with a rich and colourful heritage. A picture of what so many people in this world don’t like because they like to put people in boxes, and if the box doesn’t fit, confusion erupts and prejudiced anchors are hurled to weigh someone down in the category chosen for them.

I grew up in a family where we all spoke English to one another. I still speak English in the home, to my husband and children. Not because it’s a superior language or that I love it, but for various circumstantial reasons, including the fact that it’s an international language. It doesn’t make any other language any less.

I also speak Sesotho, which I learned from family and friends and from everyday conversations I would hear, being surrounded by the language. I speak it fluently, although at times with adopted English, Afrikaans or Zulu words that have become somewhat slang in this vernacular. Over the years I have learned how to speak Afrikaans, understand some isiZulu and isiXhosa, can communicate with a Pedi or Tswana speaker, and have picked up some German. I have friends from all over the world, from whom I picked up a few words that can in some cases build a conversation or at least allow you to get around in their respective countries. I can at least greet someone in more than 10 languages and I am now learning Chichewa.

When people ask me, “what’s your first language”, I have to think of a politically correct answer, so I say Sesotho. “Can you translate this Sesotho document into English for us?” and I have to explain myself. “But I thought you are Mosotho?” Yes, and a proud one at that, but I don’t speak it everyday, I don’t hear it everyday and I cannot trust myself to accurately translate documents without input from another Sesotho speaker. Does that make me any less of a Mosotho? I wouldn’t say that.

“Did your husband have to pay lobola before you got married? Did he have to slaughter a goat? Did you have a traditional wedding? Do you sacrifice to “badimo?” No. “Do you know this and that about your culture?” Yes, to an extent. “Then how can you call yourself a true Mosotho?” Well, because from my Dad’s side Sesotho is our lineage, it’s the cultural group that I identify with, for that reason. In our culture, your father’s lineage is your lineage. Your mother’s is a part of it, but you identify yourself by your father’s lineage. That’s what makes me Mosotho. It’s in my blood, not whether or not I subscribe to certain cultural practices, especially those I don’t agree with. Not whether or not I speak the language fluently. I am Mosotho, but does that completely say who I am?

I was born in a country in which I lived for 18 years of my life (6 of those were in and out of the country as I was in boarding school), lived in another country (of which I am a citizen) where my parents were born, for 10 years, and for now I am settled in a different country for as long as the Lord pleases. Where do I call home? Well, I guess where I am for now. Am I still Mosotho? Yes, that can never change.

My family is a colourful plethora of cultures, with every member of my family having grown up in different countries across the world, having relatives from different countries, through intermarriage. Not one family unit is homogenous. There are a number of different languages spoken, from South Sotho to North Sotho, Yoruba, to French, to Swedish, to German, to Bemba, isiSwati ,Chichewa and Russian to name a few. That’s what our beautiful family is like, and we all speak English to one another. Imagine trying to learn all the different languages and cultures. We could, but English is one of the most commonly spoken languages. Sadly, Sesotho isn’t spoken by my entire extended family, but that’s okay because language doesn’t make us who we are either. Who we are is ultimately in Christ, who created us, every tribe and nation. Am I related to my Nigerian cousin? Is my Swati uncle still my real uncle, yes. We are family. Is Naomi Osaka Haitian? Yes. Japanese? Yes. American? Yes. She doesn’t need to be put in only one of those categories or whichever category we like. We are all part of humanity and our lives are a culmination of cultural experiences, from wherever God places us, at whatever time in our life. It’s beautiful to identify with one culture, or many, for the glory of our Creator.

Is my cultural identity of utmost importance in my life? Certainly not, it’s not who I am. If we are in Christ, in Him we find our identity. We were all created, by one creator, Acts 17:26 says “ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,” No matter our birthplace or dwelling place, the Creator who created us, placed us there for a reason, for His purposes. We were all Created by one Creator, but only those who call upon His name, only those whom He has saved, are adopted into His family. As sinners before a Holy God, we don’t deserve to be a part of His family, but by His grace, we are.

Acts 10: 34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

John 1: 12-13 says “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

I am thankful that the Lord has placed me in a family with a number of different cultures, I am also thankful for the lovely and rich cultural group I am a part of. I like the fact that I can embrace different cultures and feel at home. But what matters most is my eternal heritage in Christ. Let us not be too caught up in culture, which is not static, but remain steadfast in our walk with our Creator who has given us an identity, in Himself, through Himself. It saddens me that people can be so entangled in cultural differences instead of seeing the beauty of Christ in all of them. Even as believers, we need to see that Christ makes us one, in His body we are all different parts that fit together perfectly. Let us call upon Him, love one another as He has loved us, as part of His body, His family. That’s all that counts in this life. Culture will always change, but the word of God remains forever, God is eternal. All things shall pass away, but His word remains.

At the end of the day, the question won’t be “How did you enjoy, portray or represent the culture/country/society/family in which God placed you?” But rather“ How did you impact the people in your culture/country/society/family, where God placed you, by pointing them towards Christ? How did you play your part in the beautiful body of Christ? Did you seek to divide His body or unite it? ” The great commission should be carried out first to the people closest to you. May we serve Christ that on that day, he says “ Well done, good and faithful servant.”           

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Growing up, I thought about one day having a family and being a mother. I wanted to be the cool mother who did all these wonderful things with her kids. In my mind, I thought I would be the best friend to my kids, and looking back, it was more about being loved than loving. I wanted to have kids who thought the world of me, and I was determined to be ‘super mom’.  The Mary Poppins, Maria von Trapp kind of mother (thank you Julie Andrews). Yes, that’s my era. Movies and books presented more of a wholesome household compared to today’s sitcoms and movies that portray a less homogeneous household and mixed up gender roles. But that’s a whole other topic on it’s own. The image of motherhood was somewhat glorious to me. I also admired my mother so much and couldn’t wait to be a mother one day, God willing.

When the Lord brought me to Himself, and started to show me through His word, who I was, I began to think “ how can I even be a mother? me?”  It was still exciting to think of, and I wanted to have as many children as the Lord would will. But as I grew in my knowledge of God and His will , He began to show me, through His word, what the role of woman , wife and mother is all about, and I knew that without Him, I couldn’t take on such a huge responsibility. He has the blueprint of life, womanhood and motherhood through His word.

Fast forward to marriage and 2 kids later. Diapers, sleepless nights, potty training, stubborn frowns, disobedience and the word “no”. When you realise that motherhood is the toughest job on the planet, because you are raising little ones for God’s glory and you feel like you are not the right person for the job. You realise that there is no such thing as a “super mom”, but only a super God “who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

The reality is, I don’t measure up. That “super mom” is what I attain to be, but really, I cannot. That check list that we create for ourselves, or even the checklist that we have made out of Proverbs 31:10-31, just shows me how sinful and imperfect we are. God has given me two precious little girls to raise, for His glory and I only have a short time to do it. They will grow up and take all that I have taught them, out of the home with them. Will they called me blessed ( Proverbs 31:28)? They watch what I do, they soak it all in. They learn from me whether I like it or not. How am I displaying the fruits of the Spirit to them?  Am I loving and submitting to their father as unto the Lord? Am I modeling for them, what biblical womanhood is? Even if the Lord wills to bless us with boys one day, am I showing them what a godly woman looks like? These are questions that us mothers should all ask ourselves. If we aren’t in Christ, who are we raising our kids for?

What a joy and a privilege it is, to raise children, biological or not. From the moment each of my children were born, I loved them. Just when you think you can’t possibly have more love left, you have the same immeasurable amount for one, as for the other. And this is not even including the love you already have for your husband. It’s amazing that God gives us His unconditional love and we don’t understand how boundless it is until you experience the boundless love He has given you for your husband and children. And even that, doesn’t come close to the love God has for me. And if He loves me so much and has given me such a responsibility, surely He is with me and will guide me through the ups and downs of motherhood if my life is truly submitted to Him. He “will meet all my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 4:19)

I still admire my mom, and I know many women admire their mothers. We respect mothers in this society, but they are not perfect. I still think that the image of a wholesome, nurturing mother is one to be admired, but looking at that image without Christ and a biblical worldview, that woman is only an idol. Only Christ can make me the woman and mother He wants me to be. I need not look to the world to tell me what a mother should look like, because she may behave like the perfect mother, but without Christ it’s impossible and the facade is meaningless.

Let’s do away with the check lists and ideas of a “super mom” and turn to Christ who enables us to do these things, because on our own it’s impossible. Raising children for God’s glory means cleaving to Christ and looking to Him in order to do it. Raise them in the fear and admonition of Him who you serve, not your own “super mom” idol. The Lord calls us to Himself, to submit to Him, to teach our kids His ways ( Deuteronomy 6: 6-9) that they may not depart from it ( Proverbs 22:6). And they will honour you (Ephesians 6:2, Proverbs 31: 28), and it will go well with them as they live a long life ( Ephesians 6:3), serving the Lord, which is what the Lord commands us to train them for. He knows the joy of raising children for Him, and done His way, it always works. We cannot be godly mothers if we aren’t godly women, looking to Christ first.

This article was first published here

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As she tried to soothe her gums with her fingers, screaming in pain, I still had to finish giving her a bath, and do the whole night-time routine before she could take some pain medication and fall asleep. I kept reassuring her that after her bath and medication, she would feel better and fall soundly asleep. Mind you, she is 18 months old and probably had no interest in (or idea about) the words coming out of my mouth. I kept wanting her to hold on just a little while longer, knowing she would be fine soon, but she just wanted the pain to go away immediately. 

As a mother, seeing your child in pain is one of the hardest things. For an 18 month old toddler, there is no “let me just try and suck it up, the pain will go away” way of thinking. In fact,  all they are thinking is, “I am in pain and I want it to go away now.”  In these moments, I think about how that childish mindset is often our mentality when facing trials in our lives. We become like little children who don’t know that trials are temporary and good for them. Trials often cause us to become stronger, having learned something from them or accomplished something through them. We go through life thinking that trials should not be a part of life and each time we come to a bump in the road, we think “This is the end” or “This is the last straw”. Yes, we can be that dramatic. 

All our trials and all our pain and suffering is temporary, and there is no way to prevent these things from happening in our lives on this side of heaven. What matters is how we handle our trials. We can wail and scream or completely retreat from what is happening to us, but that won’t help. It may even worsen our situation, leaving us asunder from the lesson to be learned. Most mothers wish that our little ones would know and understand our murmurings of, “It’s okay, you’re safe with mommy. I know you feel like your teething woes are the end of life as you know it. Mommy can relieve the pain with some teething powder; you can fall asleep and the pain will go away for a while. You need to go through this so that you will have a full set of teeth and be able to eat yummy, nutritious food and grow up to be strong and healthy; it’s all part of the plan.” However, the poor child doesn’t know this; he or she is not mature enough to understand.

So it is with us in this life we have been given. [eltdf_blockquote text=”When trials come, let us look to our heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ who says in Matt 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” James reminds us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:2-5)” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]. These words are our very own “You need to go through this. Soon enough it will be over and you will have learned or accomplished something, with God as your guide, strength and comfort.  It’s all part of the plan.” But we cannot see this unless we know who our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is. Like little children, we need to grow in our spiritual maturity to understand and put our faith into action. We cannot do this apart from the Word of God, because that’s how we know who He is — through His Word. We cannot know His Word without the Holy Spirit, and we cannot have the Holy Spirit without a repentant heart drawn by Christ by His grace and by faith in Him through His word. For then, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

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[eltdf_dropcaps type=”normal” color=”” background_color=””]P[/eltdf_dropcaps]leasure, plaisir, piacere….whatever language we speak, pleasure sounds sweet, because it is. There are so many things in this world that delight us and keep us asking for more. We want to enjoy our lives, we want to have the best of everything, and we long for pleasurable things.

If asked where you would want to be right now, this very moment, our minds will, no doubt, drift to some place that’ll put a smile on our face just by thinking about it. Whether it’s an island in the pacific, curled up on a couch in front of the T.V or chatting to a long lost friend, we believe we will be fully satisfied in that moment. Some may think about heaven and believe that to be the ultimate satisfaction.

Think about your favourite ice-cream, or your favourite item of clothing. You like it, because of the way it was made, by whomever made it. You probably wouldn’t switch to the same item in a different brand. Anything we like in this world, we like because of the way it was made, by God who made it. We often forget the last part, ‘ by God who made it’ and attribute goodness to the creation and not the Creator Himself.

[eltdf_blockquote text=”The pleasures of this created world are pointing to the Creator of pleasure. They’ll never satisfy you like the pleasure of knowing God. ~ Paul Tripp” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]

John 1: 1-3 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

We so often forget that. Everything that was made, was made by God. If these things are so pleasurable, how much more pleasure is there to delight in the Lord our God. We can never fully enjoy anything without delighting in the Lord who made it. The way you feel about that chocolate covered vanilla ice-cream, or the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the beach, is nothing compared to the pleasure found in the Lord.

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. Do we not desire pleasure? Where else can we find true pleasure if not in the Creator Himself? That’s something sweet to think about. Romans 1: 20“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

Every single good thing we see in creation is pointing us to the Father, so we have no excuse. Creation points us to the Creator, but it alone cannot draw us to Him, and cannot give us a saving faith. Romans 10: 17 states “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” May we look to the Creator of all and delight in Him all the days of our lives. May we seek Him and know Him through His word, May our hearts yearn for him and not the things He created. Nothing in this world can truly satisfy us. That temporary satisfaction in anything of this world, will pass away:

1 John 2:17 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Even heaven is not pleasurable if we don’t know God. We cannot know the Creator without faith in Him and what He has done for us on the cross. It is through faith in Jesus Christ, that we come to know God, our Father. Only then can we know what pleasure really is, as we delight in Him.

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ore women need to be a part of the workforce, top business positions should be filled by more women, keep women out of the home, and in the workforce.” This is what the world chants and is very characteristic of today’s society. As women, we want to make it in the business/corporate world that has been, for centuries, dominated by men. We are told that we need equal jobs, equal pay, equal hours at work, and everything else that men have been entitled to for a long time.

Is there something wrong with women working? No. We are working beings, and both men and women are to work. Before I got married, I worked long hours in the corporate world, spent late nights in the office, and was a part of the world of quick turnarounds and long workhours. I was not married and had no dependents, I would arrive at home late at night, have a quick take-out dinner and then I was back to my laptop to work from home. Now, this wasn’t always the case each and every day, but the scenario I am painting is that of a lifestyle spent at work and on taking some ‘me-time’ away from work. Prayer and bible time were mornings and evenings and the rest of the day was jam-packed. Had I been married with children, my husband and I would only get to spend time as a family, for a lesser part of the day, with most of it spent out of the home. Our children would have spent most of the day in the care of someone other than their parents. I know that this is the case with many families in today’s society, but should we be spending time away from our family so much? Is that what a family is intended to be?

There are some who may have less than favorable circumstances to deal with, and I am not criticizing the single mom or dad that has to work more than one job to put food on the table. These situations are not ideal. The picture of an ideal family, as God intended is one in which both parents are teaching children the ways of the Lord, the commandments of the Lord, (Proverbs 2:6) night and day. Both parents together have a role in raising children to the glory of God and each parent individually has their role as mother and as father. The words of the Lord in Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 spell it out quite clearly:

[eltdf_blockquote text=” “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” ” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]

Children are to be taught, 24/7, the commandments of the Lord, from their parents. “When you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up”. Whether you eat or you drink, or whatever you may do, do it all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). How best to teach children in this way, than to spend most of our time with them? God commands:

• Men to love their wives, lead their wives and children as the head of the household under Christ (Eph 5:23, 1 Cor 11:3), to provide for the household (1 Tim 5:8), to train and discipline children (Eph 6:4, Prov 15:5).
• Women to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord (Eph 5:22, 24, Col 3:18) manage the home (Prov 14:1, 31:27, 1 Tim 5:13-14,Titus 2:5) teach their children( Prov 22:6) and younger women (Titus 2:3), train and discipline children under the authority of her husband.
• Children to honour and obey their parents as unto the Lord. (Col 3:20, Exodus 20:12)

The Lord our God has given us roles within and for the family, which is the bedrock of society.

One thought that I always have when reading in the news, about the atrocities that are taking place in this world, is that those who commit such heinous crimes were once sweet little babies who have/had a mother and a father. Yes, some may have been victims of circumstances such as an absent parent or many may have been orphaned, but the fact remains, that a man and a woman came together to bring forth a child. A child, who, no matter what the circumstances, is a blessing for the Lord. The parents and children, no matter what the circumstances, have a biblical mandate as male and female, mother and father, as children.

The very fabric of society as God intended, has been marred by sin and torn apart at the seams as we try to find all kinds of solutions, work harder, have better schools, have better nannies and daycare centers. It’s a never-ending spiral that we will forever be caught up in, because we cannot find solutions to societies’ problems in this world. Children will grow up to be the robbers, lairs, cheaters, swindlers and killers we see and read about in the news, unless they are raised by Godly parents who are obedient to God’s word. No, not all children will grow up to be killers, they may be good children and grow up to be great adults, but good children and great adults are still accountable to God when they die.(Ecclesiastes 12:14)

All are doomed, unless we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved, unless we repent of our sins and turn to Christ who is the author of our salvation. Only through Christ are we saved, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, are able to see sin for what it is and look to Christ. Only through Him are we justified and sanctified to live our lives in obedience to Him. He created us, he created families, and if we are to have Godly families our eyes should be fixed upon Him. There is no other way to be obedient to His commands.

I left the corporate world that I knew I wouldn’t be a part of for a long time. At the right time, the Lord provided a loving, God-fearing husband who had the same convictions as I did, regarding family and raising children to the glory of God. I now work from, in and for the home, which is the sphere/launching pad that God has given to me. What a blessing it has been to submit to the Lord and honor Him and his commands; to learn at His feet, about how to raise a family for the furtherance of His Kingdom; to teach my child the ways of the Lord and make the home a haven for my family and guests within our gates. Without the Lord Jesus Christ, it isn’t possible. All Glory and honour be unto Him.

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