SIMPLY CHURCH!

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but WE TRUST in the NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.

What does SIMPLY CHURCH got to do with anything? You see, church…for you and I may have a whole lot of different meanings. And so does…CHARIOTS AND HORSES. Ask the nobles in the days gone by and you might found out that…CHARIOTS AND HORSES represented in those days…POWER, PROSPERITY & PRESTIGE. In the middle ages, those who owned and rode in HORSE AND CHARIOTS…were usually the CREME of the society, to be regarded with high honour…not because of anything they had done on their part but simply because one was born into aristocracy.

But what does SIMPLY CHURCH got to do with you and me? EVERYTHING...and much more. Church…and I mean church in the only place where you require no qualifications whatsoever to be part of…other than…allowing Jesus to take your lowly place by forgiving your sins and admitting you into AN ETERNAL ARISTOCRACY…in this life and in eternity. Yes…CHARIOTS and HORSES can seem for some like a secure place…of power, prosperity and prestige…but SIMPLY CHURCH…is more secure than all the horses and chariots put together. Why? Because the bible says so:

A TIME TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE!

Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday. It will be the 8th birthday we will be CELEBRATING together…as a couple and now, as a family. His birthday is made up of many fine and treasured memories of our times together. The Lord has been gracious…oh, yes…too gracious. Like David, I REMEMBER and in prayer I ask;

‘WHO AM I, LORD GOD, AND WHAT IS MY FAMILY, that You have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in Your sight, O GOD, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. You have looked on me as though I was the most exalted of me, O God. 1 Chronicles 17:16-17

Our past….has been MEMORABLE
Our present...is PALATABLE
Our future…will be INCREDIBLE

I met my husband almost 8 years ago while he was a missionary brother in the Catholic congregation of the CONVENTUAL FRANCISCANS FRIARS...whose founder was ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI in the 12th Century. On that first birthday together, I gave him a little book with beautiful proverbs and sayings unaware that 8 years down the road…some of the words in that little book who come to pass…in ways unimaginable.

A JOY OF SORTS!!!

Today, I just picked up my Polish ID which now identifies me as a rightful and lawful citizen of this country, Poland. It is strange, but when I got the identity card, I felt a JOY OF SORTS. But why do I say that? Because a couple of years back, after I had qualified to become a citizen of this country under the Polish marriage act, I resisted the idea. On one hand, I wasn’t yet ready to disconnect from my roots, while on the other, there was need for me to be a part of where God had placed me, that is, at my husband’s side. Then something happened in early November, last year that made my decision…either way inevitable. A decision had to be made…and made quickly. When I finally made the decision to give up my country’s citizenship…which is the requirement before you become a Polish citizen, I felt a strange relief and peace.
After what has been a four month process…today…I get the TANGIBLE EVIDENCE that I am part of this society.

BECOMING A MASTER OF GOOD

Romans 16:19-20 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to WISE ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will SOON crush Satan under your feet.

Yesterday, as I walked the short distance to pick my daughter from kindergarten, the words of Romans 16:19-20 started flowing out of my mouth in form of a song we used to sing many years ago in my home church back in Kenya. Yes, God has been teaching me a great truth of late. Oh….and this is after what has been a tough season of going through the FLOODWATERS and THE FIRE.

Psalm 66:10-12 For you, O God tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through FIRE and WATER, but you brought us to A PLACE OF ABUNDANCE.

And yes, while we were going through the battle, we couldn’t understand why things were happening as they were. No, not until things had cleared up….and now, as I stand at the other side, God is saying to me.

WARNING: SHE COMES WITH FAVOR

Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a GOOD THING and receives FAVOR FROM THE LORD.

I guess every country has its own traditions when it comes to the wedding cards. But back at home, in Kenya, my native country, we have this expectation that on the wedding card there is always a scripture verse chosen by the couple to-be, as their wedding motto. Of the many wedding cards I have come across, I did notice that many couples chose the above scripture for their new marriage covenant. And for many reasons than not, I DO LOVE THIS SCRIPTURE VERSE. For one, it is a scripture more husband-directed than wife. Secondly, its a scripture that comes with two sure declarations from the Lord: A GOOD THING AND FAVOR.

A wife is a GOOD THING….because she is a gift from God to man.

Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is NOT GOOD for man to be alone. I will make a HELPER suitable for him.”

A wife is GOOD THING….because she came from man.

Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made woman from the rib he had taken OUT OF THE MAN, and he brought her to the man.