The Mistake of Unfaithful Stewardship

This week we are privileged to have a guest blogger bringing a new two-part series.
 Pastor Emmanuel Ngamenji serves as the head of Christ the Refuge Ministries in Douala, Cameroon.  He operates by the core purpose of growing people for effective service unto God and humanity with the ultimate task of investing in human lives.  Take a look at his in-depth perspective on stewardship:

Children in a marriage are God’s blessings and they serve in cementing the matrimonial home. They should therefore be brought up in the fear, knowledge and admonition of God.

 HE seeks godly offspring….Malachi 2:15. We are partners with God (1 Cor. 3:9),in raising up a godly seed. What honor! He has placed on us. Therefore, it is important for us to know where responsibilities lie.
 

            OWNERSHIP IS WITH GOD….Psalms 24:1   we are not owners but stewards. HE gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17), so, having kids and raising them, shouldn’t be an endurable experience; but, an enjoyable one. When we realize that they still belong to God, we can rest in the assurance that God also has ultimate responsibility for them. HE does care. Isaiah 49:15...says…"can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

•   STEWARDSHIP IS WITH US….. We are not owners but stewards. A steward manages and takes care of that which belongs to someone else. God owns everything because HE created everything; but as stewards, we manage and take care of it.(Genesis 2:15)

We have an obligation to be faithful stewards…1 Corinthians 4:2 says…” moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” We shall be held accountable; therefore we ought to be reliable, dependable and responsible.

We must understand this Owner – Steward Relationship; for HE is a God of order, and we mustn’t usurp His prerogatives.

One of the ways to activate God’s promises over your life is in proper stewardship…most especially over your children and household. This was the mark of distinction in father Abraham’s life…Genesis 18:19 says “…For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Did you just see that?...what is it that was spoken to him? To better understand that, lets read the two preceding verses….”And the LORD said, ‘shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,….since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ‘For I have known him….’can this be said of you?
CAN YOU BE TRUSTED? ARE YOU BEEN TESTED? MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

In His Service,

Emmanuel Ngamenji 

What's in a name..Conclusion

 

Today we will conclude our discussion on the meaning of names. As we continue let us focus on the name of Jesus. For the name Jesus: This list is wide, as the names we use tell also of His character or His Titles.  Here are a few: Son of God, Savior, Emmanuel, Lord, lamb of God, Lion of the tribe of Judah, Immanuel, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting father, Wonderful, Alpha and Omega, anointed one and Amen.

 For the Holy Spirit: He can be -Author of the scriptures, comforter/counselor/advocate, guide, intercessor, conscience, indweller of believers, and revealer.

 I don’t know about you, but I am glad these names have meaning, sometimes I need to use many of them at different times during one single day.  At work sometimes I need to see Him as my banner, when dealing with my children I need revelation and I need guidance, with my spouse it may be a different reason, my friends another reason, and when faced with devastation situations I just need Him as  that I am and I can plug in what I need.

He does not get upset if I am unable to pronounce the name I really want and most times when words cannot come fast enough or I need immediate attention I just call Him Jesus and He understands.
So the next time you have to name your child or asked about the name of your grandchild make sure that you do some research and give a name that has meaning.

In His Service,

 Vilma

What's In a Name? ...Part 2

Most of us are familiar the name Jabez- which seemed to have been made popular through the series “the prayer of Jabez”.  The name Jabez was given because his mother bore him with a lot of pain.  Jabez however was not content for this name to determine his destiny and hence he cried out to God asking God to keep him from harm and that he would be free from pain.

When it comes to the names of things: in one country or region a particular fruit or food may be called one thing and in another country that same fruit or food is known as something else.  Sometimes the use of that food may be completely different from country to country.  Some people will use it one way because they have no knowledge or experience of how else it can be used, until educated about it. 

This reminds me of the different names that we call the one True God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well as the various ways in which we may use these names.

For the name God: here are some frequently used names: Yahweh (I am, who I am), Adonai (Lord), El, (plural form for God),Elhoim (creator) Jehovah (most High), El Elyon (Most High); El Roi( God who sees); El Shadai (All sufficient), Yahweh-jireh (Yahweh will provide or  I am will provide); Yahweh -rapha (Yahweh who heals), Yahweh -nissi (Yahweh my banner); Yahweh-shalom (Yahweh is Peace).

In His Service,

Vilma

 

 

What's in a name?.... Part 1

Your name is a form of identity.  Your name is one of the things used to register your birth as well as your death.  It is on your various forms of ID’s and important documents and if for any reason your name is changed, there is quite a bit of hassle and proof required to make the necessary changes on all the documents that matter.  Some people prefer to keep their given name especially after they become established because they do not want to cause any confusion with using a new name and people not being able to recognize who they are.

This reminds me of how very important it is when we name our children. I do believe we need to put more thought and research in these names.  I listen to some of the names that parents call their children and I have to wonder what they were thinking.  Most of these names are very difficult to spell and pronounce, which would be ok if they had a meaning. A few of the names do have meanings but the meaning is one that is associated with bad or evil.  When some of these parents are asked they have no idea except that it sounded cute or different.

Every name in the bible was of some significance.  Some of these names were given according to the circumstance surrounding your birth, and some of the names were a prediction of what your destiny was expected to me.  The name Jacob for example meant deceiver a reflection of who he was, then after his encounter with God his name was later changed to Israel, which meant that he wrestled/struggled with God.  After Naomi lost her husband and children in the country of Moab, she no longer wanted to be called Naomi which meant pleasant but instead Mara- which meant bitter as she thought that God had dealt bitterly with her….to be continued.

In His Service,

 Vilma

Pilgrims on a Journey

A couple weeks ago Paula and myself were talking about the pain of losing loved ones through death. She then reflected that somehow as Christians we were having the wrong attitude about death and as a follow up to this conversation she submitted this entry for this blog. I hope that after reading this you will have a more positive perspective on death and dying. 

 Have you noticed that within the past several months several tragedies have occurred resulting in deaths of both children and adults?  As I listen in on conversations relating to these tragedies, I realize that people are afraid because they are forced to confront the reality of death.  Yes, death is as real as life itself, it is inevitable yet so many of us are unprepared for it. Most of us get very uncomfortable when the subject of death comes up.

 I propose to you that one of the reasons why we are so unprepared for death is because we have made this earth our final destination, our home.  Because we have made this earth our home we fail to entertain the thought of ever leaving, hence the idea of death of self or a loved one is met with great sorrow and fear.

 

Peter in 1 Peter 2:11 tell us “Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” (NLT).  We are not of this world we are just pilgrims on a journey to our final destination….HEAVEN. The Lord speaking through John in St John: 14:1-3, tells us “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (NLT). 

 

What a blessed hope for those of us who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior! For those who have not done so as yet my question is “What are you waiting for or on?” The bible tells us in Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is that simple, do not delay, tomorrow is not promised.

In His service,

Paula Watson (Guest Blogger)

 

There is always an open door.

Did you realize that God always have an open door for you?  Yes He does let me show you the proof. 

 In Rev 3:8, speaking to the church of Philadelphia Jesus said the following words: I know your deeds.  See I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.  I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

In Isaiah 22:22, Isaiah is showing how the Lord lifted up Eliakim instead of Shebna-servants of Hilkiah- I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David, what He opens none can shut and what He shuts, no one can open.

So here is my question for all of us-why do we flounder around?  Here are my thoughts about this.  Sometimes we spend time looking at the door that was closed and miss the other doors or perhaps window that was opened up for us.  Always remember that if you are in God’s will there will always be an open door.  God does not leave us without any resource or areas of escape.  Most times we do not recognize the open door and we wander outside closed doors and stand the chance of being devoured by some wild animal passing by us.  Sometimes we see the door, but because it was not what we expect we keep looking.  After all we were expecting a square door, not a round, or a brown door not a green.  So my advice is that we pray about that open door and if it is one that God has opened step right on in.  He does not does not always do things the way we want.  So if that dream job is no longer there for whatever reason, and you find another job, think about this as being that hidden door of opportunity that will catapult you to the next level that God wants you to be at.  You may not have that tall dark and handsome husband, or perhaps no husband, well perhaps having that husband you wanted would hinder your effectiveness in what God wanted of you. So not focusing on that closed door, stop moaning and groaning, lift up your eyes and see the one right next to it and remember GOD STILL OPEN DOORS!!!

In His Service,

Vilma

Onions make you cry but.....

I came across a tweet earlier this morning which said: Life is a like an onion, you peel it layer by layer and sometimes it makes you cry.

Whereas this is true, I also see the value of that onion that may make you cry, adding flavor to your food, or decoration to certain dishes. There are times when we go through some tough spots that may cause us some pain or tears , but the end results make it worthwhile. Some of you may be feeling the pressure of being a single mom, a taxi driver for your children who need to go different places, or holding down two jobs to make ends meet.  However, in the end, when you see your children do well and blossom, it puts a smile on your face.

Here is another aspect of life that I would like to share with you: Life has its ups and downs, sometimes it like riding the waves when the ocean is rough, or sailing along when it’s smooth, there will be times of laughter and times of tears, but whatever the state we find ourselves in someone else will be doing this with you. 

 Isaiah 43:1-2 tells this explicitly: But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

So whether the onions of life make you cry or the comedians make you laugh remember the Lord of your life will keep you balanced.

In His Service,

Vilma