Why Magufuli administration misses the point on Government splurge

Status
Not open for further replies.
Just lol!
IMG-20200813-WA0007.jpg


Sent from my SM-A715F using JamiiForums mobile app
 
Wholehearted Living

I remember it as if it were yesterday. I got up out of my seat and went forward. I had only been a Christian for a few months. The message I responded to was to be fully, wholeheartedly committed to the Lord and to follow him with all my heart – wherever that might take me.
Of course, I have had my ups and downs since then, and my fair share of failures. All of us are far from perfect. I still do things that I wish I did not do. But I have been determined to try and follow the Lord with all my heart and be fully committed to him.
To be ‘fully committed’ with ‘all your heart’ means 100% commitment. It means seeking to do what the Lord calls you to do. It means rooting out anything that is bad – ruthlessly tearing down the high places and getting rid of the other gods in the midst of life.
The Lord is looking for those whose ‘hearts are fully committed’ to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). The psalmist prayed, ‘Give me an undivided heart’ (Psalm 86:11). The expression ‘all your heart’ appears many times throughout the Bible. For example, you are to do the following things ‘with all your heart’:

Love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 22:36–38)

Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5)

Obey the Lord (Psalm 119:34,69; 1 Chronicles 29:19)

Praise the Lord (Psalm 111:1; 138:1)

Work for the Lord (Nehemiah 4:6; Colossians 3:23).

This is how to enjoy life and life in all its fullness (John 10:10). It’s a life of love, trust, gratitude, joy and meaningful work. In the passages for today we see why and how we should live wholeheartedly.


Sent from my SM-A715F using JamiiForums mobile app
 
Psalm 102:1-11

The brevity of life

The psalmist is aware of how short life is: ‘For my days vanish like smoke’ (v.3a), ‘My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass’ (v.11). He has this sense that time is running out. Life on this earth is so short. Make the most of every day.
The psalmist is suffering. He cries out, ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry of help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly’ (vv.1–2).
This is a striking example of wholehearted commitment to God even in the midst of distress. Choose to turn to God. Know that God is eternal (v.12) and that he can be trusted.

Lord, I thank you that, while my life is ‘like the evening shadow’, you are eternal and I can trust you. I lift my problems before you now… Let my cry for help come to you.



Sent from my SM-A715F using JamiiForums mobile app
 
2 Chronicles 16:1-18:27

The eyes of the Lord

‘God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him’ (16:9, MSG).
Hanani the seer came to Asa, King of Judah, and said to him that he was in trouble because he had ceased to rely fully on the Lord (vv.7–9). ‘For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’ (v.9).
God sees everything you do. He is looking for those whose ‘hearts’ are ‘fully committed’ to him. The ‘eyes of the Lord’ see into your heart. Are you living wholeheartedly for him?
Asa, who had done so well for most of his life, in the last years, ‘even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord but only from the physicians’ (v.12). There is nothing wrong with getting help from the medical profession. He is not criticised for seeking help from the physicians. He is criticised for not seeking help from the Lord.
His son, Jehoshaphat’s ‘heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord’ (17:6). Again, he started very well. ‘He didn’t fool around... he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him... He was single-minded in following God; and he got rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines’ (vv.3–6, MSG).
He was tested by the fact that 400 prophets all had a ‘lying spirit’ (18:21). Only Micaiah, son of Imlah, had the courage to speak truth to power. The devil is a deceiver. In an age when there is no shortage of voices to hear, we need the discernment of God not to be fooled by deception but to listen carefully to those who, like Micaiah, say, ‘As sure as God lives, what God says, I’ll say’ (v.13, MSG).

Lord, I thank you that your eyes ‘range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed’ to you (16:9). Please, strengthen me as I recommit myself to serve you wholeheartedly.



Sent from my SM-A715F using JamiiForums mobile app
 
Pippa Adds

2 Chronicles 16:7
‘Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord…’
Even godly leaders can become self-reliant, or reliant on the wrong things, or the wrong people. However difficult, we need to be open to correction and stay dependent on God.


Sent from my SM-A715F using JamiiForums mobile app
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar Discussions

Back
Top Bottom
Forums
New posts
Post thread
Back