The Poison Contained In Reputation

The concern to have a good name is so real and if it is not to all, then it is to majority.   Fascinatingly we want to have a good name in the eyes of them that we know and know us and strangers alike. 

Reputation cuts across all people: the rich and the poor, the old and the young, male and female, parents and siblings, leaders and subjects, employees and employers and so on. Infact, reputation or a good name, is a source belonging too. It takes a popular individual to embrace a product, item, tool, behavior, character trait, etc. for everyone else to follow. Talk of influence. Talk of sales if it happens that your product is the one that is embraced. But, with similar magnitude can the effect be if the same individual ‘scrutinize your product or service’ and decide to take you back to the ground level.

This phenomenon of wanting a good name didn’t originate in our generation. It has always been there. Its popularity has been gaining muscles and popularity over time due to the advancement in technology and connectivity. King Saul, a Biblical character, of Israel is displayed as man, a ruler who had an audience to please, to gain acceptance from and a name to protect. His reputation was important to him. His description is given in 1Samuel 9:2 …Saul, a specially good-looking young man; there was no one better-looking among the children of Israel: he was taller by a head than any other of the people. What a wonderful creation. He becomes the king and a few chapters later his kingdom is at war with Philistines, whose gigantic warrior mocked and caused the army of the Israelite to shiver and cower a lot. David, a young man is led of God and finally overcomes the warrior raising the hope of Israelite’s army and nation at large. The Israelites women burst out in praise and unconsciously accords King Saul THOUSANDS and David TENS OF THOUSANDS. This clicks into the mind of Saul that he’s being demeaned yet he was the king. Enmity between the two was birthed there (1SAmuel 17 &18). prior to this Saul had failed to execute the Amalekites as dictated by God and instead allowed king Agag to live and allowed the people to bring the fattened animals with them. He was seeking acceptance to please them and not to offend them (1 Samuel 15). Similarly in 1 Samuel 13 he offered a sacrifice he was not supposed to. It was the mandate of the prophet Samuel and the answer he gave as to the cause of his action was that THE PEOPLE WERE SCATTERING AWAY. 

Bringing it home to the political arena, places of work, leadership and governance and all places where we live and work acceptance and reputation still disturb us. It so happens that with the technological advancement we experience it even in our private spaces. The world is interconnected and social media is the main sniper in our generation. With Facebook, Instagram, Snap-chat, Twitter, etc. we socialize and become antisocial at the same time. It is in these sites that in the name of seeking for approval, acceptance and followers that enmity have risen. For example take a photo of two individuals and let them upload it Instagram whereby one gets 100 likes while the other gets 1 like and see if the latter one won’t develop a negative liking towards his/her friend. But the question that begs a serious address is: WHEN DID LIKES, RETWEETS, COMMENTS, SHARES BECOME THE INDICATOR FOR APPROVAL? It is with such that hostility, enmity, broken relationships have risen including suicide. Many have gone ahead to embrace foreign character traits, immorality, nudity, drug abuse etc. all for the purpose of making a name for themselves, becoming popular, becoming acceptance and so on.

However, the story doesn’t have to end or take this course. The problem comes when we use the wrong standards: COMPARATIVE LIFESTYLE – wanting to be like the other person, having many followers, likes, shares, etc. These likes and shares and so on are not evil but the problem is when we fail to understand that the opinions of others may shape you but the ultimate standard is God. No wonder the bible says in Genesis 1:26… And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth. No man was a design plan for the other BUT ALL HAVE A COMMON DESIGN: GOD. King David had an understanding of this concept no wonder he writes in Psalms 139:14…I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. This is the same man who dances unto the LORD when the ark of covenant comes back from the land of Philistine till his ROYAL ROBE fells off and his wife despises him. He gives a very profound answer in reply to her question in 2 Samuel 6:19-22… So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD.” At the point of dancing his reputation was of no importance compared to the GLORY OF THE ALMIGHTY. The one thing we often forget is that I may dismiss your photo, thought, post on social media but I don’t know you which begs the question: WHY SHOULD A STRANGER’S OPINION SINK ME INTO A DAMPNESS THAT IS UNNECESSARY? EVEN IF WE KNOW EACH OTHER, ARE FRIENDS NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE CONTRARY OPINION? Many more questions do arise.

But here is my opinion: every thought, view, action, etc. must be COUNTER CHECKED against the correct standard: GOD. And how to do it is to check what his word says concerning us: human being; I included. At the end of the day, that will count more on what I post and share and what I get back. BOTH the shared and the feedback information must be checked with respect to the BIBLE if the reputation is to be said to have no poison. OTHERWISE, THERE WILL BE POISON IN THE REPUTATION.

 

The Foundation is Love

The Bible says, And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.Genesis:1:28. Is this not a call to have authority and dominion, rulership, leadership and authority as well as dominion and productivity. 

This means that human life is worthwhile than any other thing including plants, materialism, riches and belongings.is this the ideal situation or ‘vitu kwa ground ni different’ (on the ground things are different)? It may sound like a simple statement but the reality is that we live different from that which we proclaim. 

Think of it this way: when someone loots public funds meant for medical equipment as well as medication then in hospital people die and suffer due to lack of such, poor roads which hinder mobility and cause accidents, when policemen and traffic authority compromise for unroadworthy vehicles and reckless drivers to continue on our roads and kill hundreds, when illicit goods are allowed into the nation and many suffer at the hands of such things, the question that should come to us is: between people and materialism which one is or ought to have dominance over the other? Be there a god that will finish who we are is materialism. 

Unto every man is the hunger and desire to own more  and more and more. It’s the society of every man unto himself and for himself. It’s worth noting that this is not a one time event and occurrence but a gradual process where we kill the conscience bit by bit. And God keeps on whispering to us but when we say yes today, tomorrow becomes hard to say no to similar situation. 

However, God has set the best example in showing the value of man over material through love. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. John:3:16. Even if I was the only sinner in the world, Jesus Christ would still have been sent to die for me. What a manner of love? The standard he sets is this: if we are to say that we love him, then love must be the very foundation upon which we’re based on. That means the value for humanity must supercede that of any other thing. In so doing, the fulfilment of Genesis 1:28 becomes the reality. 

Shooting thy foot, poisoning the future

‘I want to raise a generation devoid of conscience’ said Hitler. His motive led to him foreseeing the execution of thousands of Jews. It feels bad, doesn’t it? What started as a single idea and thought of an individual was actualized and led to a holocaust. It may seem as if it is an alien but it is the very philosophy that is on rise with our modern society. The doctrine of falsehood. When the art of relativism jets in, then everything is permissible. In his book, the enemy of the people, Henrik Ibsen depicts a character by the name Dr. Stockmann who makes one the following discovery: I have already told you that what I want to speak about is the great discovery I have made lately—the discovery that all the sources of our moral life are poisoned and that the whole fabric of our civic community is founded on the pestiferous soil of falsehood.
This falsehood is hedged and sandwiched in what is esteemed as liberality, freedom and rights. We live, off course, in a free world and people are free to make choices and decisions and the standard is that as long as it does not hurt the other person it is okay. Hurting the other person then becomes the standard. But note that there are many things that do not hurt others yet it is still wrong. But falsehood will often make things so appealing that a mere man cannot decode the coded message. Yet, when the one who has discerned the content and air their view they are attacked with every rebuke possible. In so doing our generation is full of people who are taking everything they say, see and hear and implement it in their lives. At the moment it seems fun, a thing of the youth and teens but with time when fruits come out, we will have to reap what we have been sowing. But is that not the obvious thing: that upon sowing one will have to reap. Failure to reap is part of reap.
The Israelites were on numerous time warned by God that upon their arrival to Canaan they should not imitate the trends of the ungodly tribes they will find there because doing so will lead them to captivity and God will judge them. More often he did send them warning by many prophets and when time came for God to let his wrath unveil, they were in for the real shock. But it was too late because they had to reap all they had been planting. What can one liken that generation to if not to a man who is armed with a pistol in his arm, pointing it to his foot as they lay as a troop in wait of the enemy and his fellow soldier warns him that if he won’t be keen he will shoot himself. Unfortunately he keeps on responding how equipped he is and cannot commit such an error and as the enemy draws near he shoots his foot and calls it accidental. The enemies lay hands on them and his colleagues flee and struggle to save him and he becomes a liability and in the end they are captured and taken hostage.
That is exactly where we are fast-tracking to: raising a generation devoid of conscious. We have and are poisoning the moral fabric of our society and expecting that the state of affairs will remain the same. We are facing an enemy we are aware of but ignorant when we are warned about the approach towards the right ways. It will be prudent to curb and tame the wave before it lands on us with our ignorance. It will not be seen today but the future will manifest and behold, we will be lamenting when it is too late.we are not only ruining the current but the future generation and they will point fingers at us. We will be the casualty as well.

THE RESURRECTED JESUS CHRIST

Christianity is founded, or rather stands and falls, on the person of Jesus Christ. He is the third person of the Trinity. He is God himself though in other faiths like Islam He’s referred to as a prophet; off course that is not true. The Christian faith makes sense when it has to be anchored unto Him. Salvation, for all people, is found in no other than Jesus Christ (John 20:31).
Lest we forget, His resurrection is of significance as well as His death. Much is written and preached about His death yet it is of importance we focus that he was raised from the death too. Thomas, the doubting one, commits an act that is recorded for us to note and get a deeper meaning about Christ Jesus.
John 20: 24-29…..Now Thomas, one of the twelve, named Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, if I do not see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and if I do not put my hand into his side, I will never have belief. And after eight days, his disciples were again in the house and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were shut, Jesus came, and taking his place in the middle of them, he said, May peace be with you! Then he said to Thomas, Put out your finger, and see my hands; and put your hand here into my side: and be no longer in doubt but have belief. And Thomas said in answer, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, because you have seen me you have belief: a blessing will be on those who have belief though they have not seen me!
If an individual said that He would bodily die and spiritually resurrect, there would be nothing so amazing about it after all how do you verify a spirit of a certain individual. But is the person made the same claim and stated that he will bodily resurrect, you would be able to verify the results which is the case here. Jesus had said that he will die and on the third day he would resurrect (Mathew 16:21, 17:23, and 20:19). Thomas emerges in the picture as one who is doubting to seek to know if really Jesus had resurrected. He touched and he verified it.
The women who went to the tomb to undertake embalmment were witnesses too of the bodily resurrected Christ Jesus. All they found were the linen that had covered his body. The disciples similarly at the tomb had the same scenery and not only that, they encountered him on the first day of the week, at Tiberius. In fact he breaks fast with the disciples in chapter 21 John vs 1 -16. Ghosts don’t eat, bodily creatures do. The resurrected Christ
In acts 1:1-11, it is stated that in a span of forty days he manifested himself all over unto the disciples and unto over five hundred people (1 Corinthians 15:9). He, Jesus Christ, has ascended unto the heavens and an angel of the Lord came and asked these men vs 10-11… And while they were looking up to heaven with great attention, two men came to them, in white clothing, And said, O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
The faith of a Christian is captured in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Would he have not resurrected, there would not have been salvation. The resurrected Christ is soon coming. The coming, second, is this time round of a glorious king who is coming to judge the world. Mathew 26:64…Jesus says to him, you say so: but I say to you, from now you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.

PURGATORY, DOES IT Exist?

Jesus. He is highly regarded in the Christian and Islamic faith. According to Christianity He is God and unto Islam He is a prophet. Either way these are the two faiths I do interact with often. As to whether He is God or prophet, I leave it there. If the two faiths esteem Him, then His life: actions and words do matter to us a lot. The two faiths also have eternity in the scene. The description to get where, heaven or hell, varies. Either Islam or Christianity is correct while the other is wrong- case for another day. What happens after death is my concern in this article. From a common point of view I’ll pick Christ.
What happens to an individual after death? Can anything be changed after death? Jannah. This is an Islamic funeral prayer offered in congregation to seek pardon for the deceased and ALL DEAD MUSLIMS. If no one fulfills it, then all Muslims will be accountable. This is not only done before the burial but also in the continuous life, that is, all along. No wonder Muslims always say this statement ‘peace be upon him (PBUH) everytime they mention Mohamed or one of his disciple. But they are dead, why pray for them to change or will God review His decision? This practice is also practiced by traditionalist who keep on conducting libations and offering sacrifices to the dead – classified as the living dead and the ancestors and spirits and such wayward believes. More to it Catholicism also practices this. I have been to burials where the mass was conducted by catholic and they prayed that the dead be forgiven and his/ her soul delivered from hell. Purgatory, the place for temporal punishment, is a belief they hold dearly. This makes me think then that there is no need to fear dying even if you are a sinner because if such a place exists you’ll still get to heaven after going through purgatory for just a shortwhile. Additionally I’ve heard of my friends and relatives who are Catholics take the names of their dead relatives for prayers, that’s long duration after burial, to pray for them so that their souls rest well and that God may have mercy on them. But, is that the truth? Dis Jesus Christ really teach that anywhere?
What does Jesus teach about life in eternity? Referencing Christ’s word from the Bible, since Quran doesn’t have His citations, He gave a description of what happens. Luke 16:19-31 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate “desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’
Mundu aakagirwo na miti iria etuiriire (your hut is built using the stalks you have gathered). How one lives this life dictates where one spends eternity. The prayer for the dead is an unbiblical doctrine for people who don’t want to come to terms that their friends/ relatives/ buddies never lived the way He (Christ) wanted. One can’t dispute Christ’s word unless with another of His reference. Indeed he said that He’s the way, truth and life John 14:6 and not only that but live in obedience to his word. John 15:1-15. He claimed this because He is the Saviour John 3:16. Just like the rich man, after death the book is closed and what awaits is God’s judgement and whatever the living do, it will never alter the place where God has dictated for your life. The earlier we accept that life is to be lived as God has ordained it, the better we are in securing our eternal destiny in heaven, otherwise, the destiny is the opposite. The conclusion of the matter is this: AFTER DEATH: JUDGEMENT.

WHEN WE GET HOME

When we were young we would go for holidays at our grandpa’s home under the instructions of Mama. Trust you me irrespective of the goodies and freedom experienced, one often felt that home was the best place to be irrespective of the duties and tasks and decimal freedom experienced. As a matter of fact even if one was experiencing privileges of that which they don’t experience at home, still home remained the best place to be.
Even now, as an adult, the feeling of wanting to be at my home still dwells in me. I miss being at my home place as opposed to being far away. No wonder we call it homesick. There is an attachment that is associated with the whole idea of getting to land home. Soldiers are more better to explain this. Fighting in a foreign land for a worth course of defending your nation yet when you get home you feel refreshed.
It is in a similar case with the hear of man. The Bible say that the heart of a man is restless till it finds its resting place in Him (God). Though there be a contenment of a kind, yet there is no completeness in it. This is so because the heart has been created with a deficiency which only the grand designer can fill: God. You fill it with all the luxury and thought and merry etc, still the space will leave an unsatisfied blank.
The thoughts about a glorious world will often cross an individuals mind. The same one will build castles in the mind yet work hard to achieve it, one has to think of heaven, hell, life after death even if one be in denial. I’m sure that all would like to be in the better place than in the worst place. In anycase, we always prefer good to evil/bad.
The earlier the better an individual summons themselves and asks if there are standards required to get there or the path or is it a place for anybody. The most certain way is to know that this imagination is of a place eternal. A desire to get home, eternal place, is not only longed for by the heart as at this moment but it is a place we long to go to and dwell. The desire rekindles ones flame to to be on the look-out and therefore guarding themselves and denouncing everything that may distract them from from getting to the place: home.

WE DEFINE CROOKED FROM STRAIGHT

In our day to day life we often feel, hear, experience and engage in affairs that trigger mixed reaction. It is C.S Lewis who said that a man can’t call a line crooked unless he had an idea of a straight line. I’m sure you and I can attest to this. We often talk of unfairness because there is fairness, injustice because there is justice, bad because there is goodness, evil because of right amongst others.
I frequently hear of oppression taking occurrence between employer and employee as well as experience it, individuals narrating of how in the pursuit of justice they were taken for a walk in the jungle and gave up on the course and how others got it through a backdoor. Such vices do create bitterness in the hearts of many who deep within are sure that they deserved, yet it was served to another. Bribery is recipe for the day just like coffee is in almost all restaurants. Unfortunately these vices are so popular that they been normalized by being baptized and sugarcoated with sweet nametags like handshake, chai (tea), kurudisha mkono (extending a hand of gratitude) amongst others. The nametags are in themselves good used for the wrong motive: cover-ups.
Sure enough the moment you state that it is wrong to practice such, people will look at you as if you want to hold their eyes in your palm. Facts are facts, truth is truth even if all people think it to be opinions and lies respectively. If these things are just but a feeling, then nobody should feel offended by the other person’s actions and responses because according to them they were right and fine in doing so. Then, why do we complain? It is because there is a standard higher than us. that’s the moral law giver: God.
These vices are not inventions that we’ve invented. King Solomon in Ecclesiastes dictates that all we can see happening was happening in the olden days: a replica. Throughout the Bible, the story of Israelite is a mirror to us of the ways in which we fail God yet he doesn’t crush us at a go because if willing, He can. He has allowed time. Himself, God, keeps on calling us to change for the betterment of ourselves as well as others. Total vengeance is his and he can opt to pass it on in this life or life after. In Amos 5, he declares of the signs he has laid open before them to just draw them to change yet it doesn’t occur to them that he is doing so. They continue in wickedness and injustice, shedding of blood of innocent people, oppression, etc just like our modernized society. The strong find it funny when they are told that God will revenge for the weak, the oppressor too, the judge too, etc. A time and again the ultimate judgment seems to be a thing unimaginable but the Lord always declare that it is near.
His, God, word is not in vain. His whip befell them just as forewarned, even after Amos pleading their case. 1 timothy 2 admonishes us to pray for all including them that are in authority. However, God ain’t a magician or one intending to create robots in that he may force one to change even upon being prayed for. There is a freewill whereby change has to be a personal initiative under his guidance if we let him be. Hence, our leaders and everybody else has a choice to make. To walk in justice or not, to love or to hate, to worship or not to, to be corrupt or not to, and so on but the equation will always have an ultimate answer: to whose drum beat is one dancing at and how will The Just Judge judge you. We have choices when it comes to making decision but we have none when it comes to the outcomes.

Jesus is God Indeed — kensammoh

Islam claims Jesus was a Muslim and christianity depicts him as God.. Part of trinity. They say God cannot be a man, can’t marry, can’t have a child. No wonder they don’t like the Christians idea of man being created in God’s image. To them God is far and beyond while christianity claims God is […]

via Jesus is God Indeed — kensammoh

Jesus is God Indeed

Islam claims Jesus was a Muslim and christianity depicts him as God.. Part of trinity. They say God cannot be a man, can’t marry, can’t have a child. No wonder they don’t like the Christians idea of man being created in God’s image. To them God is far and beyond while christianity claims God is emmanuel living with us.
Jesus, if he was a Muslim, could not have claimed to be a son to father because that’s blasphemy in Islam. Yet that’s what he claimed to be. This justifies christianity’claim of an all powerful God who can breath his life in a woman and a conception happens. It’s possible because he’s God of impossibility.
In chapter 18:20 of Mathew he makes a great statement. When people 2 or more gather for his name he’ll be there with them. This is but to claim to be omnipresent. Who is able to be where different gatherings are other than God. This is what christ claimed.
Mathew 22:41-46 he, Jesus, asks pharisees his origin and referred to David of the old who called Jesus my Lord. How then is he a son. They never asked him anymore question.
During the night of the mocl trial in Mathew 26:59-66 Jesus is asked who he is and his answer in vs 64 made the priest tore his clothes. Being a Jewish priest, this answer must have been a real blasphemy. And Jesus, if he was a Muslim, was a blasphemy indeed. But now that he was God in human nature and was telling the truth, it then vindicates the point of him being God.; not a Muslim believer. In any case, with such and many more scriptures, he ain’t then a good ‘prophet’ or ‘Muslim’ to follow. If he’s God, then his description of the true status of the heart of man and the solution makes it worth to follow and believe in him.
But wait a minute, a Muslim will exclaim, your version of injeel(Gospel) is corrupt. But the answer to that quiz is this: where is the original version then? You can’t call something wrong without a standard hence they must provide the correct and non-corrupt version in order to discredit what we have. Second answer : why justify that Jesus was a Muslim using the corrupt version whereas in using the same version to proof that he’s God you term it as corrupt. That’s being subjective and cunning. When one is objective they’ll find truth. Truth is eternal and all must pursue it and abide with it.

WHEN WE GET HOME

When we were young we would go for holidays at our grandpa’s home under the instructions of Mama. Trust you me irrespective of the goodies and freedom experienced, one often felt that home was the best place to be irrespective of the duties and tasks and decimal freedom experienced. As a matter of fact even if one was experiencing privileges of that which they don’t experience at home, still home remained the best place to be.
Even now, as an adult, the feeling of wanting to be at my home still dwells in me. I miss being at my home place as opposed to being far away. No wonder we call it homesick. There is an attachment that is associated with the whole idea of getting to land home. Soldiers are more better to explain this. Fighting in a foreign land for a worth course of defending your nation yet when you get home you feel refreshed.
It is in a similar case with the hear of man. The Bible say that the heart of a man is restless till it finds its resting place in Him (God). Though there be a contenment of a kind, yet there is no completeness in it. This is so because the heart has been created with a deficiency which only the grand designer can fill: God. You fill it with all the luxury and thought and merry etc, still the space will leave an unsatisfied blank.
The thoughts about a glorious world will often cross an individuals mind. The same one will build castles in the mind yet work hard to achieve it, one has to think of heaven, hell, life after death even if one be in denial. I’m sure that all would like to be in the better place than in the worst place. In anycase, we always prefer good to evil/bad.
The earlier the better an individual summons themselves and asks if there are standards required to get there or the path or is it a place for anybody. The most certain way is to know that this imagination is of a place eternal. A desire to get home, eternal place, is not only longed for by the heart as at this moment but it is a place we long to go to and dwell. The desire rekindles ones flame to to be on the look-out and therefore guarding themselves and denouncing everything that may distract them from from getting to the place: home.