By Dr Charles Leyman Kachitsa
The word says, ‘when I was young I thought like a child.’ In the folly of childhoodness there are much possibilities for instance the imagination in the ability of wild animals to vocalise words in various languages depending on which area their habitat is.
With this childness thinking, fish would have their own language. Aside this, most wildly especially growing in our generation, we had the notion that every business person is a persistent beggar. Begging money from whom ever they encounter and in exchange donating whatever they have without knowing the sources.
In adulthood, wisdom starts reigning. That’s for the fortunate as some people remain in their state of childhoodness. As an adult you start to realise that it is the business men and women who reign in this world including providing jobs. The understanding that wild animals can not talk, at least talk to human beings in local languages. Comes the realisation that fish has no business living on dry land as their natural home is in the water.
The quotes this week are a final extraction from the book whose author expands the meaning of the prayer that calls on heaven kingdom to come to earth, what this really entails. I am sure the few selected quotations listed below from this book will enlighten you to one or two life lessons, read and enjoy:
KINGDOM COME by Malcolm Duncan
“When we fail to listen or look for God’s wisdom, guidance and intervention in our communities, we automatically expose ourselves both in pride (because we assume that we can change things on our own) and vulnerability (because we are failing to use the greatest and strongest asset we have – God’s power and wisdom, given to his people for the purpose of building His kingdom). Prayer changes things, and it is an immense privilege to be able to pray for our community. Even people in the community who do not share our faith are often touched and comforted to know that we have prayed for them.”
“Called to love without fear, we must understand that our commitment to service and to befriending and caring for people does not imply an endorsement of their lifestyle (John 4:13). As we make links and connections among the diverse folk of our community, we need not fear that we will be compromised or tainted by that connection. Maintaining our own boundaries and staying strong in our own identity is part of the requirements of our discipleship, but we are not here to judge others and condemn them.”
“How we behave is shaped by what we believe and our understanding of issues such as identity, equality, influence, conscience and diversity, not by self-conscious anxiety about what others may be thinking of us. Yet as we think through these issues and allow our responses to shape our actions and sharpen our focus, we do so in awareness that the wider world is watching and listening: and we remember that God is listening too. To hold this awareness in mind recalls to us the need to be gentle in articulating the non-negotiable principles of our faith. When we think about identity, we need to consider our freedom to serve others, not demand extra space for self-expression. When we think about equality, we need to be willing to give our rights away, not insist upon others observing them. When we think about influence, we need to avoid the language of privilege and instead focus on accepting our responsibilities. As we work through issues of conscience, we must be willing to accept the consequences rather than evade them. Lastly, as members of a diverse society, we must adopt the attitude of humility rather than defensiveness, hostility or superiority.“
“Think about the kingdom of God. Imagine it as a real place. What might be on the statue books? Now imagine you are an ambassador of the kingdom, and your church (or your home) is an embassy. How could visitors to the embassy tell which kingdom you represent? In what ways would your embassy like to make its mark on the surrounding society?”
