Wednesday, December 31, 2008

SAYUNI WEEKLY WISDOMS

Shalom and Praise the Lord!

Oh, what a pleasure is to see this day (31st December 2008)! It is as it was said "This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice in it" Yes, we rejoice but also be thankful for it for we can earn it by our own.

As we live in this end day of the 2008 year, I would like to share with you these two Christian Weekly Wisdoms to take you through the years.

This Week's Weekly Wisdoms are:


1) God is not necessarily looking for ability, He is looking for availability.
2) Are you so hungry to own more money that your money owns you?


Please click here now to go to www.lema.or.tz where you can read the messages.
I wish you a Prosperous 2009 year, a year in which you will know the Lord more deeply and have all success in Him.


Blessings from Arusha,
Frank Lema
www.lema.or.tz

IJA

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Mtoto umleavyo..!

Picha hapan chini ni mtoto aliyekutwa huko Coco Beach akinywa pombe huku mama yake akifurahia hali hiyo na kumuunga mkono kwa kumsifia kuwa huwa anamaliza bia chupa mbili kwa siku na wala halewi.

Wazazi tunawajibu mkubwa kwa watoto wetu hasa kuwaombea na kuwafundisha njia ipasayo katika misingi ya kibiblia.



Kwa hisani ya mrokim.blogspot.com

Monday, December 29, 2008

“SEIZE THE DAY!”

I confess that I am guilty of using phrases like, “should of”, “If only”, “could have”, etc. way too much. This means, I am living in the past. I also confess that I live too much of my life in the future. Unfortunately, if most of my time is spent wondering if I should have made a different decision in the past, and hoping and praying about the decision I have to make next month, TODAY is lost. I am trying (after all these years) to learn to “embrace the moment”. Carpe Diem….”Seize the Day.”
Lately, I have found myself in conversations with my wife, one of my children or a friend talking about this subject. It’s so easy to second guess ourselves on what we did or said yesterday or we find ourselves waiting for the “miracle check” in the mail, (hopefully coming tomorrow) that will change everything. I realized that I am not living in the moment. God is in the moment! He is with you…, RIGHT NOW! Yes, He is in your past and He is in your future. He holds your future in His hands. But let’s not forget that God has something for you, for me, in this day….in this moment.
A friend sent something to me yesterday that I would like to share with you. Here is an excerpt of the letter:
Read something recently from a book called “the Shelter of the Most High” that I thought was kind of interesting & I’d share. There’s a chapter in there entitled “The Valley of Fruitfulness”. Quoting from 1 Kings 20:28, the author wrote (various extracts):
No matter what the enemy tries to tell you, Christ is God of the mountains AND God of the valleys. He has not stopped being God because you happen to be in a valley. In fact, these valleys are often as much the plan of God as our mountaintop experiences.
When we are on the “mountaintops” of our Christian experience, we can see our future clearly. We have perspective & confidence. When we are in one of life’s valleys, however our vision is limited & our future seems hidden. Yet valleys are also the most fertile places on earth. Valleys produce fruitfulness. You can expect there to be a harvest of virtue when God dwells with you in the valleys.
From Ps 84:5-6, each of us has times of weeping when our hearts & hopes seem crushed. Because God has placed in our hearts “highways to Zion”, however, we pass through valleys; we do not live in them. Once we are on the other side of weeping, our Redeemer makes our valley experience into “a spring”. The very things that overwhelmed us will, in time, refresh us with new life.
Consider Gen. 41:52. God made Joseph fruitful in the very things that afflicted him. In the land of your affliction, your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful. Just as He allowed Joseph to go through many trials, so He allows us to go through great conflicts as well. For He knows that our lives - what we have become through His grace - will help others find the shelter of the Most High God in their lives.
Consider even now the area of greatest affliction in your life. In that area God will make you fruitful in such a way that your heart will be fully satisfied & God’s heart fully glorified. Ultimately, the Lord will touch many other with the substance of what you have gained. In a world that is superficial, Christ will produce something within you that is deep & living.
God has not promised to keep us from valleys & sufferings but He has promised to make us fruitful in them. Without a doubt we each will pass through valleys before we reach our final goal in God. As we remain faithful to Him in trails, the character & nature of Christ Jesus will emerge in our spirits; & Christ will be revealed to those around us. He intends to make your life a key that unlocks God’s shelter for others.
I trust this will bless you today. No matter what you are facing, remember that God has not forsaken you, He has not forgotten you, He is there with you right now in the middle of the night, in the middle of the storm, in the valley.
This is my prayer today. “Lord, forgive me for living in the past or waiting for the future. Help me embrace this moment, this day. I believe You have something special for me to learn this day. Through the storm, in the darkest night, in the deepest valley, You are with me, You will sustain me. Be glorified through my life this day. Help me see You in every situation, and if I can’t see You, increase my faith so I can trust you through the darkness, through the silence and know, by faith, that You are with me. I give you praise for all You have done for me and for all You are doing today! In Jesus’ Name…..amen.”
God bless you, my friend.
Hope this connects with some of you.

Power of the Blood

“Here’s a definition of holiness that I submit for your thoughtful consideration. Holiness is: proximity to the throne.
At the throne of God are myriads of creatures. Those with the greatest honor seem to be those who live closest to God, living inside & around the throne itself. These beings are given various names in Scripture such as angels, cherubim, seraphim, & living creatures. When referring to al of them at once, the Bible uses an interesting phrase. It calls them the “holy ones” (see Daniel 4:17, Job 5:1)
I want to suggest they’re not holy because of who they are; they’re holy because of where they are. They reside in the Holy Place, the place where God dwells, & they are made holy because of their proximity to God.
They’re not holy because of who they are; they’re holy because of who God is. They’re not holy because of something inherent to them, but because of something inherent to God. God alone has holiness as an inherent attribute. He alone is “The Holy One”. All others who surround His throne are holy as a derived quality. They derive their holiness from their proximity to The Holy One. Everything close to God is holy. Why? Because God radiates holiness, & everything close to Him becomes holy by virtue of its nearness to Him. In other words, He brings them into that quality or state which enables them to live in His immediate presence without being destroyed.
If you get close enough to God, you too will become holy. Not because of who you are, but because of where you are. You have received the sprinkling with blood, you have entered with boldness into the throne room, you have drawn near to God; & now the holiness that defines God’s personhood permeates every atom of your being & makes you holy, too. You’re holy because you’re in the presence of The Holy One.
When you understand this principle, you have no hesitation in saying, “I am a holy man (or woman) of God”. Being “a holy man of God” loses its mystique, its sense of elitist superiority, or the connotation of “exceptional spiritual maturity”. Some people define as holy the person who has achieved complete victory over the world the flesh, & the devil. Such a definition makes holiness a formidable mountain that appears almost impossible to climb. If I define holiness as complete spiritual victory, I’ll probably see myself as never able to attain it in this life. Holiness, in that distorted model, becomes mostly a list of things that one must not do. But making your list you don’t do isn’t able to make you holy.
I’m suggesting that holiness is not much what I don’t do, as it is what I do do. I get sprinkled with blood, step into the throne room, & stay there. That’s what I do, & that’s what makes me holy.
Holiness is more than simply an absence of defilement. You can focus on cleaning up your act, removing all that defiles, & still not find holiness. Why? Because holiness is not merely the absence of sin; it’s the presence of fire.
To illustrate, suppose I want to build a bonfire. I gather branches & sticks from the woods & place them in a heap. But the sticks I’ve collected are muddy & wet. So I take time to clean off the mud & allow the wood to dry out Eventually I have a pile of wood that is clean & dry. But just because I’ve gotten rid of everything that could quench the fire does not mean I have a bonfire. Getting rid of the fire-retardants does not give me a bonfire. I don’t have a bonfire until there’s - fire!
Holiness is a bonfire, because our God is a consuming fire. You can get rid of everything that might extinguish your spiritual flame, but just getting rid of the negative does not mean you’re ablaze with holiness. You’re not a living bonfire of holiness until you step into the Holiest, get kindled with the living flame upon the altar of God, & burn with a holy fire in the presence of His glorious holiness.”

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

In what year was Jesus born?

It is good that we want to know about Jesus. One can never learn too much about the greatest man to have ever walked on earth.
The exact day of Jesus' birth is difficult to establish beyond all doubt. The fact of Jesus' birth, the place, the nature, and the purpose are clearly taught in the scriptures (Matt. 1; 2). However, God did not see fit to explicitly reveal the date. We do know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the King (Matt. 2: 1). History informs us that this Herod died in 4 B. C. Hence, Jesus would have been born no later than 4 B. C. We also learn from the Bible that a census was being taken at the time of Jesus' birth, in fact, Joseph and Mary were at Bethlehem to enroll when Jesus was born (Lk. 2: 1-7). Quirinius, the Governor of Syria, conducted this census. Based on the believed date of this census, some place Jesus' birth at 6 B. C. Some scholars believe Jesus was born in 5 B. C. In the center column reference of some versions of the King James Translation, we read regarding the time of Matthew 2, "The fourth year before the common account called Anno Domini (A. D., dm)." This date, I believe, is the product of the work of Dionysius Exiguus, a sixth century monk.
The real matter of importance. The matter of great consequence is that Jesus was born of a virgin, just as prophesied 700 years earlier (Matt. 1: 23; Isa. 9: 6). Jesus lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death (Heb. 4: 15; Matt. 26: 28). Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and proved that claim by many undeniable miracles (Jn. 20: 30, 31).
Christians celebrate the glorious death and resurrection of Jesus each Lord's Day when they observe the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26: 26-29, Acts 20: 7). Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life (Jn. 14: 6). This same Jesus who experienced such a humble birth is coming back as the exalted judge of all men (Matt. 25: 31-46).
Mlima Sayuni unawatakia Heri ya Chrismas na mwaka mpya wenye furaha na fanaka.

Merry Christmas! from Frank Lema

Nothing steals your joy like thinking, "I will enjoy my life when ..."It's very tempting to think that happiness will come to me once I get something: "I would be happy if I just had a bigger house, another car, a better job, more money, a different wife, a nicer family, a new TV...." But such thoughts are very deceptive.In truth, all those things we want actually make us miserable; we fight and quarrel about what we want, and then we're upset when we don't get it (see James 4:1-4). Don't get caught up in things that you want or need. Instead, you should not worry about getting what you need; rest assured your heavenly Father will take care of what you need (see Matthew 6:30-32).It's foolish to make your enjoyment of life hinge upon anything. There will always be one more thing for you to acquire before you can "enjoy life." The more you have, the more you have to worry about, which makes life that much harder to enjoy.Instead of expecting possessions or circumstances to give you joy, seek the only source of everlasting joy—Jesus. Jesus says he came to Earth "so that may have the full measure of my joy within " (John 17:13). Similarly, Jesus said, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).Jesus offers to make our joy complete and to give us the full measure of his joy. Since Jesus is wholly God, His joy is complete and whole joy. That Jesus offers us such joy is astonishing.Therefore, find your joy in God for in his presence is fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11). Don't let your joy depend on getting all the things you want because there will always be more things that you don't have, and therefore there will always be more things that will prevent you from enjoying life. Let Jesus be your joy, rather than waiting to enjoy life "when...."God loves you not because of what you do, but because of who He is.God is love (1 John 4:8). God doesn't have to pretend to love you; He can't not love you, because He is love.In fact, the very actions of God exemplify what love is. The apostle John explains that this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us (1 John 3:16). Only a few verses later, he further defines love: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9).Notice that God's love for you is independent of how you behave, who you are, or how you respond to that love.Romans 5:6-8 reminds us that God loves us regardless of where we are: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Jesus represents God's love for us in what we now call the Parable of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-24). In that allegory, the father openly and lovingly receives his son even though the son had run away, squandered all of his money, and insulted the father. In the same way, God loves us unconditionally.There is nothing you can do to get God to love you -- He already does. There is nothing you can do to deserve God's love, because, by sinning, you have turned your back on God and are fundamentally no different than the prodigal son. That parable is a clear reminder that God loves you not because of what you do, but because of who He is.
I pray that these will be a blessing to you, Amen.
Here is something for you, for this Christmas season. Please move your cursor to here, and click here.

God Bless you
-In His Service,
Frank Lema.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Umejiandaaje kumalizia mwaka 2008 na kuanza mwaka mpya wa 2009?

Bwana Yesu asifiwe sana!
Ninamshukuru Mungu kwa Neema zake kuu na Upendo wake usio na kipimo kwa nafasi hii aliyotupa ya kujifunza Neno lake la Uzima kwa njia hii. Sifa ni kwake.
Ninamshukuru Mungu Baba kwa kutufikisha tena mwezi huu wa mwisho wa mwaka 2008. Naamini kuwa hata wewe mwenyewe unaona kuwa hii ni Neema kubwa sana. Neema ambayo hatukulipa chochote kupewa, ni zawadi kutoka kwa Baba Mungu kwa upendo wake. Ni wazi kuwa watu wengi sana walifikiri kuwa watafika siku kama hii ya leo lakini leo hawapo hai. Sisi tumefika hapa kwa sababu Baba Mungu ana kazi nasi tena, na ni kwa upendo wake tuu.
Tunapoelekea kuumaliza huu mwaka, ni vizuri tukitafakari pamoja mambo machache.Kwa wale walioweze kutembelea website yangu mwanzoni mwa mwaka huu, niliweka ujumbe maalumu wa "Salamu za mwaka mpya 2008" na nilizungumza kwa Roho Mtakatifu mambo muhimu sana kwa ajili ya mwaka 2008. Miongoni mwa mambo hayo, Roho Mtakatifu alitufundisha kuwa, Tuweke malengo kwa ajili ya mwaka mzima wa 2008, kisha tuweke mikakati ya namna ya kuyatimiza malengo hayo, tuyaombee malengo yetu kwa Mungu, n.k. Tena tuyaandike malengo yetu kwenye karatasi na kuyatunza. Je wewe ulifanya hivyo?
Kama uliweka malengo yako kwa mwaka 2008, sasa tumefikia mwisho wa mwaka, ni wakati sasa wa kukaa chini kwa utulivu na kuanza kuyapitia tena malengo yako, utathmini mafanikio yako.
Unapoyapitia malengo uliyojiwekea, tafakari ni kwa kiasi gani umefanikiwa kutimiza mipango uliyojiwekea ndani ya mwaka huu, ni kwa kiwango gani hujafanikiwa kuyatimiza malengo yako, na umwombe Mungu akuonyeshe ni sababu zipi zimekufanya usiweze kuyatimiza malengo yako. Hii ni muhimu kwani itakusaidia kujua ni mbinu gani uzitumie kufanikiwa mwaka ujao wa 2009.
Tafakari pia baraka na mambo yote mema ambayo Mungu amekukirimia kwa mwaka huu wa 2008. Kwa maneno mengine "HESABU BARAKA ZAKO" Angalia baraka Mungu alizokupa na maneno uliyokuwa unayakiri kuhusu mwaka 2008. Inawezekana umekuwa ukisema kuwa "Ah, mwaka huu siyo mzuri bwana!" Sasa je, ukiangalia Neema Mungu alizokupa, kauli hiyo ni sawa?? Mshukuru Mungu kwa baraka zake zote hizo, hata kama unaziona kuwa chache na ndogo, kumbuka ni Neema hiyo. Tenga muda maalumu kumshukuru Mungu kwa yote.
Tafakari pia mambo ambayo umeyaona kuwa ni mabaya kwa mwaka 2008. Pengine umemlaumu Mungu kwa kuyaacha mambo hayo kukutokea, lakini jiulize, Je, ni makosa ya nani? Wewe mwenyewe unajua kuwa Mungu huwa hafanyi makosa, kwa hiyo ni wazi kuwa inawezekana uzembe wako au kutokuwa makini kumechangia, pamoja na adui yetu shetani kutupinga. Hapo ndipo kunatokea umuhimu wa kutubu kwa kila mwezi wa mwaka 2008, mwombe Mungu akusamehe kwa uzembe wote ulioufanya, naye atakusamehe hakika.
Baada ya mambo hayo, sasa tumia siku zilizobakia kuanza kumwomba Mungu aanze kukuonyesha mambo ya 2009. Sasa anza kuweka tena malengo yako kwa ajili ya mwaka 2009. Panga mikakati ndani ya Kristo ambayo unataka kuitimiza mwaka 2009. Kumbuka namna unavyojiwekea malengo kuna athiri namna utakavyofanikiwa. Usipoweka malengo ni hatari, kwani ukiweka malengo na kuyaandika mahali, hayo malengo yatakuwa yanakuhimiza na kukumbusha kuongeza bidii ili kuyatimiza yote. Ni kama usemavyo msemo wa kiingereza "No man is greater than his vision" Hakikisha unaweka malengo kwa ajili ya mwaka ujao.
Hatua nyingine ni kuweka mikakati, yaani ni namna gani utakavyoweza kuyatimiza malengo hayo uliyojiwekea? Kwa mfano, kama wewe ni mzazi na unataka mwaka unaokuja uwe karibu zaidi na watoto wako ili kuzungumza nao na kuwafundisha mambo mbalimbali, hii ina maana kuwa unatakiwa uwe mwangalifu zaidi kutunza muda, ili upate muda wa kukaa na watoto wako. Weka mikakati.
Kumbuka kumwomba Mungu kwanza kabla ya kufanya tathmini yote hiyo.
Haya ndiyo mambo ambayo siku ya leo nimehimizwa nikushirikishe kwa kipindi hiki cha mwaka. Mungu akipenda hivyo, nitaendelea kukushirikisha zaidi na zaidi kupitia Huduma hii ya Mailing Lists. Kama una maswali au ushauri wowote tunavyoelekea mwisho wa mwaka, karibu.
Tuendelee kuombeana katika Jina la Yesu Kristo.
Ni mimi katika Utumishi,
Frank Lema.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Mchungaji kortini

Mchungaji wa Kanisa la Pentekoste Kimara jijini Dar es Salaam Jonathani Ilunga anayekabiliwa na Kesi ya Utapeli kwenye Mahakama ya Wilaya ya Temeke jijini Dar es Salaam, jana aliwekwa chini ya ulinzi mkali baada ya kubaikika kuwa aliyemuwekea dhamana alikuwa ameghushi nyaraka.
Mchungaji huyo anakabiliwa na kesi ya utapeli wa mamilioni ya pesa kutoka kwa wananchi mbalimbali akiwemo Shabani Kassimu mfanyabiashara aliyedai kutapeliwa mali zenye thamani ya shilingi milioni 2.5 na mtumishi huyo wa Mungu.Baada ya kufika mahakamani hapo jana na kusomewa mashtaka yake, Hakimu Mfawidhi wa Mahakama hiyo Bi.Hellen Riwa alieleza kuwa amepokea barua kutoka kwa msajili wa kesi kwamba hati za dhamana zilizowasilishwa na mdhamini wake aitwaye Sharif Mohamed zilikuwa za kughushi, jambo lililoifanya mahakama hiyo kumfutia dhamana.Katika hali ya kushangaza Mchungaji huyo alikana mbele ya Hakimu kutokumjua Mdhamini wake Sharif ambaye inadaiwa kughushi nyaraka hizo na hivyo kuwasilisha nyaraka zake binafsi ambazo hata hivyo zilitupiliwa mbali.Baada ya dhamana yake kufutwa mchungaji huyo alitoa kioja kingine cha kugoma kutoka nje ya mahakama jambo lililowalazisha polisi kumtoa kwa nguvu na kumsweka lupango, hadi Desema 27 kesi yake itakaposikilizwa tena.