Faith and Life Blog

  Yet you, Lord are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 If we are spiritually discerning, our eyes, hearts and minds will be enlightened to see the important lessons unearthed from last week's devotional. I will share three such lessons with you, hoping you will spend some time meditating on them and apply the nuggets gained from them to your life. 1. Be rightly positioned In order to receive the blessings that God has for us, we must be rightly positioned. We must be in the right place at the right time. We must be rightly aligned to receive from him. Had I been elsewhere, I would not have heard that artisan as he passed by, shouting out the services that He offered. I would not have been in a place to take advantage of the offer. 2. Seize the moment It is said that opportunity knocks only once in any season. You never know if or when you will get another opportunity to do the things that you want to do, so when an opportu...

  Yet you, Lord are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 God continues to impart valuable spiritual lessons through seemingly mundane and pedestrian events of  life. Saturday, July 13, 2024, was one such event when he showed up and showed off, reminding me that He loves me and is aware of even the simple things that others might just shrug off, thinking that is too trivial to even mention to Him.  A few weeks prior, I decided to clean my fan. I removed the outer covering but struggled to replace it as it differed significantly from other fans. Instead of latches or hooks placed at points around the rim, there was one central point held together by a single screw. I did not have a screwdriver, so it was a difficult task as I had to proverbially 'tun mi han'. I had no such luck when I tried to replace it as I would have needed an extra pair of hands to hold it in place while I adjusted the screw. The next best option...

  I collected my first royalty cheque for my published works in December 2016. I was thrilled and pleasantly surprised. Earlier that year I had attended a writers’ workshop and learned that persons who have published works could register them with a local copyright organization and would receive royalty payments at the end of each year. I was quite excited about this opportunity and so I set about registering my three published articles shortly thereafter. When I received an email notifying me that my cheque was ready for pickup, I didn’t have high expectations about the amount that I would receive. I was cautiously optimistic, thinking that it could be about J$5000 if that much. When I looked at my cheque, my eyes widened in disbelief as it was far more than I had imagined.   After I got home, I made a mental note to pay my tithe from the amount, as a dutiful Christian should. But then, a word flashed through my mind, “first fruits”. I quickly rejected it and pushed it aside....

  We all go through storms, whether literal or figurative. It is part of this journey called life. It is reassuring to know that we can be at peace when the storms come. No matter how bleak the conditions around us may seem, with Christ is in the vessel, we can smile at the storm. Jamaica's recent encounter with Hurricane Beryl was a terrifying and traumatic one for many. There was a palpable sense of panic,fear and anxiety in the air. But for those of us who hope in Christ, we can be assured that He is the anchor that keeps our soul and a strong tower into which we can run for safety. So though the storm raged, trees were blown down, and possessions were lost, we could have peace in the midst of the storm. The eye of the storm is a place of calm; ironic, isn't it? Though the winds push towards the centre, they never reach because they are deflected back to the eyewall, by what is known as Coriolis force. This peaceful place could be likened to the presence of God, The Prince o...

  Hey, you! Yes, you! God sees that you are struggling. He is El Roi, the God who sees and indeed He sees your pain. He knows how much you are hurting, but He wants you to remember that He is standing by. Do not give up. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He promised never to give you more than you can bear. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. He is the God of the impossible, the God who can do more than you can ever ask or think. His plans for you are good and not evil, to give you hope and a future.  He wants you to trust Him. He wants to do something new in your life: make streams in the deserts and roadways in the wilderness. He wants to give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He is your balm in Gilead, so rejoice in Him, even though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no fruits on the vine.  Rejoice in Him and give thanks in every situation, whether good or bad, because it...

  The Power of Your Testimony My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness  and  thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers  thereof.  (Psalm 71:15. KJV)   A testimony is a powerful weapon. The word ‘testimony’ is derived from the Latin testis , which means ‘ witness’ . According to merrionwebster.com, witness means – attestation of a fact or event; able to ascertain the veracity of such fact or event. In a court of law, the outcome of the case is heavily dependent on the word of witnesses during a trial. A testimony establishes a truth which can be relied on as it is the first-hand experience of an event. This is supported by the Jamaican saying, ‘hearsay can’t go a law’ (Hearsay cannot be used as evidence in a court of law). As it is in the court of law, so it is in the life of a believer. Sharing your testimony is a very important habit for every Christian to develop, one which should be encouraged as there are many benefits which c...

  The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like hinds feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. ( Habakkuk 3:19 ) He makes my feet like hinds feet, and setteth me up on my high places. ( Psalm 18:33) Recently, I had a dream. In that dream, I was standing outside the post office in the village square of my small, St. Elizabeth community. Across the road was the house of the postmistress, Mrs Hinds, which was being demolished by a bulldozer. The structure appeared old and it was apparent that it was no longer useful. Close to the house being demolished was, however, a smaller structure which was fairly new and was spared from demolition. My instinct told me that this newer structure would form part of a new house that was going to be built. In dream symbolism, a house usually represents an individual, so I realised that the Lord was communicating a message to me. Interestingly, in the dream I was standing in front of the post office, which suggests that some sort of c...