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If you ask me, one of my most vivid memories of childhood was of an event that
happened shortly after my thirteenth birthday. Uncle Daniel (another uncle) came
to visit. I guess he was about 25years at the time but to me he was more like Methuselah,
all grownup and world wise. One day when both my aunt and uncle were out,
he gave permission for me and a couple of boys from the neighbourhood to go
visit the bazaar holding in the local Catholic church grounds. After wandering
round and losing the few coins we had at some throw-a-dart-and-try-your-luck
game, we decided to heard back home. Luckily (or unluckily), I found a pack of
cigarette on the floor. I picked it up and pretended I had won it (whoever heard
of a 13-year old boy winning a pack of cigarette at a Christian bazaar?). Back
at home, I handed it over to my Uncle Daniel - a non-smoker. He promptly
opened the pack, lighted one up, took two puffs and then handed the pack and the
burning stick of cigarette back to me with instructions to dispose of it by
throwing it over the fence into the vacant lot at the back of our house (talk of
the devil finding work for idle hands!) I am not exactly sure of who made the
dare, but one thing led to another, and I found myself taking two puffs of the
lighted cigarette before disposing of it. It must have been about a week or two
later, on a Saturday morning while my aunt was making breakfast that she brought
up the subject of the cigarette escapade. I couldn't believe my ears! At first I
thought God must have told on me, but soon realised that one of my so-called
friends must have let her in on the matter. While threatening me with cancer
now, hail and brimstone in the hereafter, I was busy praying to God that she
ends her "lecture" before my uncle came down for his breakfast. While
my aunt may think twice about killing a fly in her kitchen, my uncle had never
been known to spare the rod. I guess he must have studied certain portions of
the good book after all. Luckily, as my knees were about giving way, and
with my uncle's footsteps sounding on the stairs, she stopped suddenly - just as
she had started. Phew! Guess that makes two unsanctioned requests to god after all!
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I am a grown man of 24 now. I have had my share of troubles but luckily no
run-ins with the law. Even though I haven't asked God for a thing in the
last seven or so years (since I took a degree course in Information Technology
at the local University), I guess He has been good to me all the same. Like I
said, I haven't had any major troubles, and what I count as major is anything
that would take me to the neighbourhood police station or was still land me in
the slammer! I can even count the number of dustups I have been involved in on
the fingers of my hands. I remember clearly a brief encounter with a friend
during my secondary school days. I "won" that one. By the time we were
in our final year some four years later, the guy had become a stocky lad with
plenty of experience in the duelling direction. In the meantime I had become a
lean (but not mean) young lad. One day, with nothing to do, he had tried to goad
me into a "rematch" which I had carefully avoided, knowing what the
outcome would be.
So I could say I have led a more or less uneventful life, until recently that
is.
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I often wonder if I would work at all if I did not need money to live. I was
told that unless you have a degree in a "hot" field, getting a lucrative
job has an element of luck associated with it. But it seems it can be tricky
getting reasonably well-paid I.T. job - even though the field can be described
as being "hot" at the moment.
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Our text today is taking from the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9, verse 11. I
read. "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor
yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and
chance happeneth to them all."
Should we thus conclude that we have no control over what happens in our lives?
Or that God does not alter circumstances by answering prayers? Should we excuse
a delinquent child by taking into account this verse of the bible? Should we set
a thief or murderer free because he has had a "bad" childhood which
turned him into the undesirable element that he has become? Should we stop
striving to be the best we can be, because whatever we do, ultimately life will
determine the outcome?
I say nay to all these questions.
If we consider the last 5 words of the verse we have just read, we see here that
the verse says "happeneth to them all." Solomon did not say to
"chance happeneth to us all", what he said is "to them",
that means he did not include himself. The same goes for us as children of the
living God. If we believe in God, then we must believe that God is ultimately in
control of what happens to us. We must believe that we are not victims of
chance. That God knows about everything that happens to us; that we are able to
influence the course our lives take by faith and action.
I tell you that we are not part of "the them", we are a peculiar
people; a chosen generation; a royal people called to shine and shine brightly.
To show the world that it is possible to be godly in this present darkness that
covers the world. Can I have an alleluia somebody!
If I am to believe that God talks to people via sermons delivered at the pulpit,
then it seems I may have a chance afterall. It seems like a long shot, but could
it be possible? Can I alter something so unchanging that is is almost written in
stone? Can I disbelieve all my believes?
Which is easier: turning stone to bread or making bread without wheat nor oven?
Is it easier to make a miracle that ensures children born by two parents both AS
are AA
or is it easier to get God to change the blood running in a person's vein? Even
if this
where possible, would the person remain the same? Can a person with a totally
different
blood still be the same person? Yes, his outward appearance is still the same;
his fingerprint is still the same; but is he truly the same person? Can he be
held by DNA evidence for a crime he committed before his blood changed (check
this out - is DNA independent of blood type?)
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(Proverbs 13: 24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son:
but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.)
"Honey dear, you know how you have been wanting us to change the rug for
some time now."
"Yes dear."
"I think we are about to do so very soon."
"Huh?"
"Better start clearing the ground floor of any water-unfriendly
stuff, because this house is about to get flooded!"
"That's unlikely, it's just drizzling outside and the drains were recently
cleared so we shouldn't have any problems."
"There is no time to explain at the moment, but we need to move fast."
"Are you sure dear?"
"I will explain everything later but right now we need to get
cracking!"
11:10pm (01-August-2004) to 12:35am (02-August-2004)
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