God’s Greatest Gift to Mankind

Instant Coffee

No, instant coffee is not God’s greatest gift to mankind. Rather, it represents how our generation likes to do things – instantaneously. We expect our relationships to run like efficient computer programs – without any hitches or bugs. We need our processes to unwind like clockwork. We hope to not have downtime on anything. We want everything to be ready and available to us as soon as we wish it. Unfortunately, that is not how God designed the world.

The Fallacy of Prayer

Prayer is such a commonly used word that it can be found in the most unlikely sentence. “I will pray for you”, says a person to another for a whole range of reasons between losing a loved one and going for a visa interview. I have not heard of any study done on the relationship between prayers and their expected outcomes. I can however venture to assume that prayer is not all that effective in terms of producing solutions to problems taken to the Lord in supplication.

Signs and Wonders

The rate at which people join new and vibrant evangelical churches can only be matched by number of disgraced preachers who have been caught conning their followers with fake miracles. These faithful adherents go there looking for signs and wonders. It’s just as Jesus had pointed in Mathew Chapter 16 verse 4 where he said, “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah”. The sign of Jonah of course refers to Jesus crucifixion, death, interment for three days in the belly of the earth, and subsequent resurrection. He was implying that there would not be many miracles to be witnessed after he left the tomb. The only wonder is the fact that people still believe in fake miracles.

Doers of the Word

I have a problem obeying the word of God. I find it particularly hard to love God and fellow man as indicated by Jesus to be the single most important commandment in that it consolidates the entire law of God. I guess it was the reason James in verse 22 of chapter one of his book in the bible instructs us thus, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, Do what it says”. I find the bible, especially the New Testament rather straight forward. It does not require a high aptitude or education to understand. The only hindrance to obeying the word appears to be personal ego.

Cause and Effect

Newton’s third law of motion states that, ‘for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’. This law is not just true for physics. It applies in all spheres of life and nature. When one makes a decision for instance, he or she has to live with the consequences. This holds true whether it is a good decision or a bad one. This is one law of nature that Kenyans seem to be painfully ignorant of when it gets to election time. They go out in large numbers and elect people with openly known questionable credentials and act all surprised when their ‘newly minted’ leaders display their true colours. The same applies to children who are left to bring themselves up and their parents seem clueless as to the association between poor upbringing (or lack thereof) and indiscipline.

Religion – Man’s Worst Gift to Himself

People look down upon a person who does not subscribe to any religion. He or she is considered incomplete, even evil. Religion in modern times is not a means to an end. It is an end in itself. People are ready to kill or get killed in the defence of their religion. Unscrupulous preachers are coming up with all kinds of weird doctrines and there is no shortage of gullible followers. Religious fanaticism is more the rule than the exception in the myriad religions, denominations, and sects dotting our landscape.

God’s Gift to Mankind

When God made man, he put something in him. It is an inbuilt thing and is present in every individual. It is hidden in plain sight and those who discover it are amazed at its simplicity. They wonder how they didn’t find it sooner. That gift is Common Sense and once you tap into it, you will never be conned again. You will be able to see through any opportunistic scheme. Use your gift!