FAITHFULNESS...THE KEY

Luke 16:10

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

   This powerful  verse speaks volumes by itself, and i tell you there is nothing in this world as good as seeing answered prayer !! Today i am just going to testify about God's faithfulness and promises.
     About 6 years in my dormitory i began to think about the events that had shaped my life, unfortunately most of them were very unpleasant and i will share those at the right time.
   My mind shifted from myself and went to thousands of 'me' who were caught in a fishnet of poverty , abuse, neglect and despair..e.t.c  i started asking God how i could be of help to that one child i have never met, whose story similar to mine i have never heard. 
       I vividly remember a voice speaking to me in my heart very clearly to 'Do Something'.  I was still in school , didn't have any money , didn't know anybody important or sponsors for that matter.
   Our dialogue continued and i mentioned to God in honesty that i desired to help, i desired to make a change but how could i start? The voice told me , 'Start with what you have'  i looked at my self , i was making 50,000 ugandan shillings (25.00 US Dollars) per month!! yes per month for 12 hour days monday through friday as a nursery/kindergarten teacher.
  God promised me that if i was faithful he would be faithful and would make my willingness to help others materialize, if i stayed faithful 'with what i had'.
    Long story short i shared the idea i had with some good friends of mine and decided to go my maternal village many miles from my city home every weekend to just talk to children and pre-teens about the Lord and also address the issues of life regarding health, adolescence , sex and social everyday situations alike.
   The begginning wasn't easy but we stayed faithful, saving money from my meager salary from which i also payed my rent, bus fare and food!!! We poured love, hope and direction to these kids we were not related to, actually some of them from Muslim families and some from homes with occult and witchcraft shrines in the backyard.
   Fast forward God opens doors for me i get a better job , i start travelling the world and later settle in the U.S and he lets me meet wonderful people who share the passion and vision i have for abused, neglected and disadvantaged children in the Country of Uganda.
  I remember one time while working as a baby sitter for some friends in the state of Massachusetts i was making 50.00 per week working from sunrise to sunset and yet still sent money to support the ministry we had started, many times i felt like giving up..but by the grace i stayed faithful.
    As i write this blog God has given us the opportunity and the resources we prayed for six years ago and that was to build a decent structure where we could meet with the kids and just bless them with good words, clothes, hygienic needs,a balanced diet meal and also regularly monitor their progress by way of a school that teaches the academic curriculum with a huge emphasis on biblical and godly values.
      This week with a very good gift from a generous family we started breaking ground for bricks for the facility that will be a center for hope,  love , enrichment and growth in the body, mind and spirit.
   I just felt like sharing with you this awesome testimony and journey God is leading us on..i encourage you my friend, whatever God has laid on your heart it doesn't matter what it is ask God to show you how you can make that first step, by using what you have in your hand. If you don't have anything, you have some faith, maybe smaller than a mustard seed but God can use that if you let him!!!
   So my friends i ask you to pray with us, in November this year we believe to travel to Uganda to lay the building foundation for this ministry that is going to change and transform lives in our small village and our country of Uganda at large.
  I pray for you too that God will give you the patience and bless you with the people who will walk with you through the journey of your calling.
  Please visit our website and see how you can be a part of what is doing in our ministry.
   
blessings,
Andrew Paul Kizito
greaterriver@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/greaterriver
www.facebook.com/GreaterRiver
www.greaterriverchurch.org


In this picture i am teaching a class in 2008 in the early days of our ministry.

  

The Little Seeds We Sow

                 The Little Seeds We Sow

^{Psalms 126:5} Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

       Just the other day I was  looking back, its only been a few years  ago and was amazed at how God has really blessed me with almost everything I prayed for and dreamt of as a young boy,  it’s so amazing to realize that God really is at work in our lives , we many times just don’t realize it and so often we focus on the things we don’t have, our failures , disappointments and what people say about  us or even more commonly judge ourselves in comparison to our peers and friends we grew up with or went to school with.

    

Did you know that every day we sow seeds in our lives, into our kids, our loved ones and people we know and those we may never know or even meet.

  It saddens me a lot ,it shouldn’t though whenever I hear that, ‘ what we are today is at a greater portion due to the seeds we have sowed in the past..’  Very hard to swallow…… especially if you have sowed more bad seeds than good ones… seeds take many sizes and shapes, technically everything we do is a seed or a fruit. Think about it!!!

   

The words we say to ourselves, the time we spend and how we spend it ,the places we go ,the people we meet and how we interact with them and what we gain from these relationships , all these are seeds that will affect us or the other parties for the rest of theirs and our lives.

    

  Now most of you know that I am a pastor and one of the most difficult things to mention in church is teaching people or asking them to give money.. Because the first thing some people will think is that you want to take and use their money for your personal use and probably become rich from it, I thank God for my wonderful congregation who give so cheerfully and generously.

     

  But the truth of the matter is that,  giving money in the house of God is actually giving to God out of our love, honor and appreciation to him..

   Now how this money is used is a concern many of us have and that’s okay!! Granted. but shouldn’t bother us that much if our intentions are right and are geared towards God and his service…do your part and let God deal with his men or women on the ground.

   

Giving our money is probably so hard because it represents our hard work, sweat, and the pain we go through to get it..but giving a portion of it say 10% is very hard for us to do.. Believe me!! But when you do with a cheerful heart and willingness within, you are sowing a seed that won’t  only return to you in the short term  but fruits you will enjoy for a lifetime!!

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver

    

So I looked back and remembered the times I gave so much of my time serving in the church, singing, cleaning, preaching without pay and how painful it was for so many years and actually most of the time it was routine but my soul was out of it completely. But thank God he still counted those seeds.

    

Imagine a farmer waking up so early in the morning, breaking hard ground, weeding the ground, planting the seeds, pruning, making scare crows, more weeding, and then waiting. And actually sometimes losing all his seed to pests. 

    

All this stuff is not fun to do.. But the fact that you do it regardless of the process,  painful as it may be sometimes in heavy rains, very hot sunny days,  I tell you right now  One day!! the fruits will come and when they do ,there is no better  joy than reaping a hard earned harvest!!

    By the way this can take a span of three to twelve months!!! A year to be precise..!! (If you are dealing with crops)

   Scripture tells us to continue doing good for at the right time we shall reap a harvest if we do not faint.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up

So my friends in everything you do, be it giving your time, sharing your resources, spending time with people that you love or people who love you.. know in your heart that you are sowing seeds and one day most importantly you will stand before the throne of the Almighty and he will say,Well done good and faithful Servant!!

Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'  This is great to know and look forward to but I promise you even before then. Our God is the creator of heaven and earth he will reward you generously even here on this beautiful planet!!   Keep up the good work and keep sowing those little seeds especially when no one is watching and there is no expected return.. Much love and blessings, Andrew Paul Kizito AUDIO VERSION https://soundcloud.com/kizitopaul/the-little-seeds-we-sow www.greaterriverchurch.org www.facebook.com/GreaterRiver www.twitter.com/greaterriver greaterriver@gmail.com www.youtube.com/user/greaterriver

  

  

  

   

Taking Back Ours

       It’s always a blessing for me to get on the laptop and share with you my heart and the messages God places in my spirit. The Lord has placed urgency inside me to address daily life issues from a biblical standpoint and to encourage the body of Christ to fully live the life our savior died for.

     As followers of Christ we many times live below what God has intended us to, but I believe with all my heart that once we realize whose we are and the sacrifice he made for us to be free, we can live in the ‘promised land’ even here on earth regardless of what is around us, be it hard economic times, strained relationships and all the evil that surrounds us today.

     Speaking of hard times that are obvious to us each day especially here in America it is very easy to be distracted, disappointed and even lose the ‘Joy of our salvation’ David in the bible after sinning against God by killing one man’s husband and committing adultery on her, after realizing his mess he earnestly pleads to God to not take away his holy spirit and the Joy of his salvation.

^{Psalms 51:11} Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation

The most important thing in David’s life was not the woman she had stolen and killed for, not the majestic palace he was living in or even the power he had as king. What was most important was being in the presence of God or more clearly living with the presence of God each day of his life, and additionally having the Joy that only God gives.

      When you read in-depth the story of David’s fall into this sin, you also realize that the child that was born as a result of his uncontrolled sexual desire and greed died after a brief illness. Now David doesn’t dwell so much on that knowing that he was being punished for his acts, he instead pursues what is most important: Having the Holy Spirit present in his life and also the JOY that God gives.

Many of us ,me included make mistakes every day, we lose things that we treasure so much ,in this economy the most valuable ‘asset’ is having a job, expecting a child and having a roof over our heads etc. etc. but none of these things beat the Joy that God gives.

      Imagine why do we go to school, work long hours, some people even steal or con others for a quick buck? We all want to have that state of satisfaction, we want to be happy, we are seeking Joy in the wrong places, in drugs, sex, shopping, education, having children all these may to a certain point make you happy but true happiness comes from seeking, finding and maintaining the presence of God and his spirit in our lives ‘EVERYDAY’

   That’s why we need to go back to the root and source of our joy , peace and content. Do we want to have fulfilled relationships?  Exciting family moments?  Have successful careers and achieve our ambitions? The secret is going back to seeking God and his righteousness and the rest shall be added to us (Matthew 6:33)

God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places but to enjoy them, maintain them is our job everyday , let’s take back our families, let’s take back the gifts God bestowed on us, let’s raise our children in the way of Lord and enjoy the fruits of our labor by seeking God daily, involving him in our decisions, inquiring of him before making major and minor moves and I promise you God will direct our paths..

P.S Listen to the Audio version on the link below:
http://soundcloud.com/kizitopaul/taking-back-ours

Blessings to you as you fully enjoy all his benefits,

Andrew Paul  Kizito

www.greaterriverchurch.org

www.twitter.com/greaterriver

www.facebook.com/GreaterRiver

greaterriver@gmail.com