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FIRST LOVE

2. December 2009 by kgcpastor.

NOV 9, 2008

Rev 2:
I attended the ‘Worship without apology conference’ today and it was such an awesome experience. Pastor Donnie Mclurkin preached about going back to our first love and as he shared, I could not help but remember what first love meant to me. Going back to my first love took me way back to my childhood, growing up in the church. Back to those times when I spent countless hours with my grandma reading the bible, singing hymns(I can still sing all those hymns in Kikuyu! try me) and praying together every morning before going to school and in the evening before going to sleep. My grandma taught me how to pray, she moulded me into the person I am today and regardless of the distance and the fact that age is catching up on her, we still share such a strong bond. (I love you grandma and I owe so much to you.)(Sad that grandma passed away in April this year,,,,,but she forever remains my inspiration) . It brought back memories of primary school or elementary school, where we were among the pioneers of a Christian union. It was here that we I truly learnt what it meant to be born again and to walk with God. I remember in class eight we introduced prayer and fasting every Thursday and we would meet under a tree during our lunch break and pray. Yes, we were all young, all between 13 and 14 yrs but on fire for God.
The memory lane went back into high school. For those in

Kenya, you will all agree with me that High schools are some of the places where you will find young men and women who are totally and I mean completely sold out for God. Being part of a Christian Union leadership, facing opposition and still holding on to God and serving Him against all odds. I remembered how we used to wake up at 5 or 6am and go pray outside,,,,behind one of the classes,,,(form 1X, all ex St Anne’s students know what I mean)as we did not have a place where we could pray. We would brace the cold and lift our voices to God even when it was announced at the school assembly that we were making noise in the mornings. One time we thought we had found a ‘power room’ in the home science room and we could go there every morning and pray until we were caught and that was the end of our short lived comfort but that still did not deter our worship. I remember meeting with prayer partners every evening after diner for prayer and just to share and encourage each other. That was life in a high school where Christian Union faced opposition but a first love prevailed and no opposition shook our position in Christ.
Moving on to

Moi

University, Morning Glory and Evening Glory was just but a continuation of a lifestyle of worship. There was so much to learn and a community that truly loved God.
So, I was lost down memory lane as the word went forth today. It dawned on me that yes, I agree with Pastor Donnie just as many will agree with me; we have lost our first love. Amidst life’s pressures and mounting challenges; between working hard every day to earn a living and caring for a family; living in a world where technological advancement has taken toll on us to a point of replacing the place of God in our lives; trying to balance between school work, a social life, ministry and a full time job, it is apparent that we have shifted away from our first love. Our worship is a far cry from what true worship ought to be. True worship comes from a heart that is passionate and loves God. It is born out of a relationship with God. A relationship that is not just a sanctuary relationship. We have lost the simplicity and real purpose of our relationship with God while gaining favour with men. We have forgotten that our image before God matters, that when God looks at us, He should see an image of Himself in us.
God is calling us to go back to the innocence of our first love, where we look into the glory of God and acknowledge our worthlessness. A place of humility and submission. A place where our situations do not and cannot stop our praise. Where we can look beyond our situations, beyond our pain, failures, traumas, insecurities, and choose to praise Him: Not out of need, but praising Him because of who He is and worshiping him with no apology!
If only we can come to a place where our worship is directed to God and out of a pure heart. Where worship is not about having a good voice and being able to hold down that tenor note all through the song(God knows I just looooooove tenor,,,,,,,,it’s only that Deb maintains that I have to do Alto instead, hint hint Ms London!!). A true place of worship is one where the worship and the worshiper are one. Where we do not sing what we want but the Holy Spirit sings through us.
The more we praise God, the more He shows up, and when we begin to worship, He not only shows up, but He comes in, takes a sit and inhabits our praises. It is in that moment that yokes are broken, strongholds are uprooted, curses are broken, healing takes place, the anointing is released and miracles happen. It is the place where we all come back to the heart of worship and pray this prayer. Create in me a clean heart,
and purify me, purify me,
Create in me a clean heart,
So that I may worship you
Cast me not away from your presence
Please don’t take your presence from me
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation,
And take me back to my first love,
So that I may worship you.

I remembered a preacher who once told us in high school that the best investment we can make for our lives as young people is Prayer. Believe me I have tested that word to be true. Many times I have felt like am drawing on the investment I made back then. I feel like an earthly representation of Hezekiah. Remember when God sent prophet Isaiah to a sick Hezekiah to tell him that he would die and not live. (2 Kings 20) Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and guess what he did, he wept and took God down a memory lane with the word ‘REMEMBER’, and he reminded God of how faithfully he had walked with Him and how he had served Him. The bible actually reckons that there was no other King of Judah who was like Hezekiah for he trusted the Lord and held fast to Him, never departing from His ways. God could not help but hear his cry, heal him and add him 15 more years.
I do not know about you but there are times when I feel like God has had a ‘remember’ moment with me. Times when I should have been destroyed but God delivered me. When I ran so far away from Him, but still,,,,,,, He was there and even when I went astray,,,He never let go of me. Those times when I really did not deserve it, but He still loved me anyway. And now, when I think about it, am glad that God and I can have a ‘remember’ moment, but I also realize that if I don’t make a step back to my first love, 10 yrs from now,,,the remember moment will have long lost its worth.

As I left the church tonight, I knew I had embarked on a journey back to my first love. And as I sign off, I leave you with an encouragement from Jeff and Sheri Easter’s song. Yes, YOU CAN PRAISE whatever situation away!

PRAISE HIS NAME.
When you’re up against a wall
And your mountain seems so tall
And you realize that life’s not always fair
You can run away and hide
Let the old man decide
Or you can change your circumstances with a prayer

When everything falls apart
Praise his name
When you have a broken heart
Raise your hands and say
Lord, you’re all I need
You’re everything to me
And he’ll take the pain away
When you feel you’re all alone
Praise his name
And you feel all hope is gone
Raise your hands and say
Greater is he that is within me
And you can praise the hurt away
If you’ll just praise his name

Ohhh,
You can overcome
By the blood of the lamb
And by the word of your testimony
You’ll see the darkness go
As your faith begins to grow
You’re not alone, so how can you be lonely

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WELCOME TO KENYAN GLOBAL CHURCH BLOG

27. October 2009 by kgcpastor.

The church is a place of building and not destroying relationships. The church is a support group where people grow in understanding and where spiritual talents are recognized and utilized.

May the peace of God that surpasses human understanding keep you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rev. Dr. John and Rev Ann Muhia Karanja.

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