Taking the promise for the week in Psalm 27:1, Pastor Nomthi Odukoya described a certain type of tree that when it grows tall is bound together to prevent it from breaking or bending over. This she used as an analogy of how God holds us together to prevent same from happening to us.
She told the congregation of a time in her childhood when she ran into the woods for fear of being punished by her grandmother for something she did wrong. With persuasion from her cousin, she returned from the woods with the hope that she had escaped being disciplined; unfortunately, that was not the case. The moral of the story, she said, is that God is still in the business of bringing His children out of difficult situations, which the woods symbolised.
She noted that even when we are weak or face a frightening situation, we must always remember that God is our strength and so should never be afraid.
Words of encouragement from Pastor Nomthi @ Thursday Showers
Reading from Philippians 3:10 and Colossians 3:1 at the June 1 Thursday Showers service, Pastor Nomthi explained that we need to live our lives in appreciation of what Jesus Christ did for us through His death and resurrection.
She narrated an experience she had some years ago in London where she was almost mugged on a bus but for the timely intervention of a lady who drew her attention to the thief. This of course irritated the thief and he slammed the woman’s head violently against a pole. Pastor Nomthi said she felt bad that the woman took a risk for her and was punished for her sake, pointing out that Jesus did even more for us by allowing Himself to be bruised, beaten and killed so that we might live. “To show our appreciation, we should put aside every negative lifestyle and live for Him; our behaviour should be aligned with Christ’s death and resurrection,” she said.
