Daily Morsels

Chimwemwe Mitengo

Description

Daily Morsels: A Devotional Reading through the Gospel According to John, aims at nourishing the spiritual life of the readers. It has 144 ‘meals.’ They are meant to be taken as two meals of the day. This means that a reader will devotionally go through the Gospel of John in 72 days. There are a lot of practical aspects of the Christian life that are addressed. One advantage of the book is that it is simple to read. Also, it follows the basic hermeneutical principles necessary to understand the Gospels.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• General officer
• Religion
• General

Informations

• Publié par: Kachere Series
• Date de parution: 21 février 2024
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789996025594
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

DAILY MORSELS

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rights reserved. No part of this publication be All may reproduced, stored retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers.

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Layout and Cover Design: Josephine Kawejere

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Daily Morsels: A Devotional Reading through the Gospel according to John

Rev. Chimwemwe Mitengo

Kachere Book no. 85

Kachere Series Zomba 2024

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Kachere Series P.O. Box 1037, Zomba, Malawi This book is part of the Kachere Series, a range of books on religion, culture and society from Malawi. Some of the related Kachere titles are: Boston Soko, Nchimi Chikanga: The Battle against Witchcraft in Malawi Rhodian G. Munyenyembe, Christianity and Socio-Cultural Issues: The Charismatic Movement and Contextualization in Malawi James Tengatenga, The UMCA in Malawi: A History of the Anglican Church Uledi Kamanga ed., Society and the Arts: Studies in Gender, Literature and Language The Kachere Series is the publication arm of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Malawi International Consultants: Prof. Bosman Hendrik Prof. Clement Majawa Prof. John Kapya Kaoma ________________________________________________ Series Editors: Dr. L. Ndekha, Sheikh Dr. I.S. Mohammad, Dr. J. Mawerenga, Fr. Dr. Chaima, Dr. D. Tembo, Mzee Dr. H. Mvula, Mr. R. Mdoka

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CONTENTS Morsel 1A &B Morsel 2A &B Morsel 3A &B Morsel 4A &B Morsel 5A &B Morsel 6A &B Morsel 7A &B Morsel 8A &B Morsel 9A &B Morsel 10A &B Morsel 11A &B Morsel 12A &B Morsel 13A &B Morsel 14A &B Morsel 15A &B Morsel 16A &B Morsel 17A &B Morsel 18A &B Morsel 19A &B Morsel 20A &B Morsel 21A &B Morsel 22A &B Morsel 23A &B Morsel 24A &B Morsel 25A &B Morsel 26A &B Morsel 27A &B Morsel 28A &B Morsel 29A &B Morsel 30A &B Morsel 31A &B Morsel 32A &B Morsel 33A &B

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1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97

Morsel 34A &B Morsel 35A &B Morsel 36A &B Morsel 37A &B Morsel 38A &B Morsel 39A &B Morsel 40A &B Morsel 41A &B Morsel 42A &B Morsel 43A &B Morsel 44A &B Morsel 45A &B Morsel 46A &B Morsel 47A &B Morsel 48A &B Morsel 49A &B Morsel 50A &B Morsel 51A &B Morsel 52A &B Morsel 53A &B Morsel 54A &B Morsel 55A &B Morsel 56A &B Morsel 57A &B Morsel 58A &B Morsel 59A &B Morsel 60A &B Morsel 61A &B Morsel 62A &B Morsel 63A &B Morsel 64A &B Morsel 65A &B Morsel 66A &B Morsel 67A &B

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100 103 106 109 112 115 118 121 124 127 130 133 136 139 142 145 148 151 154 157 160 163 166 169 172 175 178 181 184 187 190 193 196 199

Morsel 68A &B Morsel 69A &B Morsel 70A &B Morsel 71A &B Morsel 72A &B Conclusion

202 205 208 211 214 217

All the Scripture texts used in the book are taken from the New King James Versions (NKJV). vii

Introduction The journey and motivation for writing these morsels started in November 2018. At that time, I had gotten into the habit of sharing very short written devotional messages to friends on social media. After some time, I decided to be reading through an entire Bible book and pick out some practical lessons for Christians of all ages and places. Initially, I was not committed enough to keep all my written messages together until someone asked me if I was. I followed that advice, and since 2018, the collection of such writings has grown. In 2021, a few people asked me if I had ever considered collecting what I write and publishing it into a book. I did not immediately take up the task until after some more people told me the same thing. I, therefore, decided to re-work my writings from the Gospel according to John to be the first publication. This ďook, titled ͞DailLJ Moƌsels: A DeǀotioŶal ‘eadiŶg thƌough the Gospel AĐĐoƌdiŶg to JohŶ,͟ aiŵs at ŶouƌishiŶg the spiƌitual life of the ƌeadeƌs. It has ϭϰϰ ͚ŵeals.͛ TheLJ aƌe ŵeaŶt to ďe taken as two meals of the day. This means that a reader will devotionally go through the Gospel of John in 72 days. There are a lot of practical aspects of the Christian life that are addressed. One advantage of the book is that it is simple to read. Also, it follows the basic hermeneutical principles necessary to understand the Gospels. One of the most important verses in the book of Joshua is mentioned, one which most Christians know by heart is Joshua 1: ϴ, ͞This ďook of the laǁ shall Ŷot depaƌt fƌoŵ LJouƌ ŵouth, ďut you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make LJouƌ ǁaLJ pƌospeƌous, aŶd theŶ LJou ǁill haǀe good suĐĐess.͟ OŶe keLJ ǁoƌd iŶ this ǀeƌse is ͚ŵeditate.͛ The ǁoƌd ƌefeƌs to the practice of intentionally setting aside quality time to have a viii

mental fellowship with the LORD. Mental communion with the LORD is one of the fundamental pillars of genuine Christian life. This is because what goes on in our minds subsequently informs our actions. When our mind does not regularly have fellowship with the LORD, it becomes easy to displease the Lord through our conduct.

As already highlighted, meditation is a deliberate decision. It is more than mere reading or studying the Scriptures. It involves letting the Word of God inform our conduct and allowing it to be the final say in all the affairs of our lives. We live in a society with diverse worldviews. There are so many voices that compete for authority in our day-to-day experiences. This is where reflecting upon God's Word becomes very necessary for a Christian. The text from Joshua that we have quoted above outlines the benefit of meditation. The practice of meditation makes us prosperous aŶd suĐĐessful. At fiƌst glaŶĐe, the phƌase ͚good suĐĐess͛ ;Josh 1:8) appears redundant. It is easy to assume that every success is naturally good. However, we live in a highly complex world where success, viewed from the perspective of the LORD, can include some negative notions.

Meditation is a conduit that leads to the discovery of the will of God. Nothing is sweet and more satisfying on this earth than knowing and doing the will of the LORD. People have chased riches for years but later only to discover they were mistaken. Satisfaction is never found in riches. Jesus in Luke 12:15 rightly saLJs, ͚Take heed aŶd ďeǁaƌe of ĐoǀetousŶess, foƌ oŶe͛s life does Ŷot ĐoŶsist iŶ the aďuŶdaŶĐe of the thiŶgs he possesses.͛ The problem with riches is that they are insatiable. No one on this earth hardly ever accepts to have acquired enough riches. There is always a quest for some more. However, genuine satisfaction Đoŵes fƌoŵ disĐoǀeƌiŶg the ǁill of God aŶd lettiŶg oŶe͛s life ďe oriented towards the same. This will of God is found nowhere but in His revealed Word, the Bible.

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