Jeremiah 29: 11 God through the prophet Jeremiah reminds Israel of His thoughts towards them. After spending some 70 years in Babylonian captivity, God reminds His people of His intention to bring them back to their own land. This generation of Israelites was about to step into the unknown. Imagine the feelings of apprehension threatening to overpower them going back to the land of their fore-parents with nothing but the stories handed down to them.

We live in unusual times, and all around us, people are making strides. It is easy to get lost in the minefield of achievements that make human beings feel worthy. Most people have someone they admire and look up to, and that is acceptable.

There is an uncomfortable contradiction that exists in the world that leaves a chill in the bones. It is strange, but in the same space, we can see much beauty and ugliness at the same time. We see the affluent and dirt poor living within yards of each other separated most times by a mere walkway.

Christianity is a practical religion. The sad truth is that many Christians are not practising what they preach. We are settling for a watered-down type of Christianity that appeals to our emotions rather than fulfilling the Mission of Jesus Christ. James outlines what it means to practice pure and defiled religion (James 1: 27).

A box of crayons does not come with only one colour. They are all different, which means that each has to stand out and fulfil its particular purpose. Each colour has to stay in its lane and not get carried away by what the others are doing.

“I forgot to live”, these were some of the final words of someone I knew for many years. On paper and according to society’s standards he would appear to possess everything. He had a string of letters behind his name, travelled extensively; a mover and shaker in coveted social circles; held key positions on the boards of several prominent companies and doing well for himself financially.

The measure for success is not found in the type of job, career or vocation a person chooses to engage in, but in how well they perform what they are called to do with passion. How success is measured will look different for everybody because being successful has much to do with the things that are considered important to each individual.

Amid this COVID19 pandemic, a remarkable thing has happened. The reset button of the world was pressed, and the hand of God is revealed. There are lessons to be learned from this crisis and how we emerge from it is dependent on our actions going forward.

Social media, be it Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, Pinterest, Snapchat or whatever the newest craze is on the block can be a useful tool in getting your presence felt in this technologically driven world. But as much as social media can be a helpful tool, it can also be a dreadful master.

There will come a time when you come to a crossroad and have to decide which direction you want to go. You can turn left, right, and go forward or backwards but whatever you do it’s all in your hands. Life is about choices and you have to live with them so it is important to make the right one.

One of the most heart-rending things to have to deal with are people who persistently try to kill the dreams of others. It can literally suck the life out of you! Dream crushers come in all forms. Sometimes they are the people closest to us like family and friends; at other times they the people we choose to associate with.

The mind is a powerful tool. What we spend time thinking about can either propel us to success or make us cower in fear. We find ourselves attending the occasional pity party because we are convinced we are not as talented or successful as the people around us

One of the things about abundant living is the ability to form and sustain healthy relationships. People who are able to maintain good friendships and spend time in fellowship seem to do better at handling difficulties.

This could be the motto of many people, we are always on the move, doing something or going someplace. The funny thing about having a million things to do is that if we are not careful, we get very little done or nothing at all. Some of us fool ourselves into thinking that if we have a million things to do, it makes us appear more valuable.

Sometimes we become so concerned about what other people are doing that we lose sight of the fact that we are on the same journey. We waste valuable time believing the seeds that are in other people’s storehouses are worth more than our own.

As human beings, we tend to want to hold on to things even if they are not good for us. One of the deterrents to living an abundant life is investing in unhealthy relationships. Relationships are a part of the human experience we all need them to survive, but the toxic ones we can do without. We should never become so dependent on another person that we allow them to dictate the terms of our happiness.

Fear is a curse it makes the people do strange things. If you want to live a life without purpose, a sure way to do so is to live in fear. Fear is a consistent voice in your head convincing you of all the things that will go wrong when you decide to reach for something greater than yourself.