The ManicaPost
Matters of Faith Morris Mtisi
Dear Gentlemen on mission
Thank you for inviting me to not only to be one of you but to be your guest speaker. People do not invite you to speak if they know you have nothing to say to them. . .especially if you do not belong to their church.
Come to think of it! We speak one Jesus and one God. Have you ever wondered why we belong to different churches and speak different about the same God and same Jesus?
When you invited me to speak on the theme NO MAN IS AN ISLAND . . . a line from one of John Donne’s poems, God gave me exactly what to say.
First I was fascinated by the age disparities amongst the men . . . the pastor present said he was only 38 and Baba Mukaronda and two others around their 80’s.
The village councillor was present . . . the sabhuku too.
Then two war veterans and the rest the ever bubbling team of St Faith’s teachers. What do you say to a group like this and not risk being misunderstood?
I had to have an answer as soon as I arrived. God what do you want me to say to all these different men, young and old?
God spoke to me in His special way: “Tell them I am the master planner of life and always as I have done since I created the world and the universe, have always strategically placed my people each in the right place at the right time. Remember when the little boy Moses was hidden amongst the reeds in a river away from the wrath of the marauding Pharaoh.
“At the right time I placed Miriam’s maid to pick him up and safe guard him. Remember when it was time to bury Jesus when everybody had run for dear life including Jesus’ disciples, there was Joseph of Aremathea, friend to Pilate who asked for his body to be buried before Sabbath and buried according to Jewish rites.
“He was there all along strategically placed to do what he had to do when the time came.
“And so did Nicodemus … filthy rich business mogul ready at the right time to bear the high costs of a tomb in Jerusalem in which to decently bury my son. Whenever there was a crisis, there was always someone on the spot to provide the correct answer.”
It was my pleasure to open up this avenue of thinking and understanding that God is the pioneer of strategic planning . . . not company directors or CEOs. Strategic planning is God’s plan and He was the first to implement it as given by the few above examples.
There are many more in the Bible. If there was no one in the right place at the right time to pick up little Moses in a basket on a river, the story of Moses would be something else today.
If there was no one very close and friendly enough to Pilate, Jesus would have been eaten on the cross by the vultures of the air. Even the mother and two others who ran to his grave in the morning . . . that was all they could do.
There was need for someone close and friendly to persuade Pilate to authorise the decent burial of Jesus. Then there was money needed to buy a burial place. All the disciples had no money . . . but Nicodemus did. He bought the costly embalming oil to protect and ‘freshen’ Jesus’ body before burial.
How easy it was for me to clearly show the Anglican men’s assembly how in every work place and situation God has already strategically planted each one of us to do
His work and fulfil a Heavenly purpose at the right time … in the army, the police force, in government, in the hospitals, in the schools, in the Media houses everywhere … including taxi, bus and kombi drivers … everyone is strategically placed not to do what they must do at the workplace, but for Jesus.
I particularly frightened myself when I asked, “Mr Mukoyi, do you think God gave you this piece of land and homestead to supply eggs and cabbage to the people around … only? Is that all He made you for?” And then to the teachers: “Do you think God gave you these jobs to create As and Bs for learners and nothing more?”
As I spoke to you I knew God has done anything and everything He has for us for Himself above all else that our jobs might give us. Life is about doing what God wants us to do for His people; for us too of course because we must earn a livelihood, but we must never forget God’s plan needs to be done within our routine jobs and occupations.
Think of all the money you have in your bank account . . . some cannot even remember how much it is. Why did He give you all that money when those around you have none. . . because you are very special? Is it about hard work? Are you the only hard worker? All that intelligence in your head . . . that wisdom and thoughtfulness! What is it doing for Jesus? As you drive that truck . . . that kombi . . . that bus . . . that school truck . . . is that all God created you to do? What are you doing for Him who gave you that job?
My last example was most frightening. It was pointing and speaking to myself. “Think of the power God gave a journalist! Whatever word or statement he or she writes; it goes viral worldwide instantly. That is power. That is how powerful a journalist is. He or she writes a line and the whole world reads it instantly. Is that why God gave you that job . . . so powerful?
“Just to tell people what is happening in this or that place? Just to report what other people say and do?
Yes, fine, that is the job . . . but what have you written or said about He who gave you that job? If you can reach the whole world in one minute through radio or newspaper, why do you not use that power and privilege to reach the world with His word?
“At least once in a while! Are you not part of God’s grand plan or strategic planning? You do not have to belong to a church to be part of His plan.
“He used anybody big and small, poor and rich, man or woman, educated or not, old or young because He knew NO MAN WOULD BE AN ISLAND. He knew poor people would be everywhere.
That is why he gave money to those around them . . . so they could reach out to them in help. He knew and understood the purpose He placed each one where he or she is, namely His purpose or His people’s needs; but certainly not our selfish dreams and narrowness of being. God had a grand plan in His scheme of life . . . not the petty little things we are often proud of achieving for ourselves and our friends, loved ones and families.”
This was the message I brought to you Anglican men of God. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to you.
And what an honourable pleasure and privilege! May He who allowed me to speak to you be forever blessed and worshipped! I will always ask God to give me more wisdom from His word to speak to you about, so that together, young and old, in all our diversities and differences, will learn from. Indeed NO MAN IS AN ISLAND for around him is always someone strategically placed there by God, to help in whatever way, at the right place and time.
