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Ministers’
Conference
Address
by Premier of KwaZulu Natal LPHM
Mtshali MPP KwaSizabantu
Mission
06
March 2001 My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a privilege to share
with you in this conference. I have chosen to address you on the following topic: “Dedicating
our lives to the service of God”. In this day and age what are those things which matter in our lives? Is our relationship with God right? I’ll attempt to address these questions. I am concerned about our scheme of values. I am worried about the state of worldliness. I am concerned about moral decay that has taken root in families and in parental relations with their children. The attainment of democracy with its culture of rights has been accompanied by a state of confusion and distortion of the value system. The breakdown of families is a matter of serious concern. The prevalence of promiscuous behaviour is one of the contributory factors to family instability. The patterns of behaviour have, in most instances, fallen below acceptable norms and standards. Society tends to adopt a withdrawal stance. Very few people distinguish between right and wrong. It is this escape from reality and fear and intimidation to pronounce on unacceptable behaviour that reflects on the wrong relationship with God. As long as God is excluded from our lives, anarchy and corruption sets in. Let
me reflect on the topic of my address: “Dedicating
our lives to the service of God”. The
Son of God is our role model. He served the Almighty God in humility and obedience
(Philippians 2:7-9). Jesus Christ chose the life of a servant in order to redeem us from
the lost course and secure the salvation of our souls. Christ took flesh and was born of
humble parentage in a stable in Bethlehem. There was no room in the inn. He had the right
relationship with God the Father throughout His life on earth. His humility and obedience
earned him the seat of glory and honour on the right hand of God the Father. In
Paul’s letter to the Philippians chapter 2: 1-5 our path of service to God is clearly
mapped out for us to follow. Christ is the foundation and cornerstone of our lives. We
cannot serve God faithfully unless we accept that He is the Alpha and the Omega. We must
make room in our lives to enable Him to guide, direct and rule our lives. Thus we have no
choice but to maintain the right relationship with God. Paul emphasizes the tenets of
kindness and compassion in our charge of service to God. Dedication
to the service of God demands of us love for our neighbours and selflessness. Faithful
service demands of us pursuit of a good life and dedication to noble objectives which will
survive and flourish after death. We
are engendered to shun short-lived gains which distract our attention from the noble
mission of service to God. Let us be at peace with our fellow men. Let us be a caring
society. Let us look for the lost sheep as does the good shepherd, and bring them back
into the fold. In
Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians chapter 5 v17-19 we are inspired in our
mission of service to God. We are assured of fellowship and salvation if we dedicate our
lives to Christ. We become new creatures in Christ when we give Him room to shape and
direct our lives. It is this golden tread which should run through our lives that God is
King. He gave us His only begotten Son for the salvation of our souls. 2
Corinthians chapter 6: v20-21 “We
plead on Christ’s behalf; let God change you from enemies into His friends. Christ
was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with
Him we might share the righteousness of God”. No
one can devote his life to the service of God until one has decided to obey God’s
commands in their totality. And it is impossible to obey them without God’s help. The
10 commandments of Exodus 20 are good enough on the physical side, but they leave much to
be desired on the spiritual side. Let
us take the Lord’s laws from the sermon on the mount Matthew chapter 5. They are so
many that one can actually produce a book on them. May I say that to keep them is always
accompanied with blessedness on the part of the good citizen of the Kingdom of God. Failure
to keep them results in guilt and fear of God – the Adam way in the Garden of Eden
– meaning that the relationship between God and man is not right. It can only become
right when man obeys God’s laws, and to such a man God gives blessings and the man
enjoys serving God as a good and loyal citizen of the Kingdom of God here on earth and
ever after in heaven. Similarly
the law of love (John 14) wants the greatest in the Kingdom to be the servant of all.
Hence the Prime Minister is the servant of the community. We acknowledge that it is not
easy to be the first servant. It enslaves. In
conclusion in any service of God, there is self-emptying, humility and obedience even if
it means one has to lose one’s life. Only then is one able to serve God
whole-heartedly. Only then is God ready to fill one with the Holy Spirit to enable man to
serve God with all his heart, might and mind. So
we are called to come to God, leaving nothing of ourselves behind, and accept the
foundation of the gospel, Jesus Christ Himself, and follow Him all the way as He empties
Himself of His divinity, as He takes the human form, and as a humble man obeys unto death,
even death upon a Cross. |
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Last edited on: Sunday October 28, 2001 E-mail us at: mail@ksb.org.za Return to KSB Home page |
