Nairobi Laestadian Lutheran Peace Centre

05/06/2026

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions (Psalm 51:1)

Psalm 26 is very different to the Psalm quoted above. It is a Psalm of David’s youth, written before he understood the depths of his weakness, and the evil of which his heart was capable.

David claims in Psalm 26 to have led a blameless life, to have never faltered, and to have never even have sat down with evil-doers. He claims that his hands are innocent – all unlike the wicked, who are scheming and bloodthirsty. David asks God to save him because of his personal blamelessness. David is so confident in his superior moral position in relation to sinners, that he asks God to try his heart.

God did try David’s heart. And David was found wanting. David was horrified to discover later in life that he was fully capable of adultery and the vilest murder – in short, that he himself – to borrow the apostle’s term – was the “Chief of Sinners.” This is when he penned a very different Psalm.

We must learn, like David, to pray the prayer that the older and wiser David later prayed in Psalm 51. How different is this plea! Like David, we should plead with God for mercy, based on our blameless life, but according to God’s unfailing love and compassion. This is the only basis of salvation and acceptance with God.

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

2 Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

If we want to know how to act; if we want to grow in our knowledge of God and of Jesus; if we want to be ready to live our faith, we need to read the Bible. Some of us have been fortunate to know the Bible from your youth. Others have come to know God later in life, and have turned to Scripture to get to know him better. In the Bible we learn who God is. We come to know his goodness, his love for us, his faithfulness to his people and his promises. We learn how to God wants us to live by being faithful to the commandments. We realize that he is faithful even when we are not. God has promised us a Savior to make up for the sin of Adam and Eve and by extension, our sins. We come to know Jesus as our Savior who came so that we would understand how we are supposed to live and gave us a new commandment which sums up all the commandments, to love one another as he has loved us. It is this law which lets us know how well we are doing in following him. The more Scripture we read, the better we know the Father and the Son, and through Jesus and his command to go forth, make disciples and baptize, we know the power of the Holy Spirit. It is common practice to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read Scripture so that we can better understand what God is trying to tell us. After all, the Bible is the living Word of God, meant to be read throughout time and in each generation. We learn something new each time we open it.>>>>>>>>>>>>

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

Mark 12:32-34 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

The scribes and Pharisees were always testing Jesus. This time, in order to trap him, the scribe asked which was the greatest commandment? At that time, there were hundreds of commands that the Pharisees imposed on the Jews. Jesus did not fall into the trap, but quoted the two great commandments. Unlike the story in Luke's Gospel, the scribe does not try to justify his question. The scribe's answer in Mark's Gospel differs from the answer in Matthew and Luke by saying that keeping these two commandments is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices one might offer to please God. No matter what we "give up" or do as penance for sins, or to earn favor with God, if we are not putting God first and loving our neighbor, then we are failing. We can't earn God's favor and we can't earn heaven. Jesus is our Savior, we can't save ourselves. Salvation is a pure gift from God. In the letter of James, we read that faith and good works go together. Because we believe in Jesus and want to spend eternity with him, we choose to follow him and live a life based on loving others. This love of neighbor then encourages us to do good works as God wants us to do.

03/06/2026

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5"

Bearing fruit is the natural character of every plant because that is how God made them. In like manner, God wants the bearing of fruit to be natural to His children. However, there is a condition for bearing fruit in the Kingdom of God. The condition is to remain in Christ Jesus. When a born again Christian remains in Christ Jesus, he or she bears fruit, and then they are promoted to bear much fruit. What does remaining or abiding in Christ mean? Christianity is a lifelong journey, and once you become born again, you are not expected to backslide or be converted to another faith. Love the Word of God, and meditate on it day and night. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit and Christians, and contribute your quota in promoting the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The souls you win, your acts of righteousness, and the exhibition of your good virtues are all signs of bearing fruit in Christ Jesus. May the favor and blessings of God rest on you so that you can continually abide in and bear much fruit for Jesus Christ and be blessed always.

02/06/2026

Let the one who boasts, boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight (Jeremiah 9:24).

In the ancient book of Job we have the invitation “acquaint now yourself with him and be at peace” (Job 22:21). Centuries later, Jesus of Nazareth echoed these words when he said, “Come … learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29). In terms of our spiritual nature and potential, it is the knowledge of Godthat we chiefly need.

If that be so, we might anticipate that the Devil would do all he could to give us a false picture of God. How well he has succeeded! Think of your early childhood pictures of God and analyse your present ones. Poor God often comes out looking like a policeman in a white shirt, with his brow furrowed and his finger raised in warning.

Such immature and inaccurate pictures, of course, conflict strangely with biblical passages such as: Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him (Psalm 103:13).

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66:13). The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth… forgiving iniquity (Exodus 34:6,7).

Should we not strive to have a more accurate, biblical picture of our Maker, Redeemer, and Judge?

01/06/2026

2 Peter 3:13-14 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Have you ever tried to imagine the new heavens and new earth? I know that I have. I see myself surrounded by all my friends and relatives including the ones who died when I was a small child or before I was born, listening to their stories and sharing mine. I picture a peaceful atmosphere full of the smell of flowers and the glow of the sun, and all around me the feeling of being loved. Of course, there's a catch in this passage – being found without defect and blameless in the sight of God. None of us is without defect or blameless under our own power. Therefore, we need God's help to achieve this, and even with God's help, we have a lot of work to do! Peter believed, as did all the early Christians, that Jesus would be coming back soon. They would have been surprised to know that two thousand years later, we would still be waiting. But the challenge is still the same. We need to do our best to live our lives following the way that Jesus showed us just as they did. I once heard someone say that it is easier to die once for Christ than to live each day for Christ. The first is a decision made once; the second is the decision to live for Christ every day. Every day we need to make choices to love, to forgive, to be truthful, and to be faithful, in our dealings with ourselves and with all those we meet. The older I get, the closer to that "new heavens and new earth" I get. Although my children might like me to live forever, I know that that is unrealistic! Because of my faith in the promise of Jesus, death holds no fear. May you be able to say the same.

01/06/2026

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We know that God saved us from the power of darkness through his son's death and resurrection. We have been delivered from Satan's clutches. But, we have not simply been delivered, we have been invited into his son's kingdom. We have been invited in to a place we do not deserve. It's like offering a beggar from the street a seat at the head of the table. We not only are free from sin on earth, we get to celebrate alongside our King in Heaven for eternity.

01/06/2026

"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. John 13:15"

Following a good example will undoubtedly make you a living example as well. There are lots of people who have role models they look up to and aspire to be like, but not every role model has the right moral standing. Because of this, it is vital to choose a role model that can lead you to know the true essence of life in order to fulfill God's purpose. The best role model is Jesus Christ of Nazareth; He is our living example. He is always the first to do what is right and lead His disciples to do likewise. Dear beloved, it is not wrong to have a human being that you look up to and share your strength, weaknesses, and aspirations with, but it is always best to compare the lifestyle of this person with that of Jesus Christ so that you are not misled. Let your focus be on the Lord Jesus, and know Him intimately through His Word. Imitate Him and you will be a good and living example for the world, just as Jesus is (Hebrews 12:2).