OUR DAILY BREAD by Lesley Lerasa

  We live in a world filled with diverse cultures and traditions, each one unique and special in its own way. We see these differences in the music that moves us, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the languages we speak, and the rituals that shape our lives. On Heritage Day, people come together to celebrate their heritage, honoring the customs and traditions that make them who they are . Growing up in Khayakhulu village, nestled in the heart of North West Province, South Africa, with the AmaHlubi tribe, I've seen firsthand the beauty of cultural heritage. Our village has a rich history, dating back to 1924 when 19 families from Eastern Cape settled on Rhenosterboom farm, later renamed Khayakhulu. We celebrate our arrival and heritage with the vibrant Isikhumbuzo saMahlubi festival, a time of music, dance, and feasting. As followers of Christ, we're called to something greater – to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus, and to serve like Jesus. We should speak words that upli...

  There is one sun and one moon in this world we're living in, but we got seven continents and one hundred and ninety-five countries. All with different timezones, I usually have online bible studies with the brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. The first thing that comes into mind is to want to know what time it is on their side, in order to keep track of their schedules and also knowing the seasons. You might wanna know where I'm going with this, well, it's all about our lives as Christians. We are many and for different purposes, yet there's only one Holy Spirit and one God. As I continue my journey with God, fellowshipping around the country and being in touch with brethren around the world, God made me realize a lot that is taking place among Christians that causes divisions. We've got the group that calls others religious and some call others lukewarm, and all this because of our appearances.  But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, ever...

  Growing up before I was involved in drugs, I recall when we were told that "Those who don't listen to their parents end up on the streets." and "Focus on your studies and you'll never end up on the streets." Sounds like a good idea or something encouraging to tell someone? It happened when I was on the streets smoking and being involved in bad habits with some individuals. So usually there are times where we share our stories and experiences, some they ended up on the streets because they had abusive parents, some had depression and had no support from their parents, some had studied to the point of reaching their masters but because of the high percentage of unemployment that keeps on raising when the graduates keep graduating. ‬‬ I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.(‭‭Ecc...

  Growing up when I'll be telling some individuals that I'm a Xhosa, they'll not believe me and some ended up saying that "I don't look like Xhosa people." and some would say "You don't sound like Xhosa speaking person." It felt otherwise for me because I definitely knew my home language, but I did have a moment with myself and actually, I realized that I'll hardly speak my home language and even at school was never added in my subjects, well some never knew my second name, but only knew my first name. And even now, you'll hardly hear me speaking IsiXhosa, unless you're approaching me speaking Xhosa. "Therefore do not be ignorant of the things that matter, but rather be zealous for the good deeds that make a difference." - 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (NASB) We feel otherwise when people are saying things about us that we reflect or present in public. I'm talking about how we dress, the way we talk, what we do and where we are g...

 I still recall my school days, where we were handling seven subjects in that grade. It was striking to notice how some students excelled in all subjects, while others mastered four or just one. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that even those who excelled in all seven didn't do so equally. Unfortunately, this led to pride and comparisons, causing jealousy and hatred among us, ultimately resulting in divisions within our single grade. As Christians, we're called to be the body of Christ, representing unity in the Kingdom . Yet, we often find ourselves struggling with various issues – lust, adultery, homosexuality, and more. We might be tempted to distance ourselves from fellow believers who struggle with certain sins, but that's not what the Lord expects of us. Instead, we're called to...  "carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ" Galatians 6:2. ‭‭1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV‬‬ Now you are the body of C...

I still remember earlier last year, it was when I started to show interest in holding Bible studies, but I was not baptized yet. It was myself and the gang; we decided to go buy takeaways for dinner around the township, where we went to buy food; next to it, there was a pub. The gang decided that we must get a few drinks after the dinner meal since we were experiencing load shedding at that moment. There was this inner voice suggesting that I shouldn't go to the pub, but I decided to disobey it and followed the gang. We bought drinks and settled; while we were still enjoying ourselves, it happened that I was only left with one of the guys, and he had a disability; he was unable to speak, he was mute. While I was with him, he took out a cigarette since he was a smoker and started smoking. Two random boys came towards us and asked to smoke with him, and he was willing to share it with them until they refused to return his cigarette and started saying, "What are you going to do t...