Sojourner Joshua

My heart and flesh may fail, but the Lord is the strength of my being 🙏

[Sojourner Joshua @JoshOmodo]

Psalms 121:1-3
[1]I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
[2]My help comes from the lord,
    who made heaven and earth!
[3]He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.

[Tony Reinke @TonyReinke]

In Justin Taylor’s CT feature in January he wrote: “At the age of 80, Piper works full-time from his home office, answering questions about the Bible and the Christian life through the Ask Pastor John podcast (400 million episode plays over the past 13 years) and through his verse-by-verse video series, Look at the Book (over 1,300 videos so far), with a life goal of working through all the Pauline letters.” Life goal accomplished! Pastor John wrapped up all 13 of Paul’s epistles THIS MORNING by wrapping up Romans. The Romans stats alone: 102 weeks, 403 videos. All to cap what he predicted to be a 10-year project wrapped up in 7. A celebration of God’s sustaining grace in years of slow, steady, verse-by-verse labor in the Bible. And a beautiful testament to big goals.

[Michael Foster @thisisfoster]

Young men,

Whenever you meet an old fool, remember that he was once a young fool. And whenever you meet a wise old man, you are meeting someone who confronted his foolishness years, perhaps decades, before.

So look into the mirror of Scripture. See where you are foolish and confront it today. The years pass more easily than you think. If you will not deal with your folly now, time will only harden it. But if you face it honestly and repent of it, the years can turn a foolish young man into a wise old one.

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“Man must overcome sin by spiritual means only.

“Put up the sword, Peter! Jesus does not want its keen edge. Keep your swords in your sheaths, ye seraphim! Jesus does not want even your blades of celestial temper.

“His weakness has done more than human or angelic strength. His suffering and death have done the deed which all the hierarchy of angels could never have accomplished.”

— Charles Spurgeon

[Tod Ashby @TodAshby]

Stephen Charnock absolutely destroyed the modern “God looked through time to see who would choose Him” theory centuries ago.

“If God’s knowledge of the creatures depended upon the creatures, he would derive an excellency from them… he would not be sufficient of himself but be under an indigence…”

In other words, If God “learns” future choices by observing autonomous creatures, then creatures become contributors to the divine intellect.

The creature informs the Creator. The finite supplies the infinite.

That is not the God of Scripture.

“Known unto God are all his works from eternity.” (Acts 15:18)

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“It is the proper order in believing, first to accept the person of the Lord Jesus:

“Heaven is no doubt very desirable, but Christ is more: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee?’ Psal. 73:25.”

— John Flavel

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

John Owen, on the difference between the “obedience” of slaves and the obedience of sons:

“Now, this liberty of our Father’s family, which we have as sons and children, being adopted by Christ through the Spirit, is a spiritual largeness of heart, whereby the children of God do freely, willingly, genuinely, without fear, terror, bondage, and constraint, go forth unto all holy obedience in Christ. [...]

“There are Gibeonites, outwardly attending the family of God, that do the service of his house as the drudgery of their lives. The principle they yield obedience upon is a spirit of bondage unto fear, Rom 8:15; the rule they do it by is the law in its dread and rigor, exacting it of them to the utmost...; and the end they do it for is to fly from the wrath to come, to pacify conscience, and seek righteousness as it were by the works of the law. Thus servilely, painfully, fruitlessly, they seek to serve their own conviction all their days. [...]

“The liberty of sons is in the inward spiritual freedom of their hearts, naturally and kindly going out in all the ways of and worship of God. When they find themselves straitened and shut up in them, they wrestle with God for enlargement, and are never contented with the doing of a duty unless it be done as in Christ, with free, genuine, and enlarged hearts. [...]

“Love is the bottom of all their duties; hence our Savior resolves all obedience into the love of God and our neighbor; and Paul, upon the same ground, tells us, ‘that love is the fulfilling of the law,’ Rom 13:10. Where love is in any duty, [that duty] is complete in Christ. [...]

“This gives the saints delight, that the commandments of Christ are not grievous to them. Jacob’s hard service was not grievous to him, because of his love to Rachel. No duty of a saint is grievous to him, because of his love to Christ. They do from hence all things with delight and complacency.”

— John Owen, Communion with the Triune God (2:213-14)

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“Love is the grand secret of true obedience to God.

“When we feel towards Him as children feel towards a dear father, we shall delight to do His will. We shall not find His commandments grievous, and work for Him like slaves under fear of the lash. We shall take pleasure in trying to keep His laws, and mourn when we transgress them.

“None work so well as those who work out of love. The fear of punishment, or the desire of reward, are principles of far less power.

“They do the will of God best, who do it from the heart.”

— J. C. Ryle

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“Wherefore, there are two things hard and difficult in this case:—

“1. To convince those in whom sin evidently has the dominion that such indeed is their state and condition.

“They will with their utmost endeavour keep off the conviction hereof. Some justify themselves, some excuse themselves, and some will make no inquiry into this matter.

“It is a rare thing, especially of late, to have any brought under this conviction by the preaching of the word, though it be the case of multitudes that attend unto it.

“2. To satisfy some that sin has not the dominion over them, notwithstanding its restless acting itself in them and warring against their souls;

“yet unless this can be done, it is impossible they should enjoy solid peace and comfort in this life.

“And the concernment of the best of believers, while they are in this world, does lie herein; for as they grow in light, spirituality, experience, freedom of mind and humility, the more they love to know of the deceit, activity, and power of the remainders of sin.

“And although it works not at all, at least not sensibly, in them, towards those sins wherein it reigns and rages in others,

“yet they are able to discern its more subtile, inward, and spiritual actings in the mind and heart, to the weakening of grace, the obstructing of its effectual operations in holy duties, with many indispositions unto stability in the life of God; which fills them with trouble.”

— John Owen

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

Sinclair Ferguson’s paraphrase:

“There are actually only two pastoral problems you will ever encounter.

“The first is this: persuading those who are under the dominion of sin that they are under the dominion of sin. That’s the task of evangelism.

“And [second], persuading those who are no longer under the dominion of sin that they are no longer under the dominion of sin because they are Christ’s.”

— Sinclair Ferguson

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

A paraphrase of John 3:16, from John Owen:

“‘God,’ — the Father,

‘so loved,’ — had such a peculiar, transcendent love, being an unchangeable purpose and act of his will concerning their salvation, towards

‘the world,’ — miserable, sinful, lost men of all sorts, not only Jews but Gentiles also, which he peculiarly loved,

‘that,’ — intending their salvation, as in the last words, for the praise of his glorious grace,

‘he gave,’ — he prepared a way to prevent their everlasting destruction, by appointing and sending

‘his only-begotten Son’ — to be an all-sufficient Saviour to all that look up unto him,

‘that whosoever believeth in him,’ — all believers whatsoever, and only they,

‘should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ — and so effectually be brought to the obtaining of those glorious things through him which the Lord in his free love had designed for them.”

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“O let not these eyes be now defiled with sin, by which you shall see God!

“[Let not those] ears be inlets to vanity, which shall hear the Allelujahs of the blessed!

“God hath designed honor for your bodies. O, make them not either the instruments or objects of sin!”

— John Flavel

[Berith Press @BerithPress]

John Knox was a brave and fiery warrior for Christ who brought Reformation to Scotland.

On the last night of his life, he was attacked especially fiercely by Satan.

That night, he was constantly groaning and sighing.

He explained why:

"To this point in my fragile life, I have endured many conflicts and many of Satan’s attacks.

But now that roaring lion has assailed me very boldly and poured out all his strength at once to swallow and ruin me.

He used to set my sins right in front of my eyes often, often harassed me to the point of despair, often sought to catch me in the world’s deceitful snares.

But because he has been shattered by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, he could do nothing.

Yet now he attacks me by another route. That cunning serpent is bent on convincing me that I have merited heaven itself and blessed immortality because I have faithfully discharged my ambassadorship in ministry.

But blessed be our God, who reminded me of those scriptural passages for me to throttle Satan and extinguish this flaming dart.

Among such passages was this one: “What do you have that you have not received?” [1 Cor. 4:7]. And, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” And, “Not I, but the grace of God in me” [1 Cor. 15.10]. And so Satan left me, thoroughly beaten. I thank God, therefore, through Jesus Christ, who wanted me to gain the victory."

(excerpt from John Arrowsmith's Plans for the Holy War, RHB, tr. David Noe)

[Nick Twinamatsiko @NickTTaria]

When you get some free time, go back to your secondary school subjects and pick them up from where you left them. You will find that they are actually much more interesting than they seemed back then.

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“Since the Lord Jesus as my Surety has removed all my sin by His death, and as evidence of this has arisen from the dead,

“should I then yet live in sin?

“Should not I then arise with Him from the death of sin and live with Him in all holiness?”

— Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 1:634

[Mike Riccardi @MikeRiccardi_]

“Others, as they have earth in their ears, so they have a stone in their hearts. ‘They make their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law’ (Zech. 7:12).

“The ministers of Christ therefore must be frequently brandishing the sword of the Spirit and striking at men’s sins, that, if possible, they may at last pierce the heart of stone.

“When the earth is scorched with the sun, it is so hard and crusted together, that a shower of rain will not soften it. There must be shower after shower before it will be either moist or fertile. Such an hardened piece is the heart of man naturally.

“It is so stiffened with the scorchings of lust, that there must be precept upon precept (Isa. 28:10). Our doctrine must ‘distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass’ (Deut. 32:2).”

— Thomas Watson

[John Piper @JohnPiper]

“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20–21

Lord, make our confidence in your promises strong, so that you are shown to be gloriously trustworthy.

[The Touchline | 𝐓 @TouchlineX]

🚨🗣️ 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Ruud Gullit is RIPPING into the current game of football!

"I have decided to STOP watching football. I don't enjoy our sport anymore. I watched Arsenal vs Chelsea, what an absolute GARBAGE match of football!"

"I see players trying to create corner kicks, trying to create throw-ins, I see ball boys ready to give towels to the players. Football has become absolutely HORRIBLE. I hope that this is not the path we are heading at."

"I am waiting for players who will take on defenders again, someone like Lamine Yamal. I am missing the joy! I just don't enjoy football anymore."

"Everyone is executing tasks on the pitch. Where are the players dribbling? Where are the players with b*lls? WHY IS EVERYONE PASSING?! PASSING! PASSING! PASSING!"

[Byamukama @Nkajunwa]

Eh. God never called anyone who wasn't rich? The boldness to teach such falsehood is striking.

Joseph was not rich when God called him. David was a shepherd boy when God called him. Solomon was determined to be king by God when he was a boy (2 Samuel 7). There's no mention of Elijah's riches in Scripture. The man had to be fed by Ravens, housed by a widow, and even ate the widow's last meal to escape hunger (2 Kings 17:8-16).

The boldness to teach falsehood on the pulpit, and the amazement of the audience as if he taught something profound, says a lot.

May the Lord open our eyes to the truth of the gospel!

[Adam Nuwamanya🇺🇬 @AdamNuwamanya]

ROAD CARNAGE: Illiteracy-Bred Indiscipline Is the Lead Fuel for Uganda’s Endless Accidents
The death of my friend and former colleague, @kitonejulius , a journalist with Nextmedia , has robbed me of sleep since I watched that disturbing image of his head through that bundled Toyota Hiace. He's to be laid to rest today in Ntantamuki, Rakai District.
His passing reopens wounds I have tried to heal since May 3, 2023 — the day I, too, survived a fatal accident where the two women I was seated amidst died on spot but I survived by the grace of God, on the same highway while still working in the same newsroom.

What makes this loss even more haunting is that I spoke to Kitone on Thursday night. I had called him to cover our weekly Hybrid Press and Public Engagement at ULS House. He told me he would be traveling to Western Uganda on Friday — a journey that turned out to be his last.

“Counsel,” he used to joke, because I largely covered court. We called him “Ambassador” after his trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, to report on climate issues. “I will not be your saviour this time. Simply call Senga (Ms. Prossy Kisitu, one of the senior news producers at nbs and who sometimes deploys journalists). I’m sure she will get you someone.” he advised.

Today, those words echo painfully.

As someone who frequently travels that same road to Bushenyi — my home — I cannot help but feel goosebumps. My elderly mother counts the days between my visits, sometimes joking that Kampala has swallowed me. Each journey now feels like a gamble with fate.

But grief aside, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: road carnage in Uganda is largely driven by indiscipline rooted in poor training and illiteracy.

Let me speak plainly to drivers who boast about their skills yet insult others for “delaying” them on the road. Which accredited driving school did you attend? How did you obtain your driving permit? Do you fully understand road signage, highway code communication, and the responsibilities that come with being behind the steering wheel? Do you know when to and when not to overtake or you think overtaking is when the one you are following reduces speed for you?

In Uganda today, many people “learn” to drive on football pitches or in open compounds. Within days, they graduate to highways — confident not because they are skilled, but because the vehicle is automatic and “easy to handle.” Shortly thereafter, a bribe of less than Shs 500,000 allegedly finds its way to an Inspector of Vehicles, and a driving licence is issued.

I wish people confessed how they got that driving licence!

The result? Drivers who lack foundational training operate with ego, impatience, and reckless bravado. They reject correction because they must “prove a point that they are seniors.” Criticism to them is often met with arrogance: “Gwe eyanjigiriza okuvuga?” (Are you the one that taught me how to drive?)

This culture is killing us.

I call upon the @MoWT_Uganda to conduct comprehensive audits in taxi and bus parks across the country. Let every driver present certified documentation from a recognized driving school. Let competency be tested afresh if necessary. Sample out two or three waragi-drinking drivers and ask them a question; "At what point can you overtake?" You will be shocked.

The resistance to speed cameras by a large section of drivers is itself vindicates not only ignorance but sheer myopia. Speed monitoring is not persecution; it is protection — for drivers and passengers alike. Rejecting enforcement measures only exposes the depth of the problem.

How often do taxi and bus associations conduct mandatory refresher trainings? How frequently are accident reports reviewed collectively to identify recurring mistakes and dangerous patterns? Professional transport sectors worldwide treat such reviews as non-negotiable. Here, they are dismissed as inconveniences because someone is rushing to catch the next trip during peak season.

Discipline may be a personal trait, but professionalism institutionalizes discipline. A driver should not access public roads without verifiable training credentials, proper identification, and proof of competence. Traffic Police enforcement must shift from opportunistic roadside stops to structured, intelligence-led operations that deter violations consistently.

There must be consequences severe enough to instill fear of wrongdoing — not fear of bribery, but fear of accountability.

Unless Uganda decisively regulates informal, playground-trained drivers and restores professionalism in the transport sector, road accidents will continue to claim our brothers, sisters, parents, and friends.

If we normalize mediocrity behind the wheel, every family will eventually prepare a grave.

And that is a tragedy we can prevent.

Rest In Peace, Ambassador Kitone

FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY

Courtesy Image

[John Piper @JohnPiper]

Every Lord’s day pray this not be your experience.

“This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.” Matthew 15:8