Being Continually Shaped
A Life Story
by
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When I was growing up, my parents were neither Christians nor strict adherents of the traditional religion of our people, the Agikuyu. They believed and taught me that there was one God who created the earth and the heavens, all that is in them, and also controlled the affairs of all people. That one God, they emphasized, was to be feared and obeyed. But I did not know how to do either.
In grades one and two, I was introduced to the Old Testament characters such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon, Samson, and Nebuchadnezzar. Some of these characters obeyed and feared God to some extent while others did not. I was highly conflicted until I was introduced to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. According to the Bible,
Jesus Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made
him share our sins in order that in union with him we might share
the righteousness of God, (2 Cor. 3:21).
I wanted to have a happy and joyful life here and now and inherit eternal life as well. Consequently, I regularly read the Bible and attended Church every Sunday in an attempt to please God by doing good. But the more I strove to do good in my efforts, the more my human nature drove me to do evil. Like Paul in the Bible, I was immensely troubled about what to do, (Rom. 7:14-25).
After high school, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that,
“It is by God’s grace that you have are saved through faith. It is not
the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift so that no one can
boast about it, (Eph. 2:9).
Even after believing in Jesus Christ, I still could not claim to have no sins at all. But in my readings of the Bible, I found that,
“If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do
what is right: He will forgive us of all our wrongdoing,” (1John
1:9).
And because it is in my mind where evil desires, worries and bad thoughts emanate, I continue to discipline myself to follow the admonishment given in Philippians,
“In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your mind with
those things that are good and deserve praise: things that are
true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable,” (Phil. 4:8).
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe that there is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1), and because of God’s love in Jesus Christ, “there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord, (Rom. 8:39).
I also know and believe that I have the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ. My goal in this life is “to know Christ and experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life, (Phil. 3:10). My life as a believer is therefore being continually shaped into the likeness of Jesus Christ until He comes to receive me into His Kingdom.
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About the Book
Humphrey W. Muciiri was taught by his parents that there was only one God who created the heavens and the earth. That God controlled everything. He was to be feared and obeyed. Humphrey had no clue how to obey God. Although characters such as Abraham, Moses, and David are considered great men of God, they disobeyed Him. Jesus Christ is the only human being who fully obeyed God and died to save humankind from eternal damnation. He became the model for humankind to emulate to live happily and joyfully now and hereafter.
Humphrey wanted to have a happy and joyful life now and hereafter. He regularly read the Bible, attended church every Sunday to please God by doing good. But human nature drove him to do evil deeds. He became greatly disturbed and conflicted about what to do. After high school, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that it was by God’s grace he would be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. It was not through striving but through God’s gift, and so he could not boast about it, (Ephesians 2:9: GNB,1994). Even after believing in Jesus Christ, he still could not claim to be sinless. But by regular Bible reading, he found that when he confessed his sins to God, he had peace in his heart because he was forgiven of all wrongdoing, (1 John 1: 8-9: GNB,1994). He is continually being shaped by God to the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Later, Humphrey earned a bachelor of science degree from University of Nairobi, Kenya, a master of arts from Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya, and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. Over three decades before coming to the United States, he worked as an entrepreneur and a manufacturing executive in multinational corporations, traveled and worked in different parts of the world. Before retirement he worked as an adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, U.S.A. He is the author of two other books namely Sons and Dads: Who will Reconcile Them? and The United States and Kenya: How Similar or Different are the Two Nations?
About the Author
Humphrey W. Muciiri wrote “Being Continually Shaped: A Life Story” when he was 82 years old. His first objective was to share his unique past challenges and help other people, whose challenges though different, resolving them could be similar. The second objective was to keep a record to educate and help younger members of his family. The third objective was to record the genealogical line of descent of the Kinyoi family. Kinyoi was the oldest ancestor his forebears could remember.