SCOM - Student Christian Organisation of Malawi

05/10/2026

WHEN MORTAL MAN IS DECLARED RIGHTEOUS AND PURE BEFORE GOD
“Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot— a human being, who is only a worm!”” Job 25:1-6 NIV

My namesake, PB, had lived a reckless life before we met and became friends. He helped me master my driving skills at that time. In turn, I took him on my errands visiting schools. The Lord used the messages I shared to students to speak to PB and slowly brought him into His Kingdom! The transformation was very evident first to his wife and family (she thanked me for transforming her husband. I told her that I was just an instrument in the Redeemer's hand but He did the work Himself). The local church leaders as well said of him that he was acting as if he had seen Jesus Christ face to face (he surely had an encounter with Him). When we get close to God, we begin to reflect His likeness in our lives; He sets us apart! My friend, PB, has since gone ahead of me into God's glory! I miss him!

Job poured his heart before God and his friends once again. He lamented of the evil that continued to flourish in this world and how the wicked seemed to carry the day without any hindrance. He was quick to point out, however, that the joy of the wicked does not last long: they live fast and die miserably (and then reap the fruit of their actions). Then Bildad, the Shuhite responded to Job. In his response he ascribed awe and dominion to God who is Creator and Sustainer of everything. He further argued (as usual) that no man can claim to be pure or righteous before Him. As we know them by now, Job's friends were fond of "selective attention" in their listening. They were only paying attention to the things that interested them (in advancing their conspiracy theory) and ignored important facts that were glaring at them: that God was not punishing Job for a sin he committed! The point is; even the righteous face trials and hardships; not because of their sin but rather their faith. For we have been called not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him.

It is true that no man born of a woman, what Bildad calls a maggot or a worm, can by himself be righteous before God. Our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. No effort we make can purge us from our sinfulness. We were conceived in sin and all our desires are prone to be influenced by sin. But Bildad undermined the role of grace in our salvation. Job was not alone; God was with him all along. His righteousness was inspired by God Himself; it is God who purified Job. And most importantly, it was God in heaven who declared Job's spiritual status by saying of him, "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8b). Thus Bildad was wrong when he argued that Job could not be pure and righteous before God. Actually, he was because God made him and declared him so! An upright man like Job could therefore stand before God and present his case and God would not opposed him for doing so (see Job 23:6-7). This is the nature of our God, who He really is! He qualifies us to stand before Him blameless! Like Job we roo can be declared righteous and holy before God even in such a warped and depraved society like ours!

Good morning
Reflections from God!

05/10/2026

11 Days to go.

04/10/2026

countdown.
This was the SCOMAF Band at ASCO2016 also held at Kamuzu Academy. Who can you recognise here?

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

Countdown
This was ASCO2016. A decade ago at Kamuzu Academy.
See you at ASCO 2026.

02/10/2026

THE END OF THE WICKED! TEMPORARY HAPPINESS FOLLOWED BY ETERNAL CONDEMNATION!
“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness. “Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards. As heat and drought sn**ch away the melted snow, so the grave sn**ches away those who have sinned. The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; the wicked are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree. They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow they show no kindness. But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain. “If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing? Job 24: 13-25

When some people die we do not even have records of their death but when some billionaires die, the news will be all over. Sometimes people do not understand how they died. There are also some people who are doing very well that we do not even hear about them. And then there also are some who accumulate wealth mysteriously they are so filthy rich and generous in giving. But before you start admiring them, it is good to understand their source of wealth. The Bible says wealth gained by wickedness does not last or secure a person’s life. “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13:11

In today’s passage, Job affirms that the wicked are ultimately brought low, cut off like heads of grain, and forgotten. He now says God punished the wicked. People who oppress widows will be judged by God. Though the wicked are in high positions and feeling secure for a while; God will eventually lower them and they will join others in the grave. When you see the wicked prosper, do not wonder a why they continue to prosper even though they sin, their happiness is temporary; God is fully aware and will eventually punish them. Dor such like these, the saying is true, live fast and die young. For does it profit man to accumulate a lot of wealth, enjoy it for a short time and then lose his soul eternally?

Job gives a serious warning to all who want to enrich themselves by dubious means! Such kind of wealth brings nothing but misery. As someone who was very rich himself, his advice is not arising from a sense of envy for the rich: he speaks nothing but the truth! Let the wise take heed!

Good morning
Reflections from SCOM

02/10/2026

Countdown.
Only two weeks remaining.

02/10/2026

RAMPANT INJUSTICE AND OPPRESSION OF THE POOR: WHY DOES GOD REMAIN SILENT?
Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days? There are those who move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen. They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge. They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labour of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children. They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked. Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold. They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter. The fatherless child is sn**ched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt. Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry. They crush olives among the terraces; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst. The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing. Job 24 verse 1-12 (NIV)

We have heard of stories of people who have stayed in jail for so many years without trial. It can be very painful especially when you are innocent. There is common adage that says ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. There is lot of injustice happening especially to the poor while the rich manage to get away. As a Christian I have often wondered why does God remain silent in such situations, can’t He just show up and speak for the voiceless because He is God of justice? I sometimes feel that if we were to write a job description for God, we would ensure that He attends to all issues of injustice, prevent evil from spreading, get rid of Satan and all his agents and ensure that there is no suffering in this world.

Job felt the same way, that justice is delayed for him, he wished if God would just appear and let the people know that he is not guilty. Job was concerned of God’s indifference. God seemed distance and indifferent to his plight: why was He taking long to bail His servant out? He wished God would post a bulletin board of His schedule for judging people. And there was a lot of injustice he wished God would pay attention to: people were grabbing land that did not belong to them, they were sn**ching livestock from the poor leaving them with nothing and the oppressors were taking away young children from their widowed mothers to pay off debts. The poor were forced to carry sheaves of grain while they were hungry. One would think that God would intervene in such situations but He didn't do as they expected of Him. This disturbed Job. This raises the question, is God to blame for all the things that are not working well in the world? Did He not create everything good?

God is just; He will still bring punishment to the wicked. Our God also desires us to seek justice and love mercy (Micah 6:8). How do you respond to the poor and disadvantaged or those who are struggling? In what ways could we be contributing to the suffering of others? May God soften our hearts to have concern for the oppressed!

Good morning
Reflections from SCOM

01/10/2026

GOD WANTS TO BRING THE BEST OUT OF US: WE MUST THUS TRUST THE PROCESS!
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.” Job 23: 10-17 (NIV)

How does elevate His children above others? How does He raise some among others? Sometimes when God wants to show you off publicly as His dear child, He will put you in a class of patience and pain so that when you have endured the process, His glory is then manifested. But it is human to complain and to get frustrated, so often we ask "Why me, Lord?" The testing of our faith becomes our testimonies; our failures are precursors for our progress while our pains purify us from inside out! This sounds painful but a search through the Scripture reveals to us that this is what it is! Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Esther and many others begun their journey of faith in similar ways!

The furnace is a very important place for gold to be pure, to gain it's lustre. In the furnace, raw gold has to be subjected to intense heat to remove the impurities. There is no other way; no substitute for the furnace and fire. The suffering of Job can be likened to this process. The pain he was exposed to was working in him something that could not be possible without it. While God would eventually prove Satan wrong and win the bet, Job would gain an deeper sense of spiritual purity than the one he had before! God was aware the right time is to remove Job from the fire. He couldnot leave him there longer than necessary. Intuitively, Job perceived that when God finished with him in the furnance, he would come forth and shine like gold. He could make this claim because he had followed the Lord closely. Job acknowledges God’s sovereignty: that He is who is, and that He does what He pleases. Since God was elusive, Job was terrified not because he was a sinner, as Eliphaz accused him, but because of the Lord’s awesome nature.

Job’s testing was not to destroy him but to mould his character to be pure and holy. You may be going through a similar situation, where you have lost everything, and you do not see any light. Remember, He who brought you to the fire will bring you out of it. May we have the confidence that Job had by saying, “I will come forth as gold”

Good Morning
Reflections from SCOM

01/10/2026

countdown. 15 Days to go.
Bring your kids to ASCO.