BBD 06.05.14 Are You Izikhothane? (New)

#1 · June 5, 2014, 1:37 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on June 5, 2014, 1:37 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at www.theburningbush.net for the “Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional there.

The Burning
Bush Devotional

06.05.14

Are You
Izikhothane?

Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is
envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. The fool
folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. Better a handful with quietness
than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. -
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like. - Galatians 5:19-21a.

There
is a somewhat strange youth subculture in South Africa called Izikhothane. It
basically means something like, “brag
it.” Young people gather together, which is not that unusual, but what they
do is…weird! When they meet up with other Izikhothane, they have encounters
with other similar groups. No, they don’t pull out their guns, and switchblades
and start shooting and cutting. No, they have dance-offs! While they are
dancing the night away, they burn cash, spill alcohol and expensive food out on
the street, tear up their clothes, and break cellphones. One of the Izikhothane explains, “To be
Izikhothane, you have to be like us. Buy expensive clothes, booze, fame, girls,
driving, spending. And when you are dressed in Italian clothing it shows that
you’re smart.” It appears that they do what they do to show off as
in they have more money, clothes, alcohol, and food than anyone else. The point
is to demonstrate how much they have, so much, that they can burn it. Strangely
enough, most of these gang members do not have wealthy parents. Most of the
Izikhothane come from working class families. One
of the mothers of an Izikhothane said, “They tear up their clothes and money,
forgetting that we are poor and struggle for money. What the he_l is this
Izikhothane business?” In 2012, the gangs gained much attention when
one of the members committed suicide because he was unable to keep up with the
others. Cedrain Wambe, who has researched
the Izikhothane, “Young
people tell me they’re prepared to do anything, including hitting their parents
to get money.” (Vocativ, VICE, France24 05.26.14)

When I
read about the Izikhothane, I was wondering how could anyone just burn up money
and other expensive stuff to get some attention? The truth is that it is an
extreme form of what adults across the world do to a lesser degree. It is
called “Keeping up with the Joneses
(Insert any name here.).” Our neighbor buys a new car, and then we buy a
new car so we will still be on the same social level with our neighbor. Our
friends buy a new house, that is bigger and better, and we feel like we have to
buy a bigger and better house to keep up with them. Our friends and neighbors
have parties and drink a lot of expensive alcohol and so we have a drunken
party too. A woman’s best friend buys a purse that costs a few thousand
dollars, and she thinks she has to do that too. A man’s best friend buys an expensive
suit or some new toys and he tries to keep up. Is this so different from just
taking money and burning it? A well-known member
of a Iaikhothane gang, She-Ra, says, “People must see that when you walk out you are worth
thousands. I can’t be caught wearing sneakers and jeans. That would be the joke
of the year. People admire me. Everywhere I go, people scream, ‘She-Ra!
She-Ra!’ I love dressing up in expensive clothes so that’s why people know I’m
Izikhothane.”

It is a
“selfish ambition” to spend money to make
yourself look better in the eyes of the world. When you envy your neighbor and
all that he has, Ecclesiastes says this is “vanity.” Trying to keep up with the Jones (insert any
name here) family, trying to gain attention by what you have and by what you
spend is like “grasping for the wind” and the
result is similar to consuming your own flesh. The better course, and use of
your efforts in life is summed up by Solomon in Ecclesiastes
12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is man’s all.” Honoring and obeying your Creator,
this alone, will provide you with happiness and fruitfulness on earth and
beyond in eternity.

Copyright © 2014. Ed Wrather. The
Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998
the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather
began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The .org Burning
Bush website

is being updated.

The Burning Bush websites have
received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 15 years online since
January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been
spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000 subscribers across the
world.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of all of the pages.

Prayer Warriors Wanted! Please join the
Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998. Send prayer requests and
receive prayer requests. To join send an
email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
the return of the Nigerian school girls. Many prayer needs are posted at the
Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer
requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can unsubscribe to the
burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org
and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html
text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now
in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org
and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at http://www.theburningbush.net for the “Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional there.

The Burning
Bush Devotional

06.05.14

Are You
Izikhothane?

Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is
envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. The fool
folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. Better a handful with quietness
than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. -
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like. - Galatians 5:19-21a.

There
is a somewhat strange youth subculture in South Africa called Izikhothane. It
basically means something like, “brag
it.” Young people gather together, which is not that unusual, but what they
do is…weird! When they meet up with other Izikhothane, they have encounters
with other similar groups. No, they don’t pull out their guns, and switchblades
and start shooting and cutting. No, they have dance-offs! While they are
dancing the night away, they burn cash, spill alcohol and expensive food out on
the street, tear up their clothes, and break cellphones. One of the Izikhothane explains, “To be
Izikhothane, you have to be like us. Buy expensive clothes, booze, fame, girls,
driving, spending. And when you are dressed in Italian clothing it shows that
you’re smart.” It appears that they do what they do to show off as
in they have more money, clothes, alcohol, and food than anyone else. The point
is to demonstrate how much they have, so much, that they can burn it. Strangely
enough, most of these gang members do not have wealthy parents. Most of the
Izikhothane come from working class families. One
of the mothers of an Izikhothane said, “They tear up their clothes and money,
forgetting that we are poor and struggle for money. What the he_l is this
Izikhothane business?” In 2012, the gangs gained much attention when
one of the members committed suicide because he was unable to keep up with the
others. Cedrain Wambe, who has researched
the Izikhothane, “Young
people tell me they’re prepared to do anything, including hitting their parents
to get money.” (Vocativ, VICE, France24 05.26.14)

When I
read about the Izikhothane, I was wondering how could anyone just burn up money
and other expensive stuff to get some attention? The truth is that it is an
extreme form of what adults across the world do to a lesser degree. It is
called “Keeping up with the Joneses
(Insert any name here.).” Our neighbor buys a new car, and then we buy a
new car so we will still be on the same social level with our neighbor. Our
friends buy a new house, that is bigger and better, and we feel like we have to
buy a bigger and better house to keep up with them. Our friends and neighbors
have parties and drink a lot of expensive alcohol and so we have a drunken
party too. A woman’s best friend buys a purse that costs a few thousand
dollars, and she thinks she has to do that too. A man’s best friend buys an expensive
suit or some new toys and he tries to keep up. Is this so different from just
taking money and burning it? A well-known member
of a Iaikhothane gang, She-Ra, says, “People must see that when you walk out you are worth
thousands. I can’t be caught wearing sneakers and jeans. That would be the joke
of the year. People admire me. Everywhere I go, people scream, ‘She-Ra!
She-Ra!’ I love dressing up in expensive clothes so that’s why people know I’m
Izikhothane.”

It is a
“selfish ambition” to spend money to make
yourself look better in the eyes of the world. When you envy your neighbor and
all that he has, Ecclesiastes says this is “vanity.” Trying to keep up with the Jones (insert any
name here) family, trying to gain attention by what you have and by what you
spend is like “grasping for the wind” and the
result is similar to consuming your own flesh. The better course, and use of
your efforts in life is summed up by Solomon in Ecclesiastes
12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is man’s all.” Honoring and obeying your Creator,
this alone, will provide you with happiness and fruitfulness on earth and
beyond in eternity.

Copyright © 2014. Ed Wrather. The
Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998
the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather
began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The .org Burning
Bush website

is being updated.

The Burning Bush websites have
received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 15 years online since
January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been
spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000 subscribers across the
world.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of all of the pages.

Prayer Warriors Wanted! Please join the
Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998. Send prayer requests and
receive prayer requests. To join send an
email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
the return of the Nigerian school girls. Many prayer needs are posted at the
Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer
requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can unsubscribe to the
burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org
and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html
text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now
in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org
and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org