Your Family As A Brand
Any venture that will go far and have a lasting success must have a vision. A vision guides every aspect of the organisation, and it creates a certain culture that permeates every detail of the organisation in all ramifications for which the brand is known. Whether it is a Fortune 500 company or a ministry with a global impact or a thriving economy, having a vision is at the centre of their progress.
“Mr. & Mrs. Daniels O.” (You can put your family name here instead.) What do you now have? Say it again. What does it sound like? Does it sound like a company? Yes, of two people…for a real family business. One issue many homes face is that they don’t have a goal/vision for their families. We do for our work, company, ministry, career, but not for family. How sad? This may sound absurd, but it’s the truth. What is the vision statement for your family? Set the vision and direction for the family. This vision should align well with God’s plan and purpose for your family as revealed in His Word.
Why do people start a family, anyway? Is it because they are approaching 30 or the hormones are flowing or they need someone to delegate the duties of a cook and laundry to? Or they have found a vision to pursue and need a companion to help fulfill that purpose? After creation, God gave the first man the task of tending the garden, to have mastery over life, and to populate the earth. The first woman was to help him realise this vision. Today, the vision of the Christian couple is the ministry and to have a significant impact in life together. God gave man a helper—the woman—because there is a vision to be realised by the couple—the brand. O man, but how can she help you when you have set no vision—having nowhere to go? And O woman, have you become the centre of the universe instead of understanding your role as a vision-supporter?
We need to set high standards and stop taking on worldly standards. Your family was made by God and for God, and until you understand that, your marriage will never make sense. Your family vision should be aligned with God’s purpose for your existence. Don’t let your marriage be anchored on romantic feelings, because after a while, the sun will rise over your marriage and reality will set in; as everything normalizes, feelings settle. What will sustain and keep the union going will be the vision that has been clearly stated and written for each party to see, understand and run with.
If you do not yet have a vision statement for your family, make sure you do so this week!
To be continued next week.
– Tope S. Aladenusi
When Does Family Ever Come First?
A very experienced nurse once shared her observation that one of the two most important things that many patients on their death bed are usually concerned about is family. This is so because at such a critical time when one has only a brief moment to remain in this world, one cannot afford to spend even a second worrying about mundane things. They want to see or touch most of their family members one last time and for as long as they can. They want to be surrounded by their own relatives, wishing they could buy a little more time. They would forgive long-held grudges in an instant, with tears flowing freely and an outburst of emotion. All of a sudden, they realise that they should have spent more time with family when they could. Family now comes first on their death bed. Unfortunately, it would be the last time!
A very busy man was once asked what his motivation for hard work was. He responded by saying that he needed to provide for his family. Because of that he was heavily consumed with work, hardly ever having time for the same family he was providing for.
Nothing can replace your family. It comes before whatever success you may hope to achieve. It is good to have a lot on your monthly planner and daily to-do list, but do you also have plans for your family on them? Do you have these things on your schedule: A weekend outing, taking your wife to the swimming pool, a bed-time story for your kids, calling on Grandma, your daughter’s birthday, family Bible study, dinner-for-all, family games, your son’s homework, and so on? Is your home like a playground or just an enclosure?
From God’s perspective, a thriving ministry or career with a weak family is absolute nonsense. I Timothy 5:8 (GNT) gives us a peek into the significance of families to God – “But if any do not take care of their relatives, especially the members of their own family, they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever.” Yes! The family unit is very important to God, and we have a primary responsibility to build healthy and powerful homes. It is apparent that God strategically placed each believer in a family that will mold and shape them to help achieve His purposes. Ironically, our generation has given attention to every other thing but the family unit. Today, many are trying to “make it” at the expense of making their families.
When should family really come first? On the death bed or every day?
To be continued next week.
– Tope S. Aladenusi
I once enrolled with a coach to learn how to play lawn tennis. It was a very interesting time for me. He taught me the rudiments of the game. Within a short period of time, I started knocking the ball around in a very nice way, and started to feel cool about it. I soon realised that the more I played with my coach, my inadequacies became obvious. It appeared my game was very bad despite the progress I thought I was making. I knew I was improving though, but it was almost discouraging to see that he kept pointing at my errors and showing me adjustments I needed to make. Interestingly, one day he told me I was going to play a “social game” with some other more experienced players than myself. So I accepted the offer and went to play with them. I was very shocked at my own performance. I could now appreciate my progress and was happy with myself. I felt like a new star on the pitch that day, knocking the ball around and making all the nice moves. I may not have been as good as my coach, but it did not matter this time—I was having a good time with my new level of play.
This is similar to our walk with God. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” We are GRADUALLY becoming what we FOCUS ON. As we focus on the Master—Word of God (by studying, meditating and acting it out on a daily basis), we are gradually becoming like Him. Hallelujah! But often times, we get frustrated because of the errors and the imperfections we see in our lives when we behold His glory (His performance and abilities)—the perfect example that we are reaching for. This epitomic glory is so fantastic that when compared with our current state, it appears as though we are so bad and are never going to be able to make any progress, and that has hampered many people from stepping out to do the work and will of the master.
But Christ, who is your life coach, wants you to play some ‘social games’ every day. Do not sit down and say in your mind, “If only I had finished reading the whole Bible…If only I did not misbehave with that little temptation yesterday…If only I have the gift of seeing visions…If only I was a pastor….” etc. Beloved, I beseech you to go to the field of life and display excellence and righteousness daily. Just lay your hand on the sick around you and give the command…in the name of Jesus. Raise the dead. Make it a duty to preach the gospel. Go and do something with that “little” you have learned from the Master and don’t bother about your “if only’s…” . You will be amazed at how much you have already tapped from your life coach and just waiting for you to step out in faith. You will appreciate your Christianity better. But go back to him again and train with Christ some more. You may still feel inadequate, sometimes, but just like 1 Timothy 4:15-16 says: “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Look at the ring-like scar that sits on your belly. It is called a navel or belly button but I like to call it “our first mouth.” Let’s face it; there was a time in our lives when we fed through the umbilical cord. This “mouth” was connected to our mothers’ placenta when we were in the womb, and was used to provide oxygen, nutrients and even transfer our waste to the outside world. During this phase of our lives, the mouth we currently use to eat was being developed. We got to a stage of maturity where our ‘first mouth’ had to be sealed off, so that the other mouth could take full preeminence.
Anytime I see my belly button, I remember that life is in stages. Different channels of nutrients and waste come with every stage. What generated income for you yesterday may be locked up today. Don’t keep looking back, just like a baby does not feed through the umbilical cord after it is born. The people that were instrumental in lifting you up yesterday may go all-out to pull you down today. Know when to run. It is commonly said that “a nest is good for a robin while it is an egg, but it is bad for a robin when it has wings”. Sometimes the line between success and failure may just be the ability to know when to leave the nest of our lives.
‘Moses’ may lead us out of Egypt, but it is ‘Joshua’ that will lead us to the Promised Land. Learn to know when someone stops leading you. Conditions will always change on the outside, especially as we mature in the things of God. Let’s be sensitive to see the new door that God is opening rather than singing the “things are getting bad” song of the world. For “He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does”. (Ecclesiastes 3:11- GNB). Don’t be shocked to see some closed doors this year; don’t be too naive to decipher the numerous doors of opportunities that God will bring your way. Be sensitive to know when to make that turn.
Tope Aladenusi
Undoubtedly, Infant jaundice remains one of the main killers of newborns in Nigeria. It is a medical condition associated with yellow discoloration of a new born baby’s skin and eyes. It is a common finding in the first week of life. It occurs in about 80% of preterm and 60% of term babies.
It occurs because the baby’s blood contains excess bilirubin, a yellow-coloured pigment of red blood cells which adversely affects the brain. The prevalence of jaundice in the newborn is variable (7-75%) in Nigeria.
Causes/Risk factors
At birth, babies have plenty of red blood cells which are in excess of what is needed in the outside world. The body therefore destroys the excess cells. Another factor that contributes to rapid red cell destruction is the relatively short life span of the red blood cells found in newborn (80 days instead of 120 days). Some factors like breastfeeding, breast milk itself, prematurity, low birth weight and blood group have also been implicated in the development of jaundice.
For the purpose of clarity, jaundice has been classified into physiological and pathological jaundice. Physiological jaundice arises in the setting of normal functioning of the body of the newborn. In other words, it is the jaundice that occurs in the absence of any infection/disease. Pathological jaundice, on the other hand, is jaundice arising from infection/disease.
Physiological jaundice becomes evident on the 2nd to 3rd day of life. It arises from excess red blood cells, short life span of red blood cells and immature handling of bilirubin by the body especially the liver.
Pathological jaundice usually begins within the first 24 hours of life. It persists more than a week. The bilirubin level rises rapidly. The baby may be pale (i.e. with low blood level). It may arise from the following:
Blood group incompatibility/iso-immunization, prematurity/low birth weight, inborn red blood cell diseases, glucose-6-phosphate dehygrogenase deficiency (G6PD).
Attack of red blood cell destruction can also be due to common household materials such as camphor, mentholatum, methylated dusting powder, heatol, robb and other balms, insecticides, salicylates, herbs e.t.c.
Conditions such as sepsis, infections, hepatitis, intestinal obstruction, bleeding into any part of the body e.g. birth injury resulting in blood collection in the baby’s scalp or into the brain, biliary atresia, choledochal cyst.
Breastfeeding and breast milk jaundice deserve some mention. Breastfeeding Jaundice is a mild form of jaundice seen in about 12% of breastfed babies. It arises around the 3rd day of life and resolves in less than 3 weeks. It is believed to be a result of dehydration from inadequate milk intake during this period.
If older sibling had jaundice or received phototherapy, the risk of jaundice is increased in the baby.
How can I tell if my baby has jaundice?
Try this quick test to check for jaundice. In a well-lit room, gently press your fingers on your baby’s nose or forehead. If there’s a yellow tinge to her skin as the pressure is released, tell your midwife or doctor. If your baby has dark skin, check for yellowness in the whites of her eyes or gums. You may also notice that your baby discharges very pale poos. Your baby’s poo is pale because no bilirubin is reaching her digestive system.
Fever, poor food intake, vomiting, pale stool and dark urine, generalized tiredness and high-pitch cry are warning signs in a baby with jaundice.
Most importantly check with your pediatrician who would carry out bilirubin test, infection screening, complete blood count, urine tests and liver function tests, blood group, hepatitis B surface antigen test and blood sugar test and others to establish the cause of the jaundice.
Complications
At a high level, unprocessed bilirubin can damage the brain. This is called kernicterus. The child is unable to suck or sucks poorly, cries with a high-pitch voice, vomits, gets tired, moves abnormally, and is irritable or become floppy or stiff. He/she may go on to convulse. Fever is also a symptom of high bilirubin level. It can result in death, deafness/hearing loss, mental retardation or cerebral palsy.
Management
In mild jaundice, the baby is carefully observed after clinical examination. In addition, laboratory follow-up is employed.
Increasing the frequency/number of feeds has been found to be helpful in increasing the rate of bilirubin removal from the body. Hence, mothers should not stop breastfeeding unless advised by the doctor.
In severe jaundice, light therapy (phototherapy) is used. A special kind of light converts the bilirubin to easily expellable/removable products. In the past, jaundiced children were placed in the sun to achieve this purpose. If life-threatening, jaundice is managed with exchange blood transfusion. The jaundiced blood is taken from the baby and replaced with new blood.
Prevention
Health education is very important, pregnant mothers should avoid over-the-counter drugs and commonly used household items or baby-care materials that can cause jaundice (listed above).
Screening is vital; blood group and rhesus type of parents should be checked to prevent ABO or rhesus incompatibility and mothers who need to be given rhogam should be educated on its importance.
Regular breastfeeding should be commenced on the day of birth. 8 to 12 feedings per day is ideal. This helps by increasing the excretion/removal rate of bilirubin. There is no need to offer water to breastfed babies. For those who cannot be breastfed, adequate formula should be given.
Monitoring of all newborns for the earliest sign of jaundice in the hospital and at home should be ensured. While it is possible to detect jaundice with the eyes, laboratory test for bilirubin is more accurate and reliable. Blood test is the routine in Nigeria. However, a device placed near the skin gives results as accurate as the blood test. It is known as the transcutaneous bilirubinometer, which measures the reflection of a special light shone through the skin.
Mild infant jaundice often disappears on its own within two or three weeks. For moderate or severe jaundice, your baby may need to stay longer in the newborn nursery or be readmitted to the hospital.
The good news however is that God not only desires that we be fruitful but also wants us to have healthy babies. Remember 3 John verse 2.
-Funke Adewoye
One of the challenges we face as Christians in this information age is that we have numerous information clamoring for our attention. Most of the information we are bombarded with is meant to waste our time and derail us from our purpose. Have you ever counted the number of emails, blackberry messages, Facebook updates, tweets, SMS, etc. that you receive on a daily basis that are not compatible with God’s message and direction for your life? If you did that, you may agree with me that in this age, for you to be effective as a believer, you have to be very selective.
First, you must decide to live by the rule of the new creature. Galatians 6:15-16 reads “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them …”
There is a principle that should govern our lives as believers, and this principle is 100% compatible with our new life in Christ. When we follow this rule, we experience the peace of God every day. In this rule – real success is a default setting; good health is natural; prosperity is your birth right; fulfillment is common place. Unfortunately, many believers are trying to live by worldly principles.
That is why some factory workers would rather work extra hours to get more money than pray for more hours. Many will prefer to pick a “get rich quick” secular book than spend time with the Bible. Some would do anything to have a 15 minute meeting with the top guys in their career line, and would never spend 15 minutes to speak in tongues and get an idea from God that will make those top guys come and knock at their doors in 6 months’ time. It’s quite unfortunate that the most powerful beings on earth (believers) are today using weaker, underhanded and corrupt means to get results, and are dwelling on worldly materials in a bid to be successful.
Imagine if you were in a university and you were told that there are 1000 courses. If you pass the first course, you automatically pass the remaining 999. However, you can try to work through the last 999 in order to be successful, but it is very doubtful you would make it. Which option would you go for? It’s clear right? Then why do we not follow the Word that says we should seek first God’s kingdom, and every “999 thing” in the world shall be added unto us. Isn’t that the height of foolishness? I know I have been foolish in the past, but every day I make a renewed commitment to succeed in God. Friends, we cannot afford to continue to live like the world.
No matter how good worldly principles may appear, they are not designed for our new makeup. An eagle does not go for swimming lessons. No matter how fast a train has been designed to operate, once it leaves the railway, it is finished. Beloved, stay on track! Career, social media, friends and gossips should not come before our relationship with God. Learn to stay with the Word. You will be shocked at what God will do in your life, if you can truly follow Him. When next you listen to that news or get that message on the internet, phone, any media, ask yourself: “is this principle compatible with my new nature?” If the answer is “no” for the opinion being passed across, please reach for the “ignore” or “delete” button. Have a goal to spend quality time in personal bible study and prayers every day. Make it your goal to walk with God wholeheartedly this year, and see yourself step into real success.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).
Tope Aladenusi
World Kidney Day was recently celebrated on 10th March, 2016 with the theme ‘Kidney Disease and Children; ‘Act early to prevent it’. Kidney disease affects millions of people worldwide; not only adults but can also affect children who may be at risk at an early age. It is therefore crucial that we understand the importance of early detection and a healthy life style in children. Parents need to be aware of this increased prevalence in children and move towards averting such in their kids.
What do the kidneys do?
The kidneys filter your blood, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. They also help control blood pressure and make hormones that your body needs to stay healthy. When the kidneys are damaged, wastes can build up in the body. [1]
How common is kidney failure in children?
National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2006 estimated the incidence of CKD among adults at 26,000,000 of a population base of 200 million, with millions more at risk. The prevalence of CKD in children is unknown, but it is estimated at 82 cases per million per year.[2]. Although the risk of kidney failure rises with age, kidney failure affects 1-2 kids in every 100,000 aged 19 years and below in the United States. In Nigeria, there is a paucity of materials on the prevalence of CKD in children but it is touted to be about 8% locally and increasing over the years.
Types of kidney failure
There are two types; acute and chronic kidney failure.
Acute kidney injury/failure occurs within a few hours, days or weeks whilechronic kidney failure occurs after 3 months of assault and it is irreversible. Most times requires dialysis or a transplant.
Causes of kidney failure in children
Most times it is caused by birth defects, inherited disorders, infection, tumors or assaults to the kidneys. Obesity is becoming common in children and increases their risk of hypertension and diabetes which are two risk factors. Similarly,the careless use of chemicals/insecticides/pesticides poses a serious threat to the kidneys of our children.
Symptoms you need to check out for and report immediately to your family physician include:
- unresolved pain in the back, side, or lower belly
- complaints of burning sensation or pain when urinating, changes in the urine, or often wets his or her pants
- has unexplained fever
- has swelling in the feet, ankles, or legs
- wakes up with swollen eyelids
- becomes dehydrated often
- has a family member with kidney disease
Preventing kidney failure
To prevent your children from becoming preys or culprits to this monster, it is important to observe and do the following;
Start from the womb.
A simple ultrasound scan can detect abnormal development going on with the kidneys such as urine pipe blockage, backward flow of urine, water in the kidneys, presence of abnormal sacs and growths. Most of these conditions can lead to kidney failure later but if detected early, surgery can help.
Take your child for regular checks.
With improved technology, 3D ultrasound scan, CT scan and MRI can detect some other hidden conditions such as horse-shoe kidneys, complete absence of kidneys, duplication of ureters. Alport disease and Batten disease are inherited diseases.
Watch their weights.
Mind what goes into their mouth, whether food, drugs or other ingestible items. Obesity is at fault, so stop pumping your kids with unhealthy pastries and other junks. Never give aspirin to children as it can lead to reye’s syndrome ‘damage to the Liver’, which can have a rebound effect on the kidneys.
Keep children away from bad air: There is so much pollutants in the air, car exhausts, fire wood smoke, especially that from tobacco. A study showed 50% of children who passive-smoked (stayed in smoking zones) ended up with chronic kidney disease.
Demystify traditions: Herbs, herbs and herbs! In our society, many parents still believe in the power of herbs (Agbo). Even from birth, Infants are given ‘agbo’ to drink, bath with and rub on the body. Most times these herbs contain toxic chemicals that destroy kidney tissues.
Minimize exposure to pesticides/insecticides: Some aerosol sprays (insecticides) were originally designed as pesticides especially in developing countries and constant exposure to this chemical actually affects the body. Check the labels properly.
Treat illnesses on time: Urinary tract infections, diabetes and sickle cell anaemia, if not managed on time, can lead to dehydration, shock, chronic kidney disease and even death. Diarrhoea/excessive stooling in infants which sometimes is related to teething, if allowed to take hold of the children can lead to severe dehydration and cause renal shut down.
Seek early referral and treatment
Once you notice 2 or more of these symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, frequent headache, tiredness, blood in urine and infections to mention a few, seek a nephrologist (a kidney doctor). They can manage the condition with diet modifications, drugs, dialysis and transplant as a final option.
Most importantly we should remember that “if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself. When God lives and breathes in you, you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Romans 8:11). However live wisely and eat right.
You can also visit the following for more information
www.niddk.nih.gov/…/kidney–disease/
www.pedsinreview.aappublications.org/
-Funke Adewoye
Sometime ago, I read what David said in Psalm 23:1 (NIV) – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want“. While growing up, I had recited this verse several times, but did not appreciate the magnitude until I attempted to read it in opposite terms: The Lord is NOT my shepherd, I shall BE IN WANT! Hmmm! Cold shivers ran through my spine as I began to ponder on this.
Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap. There is a right attitude for believers in the work place. There is an expectation from a Christian while he serves or works for another. It’s a spiritual responsibility because of who we are in Christ Jesus. I love the admonition of Paul in the book of Ephesians;
Eph. 6:5-8 ‘servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eye service as men pleasers; but as the servant of Christ doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service as to the lord and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the lord whether he be bond or free.’
Our financial prosperity also depends on our actions at work and anything we do while we are employed is rewarded by God. So this is dedicated to you if you grumble while you do your job, it’s for the man and woman who does just enough and doesn’t go any extra mile and it’s for the believer whose presence or absence in the work place is not felt.
Jacob served Laban for twenty years and Laban gave this testimony about him ‘’I have learned by experience that the lord had blessed me for thy sake’’. True Jacob had an innate presence because he is of the seed of Abraham, but take nothing from the effort, diligence and skill he brought to his job. Genesis 31:38-40; ‘’this twenty years have I been with thee, thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hands didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me and the frost by night; and my sleep departed mine eyes.’’ No wonder Laban asked him to please stay and ask for anything when he tendered his resignation.
To be blessed financially you have to be diligent and skilled in what you do. Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings and not before obscure men.
Work hard, be diligent. You are blessed because of Christ but you have to show forth the excellence of Him that has called you. Jacob worked hard and knew his onions. David was so responsible he never left his sheep unattended to. He could go home and say a lion took a sheep and all will understand. But he was so responsible he made sure that didn’t happen under his watch. He was rewarded with the highest position in Israel! Do you take your job personal? No matter how much you hate it you have a spiritual responsibility to be faithful in it. Jacob was forced into this job in a sense, and even felt his master was unfair, but he gave his best any way. Do all things without murmurings and disputing.
Make yourself obviously responsible, not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. If you are like everyone why will you want something special? Have a great attitude. Be Christ-like. Solve problems, be available. God will reward you with plenty.
Develop multiple skills. One easy way to develop multiple skills is to heed to this scripture; ‘whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all thy might’. David tended sheep, played the flute with such goodness and was a man of war. His first job was to tend sheep, but he played the flute to calm the flock and keep his time. He also learnt to war protecting his herd from dangerous animals. He had to use a sling and he used it well. Those skills brought him to the palace. You can’t remain relevant just because you have a degree! What can you do? What problems can you solve? How creative are you? Life is dynamic. If you keep doing the same things the same way you will soon be irrelevant. Those born of the Spirit are dynamic.
Be the best employee. Then plan to leave. There is time for everything. A time to be employed and a time to be an employer. Jacob came to that point and asked to go do his own thing. Don’t plan to be an employee forever. Have a plan to leave. Design it while you are employed and if possible, test it. It helps. All the blessing that came to Jacob while he worked for Laban went to Laban. Jacob realized he had to begin to develop personal capacity. So he asked for his portion and began to grow it. He didn’t need much; he knew he had substance inside, a wealth of experience he had gathered while he served to draw on! I love the confidence with which he told Laban ‘thou shall not give me anything’’! He had wealth on the inside. And God blessed him and multiplied him exceedingly; because of the promise and the diligence with which he had served.
Prepare for the outside while inside. You can’t give what you don’t have. The same attitude you display in your work place is the same attitude you bring to the affairs of life. If you are still an average employee you are not ready to launch out on your own. You will simply be average or less than average. Be excellent and you will reap great financial rewards. Excellence is still in high demand and men will pay anything for it. When you are excellent you name your price! Jacobs salary was reduced ten times in twenty years, but he had no complains. He simply trained himself and became excellent. He was finally asked to name his price.
So if you desire financial success while you are employed and after, you know what to do!
-Emmanuel Aladenusi
We once employed the services of a protocol officer who assisted employees in our organization with processing our international travels. However, he had never travelled outside his country of origin. This guy was very good at his job. When you tell him you want to travel to a particular country, he would immediately reel off all the visa requirements for that country. Sometimes, he would even tell you the best route to fly, possible challenges you may encounter, and the peculiarities of the people of that country. One day I was so impressed by his depth of knowledge that I asked him which countries he had visited. His response was “sir, forget that thing; this is my work”.
As I pondered about this protocol guy recently, I realized he seemed to demonstrate a trend in Christendom today. Many so called Christians are like this protocol officer; they can tell you details about heaven but they may never get there. This is because they may have discussed their understanding of the visa requirements to heaven with others, but they have never really met the requirements themselves.
Some decades ago, it was common for believers to show a movie titled “burning hell” as a tool for evangelism. That movie tries to depict the horrors of hell and if you ever watched that movie, you may “give your life to Christ” about 10 times in 10 minutes. In many cases after the movie is shown, what we call “altar call” was made, and without any knowledge of the gospel, many responded to the call. If the fear of what was seen in a movie is the only motivation for seeking salvation, we miss out on the real offer of God’s gift of eternal life through Christ.
There was also another trend where God was described as an angry God that was bringing judgment upon all those who were not believers, and this fear made many to recite some prayers after a preacher. But that is not the visa to heaven. Some preachers even went further to describe all the terrible sins that people commit and after their message, they ask – if you want to repent from these sins, come out and say “this prayer” after me. But beloved, repentance and salvation are two different things. You can repent from an evil way and not be saved, the same way a chronic murderer can decide to quit murder, but that doesn’t make him a believer. Although repentance is expected to be visible in your life after salvation.
So what is salvation – the only visa to heaven, and how do you obtain it?
You come to a loving God through his son – Jesus Christ; you appreciate that salvation is a gift from God and not something you attain by any good works; You openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Thus, you instantly receive the gift of God’s life and Holy Spirit in your spirit. It is “faith alone by grace alone, in Christ alone” that qualifies you for heaven. If this does not correspond with your salvation experience, please take time to make things right today, so you are not disappointed on the day of rapture. Jesus’ offer of eternal life is to be received with gratitude for His love, and there is no fear in love.
Tope Aladenusi.
If you are not saved or not sure about your salvation, please contact us at christlifeline@gmail.com, and one of our counselors will respond to schedule a conversation with you.