The desire to speedily surmount a mountainous problem sometimes drives us to pray. As much as one would expect to see a miraculous breakthrough, we would also not mind to spend so long a time praying. When we feel satisfied within us that we have sought it out with God, we immediately stop the prayers and watch to see changes. Interestingly, we most times feel disappointed when days, weeks, and months rolls by without any significant change.
In Acts 27, Paul experienced the same thing, but his story seems to be a little different and I feel it is worthy of emulation. In verses 1-18, the first two days of their voyage, was a challenging one with serious sea turbulence and a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon. Following this, precisely on the third (3rd) day, all hope that they should be saved was dashed (Acts 27: 19-20). I have no doubt in my mind that both the soldiers and prisoners in the sea would have prayed earnestly for their safety because it was evident that death was knocking at the door. Paul who also must have being in the Spirit praying, spoke of the revelation the Lord showed him; “For an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night, Saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall so be, as it hath been told me”. (Acts 27: 23-25)
Despite this heart consoling revelati0n, there was no evident ray of hope for surviving since everywhere was still dark and the storm was still strong. Again, this brings to mind one of the many numerous ways of man, which is preparing for an alternative when it seems as though the Lord is slow concerning His promise. The owners of the ship treacherously planned to run away and leave the soldiers and prisoners to die in the troubled ship and sea (Acts 27: 30-31). You may say one can’t really blame them because it was over ten days they were promised hope of surviving and nothing to show for it yet. Likewise, Paul himself should have been discouraged because his integrity and trust in God was at stake, but he refused to be. He did not waver in faith towards God (“…For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord”; James 1: 6-7); so he confidently told them that we are still on course, I know the God I serve, He is never late, I am used to Him (Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you; Acts 27: 34). I strongly desire that we all be like Paul in trusting God each time we wait on Him for a miracle; for with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1: 37).
– adeyiga awomuti
My Son, pay attention to what I say, listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
NIV Prov4:20-22
Every medical prescription goes along with specific instructions. As a medical doctor, if a patient complains to me of any particular symptom, I don’t just get a sheet of paper, write the name of a drug and then say: ‘hey, just use that and you’ll be fine.’ That will pass for very bad practice. I would rather conduct a through evaluation of the situation, arrive at least at a working diagnosis and give my prescription in such a way that the patient doesn’t just know what drug to use but also when to use it, how to use it, why he/she needs to use it and how much to use.God isn’t less careful in prescribing to us his own unique medicine for healing and health which is HIS WORD.
God’s Word is medicine to the flesh of man. We may not understand fully how it works but we know it works. It is the one medicine that can heal all sicknesses and cure all diseases. But like every other prescription, we must give attention to the instructions in other to reap maximum benefit from it. In the above quoted portion of scriptures, a 3-fold instruction is given in connection with the prescription of God’s Word. Here it is:
- Pay attention and listen closely to the Word.
- Don’t let the Word depart out of your sight
- Keep the Word in the midst of your heart.
The way to pay close attention to the word of God is to keep HEARING it. The way to not letting it depart out of your sight is to keep READING it. And the way to keep the word in the midst of your heart is to keep MEDITATING on it.Continual HEARING, READING and MEDITATING. These are the instructions by which the prescription of God’s Word will begin to work as medicine in your flesh. Engage them today!
– Dr deji oyebamiji
The Christian church was born in a world that was already old. Great empires such as Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia and Greece had risen and fallen. The church was born in the Roman Empire, the greatest of the ancient empires that governed the civilized world. It was almost exclusively in that empire that the Christian church lived the first five centuries of its life.
The roots of the Christian church reach back deeply into the history and religion of Israel. Jesus said, “Salvation is for the Jews” (John 4: 22, Gal 3: 29). The earliest church was wholly Jewish, her saviour was a Jew and Jews probably wrote the entire NT. A brief note of Israel’s history is necessary here.
David founded the Kingdom of Israel around 1090BC. He reigned until about 960 BC. At the death of Solomon his son around 930 BC the kingdom split into two because of the rebellion of Jeroboam (1Kings 11: 26). The northern part called Israel, was taken into Assyrian exile in 721 BC while the southern part called Judah was taken into Babylon exile in 586 BC. In 539 BC Cyprus king of Persia conquered Babylon and allowed any exile who wished to return to Jerusalem to do so. These returnees in time rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and the temple (Nehemiah 7:1). Ezra led a second set of the returnees and he re-instituted Israel’s observance of the Torah, Israel’s Law (Nehemiah 8). The Pharisees grew out of this movement. Around 334 BC Alexander of Macedonia conquered Greece. When he died in 323 BC his generals divided the empire among themselves. Egypt and Palestine came under the authority of Ptolemy. In 198 BC Palestine came under the authority of the descendants of Seleucid.
The Ptolemy Kings had permitted the Jews to practice their religion but the Seleucid pressed them to surrender their religion. An aged priest named Matthias and his four sons led a rebellion. Of these, Judah was the leader and together they are called the Maccabees i.e. men who fight violently. The Seleucid was subdued in 141 BC and Israel became independent again. In 63 BC, civil war in Palestine gave occasion to Rome to establish her authority there; therefore Israel’s rulers were appointed by Rome. In 37 BC, Herod the Great, during whose reign Jesus Christ was born, became the King with Rome’s approval. After his death, the kingdom was divided among his three sons:-Archelaus, Herod Antipas and Philip. Herod Antipas was the one who killed John the Baptist (Mat 14: 1). In 6 AD Archelaus was deposed and sent to exile, his area became a Roman province and ruled by Procurators. From AD 26 to 36 the procurator of Judea was a Roman named Pontus Pilate.
– gabriel ajibade
In our previous articles we emphasized that all life begins from the seed. That seeds are weapons of greatness and Gods faithfulness has ensured we all have seeds.
Most of us however don’t recognize seeds or have limited seeds to just money. Money is a seed but other seeds produce money. Seeds are of various types, everyone sows seeds and your seed is given freely to you as a gift from God. Now your dream, vision, purpose, and future are tied to the planting of one seed. So let us explore different kind of seeds that have produced a harvest of the future many desired.
- The seed of kindness. : Gen 18: 1-15
Each time I read the above passage, my spirit is deeply moved. Please read it right now. Have the following background about Abraham.
- He was a very rich man
- He had over 318 trained men in his house
- He had the capacity to chase 4 kings
- He was childless
- He was almost a 100yrs old
Bible records that one evening he saw 3 strangers (v2)
He ran to meet them- he recognized the opportunity to show kindness. He understood the seed of kindness and recognized those men as good soil to sow his seed.
Now what manner of kindness did Abraham display?
*He ran to meet them,
*He bowed with his face touching the ground,
*He called them sirs,
*He ordered for the best of everything and to crown it up
*He served them HIMSELF.
Abraham just had to be blessed. In return for this act of kindness and generosity to strangers and fellow men Abraham received the miracle of 99years. He was blessed with a son. His seed of kindness gave him the harvest of a son. In showing kindness to people we might entertain strangers unawares.
Friends, show some kindness. Show plenty of kindness. Every child, man and women you meet is good soil to sow the seed of kindness given to you freely by God. Be kind to everyone you meet. That means compassionate and tender hearted. Listen to “ordinary” men like Joseph; interpret their dreams for them…tomorrow they will recommend you before the king. Be kind to a king’s son like David and tomorrow he will tell you when to leave the country. Do something undeserved for someone today. The more of yourself you give to people the more of people and God you receive. You are on your own is not the code of great people. Get interested in people…mourn with those that mourn and rejoice with those that rejoice. Do somethingpersonally for someone.
-emmanuel aladenusi
Find listed below, some examples of sibling rivalry in the bible:
- Cain and Abel
- Jacob and Esau
- Leah and Rachel
- Joseph and his brothers
This is to show how this problematic phenomenon has existed since the creation and subsequent fall of man. The tendency in the natural man is for competition, selfishness and a desire to be greater than his fellows. While not condemning a pure desire to excel and succeed at endeavours, I wish to propose God’s method and will to you:
For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. (Romans 123 NASB)
We are to live as individually unique members of Christ’s body, exploring and utilizing to the fullest the riches of grace bestowed upon us and showcasing God’s workmanship.
It is unwise to work by comparisons or judge our physical or spiritual achievements by other people’s attainment- whether they be siblings or fellow heirs of God’s grace because each one shall stand before God and be judged as individuals at the end of the age. (See 2Corinthians 1012, Galatians 62-5, Romans 1510-13)
The desire of God is that we complement one another and help each other be the best that He has created us to be.
Parents, learn to commend good behaviour and praise worthy achievements without comparisons amongst your children. Let your children express their grievances and do not take sides with anyone, just correct bad behaviour without putting any child down as the ‘bad one’. Give gifts to each child according to need not just equally because you want to avoid jealousy. As you practice these things, the rivalry and competition amongst your children will not disappear suddenly but they’ll grow to know how they can resolve differences without unhealthy crisis if you don’t give up.
Children, therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love, just as God loved you, and gave Himself up for us (Ephesians51,2a). Display love in relating with your siblings, do not insist on your own rights. Be willing to share. Rejoice in the achievements of your sibs and love them for it, even if your brother or sister gets something which you personally desire before you do.
As a family, do all that will make for peace always…
– Dr ifelayo ojo
When you should leave the crowd …
Bible Reading: Matthew 16:21-28
We all have different approaches for generating the power we need to start something. Many are good, but some could be dangerous. One risky approach I have observed over time is the attitude of going to the crowd.
Some people live their lives based on … “majority carries the vote”. When they want to embark on a good course, they go around asking others – hey, I want to start this stuff, what do you think? And after consulting so many people, they eventually do what the majority said.
It is good to seek counsel from others but you should be careful about it because many dreams have died this way. There are so many things God will want you to do that you will not get the support of the crowd. Therefore, one of the greatest lessons you should learn in life is to leave the crowd when the time is right.
When our Saviour was about to die for our sins, he gave his disciples a hint of what was to happen. They all fought against it. But Jesus knew when to say ‘get thee behind me’.
Realizing your dreams will usually not be a community effort.
Have you ever seen a set of eagles flying? They rarely flock together. In a similar manner, those great heights you see in you may sometimes be achieved when you are left alone in ‘the lonely part of destiny’.
– tope aladenusi
Sibling rivalry is a common phenomenon in families and it is worsened by the fact that most parents do not recognize its existence. In fact, many parents stimulate sibling rivalry by their words and actions towards their children.
Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among brothers and sisters, blood-related or not.
We find an element of it in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) which we were to read and ponder upon as requested in the last post on this blog. The younger son was obviously more outspoken and pragmatic than his brother.
– He asked for his portion of the father’s wealth and got it.
– After the father apportioned his property to them, (notice it was to both of them that the father gave portions- verse 12b), he collected all he had and travelled, squandered his inheritance and when things became rough he had the good sense to return home! Though, he felt he was only deserving of a servant’s position in his father’s house, he judged that it was better-off there than the strange-land he’d migrated to.
However, like we know, his Father accepted him right back to status-quo making the elder brother jealously angry. He felt cheated and unappreciated because he’d never had a party in his honour despite his good behaviour, yet the ‘bad boy’ got one, he seemed to be eating his cake and having it.
LESSONS FOR PARENTS
Learn from the way father handled his older son’s anger:
– He also went out to meet the elder brother who’d refused to enter the party in protest (verse 28)
– He listened to him and allowed him air his grievance
– Then he went ahead to explain to him the reasoning behind his action, reassuring him by reminding him of his rights in the home- “all I have is yours”.
Let’s take a break here with a short note to us all:
ALL THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HAS IS OURS!!!
For his divine power has bestowed on us every requisite for life and godliness through knowing him who has called us to his own glory and excellence (2Peter 1:3 RBV)
Act like the King’s kid that you are- walk in authority and live your life without apologies to any of the elements that once held you bound, DOMINATE!!!
We’ll continue in our next post with more lessons for parents and then for children reading this blog, till then, I remain yours, Ifelayo Ojo
We are living in a day and age where everything is customized. From T – shirts, to shoes. Even haircuts. Nobody likes to be among the majority. Everybody wants to have his own version of everything. “I am doing it this way because that is the way I want it” is a popular expression. That is the way I like it.
A problem however is that Christianity is now also being defined by the person. Each person has his own idea of how he ought to live as a Christian. Haven’t you heard “Well that is my own way of loving, I cannot kill myself”. Or “I cannot do what he is doing as a Christian but I can do this one”.
Christianity however is beyond what each of us wants to make of it. It is a life and not a religion that considers the input of each individual person. It is not defined by factions or by groups. Not by a person.
Rather we all have been called into a unique lifestyle. The very life of God. I love the way Ephesians 4:20 puts it … ‘you have not so learned Christ’. It is he who defined the standard when he birthed us as new creatures. While your personal opinion is important. It is given significance only when it has been subjected to the will of God in Christ Jesus.
The early church all walked with oneness by giving heed to the apostles’ doctrine. Let us learn to peer over the word understanding who we have been made in Christ. Let us learn to exalt the word above our differences. Let us learn to exalt the new creature above our desires or our shortcomings.
Let us learn only to walk according to one rule. That is the rule of the new creature. Gal 5:15 – 16
Peace
Dr bolaji akanni
| Paralyzing Bad Procrastination
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 11
Procrastination is putting off an action to a later time. It is natural for everyone to procrastinate to some degree but it becomes a problem when you keep procrastinating in a bad way. If you plan to tidy your surroundings early in the day and suddenly you hear the sound of a bomb blast around your house, it may be a good idea to procrastinate that action. That’s good procrastination – leaving less important things to attend to more important ones.
So procrastination can be as a result of many things, but when it keeps hindering you from starting the realization of your God-given desires, then it is a bad procrastination. One reason why most people do this is because they want to make a move only when all situations around them seems perfect and in line with their expectation. Any little challenge encountered along the way is just enough to let them think the time is not right to start a good course. A brother once confessed to me that he is passionate about being a teacher of God’s word, but his job and family issues are so demanding that he doesn’t even have time to read his Bible. But no matter what you are going through, you need to create time to start attending to the most important things of your life.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (GNB) says “If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything”. It’s like waiting for all the traffic lights to turn green before you move. In that case, you will sleep on the road. Traffic lights come in red, yellow and green and you have to be observant to know when a green light is facing you so that you can make a move. Many people are sleeping on their ‘productivity lanes’ just because all the factors they considered necessary to start a journey are not showing green lights.
Also, many procrastinate due to mental laziness. They are unable to properly organize the use of their time and the easy way out is to say … “I will do it tomorrow”. Most times, this tomorrow never comes or it comes too late. I’ve met many good Christians who are Professional Bad Procrastinators (PBP) and I hope you are not one of them. Their best actions are always reserved for tomorrow. But we live in an age where the phrase “tomorrow may be too late” appears to be more potent than ever before. You are only sure of today to some extent but you never can tell the challenges that tomorrow will present. Anything that can be done well today should scarcely be reserved for tomorrow except you have a counter instruction from God.
What’s happening to the good intentions you have for your home, your career, your ministry, your relationship, your business etc. Why not start doing something about them right now? Is your procrastination a good or a bad one?
Beloved, always say ‘NO’ to PBP.
– tope aladenusi
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| 2 Thess. 3:10-13 ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies’.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Here the Bible has a general rule: he who does not work shall not eat. It is therefore apparent that refusing to work is a form of disobeying God. Paul himself used to work though he was a missionary and a propagator of the gospel. He knew he would set a bad example for others if he shunned work. Paul had a real right to depend on the church hence he says in 2 Corinthians 11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? Freely? What does this mean? It simply means that Paul had the right to charge the church at Corinth for the gospel he took to them. What charges are these? This is not gospel fees but support. Yet Paul worked for his own supply, that he may highlight the importance of working.
I have a colleague at work who told me it has been hard for him to surrender his life to Christ because of his elder born-again brother who has shunned work. He fears that “deep” Christianity may make him behave like his brother, who doesn’t look for a job though he graduated two years ago. He is just crisscrossing the country, attending conferences and Christian gatherings. Is there any wrong with such? No there isn’t and yes there is. No because putting God first is crucial to any person who is aiming to be successful in this age and the age to come. Yes because first he may set a bad example to his siblings as the first-born. Then there comes the question of provision to the family. The ageing parents expect him to help in educating the siblings. Does he? Definitely he doesn’t. Now he depends on his younger brother for provision of personal necessities including clothing. The younger brother explains “I have talked to my elder brother to join full-time ministry or look for a job but he does neither”. How can this chap convince his younger brother that Christ is sweet when he is already a burden to him? How? There’s no way. Consequently his brother fears that “deep faith” may cause him to become careless in life. If this elder brother began working, then his younger brother may consider handing his life over to Christ. The conclusion is that work is important, it is a way of obedience to God; it is a way of preaching the gospel of Christ.
– johnstone katuku
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