For we have quoted the scripture, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” When did this take place? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? It was before, not after. He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of faith that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised”. (Rom 4:9b – 12)
Let us consider importantly how Abraham received his righteousness. We cannot but be amazed on the fact that Abraham was called before he was circumcised. ‘Un-circumcision’ represented the filthiest form of man before God.
Circumcision thus served as a sign of what has been received. It was nothing anyone could take personal glory/praise for. Without God calling the person, circumcision was useless.
Many people have placed the cart before the horse. The issue that matters most is not so much what you are doing or will do. It is – ‘have you believed?’ When the jailor asked Paul “Sirs what must we do?” We do not see Paul giving a 10 point memorandum on church etiquettes rather he said simply “believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.” Also, when Jesus was asked what work must we do? He did not fail to let those inquiring realize that the work was to believe on the one sent. This is first and above all.
Of practical note is this again that salvation is open to all in whatever state they might be in. God as echoed above is not expecting anything of you but simply calls all men in all nation in whatever state they are to trust him for salvation.
No matter how far gone you may be. It is not about what you have as much as if you’re willing to believe. What happened to Abraham typifies what would happen to as many as would simply believe not minding their state. I leave you with these lovely reminders as to what we have received in Christ Jesus.
But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Romans 5:8 – 10
Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God. Eph 1:13
bolaji akanni
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 2 Cor. 9:12
In the eighth and ninth chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul teaches about giving as it should be done in the New Testament. Verse 12 of Chpater 9 is particularly insightful.
When we give, the first requirement is a willing mind. It is meaningless to give anything when the motivation is not love.
Equally important is the fact that our giving is accepted according to that which we have. Too many times we make statements like, “I wish I had a million Dollars. I would give it all to support the ministry.” Or others like, “If I had my life to live all over again, I would spend more time serving God.”
Well, you probably do not have a million Dollars anywhere, and you definitely do not have your life to live all over again. What you have right now is what you are expected to give. What you can do right now is what you are expected to do.
Don’t wait until you have billions before you give. Don’t wait until you are behind a pulpit before you preach. Don’t wait until you have resigned from your job before you start labouring in the ministry.
“If a man have first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that which a man hath…”
– jide lawal
If you know where you are heading in life, you will find the pathway to get there in the world. Likewise, if you do not know where you are heading, the world will show you many ways to compound the existing confusion.
Jesus Christ came to the world to die for humanity and the Jews helped him to fulfill his goal by crucifying him. Interestingly, the same Jews wanted to make Jesus their king at a time, but he refused the offer because it was not his goal. If Jesus were to act like a believer of our day, he would most likely take the offer and even go to Church to share ‘his testimony’. Many of us today are celebrating distractions because we do not know where we are heading.
Do we take our luggage to the airport and plan to board the next available aircraft to wherever it is heading. No! We always have our destination in mind, which is why we are able to book for flights. If we can do this for the little things of life, how come for many believers, the ‘available’ is most times the ‘desirable’? Why are we not reaching for set goals but settling into small holes, wishing that something somehow will someday bring the right goals to our doors?
Where do you want to be in five years? What about in twenty years? Analyse all the activities going on in your life on a daily basis. Are they directed only towards accomplishing the dreams of other men or they are steps to take you to your goal?
Beloved, you may not know the name of the organ that pumps blood to your brain, but whatever it will take, know where you are heading to.
tope aladenusi
Over a man’s tomb I sat,
Wondering what to write,
Phrases I had used in times past
Didn’t just seem right.
Gone too soon was such a line
But before he died he said it was just the right time.
Gone but not forgotten nearly sounds cool
Only that He said he would be back soon
We lost a gem was for a brilliant boy who died at the age of twelve,
Only (this man) that He was not lost, but we found a gem through his death
Call to Glory was for a Christian whose folks didn’t like the sound of lost
Only this man had no such worries for he knew where he was heading towards
He said he left his Glory to die and has gone back to the same,
Transition…always wondered what that meant,
Only to learn it meant to move away to another place,
But this man didn’t really do that saying He would not leave us as orphans
Forever in our minds could stand but I don’t really like the mind part
For I know he is more real to me than my mind can fathom
Never to be forgotten…how could I
In memoriam…sounds too solemn
Gone but not forgotten…I just don’t like the gone part
But while I was wondering what to inscribe with chisel in hand and mallet in the other
The tomb shook…
I peeped in to see the remains of this man…maybe I would get some inspiration
What a neat tomb I must say…
Most likely used for the very first time
…. But wait a minute
Something isn’t right
The tomb was empty
No one!!!
Only a cloth wrapped neatly
Mouth agape I cried
Now I understood all He said
As under a spell I left the tomb
And struck away with my chisel ad mallet
Pieces of stone flying across my face
The wolves howled
The owls hooted
The crickets were really noisy that night as I was told later on but I didn’t notice
Soon the cocks were crowing
But soon it would be over
Stroke after stroke and then one final stoke
Yes
…Under the moonlight
I looked at what I had inscribed
And I knew nothing else could I add
For on the tomb was written
-HE’S NOT DEAD. HE’S RISEN!!!
– bolaji akanni
Places like mountainous area, solitary area and deserts were those that were regular host to Jesus during His earthly walk. Actions like withdrawing oneself, depart hence, and rising up a great while before day, also characterised His walk. Specifically in Matthew 14:23, the last phrase reads, “…he was there alone”. Not to conjure and commune with spirits and ghosts, neither did He choose those kinds of places because He loved to sleep in places free from disturbances; He simply went to those places to PRAY.
“And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain to pray…” Matthew 14:23.
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed”. Mark 1:35;
“And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place…” Luke 4:42
Why on earth should Jesus have chosen to be in such places? He wanted to be alone communing with God. Since prayer is not a one way thing, but communing with the father, this means that as I speak to Him, He replies. If we can understand and appreciate the essence of being alone with our loved ones here on earth in places free from disturbances, then we should know how important it is being alone with Him who we have an everlasting fellowship with.
As long and as much as we love to keep our earthly relationship through constant desire to have a heart to heart talk, likewise we should constantly desire to have a tête-à-tête with God always.
Get off your busy schedules and environment, and move straight to be alone with God. In our day and age, the deserts and mountains may not be realistic, but we can choose to move into our rooms, wake up middle of the night or early hours of the day. Also, you may choose to drive to a quite place, and stay there in your car praying to the father.
Are you too busy for God? Desire to be alone with Him!
– adeyiga awomuti
Getting familiar with God’s voice
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10
If you know the exact sound of God’s voice, then it will be easy for you to recognize it whenever you hear it. Do you agree?
When believers say God spoke to them, have you ever questioned further to know how it sounded when they heard him?
Some of the Christian movies I’ve watched have portrayed God’s voice to have a very loud, husky and croaking baritone sound. So you can imagine what came to my mind when someone told me God spoke to him/her. Besides, God had been speaking to me all the while but I always disregarded it because it never sounded like what I heard in the movies. However, my story changed when I read 1st Samuel Chapter 3, where the bible gave an account of how the Lord called Samuel three times and he thought it was Eli calling him.
I asked myself the question – if the voice Samuel heard was unusually strange like what I hear in the movies, would he have gone to Eli? I don’t think so because he went to Eli three times saying ‘thou calledst me’. He didn’t say ‘I heard a strange voice’. Could it be God speaking to me during those countless number of times that I’ve been saying “Something said to me?” What exactly do I mean when I say ‘something told me’? What is that thing?
I began to study my ‘heart messages’ i.e. what I was told by this “Something”. I observed the way it came. I wrote them down. I obeyed some of them and evaluated the final result in the case where it was an instruction. I compared these messages with God’s word before making a move. I made inquiry from many matured believers. I studied some books. I also observed the trend in the bible.
What did I get from all these? First, the emphasis is not on the sound of God’s voice but on the state of heart of the recipient of a message. What do I mean? Sometimes it is loud, other times it could be a still small voice. It could also appear to be that you are talking to yourself. But amidst all, there is usually a conviction in the heart. The second thing I learnt is … I am now getting familiar with how God often speaks to me.
– tope aladenusi
Follow your heart Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-15
Last night before I went to bed, I set my alarm clock to wake me up by 5:30 this morning. I was just about taking my sleep to the fourth gear when it started ringing. So I stretched my hand to the clock and without opening my eyes, I silenced it and continued sleeping till 7:00am. Why should I do this? – I said to myself when I woke up. My reasoning tells me that I had a lot of reasons why I should obey my alarm clock, but my earnest desire was to have some more time to sleep. And like it often happens, I followed my desire.
Most times we do not end up doing what we think we should do, but what we desire to do. There were so many times when I desired to wake up by 4:00am, and without the aid of my alarm clock, I woke up at exactly that time. There is a power that unleashes from within when you are acting based on your own will or desire. God is very much aware of this that is why one way he communicates his will to us is by ‘wiring’ them into our deepest desires.
Philippians 2:13 says it so well “…for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight” (AMP).
Do you know why I love the way the Amplified version puts it? It is because of the phrase “all the while”. Yes! All the while God has been cultivating in you the desire to start that business, but you say ‘No, I need to hear a voice’; For some years, your heart has been nudging you to end that relationship, but you say “no voice, no way”; All the while your heart has been craving to be a missionary, but no one seems to be in support of it; Your heart is ticking to buy those shares, but you say they have not risen in the past six months. Why disregard the ticking of your wristwatch because it is not a church clock. We have been saying “No” to the desires God has placed in us because we have not heard an audible voice. No wonder many are not progressing in the way that seems right to them.
You may ask, what if my desire is not really God’s will. Well, we will address this in our subsequent messages. But before that, I will like you to absorb the verse of scripture above. God is constantly at work in you to make you please him. To achieve this, he creates in you a desire/will. This ‘Will’ comes with an energy that guarantees success once it is obeyed. Look back into your life and you will see so many instances where you desired something deeply and you thought it would take ages to get it, but it came your way without difficulty. Look now at your life and you will realize that you are already experiencing some of your deepest desires of yesterday.
If genuine Christians really followed their heart, their lives will be an epitome of excitement. Above following men or trend, learn to follow your heart.
To be continued …
– tope aladenusi
Make yourself accountable. Know that accountability is a sign of strength not weakness because it means that you have a good character. Understand that no one is beyond the need for accountability. The more you attempt to do for God, the more you need to be accountable. Trust God to help you do the right thing in private as well as in public. Think and pray about other people you can ask to be your accountability partner. As partners, ask each other the hard questions and be willing to challenge one another to remain faithful in all areas of lives. Accountability will help protect your testimony as a Christian and make you a successful witness for Christ. Be accountable to someone else before you require the same from any other person.
Pay attention to life’s details such as returning phone call or writing thank you notes. Know that if you are great in little things you will build integrity with others. Be loyal to Christ and to the people you have important relationships, such as your spouse, sibling, children and Christian friends. Show people that they can rely on you. Work diligently at your tasks, giving everything you undertake your best efforts.
-gabriel ajibade
| The Holy Spirit; Christian’s power and light
The promised Holy Spirit; comforter and Teacher The Holy Spirit; person of the Godhead The Holy Spirit; Blessed Trinity He cometh not in a measure Ever asked for a portion of Christ or God? He is not water, fire, a dove, oil, or a force Why thinkest thou that He is given in measure Why thinkest thou that He can run dry Why thinkest thou that He can be extinguished Grieve not the Holy Spirit He is a person; committed to you fully He has power; He giveth it fully He lives in us, wholly, wholly, wholly! – funmi aina
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| Thank God for his word. Thank God because it does not fail. Glory to God because the scriptures cannot be broken.
Like we said we must consciously sow seeds because they hold the key to the future. So what do we do? We must always remove the seed FIRST. Now you can view the seed in so many ways because really there are varieties of seeds. But let’s broadly have two classes. There are the First fruits. Ex 23:19 “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God.” This seed is so important not only for the increase it ensures but because it is an act of: WORSHIP – Deut. 26:10: “And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God” HONOUR – Proverb: 3:9 “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” and is a simple way of showing “in all your ways acknowledge Him” financially. Simply put, set aside seed to be sown into the most fertile soil of ministry. Tope Aladenusi calls it “the investment with steady returns”
There is also the general seed that is kept to be invested in a variety of places. That’s the “Proverb 21:20: There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.” Friends it is foolishness to spend/eat all we have. There is a portion we withhold. “Proverb:11:24: There is he that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” Note the withholdeth more than is meet. So a part of all you have and get must be set aside for investment. Most times we don’t because we believe we don’t have enough in the first place, so why set aside something from nothing. Remember, the disciples saw five loaves and two fishes as nothing if five thousand people were to be fed, but Jesus taught them it was something.
God’s grace ensures you have something to invest. He ministereth both bread and seed. There is always a part that is tagged seed/investment in all that comes your way. If we save 10% of all we waste we will be 100% better each month. Do a simple exercise. Buy a small jotter; record ALL your expenses in a month. ALL. No matter how small and negligible it is. At the end of the month put each expense where they belong and see where your seed goes. Do something about it. Now! -emmanuel aladenusi
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