Text:
Romans 14:7-8 AMP.
None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for] If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.
Emeka has no room in his heart for the gospel of Christ. He sees preaching the Word of God to him as a deliberate attempt to upset him. The last time I tried to correct him for a certain anomaly, he quipped; What is your own? This is my life, allow me to live it the way I want. Hmmm, but then, I was taken aback as I wondered who or what made him think he has any life and that he is the one that sets the standard of how to live the life.
Emeka belonged to the class of the people the bible says their minds have been blinded by the devil that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine unto them— 2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV. He may not know or probably has forgotten that no man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. That it is appointed unto man to die once and after death, judgement is immaterial, but what is paramount to him is the 'NOW' thing. For him, he is so much in a hurry to avail himself of all that this present world offers.
Nonetheless, Emeka's position will neither thwart nor change or defer what the owner of the life that we live has ordained before the foundation of the earth; for He that will come will surely come and will not tarry as the scripture says.
We are mere stewards and everyone of us will one day stand before our righteous God to give account of the rare privileges and opportunities he has given us; The Wealth, the Fame, the Children, the Power, the Excellent Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding he has so much lavished on us for service to him and humanity. Yes, we must give account of how we managed or mismanaged them.
God's righteousness demands that he must surely reward the righteous, he is so righteous that he will never acquit those that will willingly choose to damn him and his Son Jesus Christ. 'For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse...' Romans 1:20 KJV
Some years ago, when I was in Togo, I remembered discussing with one of my neighbors and he asked me, Mr William, this 'Christ Christ' you always talk about, since I was born I have been hearing that Jesus is coming soon, so also did my father and his forefathers before him, so will I also live and die without him ever coming. I was quick to reply him that the scripture has already provided the answer to this mockery as he belonged to the group that believed that the Second Coming of Christ is a mere illusion. 'Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation— 2 Peter 3:3-4 KJV.
The bottom line of the whole matter is, '...This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven'— Acts 1:11 KJV. This time around, not as a lamb to the slaughter or a dumb sheep before her shearers but as the Judge of the Great White Throne before whom both the great and small, the rich and the poor and, of course, the weak and the strong will appear.
BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH! Occupy Till He Comes.
Remain Blessed!
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
LET ME LIVE MY LIFE?
Text:
Romans 14:7-8 AMP.
None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for] If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.
Emeka has no room in his heart for the gospel of Christ. He sees preaching the Word of God to him as a deliberate attempt to upset him. The last time I tried to correct him for a certain anomaly, he quipped; What is your own? This is my life, allow me to live it the way I want. Hmmm, but then, I was taken aback as I wondered who or what made him think he has any life and that he is the one that sets the standard of how to live the life.
Romans 14:7-8 AMP.
None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for] If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.
Emeka has no room in his heart for the gospel of Christ. He sees preaching the Word of God to him as a deliberate attempt to upset him. The last time I tried to correct him for a certain anomaly, he quipped; What is your own? This is my life, allow me to live it the way I want. Hmmm, but then, I was taken aback as I wondered who or what made him think he has any life and that he is the one that sets the standard of how to live the life.
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
FINDING HOPE IN THE 'HOPELESS SITUATION'
Text:
Heb.6:15NLT.
Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
The pot gradually and steadily runs out of oil even as the bank account is already in the red. The clock ticks dutifully, drawing closer the children's school resumption after the the vacation which you wished may never come to an end. The more you wish the hand of the clock could be stayed, the more it seems to be moving at a jet speed, still drawing to your attention your responsibilities as a faithful father and a virtuous woman. But alas! God seems not to be responding in parallel to your own speed. Wait! Be Patient, Be Still, seems to be what you keep hearing.
Oftentimes, God keeps us waiting, even in the face of the realities of famine, face to face with a ravaging terror. Then, we ask, 'Is the time not yet ripe for the heaven to release the dew? Have we not wondered enough to get to our destination point?
The Psalmist found himself in the maze of this paradigm and when tabling his matter to God, he asked, 'Lord, how long wilt thou look on?— Psalm 35:17. But then, when he pulled himself together, he remembered that, 'the way of man is, really, not in himself... Jeremiah 10:23 and counseled his own soul to 'Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.'
His waiting was never in vain; for the promises of God in Christ Jesus are 'Yea and Amen.' In a process of time, to his astonishment and amazement, he exclaimed, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." Beyond the expected Dew, there was a Great Shower.
The entire Jews, at a time, also expressed such extravagant joy, 'When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad-- Psalm 126:1-3 KJV.
Yes, such change is always greeted with great excitement, it erases all past trauma, it dries away tears as it puts songs in the mouth and melodies in the heart, but then, are we ready to wait? Can we pay the prize of waiting, can we bear the ridicule, face the humiliation, the despise? Can we bear the cost of being deserted and be ready to contend with the few friends who will, rather be judgmental than proffering solutions as in the case of Job? Will you be ready to tolerate your wife who will rather advertise your plight than being there for you at such a time?
The scripture affirms that, '...no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."—Heb. 12:11. KJV.
God never keeps us waiting without hope, without His presence and without sustaining us as He stands by His Word that He 'is faithful, and will not suffer us to be tempted above what we will be able to bear-1 Cor.10:13 KJV The psalmist from his own personal experience counsels, 'Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME!
Remain Blessed!
Heb.6:15NLT.
Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
The pot gradually and steadily runs out of oil even as the bank account is already in the red. The clock ticks dutifully, drawing closer the children's school resumption after the the vacation which you wished may never come to an end. The more you wish the hand of the clock could be stayed, the more it seems to be moving at a jet speed, still drawing to your attention your responsibilities as a faithful father and a virtuous woman. But alas! God seems not to be responding in parallel to your own speed. Wait! Be Patient, Be Still, seems to be what you keep hearing.
Oftentimes, God keeps us waiting, even in the face of the realities of famine, face to face with a ravaging terror. Then, we ask, 'Is the time not yet ripe for the heaven to release the dew? Have we not wondered enough to get to our destination point?
The Psalmist found himself in the maze of this paradigm and when tabling his matter to God, he asked, 'Lord, how long wilt thou look on?— Psalm 35:17. But then, when he pulled himself together, he remembered that, 'the way of man is, really, not in himself... Jeremiah 10:23 and counseled his own soul to 'Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.'
His waiting was never in vain; for the promises of God in Christ Jesus are 'Yea and Amen.' In a process of time, to his astonishment and amazement, he exclaimed, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." Beyond the expected Dew, there was a Great Shower.
The entire Jews, at a time, also expressed such extravagant joy, 'When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad-- Psalm 126:1-3 KJV.
Yes, such change is always greeted with great excitement, it erases all past trauma, it dries away tears as it puts songs in the mouth and melodies in the heart, but then, are we ready to wait? Can we pay the prize of waiting, can we bear the ridicule, face the humiliation, the despise? Can we bear the cost of being deserted and be ready to contend with the few friends who will, rather be judgmental than proffering solutions as in the case of Job? Will you be ready to tolerate your wife who will rather advertise your plight than being there for you at such a time?
The scripture affirms that, '...no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."—Heb. 12:11. KJV.
God never keeps us waiting without hope, without His presence and without sustaining us as He stands by His Word that He 'is faithful, and will not suffer us to be tempted above what we will be able to bear-1 Cor.10:13 KJV The psalmist from his own personal experience counsels, 'Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME!
Remain Blessed!
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