Jul 3, 2017 |
“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 eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” Ephesians 6:5-6
One of the deceitful arts which mankind has perfected is eye service which literally mean doing things just to impress and not with any true dedication or commitment.
In other words people do things just to “play to the gallery”
We see this done in almost every area of life. Husband and wife sometimes smile and do nice things to each other just because they want to leave good impression on other people that are around and they turn to their “true selves” when those they want to impress have left.
Some parents do the same to their children when guests are with them.
Workers do the same when the boss is around and once the boss leaves they are back to their lackadaisical attitude to work which means lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
As true Christians whatever we do must be done properly and diligently from our heart knowing that God ultimately will reward our productivity.
We are all accountable to God for the use of all our God given resources and the above scripture is not just meant for “servants”.
We are all on assignment for God in whatever assignment we find ourselves and must therefore discharge our responsibilities as unto God and not just to please men.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him….” 2 chronicles 16:9
God ultimately rewards.
Do the Right thing from your heart.”in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ”
So don’t do eye service in whatever assignment you are privileged to do.
Jun 30, 2017 |
“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
God created man for a purpose and therefore every man or woman born to this world has an assignment from God.
You are not an accident.
You were specifically commissioned to this world for a purpose. When the military commissions an officer it is with more responsibilities and rewards. So also when you give your life to Christ and accept HIM as your Lord and savior you are not only enlisted in God’s army but also equipped and rewarded for the assignment.
You are therefore born into this world to the fact that the Almighty God has a beginning and an end in sight for you.
Therefore to number your days in this world daily, monthly and yearly makes sense when you calibrate it in line with God’s purpose for your life.
Your heart gains wisdom when you realize that each second of your breath counts towards a purposeful life. “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. For Christ died and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Romans 14:7-9
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” Psalm 90:1
Through all the generations of His people’s existence, reaching back all the way to creation, God has always been there preserving and protecting His people.
My wife Olutoyin and I were watching a movie together few days ago and I recalled that known fact that generally the star actor in a movie does not die until the movie is over. In mixed Yoruba Language you say “actor o ki ku”.
The Almighty God that created you for HIS purpose is a better script writer and producer .
No matter the risks, trials and challenges you face on your God given assignment you will not expire until the fullness of your purpose.
“Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we’ll skip and dance all the daylong.
Make up for the bad times with some good times; Let your servants see what you’re best at— the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God; rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!” Psalm 90: 15-17
As I apply my heart to His wisdom today I thank God for you reading this piece that whenever you mark your birthday too you will also apply your heart to HIS wisdom haven given your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and daily living His purposeful life too.
Like Ebenezer Obey sang “My birthday has come …Daddy buy present for me” Our Heavenly Daddy knows the best birthday gift for each of us as we celebrate our birthdays.
Happy Birthday to me.
Jun 28, 2017 |
“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:4
Fasting and praying before God is an integral part of the true Christian life that is becoming unfashionable.
Many Christians today believe that once you have faith you can name and claim your promise from God without fasting and praying.
Its good to confess the Word but Jesus taught the disciples that there are certain things that do not happen unless they are with prayer and fasting.
“ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:1
As you grow with God and increase in your knowledge of Him prayers and fasting are desirable from your heart because you want to know Him more and better. This comes into your desire because God ignites your spirit through the Holy Spirit in you to desire fasting.
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6
However its very important for you to understand that fasting and prayers is before the God of heaven and not a public show before man.
Fasting and prayers move us to higher levels such as when Moses was to receive the laws, Jesus before HE started His earthly ministry and Paul before he started his missionary journey.
Don’t rely on prayer contractors to do your prayers and fasting, you have to develop your personal relationship with God.
Christianity is a personal relationship with God.
For prayers and fasting that gets result do it entirely in God’s way.
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am’.” Isaiah 58:6-9
Jun 26, 2017 |
“saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Luke 4:34
Do you know Jesus Christ as the Holy One of God as well?
The demon being casted out knew and acknowledged that Jesus of Nazareth is HOLY.
Many professing Christians seems oblivious of this fact that Jesus is not just LOVE but also HOLY.
If the devil itself knows this attribute of our Lord and Savior what about you?
Your knowledge of Jesus as the Holy One of God should wake you up and get you out of the compromising life you sometimes engage in and flee all manner of unholy acts in every area of your life.
Yes God is LOVE but HE is also HOLY.
Take time today to meditate on this fact that if the devil itself knows God is HOLY what manner of life should you be living?
“So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”1 Peter 1:3-16
As the Bible says above live a life of Holiness, you are equipped to do better than the devil who can not be HOLY but acknowledges this Great attribute of God .
You as a child of God should not only know it that God is Holy but live a triumphant life of Holiness.
Yes you can live Holy.
The Holy Sprit in you enables you to live Holy when you yield your life completely over to HIM.
God said, “I am holy; you be holy.
Jun 23, 2017 |
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:” Deuteronomy 28:1-2
Many of us want the daily Blessings from God, which HE has promised to always, make available to us only on one condition “obey the voice of the Lord your GOD”
As we read the Word of God and meditate on it we gradually develop a relationship with HIM on hearing HIS voice and as we obey the clear instructions HE gives us through HIS written Word (The Bible )His voice gets more and more audible.
This is the basic way of hearing HIS voice and the more you do this healthier relationship comes between you and God.
Once you know HIS voice then HE requests you to obey them and then you will see the manifestation of HIS Blessings.
Some people seek HIS Blessings outside HIS word only relying on what the Pastor or Prophet says.
It does not always work that way the true and most reliable way of knowing God and enjoying HIS Blessings in all areas of your life is for you to personal study the Word of God and find which of HIS promises best relates to your need and take that up with HIM your maker.
Do what HE says you should do and HE is always doing HIS own part.
“Blessed be God, who has given peace to his people Israel just as he said he’d do. Not one of all those good and wonderful words that he spoke through Moses has misfired. May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors—may he never give up and walk out on us. May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors.” 1 Kings 8:56
As you fully determine to hear HIM and obey HIM the Blessings from HIM will naturally flow.
Jun 21, 2017 |
“Then David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple and its surroundings, including the entry room, the storerooms, the upstairs rooms, the inner rooms, and the inner sanctuary–which was the place of atonement.’1 Chronicles 28:11
“So King Solomon finished all his work on the Temple of the LORD. Then he brought all the gifts his father, David, had dedicated–the silver, the gold, and the various articles–and he stored them in the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple.” 1 Kings 7:51
Today as we celebrate another fathers day lets remind ourselves that God’s requirement of us as fathers is to leave more than enough legacies for our children so they can also add on and pass it down for their own children too.
His pattern as we see from the Bible is for fathers to walk with God in obedience so that HE can prosper us and pass that prosperity down the generational line. Some cultures do task their children to produce for them and wrongly teach children that they are investments that must take care of them.
The truth we must remind ourselves today as we celebrate fathers day is that fathers must walk and work with God so that HE can bless us much that we will take care of our own responsibilities and have leftovers to pass down to the next generations. Abraham, Isaac and Israel did this. Even as Joseph was the Prime Minister his father Israel still had something to personally give him and bless him with before he passed on.
The Bible commands us to honor and respect our parents this we must do but must not be misinterpreted as enslavement for children to produce for their parent’s .In love we must continue to teach our children and not provoke them to wrongdoings. When we give as God has commanded us to do, the returns have a multiplier effect and true prosperity is manifested in every area of our lives.
Solomon unfortunately did not instruct and teach his own children like David did to him.
The early fathers created time to teach God’s way to their children. This we must continue to do as fathers today in other to leave legacies behind.
We must as fathers take responsibilities for our own actions and decisions and not sacrifice our children to save our face. “Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would have been the next king, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelites withdrew and returned to their own land.” 2 Kings 3:27. It was the king of Moab who had inordinate ambition but he sacrificed his son to get it .Do not spend all your time pursuing money with fame and neglect raising your children. Do not mortgage your children future with today’s deals. When king Hezekiah was also told of what would happen after his death to the next generation as a result of his action he did not care to intercede. That’s not being a good father.
What are your weaknesses in life today as a father? Please address it, do not pass down any generational curse in your family line. Let it end at the cross of Jesus Christ today and take possession of all the blessings that God has for you as a father. It is never too late to turn around.
Today as a father what legacy are you going to leave for your children?
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
(Reproduced .First Published June 16th 2016)
