Love: God’s Nature

In the last article, we discussed the love of God for you and ended with the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It is instructive to note that even though Bible Commentators captioned the story as the parable of the Prodigal son, the parable is more about the father than the son. In actual fact the entire chapter has a central theme, ‘the redeeming love of God’. From the lost sheep that was searched for and found by the shepherd to the lost coin that required a complete sweeping of the room before it could be found to the prodigal son and finally the elder brother who refused to enter the house and the father had to go outside to urge him to come in, we find the same heart of love expressed towards sometimes undeserving recipients.  Jesus used the four stories to reiterate the same point, that God is Love and he is committed to doing good.

David knew this. When he made a mistake by counting Israel and he was to pick a punishment for his error, hear him "This is a desperate situation!" David replied to Gad. "But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands." 2 Sam 24:14. It was also the same certainty of God’s nature of perpetual goodness that made Jonah to head for Tarshish instead of going to warn them at Nineveh as he was instructed to. This is what scripture says of him after God forgave the people of Nineveh “he complained to the LORD about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people.” Jonah 4:2 (NLT). Jonah was willing to bet on God’s goodness and love.

Perhaps the most important evidence of God’s nature of goodness is God’s own description of himself.  In Exodus34, we see God introducing himself and His character to Moses. ‘Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."’ Exo 34:5-7. God’s overwhelming attribute is love.

Some might ask, ‘if God is this good, then why destroy the world with flood or Sodom with fire?’ The answer is the same as to why a doctor removes a cancerous part from a patient in order to save the patient. God sent the flood in order to save humankind. ‘The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.’ Gen 6:6(NIV). Having a heart filled with pain are definitely the emotions of a love being. And on his way to destroy Sodom, he revealed his plan to an intercessor who kept interceding until it was not logically possible any longer, yet God still spared the few righteous persons found in the city.

Another question might be, ‘why doesn’t God step in before bad things happen?’ A major attribute of a love being is the respect of the choices of others. No matter how much a man loves a lady, as long as the lady refuses to accept or reciprocate the love, the man can do little about his love. The same way God has given man the ability to make a choice and to live by the consequences of the choice. God can only do as much as we allow him to do in our lives. Just as Moses said in wilderness, ‘I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live’ Deut 30:19, it is still our responsibility today to choose life.

In conclusion, God is love and it is His nature to do good all the time. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17). We serve a good God and you have a right to expect good from Him all the time because His only disposition towards His children is to do us good.

Hallelujah!!!

If you have not made Jesus Christ your Lord and saviour, you cannot benefit fully from His love. We urge you, don’t wait another moment. Make up your mind and say this prayer:

“Dear God, I ask you to forgive me all my sins and make me anew. I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised him up on the third day, I confess that He is Lord now and forever. I accept your son, Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

Congratulations! Now that you are born again, look for a bible believing church to attend that you might know what he has provided for you. 

Love: The Father's Love

Love is in the air. 💕

 It’s the season of love and we will spend a couple of weeks dwelling on love. Love is perhaps the most fascinating word in human history. Every great story is given a love angle, the movies that last longest in our memories are centered around love. From a tender age, we are inundated with ‘Happily ever after’, ‘knights in shining armour’ stories. Majority spend most of their lives in search of love. So then, what is love? The answer is not that straight forward as there are four variants of the word. The first kind of love is the Eros which is the emotional love, it is what most mean when they say ‘I love you’. It is purely based on feelings and could be selfish and unstable. The second kind is the Phileo love, which is the love that exists between family members. It is the natural affection one feels towards a sibling or a child.  The third kind is the Philadelphia, which is the love that exists between friends, it is called the brotherly love. It is very close to the Phileo and is sometimes used interchangeably. The fourth and final kind of love is the Agape love. This is the God-kind of love, it is the unconditional commitment to doing good and is not dependent on the recipient’s actions.

Every love story and movie seeks to portray this love. But they often fall short because there is only one that can perfectly model the agape love and guess what? He is in love with you. God is love and He loves you unconditionally and is committed to do you good. He is constantly thinking of you. Hear what the scriptures says ‘For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ The popular scriptural verse in John 3:16 would still be true if it reads thus; ‘For God so loved me, that He gave His only begotten Son, …’. God went the extra mile for you by giving his only son that you might be with Him. If He did not spare His own son for you, there is nothing else He cannot give you, if you will only respond to His love.

‘How can God love me with my lifestyle?’ someone may ask. In Romans 5:8, ‘But God has shown us how much He loves us---it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!’ (GNT) we see that God did extend His love towards us in our sinful nature. Even your shortcomings are not enough to separate you from His love. Also, situations and circumstances are neither proof of God’s love nor can they remove us from His love. Consider this, scripture ‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’(Rom 8:38-39 NLT). Nothing means nothing.

One of the greatest examples of God’s love is recorded in Luke 15 as narrated by Jesus, it is the parable we call the ‘parable of the Prodigal Son’. The second son demanded for his inheritance and wasted it in a foreign land. Thereafter he summoned courage to go back to his father to ask for forgiveness and be hired as a servant, verse 20 describes the reaction of the father: "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”(NLT). Whereas the father could have seen the son and be angered by him (justifiably so) or even convince himself to only forgive him if he is truly sorry, yet what we saw was a father running to the son to welcome and restore him with so much love in his heart and without conditions. Notice also that the father saw him ‘a long distance away’ which could only have meant that the father had been eagerly anticipating his return.

Regardless of the picture of God people might have painted to you (and yes, we will discuss the person of God the next time out), regardless of who might have betrayed your love or disappointed you, regardless of who else loves you; please be assured of God’s love for you.

God loves you passionately.

If you have not made Jesus Christ your Lord and saviour, you cannot benefit fully from His love. We urge you, don’t wait another moment. Make up your mind and say this prayer:

“Dear God, I ask you to forgive me all my sins and make me anew. I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised him up on the third day, I confess that He is Lord now and forever. I accept your son, Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

Congratulations! Now that you are born again, look for a bible believing church to attend that you might know what he has provided for you. 

Walking with God

Happy new year.

It’s a new year and a season of making resolutions. And rightly so, for we can set the course of this year and years after by the decisions we make now. So, if you don’t mind, let me suggest one resolution that you should add to the list if it is not already there. A personal walk with God.

A personal walk with God is a commitment to know God for yourself and to develop a relationship with Him. It is tuning out the noise of the market and focusing on Christ alone. Scriptures says ‘… but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.’ Dan 11:32(NKJV). The strength you need to go through life victorious is in knowing God. A personal walk with God involves a fellowship with the word of God (Jesus) and the Spirit of God.

And the word was made flesh. Jesus is the living word of God and we should have a thirst for the word. Reading and meditating the scriptures is to fellowship with the word. Kindly note, that the word is both the old and new testament. For the old testament is the new testament concealed and a shadow of what is to come.  Fellowshipping with the word is not complete until we commit to doing it. Jesus said the wise man is he who hears the word and does them (Matt 7:24-25). Make a resolution to do the word this year.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:14. Our walk with God is defined by our fellowship and submission to the Holy spirit. It is the spirit of God that reveals to us the plans of God for the now and also the secrets that God has kept for us from the foundation of the world. Spend time praying in the spirit and listening to the spirit this year, it is what will make the difference. It is sometimes said that ‘a regular study of the word is all a Christian needs’; well, hear what the master said on the matter ‘But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Counselor won't come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you.’ John 16:7 (NLT). Since Jesus said it is best for a believer for the Holy spirit (comforter) to come, then we undermine ourselves by not maximizing the relationship.

In summary, walking with the lord this season starts with committing a defined time to commune with God and listen to him. No, it doesn’t have to be a whole hour, start where you are. If all you can do now is 20 minutes of praying daily, then do it. What is important is the consistency.  ‘I will do it anytime of the day when I am free’ will not work, you might have realized by now that there is hardly ever a free time, we make time for what we feel is important. So dedicate a specific time (morning, afternoon or night) to fellowship with God and His Spirit. Aside this set time, take time to pray under your breath all through the day, 20 seconds here, 30 seconds there. It sets a spiritual atmosphere around you.

Read and study the word of God daily. The Bible is the manual that God has given to us to guide us and in it we know the person and the eternal will of the father for us. So it is expedient that we discover this on a daily basis. But don’t just read it, deliberately pick a portion for meditation throughout the day. Say the scripture to yourself, think about it, in so doing your mind is renewed to God’s word and its realities. For in doing this will our success and prosperity be established (Ps 1:1-3, Jos 1:8).

‘And Enoch walked with God’, this can be your testimony too.

If you have not made Jesus Christ your Lord and saviour, then life here is anchorless and eternity is bleak. We urge you, don’t wait another moment. Make up your mind and say this prayer:

“Dear God, I ask you to forgive me all my sins and make me anew. I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised him up on the third day, I confess that He is Lord now and forever. I accept your son, Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

Congratulations! Now that you are born again, look for a bible believing church to attend that you might know what he has provided for you. 

The Supernatural: The Miracle of Growth

In the Last article (please click here to read), it was established that the miraculous is an essential part of the Christian walk. As a matter of fact, to believe in Christ is to believe in the miraculous. Rom 10:10 says that to believe that ‘Jesus was raised from the dead’ and confess him as lord is what it means to be saved.

Furthermore, you hear of promises that the supernatural life in Christ brings overnight prosperity, you are promised success without work, appointment without qualification yet there is not a single portion of scripture that encourages mediocrity or instantaneous wealth. The supernatural is not mysticism; grace is not license for laziness. 

The Supernatural : Walking in the Miraculous

The fact that God does miracles is not news to Christians and non-christians alike, it is alluded to in the multiplicity of fake miracle centers around, after all a fake is only a testament to the efficacy of the original. It is confirmed during emergency situations where “Jesus” is spontaneously chorused by otherwise non-believers. Most importantly, the Bible is filled with testimonies of God stepping in to change situations and reverse the natural order for the sake of men. But why don’t we see it in our midst as often as we should? 

One reason perhaps, is that we have left the miraculous to Pastors and ministry gifts in general. We somehow disqualify ourselves from having the ability to do the miraculous. “It is not for every Christian you say” yet the Lord Jesus himself said “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12. Please note that the qualification for doing the works and even greater works than Jesus did is to simply believe. In essence, a day-old believer can do the miraculous. On the same point, Jesus said in another scripture that “these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17-18. In case we are unsure of what the works were in the previous verse, Christ expatiated on them here but the qualification remains the same.   

The life we have received is not an ordinary life; we are not and should not be limited by the natural. We have received the eternal life of God (1 John5:13) and thus the supernatural is our daily experience. Expect the impossible to become possible for you because you serve a wonder-working God. In John6:16-21, we see Jesus walking on waters but in verses 22 -25, we realized that Jesus walked on the waters because there were no more boats and he would not be limited by the natural. When the treasurer was not available and he needed to pay tax, he simply ordered it from a fish (Matthew 17:24-27).

Leadership In the Workplace

And masters, treat your servants considerably, be fair with them, and don’t forget for a minute that you too serve a master in heaven Colossians 4:1 Msg

From the Scripture above, Christian leaders are to be mindful that they also are subject to God who is the Master of us all. Our leadership attitude should be modeled after Christ. Apostle Paul who shows an exemplary leadership in the bible said emphatically that we should follow him as he follows Christ 1 Cor 11:1 In Col 3:22 the bible advice followers, to obey their masters in all things, not with eye service but with singleness of heart. But leaders are not to Lord over their followers, but lead with Meekness and Love.

UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP

To become a good leader, we must have a perfect understanding of leadership from biblical perspective. You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. John 13-13-14.  From the above scripture, Jesus demonstrated the perfect leadership, as he lead by example. In teaching His disciples to serve one another, Jesus himself started by serving them and showing them how to do what he teaches them to do. Whether in the church or at our place of work, we should lead by example rather than commanding without taking actions. Jesus Christ explains the perfect leader as a one that is willing to serve. As professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders in the workplace, there is a need to show Godly influence at our workplace but we cannot do this by acting as lords over our followers, our Godly principles should be lived out in our daily relations with our followers. Through this, we will effectively assert Godly influence.

Who Do They Say You Are?

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  Matthew 16: 13-17.

One day Jesus thought; ‘hey guys, who do your community people say that I am?’ And the disciples one after the other, I believe, started mentioning names; Elias, John the Baptist, Jeremias or one of the prophet. Sigh. Then Jesus asked: "who do you say I am?" And Mr Peter answered. He certainly was in the spirit when he did. It was not head knowledge, it was revealed unto him!

But why did the 'men’ who saw Jesus as a prophet think that?  Was there some particular way prophets dressed that Jesus followed? Was there a particular look they wore? Was their diet different? Was it a function of their complexion or height? I'm just wondering.