Month: April 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ( Matthew 5:16 )

Our anchor verse of Scripture is just reiterating the Scripture that says we are the light of the world; a city built upon a hill which cannot be hidden (verse 14). We do not by ourselves have anything worth displaying to the world, but then we have the ability to let the world see what God had placed in us. “We are the light of the world” means we are the express revelation of the glory of God because of what we have within us. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ( Ephesians 2:10). We have in us “treasures” of God’s glory and the world is longing to see it. The glory is not ours that is why after men have seen our good works, it is God who receives the glory. Unfortunately the world cannot see the glory of God unless we let our light shine. God said in the beginning, “Let there be light” because He was about to display His glory. Light is a necessary agency for the display of God’s glory. This light, to us is spiritual truth which brings spiritual understanding. We must not hide our light under a basket as Moses hid his under a veil. The glory is in there but it’s revelation (exposure) to the world depends on what we do and what we do not do. Let the world see God’s glory through your light.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven and in our hearts, working in us and through us both to will and to do according to your good pleasures, thank you for making me a vessel to display your glory. I uncover my light so that the world can see your great light.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ( James 4:8 )

Institutions and social gatherings or groupings have distinctive protocols that is common to their operations. Likewise, in the mingling of a man’s spirit and God, it is man who must make the first move towards God—the protocol. Even though God took the first step to secure redemption for us, in relating with God intimately after that, man has to make the first move. Before we were saved, God took it upon Himself to get to us through His son’s death, burial and resurrection. But then after that demand was met, it now behoves us to draw to Him if we want a real relationship with Him. The Israelites had been in captivity for many years. God was in heaven, watching but waiting for man to draw near to Him. It was after the cry of the Israelites became loud that God sent a deliverer to them. In other words, God drew near to them through Moses when they first drew near to Him through their cry. God will draw near to us when we make the first move of drawing near to Him in our fellowship with Him. We must make up our mind if we want to be chasers or God. God does not condone with double-minded people. We must choose whether we want to really draw near to God or drift from Him. There are no middle grounds.

Prayer_Bead: King of Glory, I draw near to you through fellowship with you. I denounce anything that used to take your place in my life. Have an unrestricted access to my heart and life. You are Lord of my life. Thank you. In Jesus name.

#GNews: Unveiling the Glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ( Genesis 25:30-31 )

Did it occur to you that Jacob was as hungry as Esau or probably more hungry? Jacob wouldn’t have prepared that red stew (stuff) if he wasn’t hungry. Obviously he prepared it to quench his hunger, but then, he was having another hunger that was deeper than his hunger for food. Esau was ready to make a trade for what he was hungry for and Jacob was also ready to trade for what he was hungry for. Jacob was hungry for something spiritual [birthright], it is not tangible to the eyes nor the sense of taste. And that hunger for the birthright made him give up his physical hunger. For our spiritual hunger to be met, we need to let go of some other hunger and desires. Like Jacob who gave away his food just so that he could have what food cannot buy, we need to also let go of little desires and needs that stall us in the hallway of spiritual realities. We must be willing and ready to let go of temporal things in order to have something eternal. Jacob lost his food so that he could have a birthright that would change the course of his destiny. But Esau lost something spiritual for a mundane thing. May we not for the temporary pleasure and leisure that life will offer us be swayed to the side of the flesh and mundane desires. May we through the eternal spirit of Christ be drawn to what will stand the test of time to the praise of God’s name.

Prayer_Bead: Immortal God, thank you for the things you are doing in my life and what you are about to do. I hunger for the deep things that will leave an indelible mark on my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; ( Deuteronomy 30:19 )

Everyday of our lives, we are confronted with the privilege or challenge of making choices. Depending on how we see and understand choices, we respond accordingly. Under normal circumstances, whenever options are given, choices are intended to be made without any external influence or guide. But here in this verse of Scripture, we see something rather unusual. God presents options to His people through the lips of His prophet, Moses but then in addition to the options presented, God tells His people what to choose. This is a big sign of love. It is just like setting an exams for a group of pupils and then showing them the best option to pick. God loves us so much that He would show us what to choose but because of His sovereignty, He will not take away the consequences of what He has set in place. And because the consequence of making the wrong choice is dire, He entreats us to choose the best option so that our descendants together with us may live. After we have known the desire of God for us and still make the wrong choice, we wouldn’t have God to blame but ourselves. The choice is ours to make. Life and death, blessings and curses are on display in the shelf of time, choose life and blessings because that is what God wants for us.

Prayer_Bead: Faithful God, Loving King, thank you for your unconditional love for me. I choose life today. I refuse to allow death and all its consequences into my life. My descendants and I are preserved by the word of God’s mouth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. ” ( Genesis 4:7 )

The attitude of one’s heart is what attracts or repels the desires of sin and all of its tendencies. The Bible says he who knows what is good but does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). The consequences of ignoring what our hearts understands as good is sin. And so, Cain recognized that the offering he presented to God was not good enough as a result of the attitude of his heart. What God told Cain in our verse of Scripture suggests that when one does what is wrong, sin and all its consequences is giving the opportunity to destruct them. Deliberately doing wrong positions an individual to carry out their desires and such desires can draw them farther away from God. But then there is a strand of hope in that statement. God says Cain should rule over the desire to sin. With regards to sin and anything that has to do with our desires, we have a free will to pick and choose. And so, we can also choose not to do what we desire by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We have the power of God to rule over sin and its desires. We must not compromise with the devil’s gifts and freebies when he presents them to us. We rule over sin, by the Holy Spirit as He empowers (quickens) our mortal body.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the wonderful grace of Christ to stand in the liberty of your redemption. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit to rule over sin and it’s attending crisis. I am born of God. Glory!

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.