Month: June 2021

[The Glory Unveiled ]

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 )

Our relevance comes from Christ as our source. A product cannot be better than its source or materials. And because we were created in Christ, the Lord Jesus becomes the confines of our relevance. Outside that circumference, we are underutilized. What kept Adam “useful” in the garden was His determination to remain within the boundaries of God’s commands. As long as He was within the parameters of God’s word, everything was working well for Him. He had no need of anything. But immediately he went outside the protective covering of God’s instructions, even the elements begun to work against him. Now in Christ, we have another privilege to live the full life that God intended for us except it is only possible within Christ. It also goes to mean that we can only do what is described as “good” as long as we remain in Christ. There is nothing good outside His person because everything was created in Him and for Him; without Him, nothing was made that was made. So, without Him, we miss even the good works that had been prepared in advance for us to do, and then we end up doing something other than what we have been called to do. A word of advice to us then is, stay in Christ, remain in Him.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, I know fully well through your word that I have been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works you called me to do. And without You as the boundary of my life, I cannot fulfill that calling and so I ask that you help me to remain true to You in all things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ( John 8:28 )

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16). There is this veil that covers the understanding of people who have not seen the crucified Christ. It is in the lifting of the son of man (crucifixion) that we get to see and know the Lord. Unless we have come to believe in His birth, death and resurrection, nothing about God will make meaning to us even if we read them over and again from the word of God. This is why there are Atheists and Apologetics of other religious groups who have read the Bible so many times and yet, they still have no understanding because they have not seen the Lord in those pages yet. But when the Holy Spirit furnishes the realities of Jesus’ person and works in us by faith, we do not only know and understand but we become one with Him. The lifting of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts removes the veil that hitherto covered our understanding and knowledge. So, whenever we go out to evangelize, we must first of all, show the people, the crucified Jesus and then the veil will be torn apart in their hearts. Instead of showing the unbeliever the reigning Lord, we must first show them the crucified King._

Prayer_Bead: King of Kings, Lord of lords, thank you for dying in my place and taking the penalty of my wrongs. I believe you were crucified, died and rose again for my justification.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. ( Hebrews 5:14 )

Maturity in Christ, just like maturity in any field of study comes at a cost. It is always a deliberate decision to make. But babies don’t have to work or cook to have milk to drink. By their default state of being babies, they have milk to drink. Their caretakers or mothers will feed them. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). The teaching about righteousness and right standing with God is solid food. It has to be prepared through conscious efforts, putting ingredients together. The solid food of God’s word is a state in our walk with God where we constantly fellowship with the word. And through the consistency of that fellowship with the word by the Holy Spirit, we begin to understand the mysteries that serve as the backbone of our faith. But without consistency, one cannot mature in the word of God. Usually, milk comes almost at no cost for the infant but solid food requires painstaking effort. If any believer will change their diet from milk to solid food, they will have to be married to consistency. We cannot occasionally study the word of God if we want to grow in the word; to the stature of solid food. We will need consistency in the word.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, my great redeemer, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to grow in your word. Teach me your statutes by the help of the Holy Spirit. And guide me to transcend from milk to solid food.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” ( Luke 22:31-32 )

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)— John 1:42. The Lord Jesus, upon His first encounter with Simon in the Gospel according to John, changed Simon’s name to Peter. Simon means a reed (unstable) but Peter means rock (stable/firm). It is rather shocking that after the changing of Simon’s name, Jesus still called him Simon on some occasions. Unarguably, these were occasions where Peter behaved like a reed (Simon). Just before he denied Jesus, he was called Simon. In another place when Jesus found Peter sleeping while he should be praying with Him, Jesus called him Simon (see Mark 14:37). The point is this, our name is who we are. This is why when Jesus took our place on the cross, God now calls us His children (see 1 John 3:2). We are partaking in His name because we partook in His identity on the cross. This is our new and actual identity. We must therefore live in sync with the realities of our new identity in Christ. For as He is, so are we in this world.

Prayer_Bead: I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. I am of the bloodline of God for the blood of Jesus flows through my veins. I cannot be sick, I cannot fail, I cannot lose for I am victorious through Christ Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ( Philippians 1:12 )

The popular saying, “the end justifies the means” may or may not be true but whatever it is, when God starts to do what He wants to do, it usually conflicts the logic of humans. A person who lives in the center of God’s will for them, may have the whole world against them, friends and families may neglect or abandon them but their destination is secured. They are like a time-bomb except that they are not preset for destruction but for glory. The apostle Paul was called by God to be sent on an errand for the expansion of His kingdom. At some point the apostle didn’t know exactly what form the errand will take. But in our anchor verse of Scripture, after everything had happened to him, he then discovered that even the bad things such as his imprisonment led to the salvation of other people and the expansion of the kingdom as other ministers and apostles became bold as a result of apostle Paul’s suffering for the gospel. In the verses that followed after this verse, he mentions the impact of his chains (imprisonment) on the advancement of the gospel. In like manner, whatever we may be experiencing now may be a part of what our destiny template entails and in the end, it will not only be for our good but for the expansion of God’s kingdom. So instead of murmuring and crying we should look at the immense possibilities that will emanate from our willingness to stay strong till the end._

Prayer_Bead: Prince of Peace, the master builder, thank you for the things you have permitted into my life. Help me to hold unto your gracious love and purpose for my life

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.