Category: Gospel

[The Glory Unveiled]

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ( 1 Peter 1:23 )

Seeds are the resources that make fruits and plants. Without a viable seed, a fruit is not assured. The apostle Peter writes that we should have sincere love for each other now that we have obeyed the word of God and have been purified (1 Peter 1:22). In 1 Corinthians 13:13, we read that of love, faith and hope, love endures. So the apostle Peter is reaffirming that, the seed of love which endures forever is what we are born of. He calls the enduring seed of love, “imperishable seed”. The seed that resulted in us, was love. For God so loved us and gave His son to us. This son is love because God is love. And because we came out of the design of love, we also have the imperishable seed of love. This is why the apostle in verse 22, says we should love. We have the seed of love in us. A fruit carries its seed and every seed carries in it other seeds. So whatever brought us into existence, namely, love, is within us too, as seed. We can love anyone because we carry in our spiritual DNA the life of love. This love was activated through the living and enduring word of God. So, our ability to continue in this life of love depends on our continuous dependence on the word of God. The word of God is our lifeline to our life source.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father, Lover of our souls, we walk this day and everyday in the consciousness of your love for us and the seed of that love in us. Help us to be with your word at all times. In Jesus name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ( Genesis 46:3 )

A famine broke out one time and Abraham went down to Egypt with his wife (Genesis 12:10). During his son, Isaac’s time, there was another severe famine and Isaac thought he would also go down to Egypt just as his father had done but God stopped him from going down there (Genesis 26:1-2). God deals with us separately and by this act, God shows us that the approach He uses to bring redemption or deliverance is not the reason for the deliverance. It also means that Abraham did not survive the famine because he went down to Egypt but because the Lord was with him. But then, Isaac thought Egypt was a rigid rule for deliverance from famine. So, God wanted him to learn otherwise and to depend on Him. Finally, it was the turn of Israel (Jacob). During his lifetime, there was a similar famine and he was hesitating to go down to Egypt because the order is broken, and he understood from his father, Isaac that Egypt is not necessarily the solution to the famine. But then the Lord said he should go down to Egypt without fear. And God promised Him that He will make Israel (Jacob) a great nation in Egypt. This is controversial because you can’t have a nation in another nation, but God said He will make it possible. And then we know what happened afterwards. God was true to His word. In our walk with God, we must not walk with an “Almighty formula” in our minds that should help us solve the challenges that confront us. What works is, obeying the Almighty at all times whenever He instructs us. Continuous obedience brings continuous consequences of His power.

Prayer_Bead: God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Covenant keeping God, Prince of peace, thank you for your unfailing love and the diversity of your creative power. Thank you for the grace to obey at all times. May I go only where you send me and only when you do._

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” ( Genesis 15:8 )

A man may see a woman he wants to love and marry. He may tell her so many things he feels about her and how much she means to him. But all his words wouldn’t mean much to the woman until he finally marries her. The marriage becomes a seal of all the things he had been saying. Human nature is futile and people make promises that they don’t keep. It was for this reason Abraham asked the Lord to seal all the promises He had made to him. Even though God was God and still is, and He cannot lie, our human instinct sometimes needs something to lean on for comfort and to keep the flame of faith alive. And so, to honour His words, God asked Abraham to make a sacrifice to Him with specific instructions. Sacrifices validate promises. In another place, God shows us how that He will redeem us by all means. And so Jesus had to come and die to purchase us by His blood but the Father still sent the Holy Spirt as a seal of that promise of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14). God will always honour His word because He is not a man. But sometimes to validate it or put a stamp on it, we need to make sacrifices. These sacrifices become voices or landmarks of God journeying with us. We will know what God will do by the sacrifices we are willing to make.

Prayer_Bead: Faithful Father, Promsie keeper, Light in the darkness, thank you for the faithfulness of your word and the tenderness of your mercy. Reaffirm your promises to us through your word and our daily sacrifices to be with you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?( Matthew 21:42 )

In the time of the inspired writers, stones were used as cement blocks. Some builders still use stones instead of cement blocks till date. The stones are hewn to have the desired shape. But then, usually the excesses from these desired ones are abandoned because they cannot properly fit into the pattern of the building. But again, sometimes, these abandoned or rejected stones and picked up and used for the angle in the wall; the corners. The corners are such that they do not need a desired stone because the desired stone will not fit properly. It is usually the rejected ones that often fit because they are “out of shape”. Beloved in Christ, a certain standard or status of the world may exempt you from something or some privilege but in the end it may actually validate you for something only you are qualified for. Even though a shovel looks like a bigger spoon, they do not serve the same purpose. You are designed in the image of God and your purpose is irreplaceable. God is God alone and beside Him there is no other. We came after the order and kind of God ,so even if the world rejects us, we become the chief corner stone in their wall. Cheer up, you are indispensable.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, thank you for the grace that has made us unique. Thank you for making us the chief cornerstones even after the builder’s of this world’s system rejected us.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

The LORD knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile. ( Psalms 94:11 )

For a human, the path of the spirit is risky because the protocols of the spirit realm is not furnished by human wisdom nor the philosophy of the wise. It is not something that can be bridled by charisma. The fallen man has himself as his god. But God knows better, that the plans and steps of humans are futile. It is a road that leads no where. But unfortunately, the degenerated man does not know it. And if that man is left to himself/herself, their end will be damnation. And so the next verse (Psalms 94:12) says that blessed is the man God disciplines. The one He teaches from His laws. The discipline of the Lord teaches us to walk in the laws of God. Our path is not crooked and our ways are not haphazard. After we have gone through the discipline of the Lord, which is becoming like Jesus, we cease to have plans of our own. Like Jesus, our will becomes doing the will of the Father. As long as we try to be independent of the Lord, our plans will be futile. It is not given to us to direct our own course. God sees the end from the beginning, it is He who can order our steps to that destiny.

Prayer_Bead: Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Prince of Peace and our soon coming King, thank you for your disciplining and guidance. Teach me your ways by Your Spirit and order my steps in your word.

#GNews: Unveiling the Glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. ( Acts 9:42 )

A true steward is known when everything he/she does brings honour and glory to another, their master and not themselves. It is the sole purpose of discipleship. To make an individual disciplined enough to obey and follow the teachings and ways of another without becoming an independent rebel. Jesus had taken his disciples through such teachings that will make them independent yet dependent on Him. Those who listened to Him with their hearts became worthy examples for many generations. One of those worthy disciples and apostles is the one that today’s account talks about. Peter had just brought Dorcas back from the dead—a miracle that some people may be tempted to gloat about as if they had done it by their own power—but he did not brag about it, neither did he announce himself or his ministry, instead the Lord Jesus was rather made known and they believe in Him. He didn’t exactly go to preach repentance or anything else. All he did was to bring someone back from the dead by the power of God and people believed the Lord. Whenever we bring glory to God and to Him alone, the world will have no option than to believe in Him. If you have the opportunity by the grace of God to speak on behalf of Jesus anywhere, let Jesus be heard and seen by bringing Him glory.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, Prince of Peace, I bring you all glory and honour through the testimonies of my mouth and the actions of my life. Let the world see your glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” ( Luke 4:43 )

In today’s devotional text, Jesus had been performing miracles and healing the oppressed the day before. The next morning, he went to a solitary place to meditate and to be with the Father, and to think over his purpose. The people who had earlier seen these miracles chased after Him so that he would perform more miracles. But then Jesus responded with the words of our anchor scripture. He said, He must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns. And then he added why He had to do this. The “why” is the backbone of His drive. He explained that the reasons why He was sent from Heaven to earth was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. And that single goal drove Him through His daily activities. He did everything that was consistent with that purpose. If he healed anyone, it was an occasion to preach this news. Every other thing became secondary to His purpose. Like Jesus, we have been called into this ministry of reconciliation. The Lord has called us to be Ambassadors of His kingdom. We must be driven by the passion of our calling and purpose. Without compromise let us follow the trail of our destiny to our purpose.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for making a way for us through the example of your life. Help us to remain on our destiny path. And let nothing distract us from the purpose for which we came on earth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. ( Numbers 22:31 )

This verse of scripture is an excerpt from a very fascinating account, where Balaam the prophet was called by Balak to curse the people of Israel. On his way to carry out this assignment, something dramatic happened. The donkey he rode on suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. He did all he could to make this donkey move forward but it was all futile. Now, the secret was that, the donkey had seen an angel of the Lord whereas Balaam was oblivious to the divine presence. So that because of his ignorance of what was happening around him, he made a mistake of punishing the donkey. Without spiritual sight, we become victims of grievous errors. If Balaam had seen the Angel, he would not have punished the animal for nothing. It is a sad thing for an animal to perceive the presence of God while a man is in the dark. We must, through conscious effort learn to practice being in the presence of God. The more we become acquainted with His presence, the more we are able to know His presence. Unless our eyes are opened, we cannot see even the closest breakthroughs and miracles. May the Lord open our eyes, so that we may see.

Prayer_Bead: Father in the name of Jesus, thank you for your divine, continuous presence. Guide me through your word, to know your ways. Open Lord, my ears and my eyes to see and to hear.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ( Matthew 2:17 )
~_____________~
If you make a long reading of the first and second chapters of Matthew, you will discover that the life we live on earth is by no means coincidental. You will discover that there is an invisible force, that regulates the affairs of men in the world. What we see as political or economic regimes and all the other things that happen in life according to their seasons and those that happen randomly without a definite order are all part of a carefully orchestrated plan that the Father has put in place for the good of His children. Reading the accounts about Jesus from when He was born to when He was about two years, and even throughout His life, it is evident that everything happened according to a divine script, even the seemingly accidental ones. Almost everything that happened at Jesus’ birth was captured in prophecy. Jesus’ life was a fulfillment of the Scriptures. No wonder, He said He did not come to break the law but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Everything He came to do on earth was documented in the volumes of books. Even His parents having to take him to Egypt for a while and their coming back to stay in Nazareth and every other thing that happened at his birth because of the King Herod, were scripted by Heaven. This is the assurance that our existence on earth is not an accident. God is so intentional about us. He has a script for our lives called predestination. May everything written concerning us be fulfilled to the glory of God.
~_______________~
Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of my faith, purpose and destiny, lead me through the script of my destiny. Use my life and the events surrounding it to announce your sovereign power. In Jesus name.
~_______________~
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ( Haggai 2:4 )

The word of the Lord came through Haggai, the prophet to Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua, the high priest. They had seen much destruction in their land so much that they were beginning to doubt if anything good can still come out of their efforts and toil. It was upon this state of heart and mind that the word of God came to them that they should be strong. They should persevere in what they were doing and not give up. The word of God came to them to continue the work they had been doing. They had gotten to the point of despair and had wanted to give up on what they were doing. Like Zerubbabel and Joshua, we may also come to that place of despair and discouragement about life and what God is doing in the moment. But God is not a man. He is not affected by the seasons and times of men. He is immortal and so, mortality cannot hold up His sovereign will and power. Through Zerubbabel and Joshua, God declared to the entire nation of Israel to be strong and work [continue to live]. The times may be harsh but God is telling us to be strong in Him and we should work; do the work we have been called to do.

Prayer_Bead: Giver of Life, Lifter of men, thank you for the charge for this season. I walk in the strength of this word. I am strong. I do the work of my calling and purpose. I am not perturbed by the situations around me. The Spirit of God is with me. Glory!

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.