Category: Gospel

[The Glory Unveiled]

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” (Exodus 33:13 )

If we had the opportunity to make any request in the presence of God, we must be careful what we ask for. Often than not, when we come to the presence of God, we sometimes drag the flesh along. And since it is only by faith we please God, the flesh misleads us. Moses, the prophet and leader of the Israelites during their Exodus, had the opportunity to make a request in the presence of God. Of all that he could ask for, including the material blessings which any of us will gladly jump at, he did not ask for a physical thing. Instead, he asked God to teach him His ways. His reason for this request even makes it desirable. He wanted to know the ways of God so that he will know God and also continue to find favour with Him. He was looking for something that will not be spent within a short time. He asked for the continuous favour of God. For with God’s favour, he could have access to other things. This is why the Bible records that the Israelites knew the acts/deeds of God but Moses knew the ways of God (Psalms 103:7). While the Israelites asked for material (physical) things such as food and water, Moses was asking God for His ways and favour. In this time of “technological captivity”, we need to know the ways of God for ourselves which will translate into the favour of God for us. Let us tarry to know the ways of God by paying whatever price; laying aside every weight.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all souls, Spirit of Truth, teach us your ways and guide us to walk in that revelation of who you are. Favour us in all our endeavors that your name may be glorified.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. ( 1 Corinthians 15:19 )

Life stretches beyond this frame of existence whether we are aware or not and whether we believe it or not. But unfortunately, many people think all there is to life is all they can see and interact with. Life is not confined to the space of time that we are allotted to on earth. It goes beyond this reality or existence. The reason why many people’s hopes are short circuited is the fact that their hope is limited to this earth. Our verse of Scripture shows us otherwise, life is not only encased by this earth. As a result of that, our hope should not be limited to this physical scope of reference. Such myopic view of life truncates ones hope. The scripture says if our hope is limited to this life, like the people of this earth, then we are most to be pitied. The person whose hope does not extend beyond this earth is to be pitied but the believer who limits their hope in Christ to this earth is most pitiful. Our hope in Christ extends into eternity. For in Christ and through Him do all things consist. Life extends into eternity and this is why our hope in Christ and our love for Him must go beyond this life. This truth must be our consciousness on daily basis.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the wonderful blessing of hoping in you. Your presence in me is the hope of glory. I believe that there is life after this life and my hope is tied to that consciousness of eternity.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ( Jonah 1:15 )

The evangelist Jonah was sent on an evangelistic mission to proclaim the counsel of God to a nation that had drifted from the path of God. Jonah reasoned out the mission statement as given to him by God. And in his reasoning, he thought that there was no need for him to go on that mission because God was going to turn the heart of the people in the end and save them nonetheless. And to him that was almost illogical and empty stress. He expressed his furious displeasure at God in chapter 4. The point is this, even though Jonah was a mighty evangelist, very gifted of God with oratory grace to turn the heart of people with the word of God, he was not having love for the people he was sent to. He went to them out of compulsion and not out of love. Jonah had always clinged to himself. He was only concerned about himself. And so he was thrown into the sea to be carried away by the waves of the sea into his place of destiny. We must not toe the path of Jonah to understand that love is what the world needs in this time. Love is selfless, let us go all out to the hearts of the people around us wherever God leads us to preach the good news of God’s grace.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent Father, Omniscient Lord, thank you for the grace to be numbered among those who will carry the news of your love to others. Thank you for helping me to let go of myself.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ( John 12:32 )

The Lord Jesus our example in faith, says He will draw all people to himself. But we see that He didn’t just say He will draw all people to Himself while He was on earth. Instead He will draw all people to Himself when He is lifted up from the earth. One can only effectively influence a place or a people only when he/she is not himself/herself pinned by the people or the culture of that place. In that same light, one of two people standing under a tree cannot tell the other person that he will pull him (the other person) up to himself on the tree. The logic [reason] is that they are both under the tree so one cannot help the other. Jesus, though God also followed this principle of influence that you must be above to draw people to yourself. In His earthly life, the Lord Jesus lived an impeccable life. A life that was distinct from those of his disciples and people of His day. That way He could influence them even through open rebukes. If we want to follow the way of Jesus to bring His kingdom into the earth, we must live the life of the Kingdom of God here on earth. We must live on earth as if we are in heaven, then the earth will be drawn to the beauty of God’s glory they see in us. Let us draw people to God now that we have been lifted and seated with Jesus in Heavenly places.

Prayer_Bead: My Father who art in heaven, reigning on earth through me. May your kingdom come on earth and let your will be done here as it is done in heaven. And use me this day to declare your manifold wisdom.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. ( Romans 7:25 )

Many times, once a person becomes born again, it is assumed that their minds as well as their spirits become new. And so, much attention is not given to the mind. But that is not true, the mind is not made new instantly. This is why Romans 12:1, says we should renew (make new) our minds to be consistent with the mind of Christ. From the earthly perspective, both the believer as well as the unbeliever is identified by the state of their mind. The Apostle Paul had been advancing an argument about the law of sin and the law of the spirit of life from verse 1 of Romans 7, down to this last verse of the chapter. In this last verse which is actually not the last of the discourse, is a summary of what he was advancing so far. He asked a question of how he would be delivered from the law of sin and death. And then this verse of Scripture explains how that deliverance will come about; he says it is through Jesus Christ. But even though he admits that deliverance from sin is through Jesus, he shows us that a conscious effort has to be made by the individual who accepts the deliverance of Jesus. That effort is to be made by the mind. He said, “so then, I myself in my mind…..” In our minds as believers, we need to become slaves of God’s word. We need to make God’s word out light and lamp. We need to consciously live our lives around the word of God. We need to set our minds on God’s word and then our lives will mirror that word. So it is not enough to put off one’s mind after salvation. Awaken your consciousness to live the word of God.

Prayer_Bead: Father in my heart, your Kingdom come and your will be done. Help me to adhere to your word in all things. By the Spirit of God, I myself enlist to be a slave to Your law.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. ( Esther 1:9 )

”A house divided against itself cannot stand” is very well exemplified in this verse of Scripture. The King Xerxes gave a banquet (verse 5) for all the people of the land of Susa. But interestingly, the Queen also gave a banquet for the women in the palace. The question is, are the women not part of “all the people in Susa”? This means Queen Vashti did not submit to the authority of the King. She had her own private agenda outside the plan of the king which was independent of the king’s authority. Her disloyalty to her husband and the king was verified when she finally disobeyed a direct request of the king which is a command for that matter. She became complacent as a result of her association with royalty through marriage. And so she disobeyed her husband again but this time in the capacity of King. What she didn’t realize was that, she could disobey her husband but not her King. Familiarity is a drug that drags you to the dungeon of rejection. God is our King and Father. He may ignore our negligence and childishness as Father, but as King, He will judge our every action. This is why it is a dangerous thing to undermine God or become familiar with Him. Just as Queen Vashti lost her Royal position (verse 19), any believer who undermines the authority of God lose some position or rank that they had been occupying. Let us hold steadfast to the word of God. And He will decorate our lives with the beauty of His glory.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, King of my heart, thank you for the grace to be in your presence today and everyday. Help me to continually obey your word and your voice. In Jesus name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ( Romans 6:13 )

The Lord Jesus did not only die for some part of us. We died by faith with Him and we were brought back to life through His resurrection. And because Jesus died for us, we owe our lives to Him; to live for Him. In our expression of that reality, that we owe every part of us to Him, we must offer ourselves as instruments of righteousness; conduits through which the righteousness of God will be seen and known. But then there is another agent who tries not to master the whole body of man but to specialize. What he does often, is to build his headquarters in a particular part of the body. And from that strategic place, he executes his evil plans and wickedness. This agent is the devil, father of lies. He extends his influence to territories through people, via the medium of sin. The devil may lure you to compromise on telling the truth, or being faithful or anything else. But what that actually means, is that, the part of us responsible for handling the responsibilities of that area is compromised and the devil has a headquarters there. A little yeast, leavens the whole dough (1Corinthians 5:6). That little compromise will become the stain that causes blemish in your garment. The surest way to deal with the devil’s agenda to have you offer any part of your body to him is to yield every part of you to God. And then God will work through you to announce His life and virtues.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious God, Merciful Father, thank you for the blessing of your Spirit in me, working through my choices and decisions as I yield myself to you wholly. I refuse to compromise the virtues of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” ( 1 Samuel 16:7 )

The prophet Samuel was supposed to go anoint a new king for Israel from the house of Jesse. He didn’t exactly know who it was in particular but he knew the address (location) of where the person may be. And so he came to the house of Jesse with a bottle of anointing oil. God knew who would be king but Samuel didn’t yet know. In that moment he thought it may be David’s elders brother, Eliab because he had the physical attributes and qualities. Unfortunately, he was rejected and God made a statement that necessitated today’s devotion. God said to Samuel, that He does not look at the things people look at; people look at the outward appearance. The lord looks at the heart. Our desires and appetite portray the things our heart cleaves to. What we continuously engage our mind in becomes the imprint of our hearts. God will not choose us for anything worthwhile unless the state of our heart is right. Eliab was rejected because his heart was not right. Whoever wants to do business with God, must work with His terms and conditions. We must intentionally disregard every attempt of the world and it’s system to buy into their “normal”. We are of a different citizenship and our culture is different. Glory!

Prayer_Bead: Omniscient Father, Mighty God, thank you for working on my heart to love and live for your good purposes. My confessions and actions are consistent with your desires for me. I am chosen for the display of your glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ( Isaiah 60:1 )

In theatre arts, usually, a stage is set before the drama is enacted. The stage becomes the background upon which the drama is displayed. In artistic drawings, the same principle of art is employed. The word of God asks us to “arise, shine.” But before we are asked to arise, shine, we are told that the reason for this command is that our light has come. The coming of our light is the backdrop for our shining and arising. We cannot shine or arise until the light comes. People are supposed to see our shining and glorify God. But before this could happen, we need to first wait for the coming light. Thanks be to God, our light has already come; Christ Jesus. Scripture says we have been called from darkness into light [and this light is Christ] see 1 Peter 2:9. Our anchor verse says this light that has come causes the rising of the glory of God because it unveils it. Light reveals what is hidden by darkness but darkness cannot hide what light holds. This is why we can shine, and the reality is that we are not actually shining but just just showing what was hidden by darkness. This is why it says, “arise”. Once we arise in the midst of light, we are shining. So let us arise, shine for our Lord is with us.

Prayer_Bead: Light of the world, Father of glory, thank you for coming into my life so that I can let the world see your glory. I arise with the gift of God to the benefit of the church. I am committed to serving in the body of Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ( Romans 5:8 )

It is very difficult to help someone who has offended you and is still in the act of hurting you. It is just naturally difficult to sincerely love someone like that. Everything in you keep screaming “common sense” to you. But God is not a man. He didn’t wait for us to change into righteous people before He demonstrated His love to us. This He did as an example of His kind of love and nature. So that while we were still sinners; buried in the miry clay of sin and all its grievous acts, God through Christ took our place to die for us [the consequences of our actions through Adam]. This is a preamble for us also to exemplify in our daily living. Since we have the life of God, we have love in us and the only way that love can be seen is when we express it to others through our actions. God loved us and did something consistent with that love, so that there is no doubt in us about His love. We must show the world this love through our actions. Let brotherly love continue because we have the love of God in us.

Prayer_Bead: Merciful and everlasting God, thank you for your supernatural unconditional love. I am a product of your love. I radiate the residues of your gracious love.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.