Category: Gospel

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Growth is a Choice


[The Glory Unveiled]

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. ( Luke 2:52 )

The scripture above says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature. But behind the scenes, something went into his qualitative and quantitative growth. Jesus had to deliberately choose to grow. So that while His age mates were playing at the market places and the field, He was in the synagogue teaching the teachers of the law. He had to choose between been with the other children or being alone with His purpose. And He chose the later; to grow. Growth is intentional. This is why anyone who will be celebrated must choose to grow in a particular area of influence. And that area becomes a trajectory of where such an individual is heading. Jesus’ early life and associations predicted where He was headed. He chose the path of growth and responsibility. And then the consequent result was that He found favour with God and men. We will also have the same results if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, Shepherd of my soul, thank you for showing me to choose growth. Help me to grow in the knowledge of your word and Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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His unconditional love


[The Glory Unveiled]

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ( Romans 5:6 )

The love of God is too concentrated for the human mind to understand. The conditions that should influence God not to care about us are the very elements that caused Him to come to our aid. In our world today, anytime love is mentioned, conditions come to mind. Love has become common only in the market of conditions. But this God, waited till the fullness of time, when humanity came to its weakness and a powerless state, so that we will lose trust in ourselves. God came to our rescue at the point where saving man will yield God no merits. He didn’t come when we seem a little strong nor when it will seem beneficial to Him. This is love. The later part of our verse says, “Christ died for the ungodly”. That was our state—ungodly, but Christ, in love took our place and gave us the life of God. So that we can also share that love abroad in the world by the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of life and salvation. Thank you for lifting me from the miry clay of ungodliness to the rock of righteousness in Christ Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Treasured jars of clay


[The Glory Unveiled]

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ( 2 Corinthians 4:7 )

2 Timothy 2:20-21 records that there are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonor. And before anyone is used for honourable purposes, they are to purge themselves from dishonor. Under ordinary circumstances, the kind of treasures spoken of in our anchor verse of scripture are not supposed to be in jars of clay. But so that it may be known that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from human origin or source, they are hidden in clay. Jars of clay(human beings) are incapable of hosting this treasure of God’s glory and power by themselves. This is why the Holy Spirit is a necessity for the believer. The reason being that we carry in us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ. Through the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ, we are privileged to demonstrate this life through our lives. And Christ Jesus has become unto us, the purge; our hyssop and cleaning agent so that what is seen through us, is void of all the biases of our weaknesses. And that the power of God is displayed as of God and not of us. Glory be to God!

Prayer_Bead: Treasure of my heart and soul, lifter of my head and feet, and Saviour of my life, thank you for hiding your glory in me. And giving me the opportunity through Christ to make known your power.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The word of His grace


[Glory Unveiled]

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ( Acts 20:32 )

These words were spoken by the apostle Paul to the Ephesian elders when he was about to leave for Jerusalem. He was leaving them for “God knows how long” and what he left with them was the word of God’s grace? Yes. But then, he points out two very important things that the word of grace will do for them. It will build them up. In the absence of the apostle, the people still needed to grow and the word that came by grace was a guarantee of that. So that they will grow in spiritual stature and wisdom. And then that same word was going to give them an inheritance. The word of grace has made us heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ so that we can also inherit among the sanctified. This is why the word of God cannot be taken out of the life of a Believer. Whenever there is a pause in the constant supply of the word, the growth of the Believer ceases as well. The word is an indispensable necessity for the Believer. God’s Grace has made His word (life) available to us, so that we can grow into Him and know who we are.

Prayer_Bead: My Father and my Lord, thank you for the word of your grace and making it available and accessible to me. Guide me through the dispensing so that I may grow.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The Finisher


[The Glory Unveiled]

Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD.
“Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. ( Isaiah 66:9 )

Whenever God asks a question, usually He is not in need of the response because God knows all things. But the reason why God will ask questions is usually because He wants us to see that there is no need to worry or be disturbed about something we are incapable of doing ourselves, other times He asks questions to point us to our true state. So that sometimes, His questions will open us to our faults and hidden motives. But here in this verse of scripture, God is asking whether He will begin something and not end it? We know the right answer. If God brought us to the moment of birth, He will give delivery. Has God started something in your life? He will accomplish it. He will not stop us from accomplishing what He started with us. This statement alone should give us that assurance that God loves us too much to leave us half way. When the storm rages and it seems all hope is lost, we should be reminded that God who begun the journey with us, will take us through. He is both the God of the beginning and the end.

Prayer_Bead: Father to son, Spirit to spirit, thank you for this love relationship with you. Thank you for caring so much that you will not leave me half way.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Possibilities in Prayer


[The Glory Unveiled]

As he [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ( Luke 9:29 )

The principle of input and output is almost universal. Seed time and harvest will not cease, says the word of God. Prayer is the seed (link) that connects our realm and heaven, so that as long as we want to engage heaven, we will need to pray. Jesus lived the life He lived to serve as an example for us. More so, at the Mount of transfiguration, He had to pray before His face changed. He had to engage the supernatural realm through prayer before the supernatural became natural. It is a principle that had to be adhered to before the desired results are met. Moses and Elijah could cross over into our world because prayer was made into heaven for their release. It is possible to engage in prayer so fervently that we are catapulted into the realm of glory, where it is evident on the outside that we have had an encounter. Jacob travailed in a similar manner until by the time he came down, his manner of walking changed because the Angel had touched him. In prayer, possibilities abound for us to be transformed into who we really are supposed to be. Let us engage the supernatural through prayer.

Prayer_Bead: King of Glory, thank you for the pathway into your presence where possibilities abound. Guide me into intimate fellowship with you. Rekindle the fire upon my altar. And stir your Spirit within me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Unique gifting and calling


[The Glory Unveiled]

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (Jonah 3:6)

The opening verse of this chapter says, and the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. Why would God insist that Jonah should be the man to go and preach to the people of Nineveh? So that even when Jonah tried to run away from his assignment, God’s word came to him a second time. Of all the men of God in his time, why will God insist on him? It is because God had graced Jonah with an anointing that was unique to him. We read in our focal text that when the warning of Jonah reached the people of Nineveh and the King, they all repented, from the least person to the king sitting on the throne. And so one will begin to ask, what kind of message did Jonah preach that was able to convince an entire city. What exactly did Jonah preach? The fact is that, more than what he said is what God graced him with. Our individual callings will open doors for us and cause people to listen to us. Your gift is unique to you, and it can only yield the intended results if it is used by you and no one else. This is why we cannot make much impact with the gifts of other people but ours. Let’s find our niche and we will be heard.

Prayer_Bead: Everlasting Father, Giver and source of all things, thank you for what you created me with. Thank you for my unique abilities that can not be replicated anywhere. Help me to trust you and love my uniqueness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The mandate of our existence


[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 )

The daily life of Jesus Christ vividly displayed His ultimate goal. His life was so purpose driven that whatever He said or did was in line with the ultimate goal. He did nothing outside the confines of His mission. Here in this scripture, we hear Jesus reiterate His assignment. But in this rendition, the Lord Jesus used “must” to emphasize the weight of this mandate. He used another phrase that makes the purpose of his activities so important and unbending. He said proclaiming the good news of the kingdom is the reason why He was sent. So it means that as long as he was on earth, he was doing everything that would lead to the realization of that purpose. What a life? Jesus could not have ever been distracted because He knew the reason why He was sent here. If we come to know and understand our purposes, we will not live distractive lives. We will not be tossed about by just anything we hear. Let the purpose of our existence be the drive of our lives.

Prayer_Bead: Most High God, Thank you for sending me here on earth for a specific assignment. I pray that the reason for my creation becomes the drive of my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The mystery of Christ and the church

[The Glory Unveiled]

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ( Ephesians 5:31 )

The above scripture explains why Christ had to come in the flesh—The man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. So Christ Jesus left the father and came to His bribe, the church. He came in the flesh and to the earth because His bride has flesh and is on earth. And then Christ and the church had to be one flesh according to the design. But since Christ had to go and prepare a place for his bride, (and yet had to be one flesh with his bride) He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us as a seal guaranteeing that we are His (see Ephesians 1:13-14). So we are one body with Christ; we are one with Him through this mystery of marriage. Nothing gets to us without the knowledge of Christ. This truth reassures us that we are not alone in any situation or crisis at any point in time. Christ is always with us because we are “one flesh with Him”. Glory!!

Prayer_Bead: My Lord and my master, thank you for taking me into yourself and making me one with you. Help me to remain submissive to you in this union.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Reflecting the Glory of the Kingdom


[The Glory Unveiled]

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 )

Science teaches that the moon has no light of its own. It reflects the light it receives from the sun. So that at night, when we see a bright shiny moon, we will not attribute its beautiful effulgence to it but rather to the sun. Without the sun’s rays, the moon is just a huge dark dusty object. In the same way, naturally, creation has no glory on its own. And the Believer has no independent glory. All that is seen (the creation) came out of God and it is only God that gives it meaning. Just as the sun can only mirror the sun when it is properly adjusted and aligned to the path of the sun’s rays, even so the Believer must align. The scripture above says we do that by contemplating—interacting with, having communion with—the Lord’s glory. And this is done with an unveiled face. The Holy Spirit does the unveiling for us. Praise God! For the scripture says when one turns to Christ, the veil is removed. The world is waiting for us. But the world will continue to wait until we come to that place of interacting with God’s glory by properly aligning with His Spirit.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all glory, Loving Lord, thank you for the opportunity to show the world your glory. Please remove anything that stands in the way of your illumination. In Jesus name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.