Category: Inspiration

[The Glory Unveiled]

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? [ Luke 6:46 NIV ]

In God’s hierarchy, obedience is more valuable than making sacrifices. God isn’t deceived by mere words or lip service; He discerns the heart of every individual, making it impossible to deceive or confuse Him. It is a fruitless labour to attempt deceiving God with our words when our motives and actions communicate something different from our words. The word, “Lord” means master and owner, indicating that acknowledging Jesus as our Lord means recognizing Him as our master and owner. If He indeed holds authority over us, why do we not obey Him? Failure to obey God, demonstrates that He isn’t truly our master. Many of us resemble the individuals Jesus questioned in the text above, loudly proclaiming Jesus as our Lord in public yet disobeying Him in private. We disregard His instructions, choosing our own paths as if we were our own masters. Jesus isn’t swayed by empty words; He sees our hearts. We may deceive those who judge by appearances temporarily, but we cannot fool God. If we claim God as master, we must make clear commitments in submission to Him. Our actions must align with our words; otherwise, our words hold no meaning. Jesus is more concerned with our actions than our spoken words. Let your actions bring glory and honour to the Lord.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, I submit to you as my Lord in all my actions. Help me to bring you honour and glory. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Words that disagree with a person’s actions are empty.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

”If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.“ [ John‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

Systems, institutions, societies and other organizations function well where there are good strategies. But then, the real reason why they function well is not just the presence of a strategy but the right people to implement those strategies. Many times, we blame the lack of progress on the lack of strategy and structure. Particularly, for the African continent, it would seem that is the heart of their problem. But then, a careful analysis will show that, a lack of structure is just the beginning of their challenges. The meat of the problem is unavailability of suitable human resources. Unless the strategies are executed by the right people, we cannot have the results we desire. The Lord Jesus drew the pattern (strategy, system, template) of spreading the gospel to other places. But He knew that drawing the structure is not enough. And so, He demonstrated it to them. He did not just talk about it. He demonstrated it to them with His own life. So that they were without excuse. The second thing is that, He committed the responsibility of the structure to reliable men. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2). The apostle Paul showed Timothy the structure for entrusting the gospel to others and he also mentions reliable people. It is not enough to get a good structure in place. Find the right people to deliver it. More than that, be a reliable person (worker) in God’s vineyard.

Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of our faith, thank you for the patterns and structure for dominion. Help me to be a reliable worker.

Wisdom_Quote: Reliable people make structures and systems important and effective.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

”God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.“ [ Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

God is many things to many people, usually manifesting as such to those who believe in Him. For those who see God as their Provider, He proves Himself as such. To those who believe in Him as their Savior, He manifests as their Savior. Similarly, for those who recognize Him as their refuge and strength, He manifests accordingly. However, God may not be perceived as all these things by some individuals, despite having the capacity to be so. The hindrance lies not with God, but with those individuals themselves. The psalmist also refers to God as his help. However, the timing and relevance of help are crucial. Help may be available but not necessarily relevant due to its timing. The psalmist has experienced the timely help of God, which has proven its reliability over time. When faced with trouble, he remains unperturbed, knowing that God is faithful and His help is ever-present. While help may come in various forms from different sources, the help from the Lord is reliable and consistently available when needed. There are those who put their trust in man and look to them for help. But the reality is that true help comes from God and may be dispensed through men. But those men are not the source of it. Therefore, let us turn to the help of God, as He is our present help in times of trouble and turmoil._

Prayer_Bead: Father God, thank you for being my proven and present help in times of trouble. I trust you to come through for me in all my troubles. Let your name be glorified in me.

Wisdom_Quote: The relevance of help is determined by it’s timeliness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

”The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.“ [ Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

Butterflies are attracted to flowers, sunny and open areas, while bees are drawn to brightly colored flowers with strong fragrances. What attracts a person or thing to another differs from one individual to another. Attraction is orchestrated by value. What you carry determines what you attract or what is attracted to you. The kinds of things you are attracted to are signs of what you carry. Flies are attracted to sugary foods. Wherever flies are found, we can conclude that something sugary must be in that vicinity. Gentiles shall come to your light, but kings will only be attracted to the brightness of the rising light. Light symbolizes your gift and calling, but the brightness of that light has to do with its refinement. When we improve upon our gifts and refine our skills, we attract a special class of people than we used to attract. The reason is that certain people can only be reached with a certain class of gifts. We, therefore, decide who we attract by the nature and value of the things we carry. When Joseph’s gifts rose in prison, the king sent for him. Joseph’s gift rose through continuous practice as he interpreted dreams for his fellow prisoners. Continuous use of our gifts sharpens them and draws kings to us. Don’t give up on your skills and abilities; kings will soon come to your dwelling.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your light upon me. Help me to refine the gifts you have deposited in me so that kings will be drawn to your glory in me. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Ordinary people are drawn to ordinary things and extraordinary people are drawn to extraordinary things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. [ 2 Chronicles 25:2 NIV ]

The quality of our actions is measured by the level of commitment attached to them. In the considerations of God, all actions are not the same, even if the outcomes seem the same. This means that even though two people may do the same task, one person’s action may differ in merit due to commitment. Cain and Abel both made sacrifices to God. Yes, they made sacrifices, but when God looked at what they had done, one person was more preferred. God considers the attitude of our hearts when we act, so it would seem that we have done something, whether we did it wholeheartedly or not matters to God. Whenever we do anything, it must be done wholeheartedly with full commitment as if we were doing it unto God. As a general rule, if it must be done, it should be done wholeheartedly. Otherwise, you might do it, but it will have no consequences or yield any spiritual impact. How you do anything matters because it suggests how you do everything. If you do it with full commitment, you are sending a signal to God that you can be trusted with more. The parable of the talents affirms this claim. The one who had five invested what he was given and made more. But another person hid the one he had. His attitude towards what he was given speaks about his untrustworthiness. In our anchor text, King Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but not wholeheartedly. So, even though he did what was right in God’s eyes, how he did it nullified his efforts. You may do something in the name of God or for God, but unless your heart is fully committed to it, it wouldn’t count.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for grace to obey you wholeheartedly. I am fully committed to doing your will in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: How you do anything tells how you do everything.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled ]

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they [men] are without excuse: [ Romans 1:20 KJV ]

You cannot make excuses for something that is readily available. Some people offer numerous excuses for their disbelief in God, despite the abundant evidence of His existence evident in creation. His eternal power is showcased on the canvas of creation, with His divinity unmistakably embossed upon it. What then could our excuses be for not acknowledging His power and divinity? If we ever need a witness to the divinity and power of God, we need not look far. We are surrounded by the declarations of God’s creation. Consequently, we are without excuses, and God’s wrath and punishment can come upon those who ignore them. Just as students are tested on what they know, likewise, we will be judged by the things God has made available to us. Psalms 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The voice of creation echoes throughout the earth, its message reaching to the ends of the earth. For those who wish to perceive what God is like, the things He has made clearly reveal His nature. God’s image is displayed through His handiwork. Therefore, to perceive God clearly, we must carefully examine His handiwork. The invisible attributes of God are expressed through creation, their meanings conveyed by the things that are made. By carefully examining your world and the works of God, your excuses will disappear.

Prayer_Bead: Creator of the Universe, what can’t you do? Thank you for the manifestation of your invisible attributes through the things you have made. Glory be to your name.

Wisdom_Quote: Creation mirrors the attributes of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? [ Job 38:2 KJV ]

Counsel has a fine and well-defined line, but this line can be erased or darkened by words lacking knowledge. The most effective tool advancing the erasure or darkening of counsel is social media. The facts presented to us on these platforms often contradict the word and will of God, leading many naive young people to be unclear about the right path. They begin to believe the false reports of such systems rather than the truth of God’s word and become messengers of these “words without knowledge” to others. All of this begins with the casual and unconcerned way we handle our everyday lives, including the things we watch and read. What we hear has the power to darken or brighten counsel. “For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard” (2 Peter 2:8). Lot damaged his soul by absorbing information lacking in knowledge. Words, images, and sounds have the ability to lead us down a dark path. Over time, our speech and language reflect the patterns of what we have been exposed to. The world promotes lawless deeds, hoping that through ignorance we will torment our righteous souls and become disconnected from our heavenly Father. By the grace of God, we can identify this trap, through the knowledge of God when we identify what the enemy throws at us, aimed at darkening counsel. Don’t be misled by the lies of the enemy. Embrace God’s truth.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, thank you for the knowledge of your word. Keep me from every contrary words without knowledge. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Words without Knowledge darkens counsel.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.