Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. [ Ephesians 5:21 NIV ]
Submission, no matter how it is explained, is always misconstrued by many. The term “submission” in the dictionary of many is defined as slavery. But if we look at it from the source as believers, we will understand it differently, perhaps as a setup for blessings in every form of partnership. And then we could see it as something to be grasped rather than a curse. Submission at its root means “to align with, to honour, to be under obedience, to support.” All these meanings, when used in context, paint a picture of two distinct people playing their parts in a complex task. Whichever role one plays is not more important than the other, no matter how visible and prominent one seems to be compared to the other. Their respective roles make them equally important. It is just like our body parts. The Bible says no part is more important than another (1 Corinthians 12:21-22). The difference in roles may confuse us into thinking that one is more important than another. Similarly, in marriage and many other partnerships, one is not more important than the other; the husband is not more important than the wife. They are equally valuable in their unique ways. The scripture instructs us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. It teaches us to consider the focal person, Christ. Thus, you do not submit to your husband because he is adequate or perfect but because you revere Christ. Don’t allow the weaknesses of your partner to rob you of the blessings of submission. The man or woman who submits has access to the heart of the one they submit to. They are able to influence the one they submit to in very subtle but effective ways. Do you revere Christ? Submit to one another!
Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the privilege to submit to another person. Help me to continually revere Christ. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: Submission gives access to the hearts of men.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Above all
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. [ 1 Peter 4:8 NIV ]
The phrase “love covers a multitude of sins,” as used by the apostle Peter, describes turning a sinner from their error unto God in the book of James. Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (Jude 5:20). The sacrifice and demonstration of love for the sinner is the covering you make for their sins—it is the demonstration of our love for them that covers their sins, just as the demonstration of Jesus’ love for humanity covered our multitude of sins. His love became a canopy that shielded us from the painful scorching of sin’s wages—death. When we love those who seem not to deserve love, we cover their sins through our love for them, and God is gracious toward them. In another sense, when we turn a sinner from their evil ways, we have covered (ended) numerous other sins they would have committed if they were not helped. And so, whichever way we look at it, demonstrated love indeed covers a multitude of sins. As you go out today, let someone feel you care about them. Our anchor verse is connected to the earlier verse (7), which speaks about the preparations we need to make for praying as the world draws to an end. But above those preparations, we need to love each other. So, let us drop the theatrics and show genuine love.
Prayer_Bead: Merciful Father, thank you for the love you showed me through your Son. Help me to show the same love to my world through Him. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: Love covers multitude of sins.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Echoes of love
[The Glory Unveiled]
”Above all, constantly echo God’s intense love for one another, for love will be a canopy over a multitude of sins.“ [ 1 Peter 4:8 TPT ]
The most scarce commodity in our world today is not gold nor diamonds; it’s not money, and it’s not even time. The most scarce commodity today is love. The Bible foretold this in Matthew 24:12, stating that the love of many will grow cold because wickedness will abound in our day. The nature, art, and complexity of wickedness in our day are baffling. But then, a thing is most needed when it is most scarce. So, love is needed in our time now more than ever in the history of mankind. It is true that some very horrible things were recorded in history, but the artistic complication and technology behind those of our day are outrageous. However, the good news is that the personality of love and the spirit of love dwells on in the world, manifested through believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who have purified themselves through the obedience of the truth have sincere love. It is this sincere love that the world is so ridden of. So, we are called to constantly echo that intense love. As we echo God’s intense love, it becomes a canopy over the wickedness (sin) of men. We echo the love of God when we express it to one another. The intense sincere love of God is already in us through our knowledge of God’s word, which is truth. Let us spread it to a world that is in dire need of it.
Prayer_Bead: Father and God, thank you for your love in our hearts. Help us to spread it to our world. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: We can love because God loves us.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Broken Kisses
[The Glory Unveiled]
Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. [ Judges 16:20 NIV ]
Samson was a Nazarene—a person who felt called to consecrate themselves unto God—with the extraordinary ability and gift of supernatural strength. He understood the terms of his consecration well and kept them until his unbridled love for a woman severed his connection to the source of his abilities. Unbeknownst to Samson, not honoring the terms of his consecration had consequences. The terms of his consecration were the live wire of his relationship with God, silently implying his love life with the Heavenly Father—a symbol of the continuous affection of his divine lover. However, Samson found another lover and gradually shifted his focus from his heavenly lover to her. As a result, the vows of his consecration lost their significance to him; he relinquished those vows to preserve his hair for the love he harbored for his earthly lover, Delilah. Meanwhile, Delilah traded that love for eleven hundred pieces of silver (Judges 16:5). Before this transaction, Samson had rested his head on Delilah’s lap, with unending kisses adorning his lips. Yet, after betraying his heavenly lover and the source of his uncommon strength, the kisses ceased—as the Lord left him. Consequently, as he began to stray from his divine pattern, his earthly relationships lost coherence as well; each of his relationships began to deteriorate. Samson was coerced into severing his fellowship with God when he violated the terms of his consecration, by the woman to whom he was most vulnerable at a compromised moment. The choice always lies with us—who holds greater importance in our lives, God or our partners? We must prioritize maintaining our heavenly affection if we wish to safeguard our earthly connections.
Prayer_Bead: My Lover and King, thank you for the unending kisses. Help me to remain in the embrace of your love as I intentionally obey and love you.
Wisdom_Quote: Unending kisses begin with unending devotion to God.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Lovers of God
[The Glory Unveiled]
“But as the Scriptures say, “No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” [ 1 Corinthians 2:9 ERV ]
It is evident that God loves us, as showcased through His actions. The Psalmist pondered, “Who is man that you’re mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than elohim and have crowned him with dominion” (Psalms 8:4-6), recognizing God’s particular attention to our creation. God’s constant concern for us is reflected in the biblical teaching to love our neighbours as ourselves, mirroring God’s love for us as His image bearers. The concept of the reciprocation of love is beautifully expressed by the apostle John: “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We are compelled to love God because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. This demonstration of love by God is the reason we love Him back. Yet, in addition to the natural reciprocal gesture, God has special blessings and packages for those who love Him back. He has made provisions for His lovers, He has prepared ahead of their needs before the needs ever come. He made provisions and keeps those provisions ready for those who love Him; those who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed [AMPC]. To love God basically means to promptly obey Him above all else. Consequently, what God will do in your life and through your life will beat the imagination of everybody.
Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for helping me to love you because you first loved me. Let your name be glorified through my life.
Wisdom_Quote: In your walk with God, your prompt obedience tells your love story.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
God’s love gift
[The Glory Unveiled]
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—[ Ephesians 2:8 NIV ]
Our salvation is solely the result of God’s grace. We did nothing to deserve or earn it; it is a love gift. Like all gifts, you don’t have to do anything to earn it. However, even though it is a gift, you must receive it, and in this case, you must receive it with faith. Without faith, even though the gift is available and free, you cannot have it. Faith is the only hand that can take from God; without it, we cannot receive from Him. The first step to receiving this gift is to look away from ourselves, as salvation does not come from us. Depending on ourselves for what we cannot offer is a futile pursuit. Since salvation cannot come from us, we cannot boast that we attained it ourselves or received it as a reward for something we have done. The truth is that we had countless opportunities to save ourselves from the time of Adam and Eve until the birth of Jesus, but we couldn’t do it ourselves. These opportunities were meant to convince us that we cannot achieve salvation on our own. In the garden of Eden, God made it clear that humans couldn’t clothe themselves with His identity as it was depicted in their attempt to clothe themselves. The man and the woman clothed themselves with leaves, while God made a covering for them out of animal skin. God’s provision was better than what they did for themselves, but they had to accept the gift before it could benefit them. Similarly, we need to receive the gift of salvation, which comes to us by grace, in order to enjoy its benefits.
Prayer_Bead: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the grace that brought me salvation through your Son Jesus Christ.
Wisdom_Quote: Faith is the only hand that can receive from God.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Team Jesus: The single indicator
[The Glory Unveiled]
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” [ John 13:35 NIV ]
There are specific indicators of our relationship with Christ. In the social world, certain things expose a person’s identity and background. A person’s accent can provide insight into their identity and lineage. For the believer, identification with Christ goes beyond knowing His name or calling upon Him. The Lord Jesus tells us what will make everyone recognize that we were taught by Him and have a relationship with Him. The indicator is a singular behavior. This single behavior functions like a jersey, identifying which team a believer is playing for. Just as a group of people in the same jersey belong to the same team, when we love one another, our love becomes a garment identifying us with Christ and indicating that we belong to His team. God is love, and anyone claiming to relate to Him must be filled with love and exude it. If we love one another, everyone will know that we are sent-out ones of the Messiah. Apart from love, nothing we do communicates to the world that we are related to Christ. People will recognize our connection to Christ through our love life. If we engage in every other activity, manifesting all power gifts and revelational gifts without love, it still means we are not disciples of Christ. Jesus didn’t use “these” to mean many things; He said “this” as a single indicator. Let love guide us to people and allow them to see that we have been with Christ.
Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the one thing that identifies me with you. Help me to love generously.
Wisdom_Quote: Love is the only thing that identifies the believer as a disciple of Jesus.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
The only thing that counts
[The Glory Unveiled]
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. [ Galatians 5:6 NIV ]
“The only thing that counts” means exactly that. Numerous distractions vie for our attention and time, but they hold no significance in the grand scheme of things. Love and faith, when combined, work wonders. They form a crucial duo playing a vital role in our redemption. God demonstrated love by sending His Son to atone for our disobedience, bearing our punishment upon Himself. In response, we are called to express faith. Through faith, we consent to spiritual matters, and the outcomes often depend on whether we grant permission or not. Our faith is most powerful when driven by love. Unfortunately, faith can lie dormant when not rooted in love. Love provides purpose and velocity to God’s work. For instance, consider the paralyzed man carried by four friends who, out of love, made a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was. Touched by their love, Jesus healed the man. When faith intertwines with love, nothing obstructs its path to success. God, being love, approves our endeavors when infused with love. In the life of a believer, faith and love are paramount. Many experiences of believers revolve around faith and love. Without love, their faith confessions and attitudes may be deemed hypocritical. Let love guide our faith, recognizing that, in the believer’s life, the only things that truly count are faith and love.
Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me that the way of faith is love. Help me to love at all times.
Wisdom_Quote: Let love take the lead in your faith pursuit.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
The mind settings of Christ
[The Glory Unveiled]
“And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.” [ Philippians 2:5 TPT ]
The Lord Jesus set an example for us with His life. While on earth in the flesh, He had His free will which was independent of the will of God like everyone of us. This means He could do whatever He wanted or what God wanted. However, at every moment, only one will could be given the opportunity to express itself; the will of God or His own will. The Lord Jesus chose throughout His life to forbid his will from being expressed. He gave the wheel to God to express His will through Him in all things. He practically relinquished His right to the controls that determined which will was being displayed. He abandoned His will, down to the minutest thing and the tiniest second; whatever He did was determined by God. That is the example He left for us. If we allow His mindset to motivate us, we can live in this body, in this world as if Jesus were actually living through us. In the body of the born-again believer is their will and the will of Jesus. Each of us will have to make a choice at every point, and whatever choice we make gives permission to which will would be in control. We can choose to sit behind the wheel of our own lives or hand over the controls to Jesus, as He did with the Father; the choice is ours to make. The apostle Paul encourages us today to allow ourselves to be motivated by the mindset of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can only emulate the Lord Jesus’ example when we are motivated by His mindset. Unless we have His mindset, we cannot have his example and results. His life is the product of His mindset, which is allowing God to live through Him.
Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege to have your mindset. Help me to live for you in all things.
Wisdom_Quote: The mindset of Jesus produces His lifestyle.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Start with agreement
[The Glory Unveiled]
“Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so.” [ Amos 3:3 ERV ]
So many people want to walk with other people who have not agreed to walk with them. Inevitably, they discover along their journey that they are not headed the same destination, and then part ways. But if such people had agreed from the onset, they would have saved themselves loads of pain and suffering. Unfortunately, many times, many people assume that the other person understand them or are going where they are headed without properly agreeing or finding out their end goal. Agreement is very important if anything will grow from one level to the other and be sustained through a long period of time. Usually, agreements happen when there is clarity of purpose and that purpose is communicated in a manner that well understood and not misconstrued. To move forward, to excel, or to succeed in any field requires planning. Hence, without proper planning, no two people can move together even if they already have the desire to do so. Every future is birthed in the labour ward of agreement between parties. Nothing with a future can be sustained except there is agreement. In other words, nothing long lasting happens independently. Human relationships are intended to last through our stay on earth, hence the need for agreement. Agreement is like yoking two oxen together. Without the yoke [the reason for agreement], both oxen will go separate ways. And so, for the parties in a relationship not to head to separate directions, agreement is necessary before they set out. A husband and his wife can only head towards a predetermined goal except they had first agreed and brought themselves under the yoke of that agreement. Don’t assume, find out and be sure of your destinations.
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for this eternal truth. Help me to agree with anyone You have intended for me to walk with. Let them agree with me too. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: Assumption is the reason why two people heading to a place arrive at different locations.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.