[The Glory Unveiled]
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ( Luke 24:5 NIV )
The Bible says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). However, where and how we ask, knock, or seek plays a major role in finding what we want. In the scripture above, the Angels asked the women who had gone to the tomb of Jesus, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” This implies that even though we are assured that we will find when we seek, looking in the wrong place can make the search futile. The angels’ question suggested that while the women’s search was genuine, the location of their search rendered it meaningless. When searching for something, it is paramount to know where it can be found; otherwise, the search will be in vain. Something is not found merely because you are searching desperately for it. No matter how fervently you search, if you are looking in the wrong place, you will not find it. In our spiritual journey, we will discover spiritual treasures and realities only when we seek them in the right place. The Bible says, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” Your search should align with the location of what you seek. You cannot look for the fruit of the Spirit on the tree of the flesh or in an environment devoid of the Spirit. Walk (search) in the Spirit, and you will find the treasures of the Spirit.
Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege to search diligently for spiritual treasures and at the right place too.
Wisdom_Quote: The seeker finds in the right search area.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Your replacement
[The Glory Unveiled]
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” ( Luke 19:40 NIV )
Jesus’ disciples were joyfully praising Him for all the miracles they had seen Him perform. The Pharisees saw this and asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples. In response, Jesus said that if His disciples kept quiet and did not praise Him, the stones would cry out in their place. This is where we want to draw our lessons from. Many times, when we neglect our assignments and obligations, someone or something of lower status carries them out—and often does so even better. For instance, the gospel first came to the Jews, God’s chosen people. However, when they neglected it, the gospel was sent to the Gentiles, a people who were once rejected. And they embraced it. Paul writes that the aim was to provoke the Jews to jealousy (see Romans 11:11). In another instance, Balaam’s donkey spoke to him when he was bent on disobedience. At that moment, an Angel of the Lord had blocked the path, but Balaam couldn’t see him. Since Balaam was blind to the angel’s presence, God chose an animal—a lower-order creation—to see the angel instead (see Numbers 22:21-30). When Saul disobeyed God, the throne was taken from him and given to David, a younger and less regal person. Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle, gave us insight into this principle when he told Esther that she had been brought to her royal position for such a time as this. However, if she refused to do what was expected of her, God would bring help from another place—likely outside the royal palace (see Esther 4:14). This teaches us that sometimes, the seemingly negative things we see around us, such as sickness and poverty, may be allowed by God to manifest His glory. It could be that our disobedience has activated and empowered such things against us. Therefore, whatever we are supposed to do within our power, let us do it to the glory of God.
Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your divine directives to me. I walk in absolute obedience to your word. So help me God.
Wisdom_Quote: Your replacement is activated when you neglect your responsibility and duties.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Seeing Jesus
[The Glory Unveiled]
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ( Luke 19:4 NIV )
The text above speaks about a wealthy tax collector in the days of Jesus named Zacchaeus. The Scriptures describe him as short. However, his height did not impede him from seeing Jesus; it was the crowd that hindered him. If there had not been such a large crowd, he would have seen Jesus. Sometimes, people and our environment try to hinder us from encountering the Word of God. The woman with the issue of blood had to press through the crowd to reach Jesus. The blind man, Bartimaeus, was discouraged by those around him from encountering Jesus, but he broke through with persistence. The world around us does not want us to engage with God’s Word. This is why, like all the people mentioned who were hindered by their environment and those around them, we need to rise above every obstacle. Social media could be a hindrance to our walk with God, but we must rise above it. Until we overcome the things that stand in our way, we cannot fully engage with the truth of God’s Word. We live in a world where everything seems to flow without resistance—except the Word of God. Because so much seems to fight against our encounter with the Word, we must run ahead of the obstacles, just as Zacchaeus did. The Word of God comes to us daily, but due to various obstructions, we must take deliberate steps to engage with it. Rise above the obstacles that stand in your way.
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to hear your word. Show me a way out of the obstacles that impede my access to your word.
Wisdom_Quote: Climb above the obstacles that stand between you and God’s word to you.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Standing firm
[The Glory Unveiled]
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (Mark 3:25 NIV )
There are substances that bind materials together—adhesives. However, these adhesives do not just bind things together; they operate based on certain principles that must be adhered to. Many times, for something to stand firm, it requires necessary support. And that support must be capable of bearing the load it is intended to carry. The substances that bind things together do so not merely because they are adhesives, but because the materials involved obey the rules of engagement that allow for binding. When Jesus made the statement about a house divided against itself not being able to stand, He was not only referring to families. This principle also applies to any institution or establishment. Where people disagree, they cannot stand together. A house divided against itself can symbolize families, relationships, or businesses. But whatever the “house” represents, division will ultimately lead to its downfall. Therefore, for any house to stand in any situation, there must be agreement. We cannot stand with God if we are not in agreement with His Word. Stability comes not only from the components that make up a structure but also from the elements that bind those components together. A brick wall does not stand merely because it is made of bricks; it stands because of the mortar that holds the bricks together. In your walk with God, are your ways divided against His ways? The sons of Sceva attempted to do what Paul was doing but failed because their ways were divided against the established ways and practices of God (Acts 19:14–16).
Prayer_Bead: Lord, thank you for teaching me this principle of life. Help me to gather where you gather.
Wisdom_Quote: Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures gather.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
“Better than” standard
[The Glory Unveiled]
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ( Luke 18:11 NIV)
The habit of thinking ourselves better than others on the merit of a standard we created ourselves is a negative one. People measure their righteousness and godliness by how others live their lives. And if they feel they are doing “better than” those other people, they are okay with themselves. Or if they think they are doing better than they used to do, then they are good. But we or other people are not the standard of righteousness or life. Jesus is. In God’s eyes, there is no comparative standard. His standard is absolute. In our anchor text, we see a Pharisee praying to God and comparing himself with a tax collector. The Pharisee was trying to present himself to God as better than someone he thought was worse than himself. Meanwhile, he didn’t use God’s standard of measurement for the comparison. And because he was doing well in his own eyes, he was arrogant. But then, the ways of God are not our ways and His thoughts are not like ours. He does not operate with the “better than” standard. He works with the “as Christ” standard. So that anything and everything that falls short of Christ, no matter how brilliant it is, falls below the standard of God. Don’t measure yourself by the standard of being better than others or than you used to be. Measure yourself by the standard of God, asking for grace to look like His Son, Jesus Christ.
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your standard for all of humanity. Help me to live by them. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: The standard of God is Jesus Christ.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Inner Identity
[The Glory Unveiled]
As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. (Proverbs 27:19 KJV )
In the world of your mind, who are you? The mind is a realm of an alternate reality that shapes our physical reality. It serves as the backend of the coding of our lives, while the frontend is how we live and interact in the world. What happens behind the scenes in our hearts drives what happens on the frontend—the stage of our lives. Therefore, we cannot change what happens on the stage without first adjusting the settings that create those outcomes. Often, we focus on addressing people’s actions, attempting to change their behaviour, rather than addressing the root cause—the underlying factors that drive their actions. In reality, people are merely expressing who they are in the world of their minds. Unless they redefine their identity within their mental world, they cannot transform who they are in the physical world. This side of reality acts as a mirror, reflecting what exists on the other side. The scripture says that just as water reflects the face of the person staring into it, so a man’s heart reflects who he truly is. If you don’t like the face you see in the mirror, don’t get angry at the mirror or attempt to alter the reflection itself. The mirror only reveals what is placed before it. Instead, deal with what stands before the mirror. Similarly, if you don’t like who you or someone else is, focus on changing the posture of the heart, and the external reality will follow suit. A person moves in the direction their heart leads. Guide your heart, and your life will be guided accordingly.
Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the world of my heart. Help me to submit to you in all things. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: A man is not different from the identity they have in their hearts.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Careful who
[The Glory Unveiled]
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. ( Matthew 7:6 NIV)
The value of a thing is its worth in the eyes of its owner. The value of humanity is our worth before our Creator. God created us in His own image and likeness—that is what we are worth to Him. He values us as Himself. We can also discern our worth to God by how He treats and handles us. The way people handle their possessions speaks volumes about the value they place on them. God has demonstrated His unconditional love for us from the beginning. Even when we sinned, He didn’t give up on us; He still loved us. Our anchor scripture says we should not give dogs what is sacred or throw our pearls to pigs. It warns that if you do, they will trample them underfoot and turn to harm you. Figuratively speaking, a dog can symbolize an immoral person, while a pig represents an unholy person. This implies that we are not to give what is sacred or precious to those who cannot appreciate its value. They cannot relate to it as we do. They do not belong to the same realm, and therefore, they cannot truly connect with us. In other words, do not sacrifice your righteousness on the altar of sexual immorality and ungodliness. Be cautious about who you align yourself with and to whom you entrust your precious things—your visions and ideas. Only someone from your spiritual tribe can understand and value the pearls you share with them. Be mindful of who you cast your pearls to. Do they see value in what you value?
Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me my kind and tribe. Help me to associate with godly people. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: A pig cannot see any value in pearls.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.