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Actions or intentions.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. [ Matthew 21:31 NIV ]

The Lord Jesus told a parable of two sons, where a father went to one of his two sons and asked him to work in the field. This son said he wouldn’t go, but later changed his mind and went. The father went to the other son and asked him the same favour. This other son responded in the affirmative but he did not go. Jesus ended the parable by asking a question that is the heart of the parable. “Which of the sons did what the father asked them to do? The disciples gave the same answer you’re probably having in mind, “the first son.” Jesus then opened their eyes to something unexpected, people who are ordinarily called sinners are entering the kingdom of God ahead of the ones who seem more deserving of the kingdom. Running this statement through the parable of the two sons we see these “sinners” as people who said to their father that they would not go to the field but later changed their minds and did or will. While the righteous, disciples and some believers belong to the category which said they would go to the field but didn’t go. In the end, Jesus is not looking for those who said they would go but those who did. Results beat intentions. Whatever your intentions are do not matter if they are not carried out. Some people have good intentions but unless these intentions are carried out, they are as good as no intentions or bad ones. The kingdom of God is admitting sincere and intentional people. No present situation holds us back if we want to change our ways. God has given us the willpower, an ability to make our own choices. Now that there is still grace and mercy, the time to change is today.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your word. Help me to be true to my words.

Wisdom_Quote:* One’s actions outweigh their intentions.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A stubborn conviction

[The Glory Unveiled]

But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. [ Daniel 3:18 NIV ]

The depth of a person’s convictions are brought to bare when they come before authorities. People may claim to hold a certain position until they come face to face with power, money or their desires. What they do in the face of these things is their true position and conviction. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were Hebrew boys who had their godly convictions formed and molded by their religion and culture. But while in Jerusalem, their convictions were not tested because they were always surrounded by people who believed in the same things as they did. But here, they found themselves in a foreign land, among a people who do not believe in their God nor regarded their beliefs. In the face of these people, their true beliefs and convictions are tested. They were asked to worship an idol. Meanwhile, their faith taught them to worship no other god but Yahweh. Will they compromise because their families are not around to supervise them? Will they compromise because their church leaders are not around? Whatever choice they made exposed their truest beliefs and convictions. These young men made a very profound statement, that their God will save them from the wrath of the king as they have chosen not to worship his god. But then, even if their God who is Almighty does not save them, they still wouldn’t worship the god of Babylon. This reveals how stubbornly firm their convictions are. They had become so determined to live for God to such a point that they weren’t doing it for the benefit they get from God. They have had their convictions formed by their constant exposure to God. What convictions are you forming? What are you constantly exposing yourself to?

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to live for you. Guide me to stay within the boundaries of my convictions. In Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: Your convictions are tested outside the boundaries of their root.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Divine trusts

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
[ Luke 16:10 NIV ]

In every field, particularly in areas of design and creative works, before the final work is released, countless trials are carried out on inferior canvases or materials. Rough works are done on materials other than the final surface. In school, nobody gives pens to preschool and kindergarten students to write with. They are first given pencils so that mistakes can be corrected. They are not given permanent writing aids because they will make the same mistakes with ink that they make with pencils. In our text above, the Lord Jesus said whoever can be trusted with little can equally be trusted with much. There is that attitude or effect that is carried around us. Naturally, we translate our inner convictions and true personality to different situations. And so, whatever we do in one situation is a prediction of what we could do in another situation. This is why many times, apprentices are not tested with the real deal. Whatever we do with the little exposes what we could do with much. If we want to be assigned to much, we must be faithful in the little already entrusted to us. Sometimes, we hear irresponsible people say that they will begin to take responsibilities when they have much. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. The little sets the table for great things. Until we know how to handle and manage little things, great things will be far from us.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the things you have entrusted to my hands. Help me to faithfully carry them out.

Wisdom_Quote: Little responsibilities expose great commitments.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Chameleon Christian.


[The Glory Unveiled]

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [ Matthew 5:16 NIV ]

In verse 14 of our anchor text, the Lord Jesus calls us “the light of the world.” This helps us better understand the people referred to as “others” in our focal text, verse 16. The “others” mentioned are the people of the “world,” the place of darkness under Satan’s influence. This is why Jesus said we should let our light shine, so those under the influence of darkness can see it. Obviously, light is needed wherever there is darkness. Where there is no darkness, people have no need of light. Unfortunately, in our day, many believers who carry the light only let it shine in the gathering of other believers (fellow light-bearers) where light is not “needed.” But if our light only shines in the gatherings of believers and not among unbelievers, then we are hypocrites and pretenders. Our light is needed more in the world (among people) than in the gathering of believers where light already dwells.
Daniel let his light shine before the pagan worshippers and the king of Babylon, who were in darkness. After they saw the light of God, they glorified the God of Daniel. Daniel did not try to impress his fellow Hebrew friends. Instead, he lived in such a way that the pagans themselves began to declare that the God of Daniel was the true God. Some people’s light is turning to darkness because they have a habit of changing. Rather than changing and pretending from one group of people to another like a chameleon, our light must shine consistently. Wherever we find ourselves, we must let our light remain light. Beloved, we have been called to a consistent life of light. Let’s reveal the nature of Christ in us to the world.


Prayer_Bead: Lord, Jesus, Light of the world, thank you for sending us into this world to be it’s light. Help us to not relent or compromise. In Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: Consistency in our walk with God increases our reachability and influence in the world.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A conditional invitation.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [ Luke 9:23 NIV ]

Our walk with the Lord Jesus is not forced. As much as God desires that we come to Him, He does not override our free will, insisting that we choose Him. In our text above, the Lord Jesus asks that anyone who would come after Him—follow him as a disciple—should deny himself and take up His cross daily and follow Him. This makes the invitation to follow Him an open one. He does not forbid anyone from becoming His disciple but He does have a condition that must be met to actually succeed in following Him. Hence, this means that, to succeed in this endeavor is solely our responsibility. Amos 3:3 asks how two people can walk together unless they agree, we cannot follow Jesus nor walk with Him except we agree with Him. And we can only agree with Him when we live as He lived; denying the self life it’s freedom and taking up His cross daily and following His father. The same principle is expressed when Isaac denied his free will and followed his father, Abraham, carrying the firewood (his cross) for his death. There is a price to following Jesus and this price is encased in a condition; the condition of denying the self through daily obedience to the word of God. When we choose to obey Jesus on daily basis, ignoring what our self life wants, we are on the path to a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Are you committed to walking with Jesus? Are you willing to pay the ultimate price?

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing us how to enter into a lifelong relationship with you. Help me to obey you daily.

Wisdom_Quote: The call to follow Jesus is open to everyone at the cost of their lives.

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God is faithful

[The Glory Unveiled]

“For no word from God will ever fail.”
[ Luke‬ ‭1:37‬ NIV ]

The words of men, both great and small fail. There were prophets and influential people who prophesied or predicted that something was going to happen but never did. It has become so very easy not to trust the words of people because of their unreliability. People are free to say whatever they want to say. But the power to make those sayings come to pass resides with none. Our anchor text is the word of an Angel to Mary. God is not a man. He is capable of backing all His words and guiding them into fulfillment. Immediately a word leaves the mouth of God, the word by itself is fulfillment because God’s word will never fail. That is the truth, whether we believe it or not. And that is where the challenge sometimes come from. The word of God will not fail, but sometimes the agents to whom these words are spoken through unbelief become impatient. And then we tend to lose faith in the faithfulness of God because we confuse our human clock with God’s clock. While our human clock measures the passing of time, God’s clock measures the passing of God’s faithfulness. So that, if God promises something, it must happen in His time, irrespective of what the human clock says. According to the human clock, Sarah was passed the age of childbearing, and she was not able to conceive even if she wasn’t so old. But because the clock of God measures the faithfulness of God to ensure that no word from God falls to the ground, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son. Mary who was a virgin conceived without a man. Every word from God concerning us will come true because God is faithful.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Jesus, thank you for always coming through for me in your time. Let your name be glorified.

Wisdom_Quote: Man’s clock measures the passing of time, God’s measures the faithfulness of God.

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The marching order

[The Glory Unveiled]

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [ Mark 8:34 KJV ]

The principles and procedures of the kingdom of God do not discriminate between people—the marching order is the same for all. The Lord Jesus informed the people who were following Him and His disciples alike that whoever wants to be His disciple, in other words, whoever wants to look like Jesus, must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. This instruction was not given to the crowd alone; it was directed to the disciples as well. When it comes to looking like Jesus, there is no shortcut or discrimination. We have to pay the full price, and that price is self-denial, taking up our cross, and following Him. The first step in paying this price is to deny oneself. Naturally, we are self-preserving; we love and care about ourselves selfishly. Therefore, denying ourselves does not come naturally to us. We have to break a culture that we have been steeped in all our lives. This breaking is painful and discomforting. A young man came to Jesus seeking guidance on what he had to do to inherit the kingdom of God. After it was established that he had some things in order, the Lord Jesus asked him to sell his properties and belongings and give to the poor. He left downcast because his wealth and properties were preserving his sense of importance (Mark 10:17-22). Taking that away from him would make him feel nonexistent. However, it is only after we have denied ourselves that we can take up our cross. After we have denied ourselves, we can listen to and follow Jesus. When we “lose control” of our lives and give control to Jesus, we can take up our cross and follow Him. And then, in following Him, we begin to look just like Him; as we follow Him, we are changed into His very image from glory to glory.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing me the terms of the marching order, help me to deny myself and take up my cross so that I can follow you. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Self denial is the ticket to following Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The mark of Waiting

[The Glory Unveiled]

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. [ Isaiah 40:31 KJV ]

Waiting on God is an act that describes the posture of our hearts. It exposes and reveals the true desires of a person and their willingness or unwillingness to allow God’s will to supersede their own desires. Waiting on God means to come into agreement with God. It means to submit to the will of God and conform completely with His plans. It is usually called for when we have options and opportunities to do other things apart from what God would have us do. Joseph faced the option to sleep with Potiphar’s wife or stay away from her. The latter was God’s will for him. However, he had the opportunity to do anything; he was free to choose which side he would take. When Joseph chose to align with God, he waited on Him. The Lord Jesus, in His final moments before the cross, came to the crossroads; a place where He had to choose whether to drink from the cup of suffering and death or to let it pass. The perfect will of God was for Him to drink from it. In those moments, He had to choose to wait on God and align with Him. So, He prayed that the cup would pass, but not His will, but God’s will be done. That was the turning point and true meaning of waiting on God: aligning with Him. After we have aligned with God’s will, there is a provision for us, and our strength is renewed. We become strong and equipped to do exploits. Waiting on God makes tremendous power available to us. Waiting on God does not mean being inactive or dormant. It is rather a time of intentionality and purpose. It is a time of surrendering to the plan of God when our plan is out of sync with God’s plan. It means putting aside every other option and choosing the will of God regardless of other alternatives. When we do, we later find that God’s plan was the master plan. This is the time to surrender our will to God’s will.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the grace to wait on you. Thank you for the strength that is made available.

Wisdom_Quote: Waiting on God is not a delay avenue but a strategic route to glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Play your part

[The Glory Unveiled]

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” [ John 2:3 NIV ]

Every cast in a drama has a part to play to make a complete story. If a character refuses to play their part, it will affect the plot. In life, we have all been assigned certain roles to carry out in displaying the beauty of God’s love story. This story has been playing out for many generations and through many centuries. Everyone who walked the earth had a role to play. But whether or not they embraced their mission and carried it out is another story. In our anchor chapter, we read about a wedding feast where the people had run out of wine. Jesus was in attendance, and so was Mary, his mother. Mary understood that she had a role to play in solving the problem at hand. So, she tells Jesus that the people needed wine. Even though Jesus gave an initial response that was supposed to discourage her, she wasn’t discouraged because she understood that Jesus had a role to play in the matter too. She then went to the servants and instructed them to do whatever Jesus asked them to do. This means the servants also had a role to play in making the new wine. Finally, the master of ceremonies had his part to play, in announcing the glory of what had transpired. Even though he didn’t fully know what had happened (verse 9), he played his part regardless. Reading the account carefully, we discover that everyone played their part so well even though they did not each know what their part had to do with the carrying out of another person’s part. But because everyone did their part without allowing others’ roles to influence them, the end was a beautiful testimony; the choicest wine was made from ordinary water. You have a part to play in the story God is telling through humanity. Don’t abandon your role. Let the world see God’s glory through the story of your life.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to play a part in your story by your mercy. I yield to your script. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Everyone has a part in the story of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Prepared to witness

[The Glory Unveiled]

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. [ 1 Peter 3:15 NIV ]

Failure becomes inevitable when preparation is sidelined. Success does not embrace everyone; it has a special affinity for diligence. As we learned some days ago, nothing can stand the test of time without structures and foundations to support it. For the believer, one such structure and foundation needed to support or host certain realities of God is reverence for Christ. Unless we have true reverence for the Lord, we cannot sustain any worthwhile existence in Him. This foundation gives us hope and confidence in God, a kind of confidence and hope that the world cannot understand. As a result, the world will ask us to give the reason for the hope that we have. The problem is that some believers have this hope, but when asked to give their reason, they are unable to. To give the right answer for the reason we have this hope, we need to prepare for it. Teaching must be done methodically and intentionally, guided by the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is so wide and deep that it cannot be encompassed by the cunningness of men. We must be prepared to give others the reason for our hope in Christ, and the method to employ is gentleness and respect. We may communicate our reasons, but if not well communicated, they will not help our hearers. Your reason for hoping in Christ could be sincere and true, but how you share it with others can defeat its verity. You could have all the hope in Christ, but that hope can only give hope to others when we share it with gentleness and respect from a place of wisdom. So, give your answers with respect and gentleness.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the hope you have given me in you. As I share with my world, give me the wisdom to go about it. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Our relationship with others is mapped on the canvas of our reverence for Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.