SECLUDED UNTO GOD

[The Glory Unveiled]

1 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.2 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. ( Jonah 2:1-2 )

Like Jonah, there are times God insulates us from the world and separates us unto Himself. God does this to catch our full attention in order to communicate a specific purpose to us. For instance, Moses’ burning bush experience was intended to catch his attention just as apostle Paul’s Damascus encounter gave God a firm grip on him. When Jonah was instructed to carry out an assignment, he thought he could choose to do whatever he wanted. There are times God gives us some free rides but unfortunately Jonah didn’t have any in that moment because all humans are actually like clay in the hands of the Potter (God) and He does with us what He please. Three days of staying in the belly of the great fish, Jonah was rewired in his understanding; Moses became a deliverer and a judge right on the mountain where he encountered God. Whenever men leave the presence of God if they were truly in the presence of God, they became susceptible to the call of God because the will and purpose of God is always clear in the presence of God. Let us walk yieldingly in the call of God for our lives.

Prayer_Bead: My Father in Heaven, give me a listening ear and an obedient heart. Teach me to walk in Your calling for me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Love: Priceless and Intentional

[The Glory Unveiled]

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. ( Song of Songs 8:7 )

Love is a living thing that is not easily killed, destroyed nor quenched. It is also priceless. So that the price you place on it is just a quota of how much it is truly worth and not necessarily the true value. Unfortunately, because love though powerful, is also mostly passive in expression, people tend to downplay its essence and substance. Largely, we take love for granted as a result of our ignorance of what love is, and what it may mean to others. Where there is true love, there is always a way. Impossibilities become very possible and barriers make way for unimaginable expressions. Many people see love as a soulish concoction running through the souls of humans. But if that were true there would be no hate in the world but unfortunately that is not the case. Like any other thing worthwhile, love must be very intentional. For instance, last night, many people might have been hurt, others helped, and some might have been heart-broken; largely unintentionally. But whatever it is, love must be very intentional to produce the desired results. Be intentional about love, don’t give up yet. Remember it is not easily killed, destroyed nor quenched.

Prayer_Bead: My Father and God, stir up the spirit of your kind of love in me. Help me to forgive those who wronged me and to be forgiven of those I wronged.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Do not awaken your Love

[The Glory Unveiled]

Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem:Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,until the time is ripe—and you’re ready. ( Song of Songs 8:3 )

Love is always first like a sleeping dog. It’s a living thing with actual traits of living things. And like all living things, in order to sustain its life and growth, it must be nurtured and nourished. If it is abandoned, it does not only die but it rots and stinks. The stench from an awoken love, left unattended to is more destructive than physical weapons of mass destruction. And for this reason, the wise king Solomon warns us not to excite, arouse or stir it up until the right time; when we’re ready, because ones it is awaken, like a sleeping dog, you can’t put it back to sleep. Love has the tendency to grow whether it is carefully nourished or not. The reality is, you’ll always reap what you invest into love, whether the good or the bad. In our time and day, due to the influence of social media, people are almost always pressured to explore love even when they are not ready. Many are coerced, others are convinced by the tokens of affection given them by meticulously voracious ‘partners’. The result; some have had love exploded to their faces, leaving them blind to realities. My dear, if you’re not ready, you’re not ready. Don’t wait for the consequences to scream reality into you. Let us take the warnings of the man who had experimented with all the realities of life more than any other person seriously.

Prayer_Bead: Father Lord, Lover of my soul and sustainer of my life, let the unfruitful desires of my heart drown in the comfort of your word. Help me not to arouse love before the desired time.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

How is true Love identified?

[The Glory Unveiled]

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ( 1John 3:16 )

The scriptures are not unclear on the subject of love. If anything, it is us who have refused to accept what scripture reveals as truth. So how does one know what love is and whether someone truly love them as they may profess or not? It is true that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth makes expressions. But when it comes to the issues of love, it takes more than just the “sweet nothings” of the heart’s ecstatic oratory. The scripture for consideration today says, “This is how we know what love is: …” signifying a fixed acid test approach to knowing what love is. So that we could agree that anything short of the standard is just hormonal and chemical agitation unrestrained. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. This was and is love. Sacrificial giving of self is the standard and test for real love. Can you give yourself to someone you claim you love without demanding or expecting something in return? Can you give your time, energy and resources for the betterment and enjoyment of another person even if that other person won’t recognise you for it? This is love. February 14 has gradually succeeded in distorting the true meaning of love and what it stands for. The standard for love is so far from the mark, particularly in February but we  pray that this broadcast will open our eyes to the realities.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, my Love and my Lord, help me to live as Christ lived. Make me a channel to reach the unreached. Teach me to unconditionally live for others.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.