Love was one of the most powerful weapons God used in redeeming Mankind back to himself; and that weapon is still very much active today.
The Bible says in John 3 vs 16;
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Jesus was the only Son God ever had, yet, God was willing to sacrifice Him for the salvation of the world.
God gave Jesus out into the cold hands of death just because of you and I and in doing this, put both Heaven and Earth in Great danger.
Great danger?
Yes! Because the fate of both Heaven and earth depended on whether Jesus would fulfil or fail in His mission.
Jesus faced several temptations, yet, He overcame them all. He refused to be distracted in His mission to save mankind. Scriptures tell us that He prayed with so much fervency – not for Himself, but for you and I. (Hebrews 5 vs 7)
He had the power to disappear before even when the soldiers came to arrest Him at Gethsemane.
But He said, “Not my will Lord, but thy will be done”.
His great love for us made Him willing to sacrifice His freedom and dignity.
He even bore our curse;
Galatians 3:13 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
Folks, God’s display of love on calvary remains the highest display of love for eternity.
St. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Even when we fall, He picks us up and wipe the stains of sin and guilt away with His Blood.
This is the incomprehensible love of Christ – the love that passes understanding.
If you ever feel like anyone hates you, remember that two thousand years ago, a Divine Being named ‘Jesus’ made the greatest love sacrifice on the cross.
Are you feeling hopeless or in despair? Look unto the cross and be strengthened.
If you ever feel like an outcast, Remember you have been adopted by God through Christ and you are now a part of God’s Household {Ephesians 2:12-13}
The writer of more or less, half of the chapters in The Book of Psalms, David, is one of the prominent Bible figures in history. The trials and travails of David contribute to what makes him stand out as one of Israel’s greatest king.
Despite his great travails, David never once renounced his faith. He kept serving God zealously.
At the later part of his age, David offered to build God a house. God declined David building him a house.
Yet, due to His abundant love for God, David made available all the tools and financial resources necessary for the building of the temple and gave his son, Solomon to be diligent in the building of the Temple.
For this act of love, God said to David,
2 Samuel 7:12: “And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom.”
2 Samuel 7:13: “He shall build a house for My Name [and My Presence], and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
2 Samuel 7:14: “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men.”
2 Samuel 7:15: “But My mercy and loving-kindness shall not depart from him, as I took [them] from Saul, whom I took away from before you.”
For David’s love of God, God prospered Solomon and gave Solomon the kind of peace and prosperity that had never been seen since the inception of Israel’s monarchy.
Believers tend to weary at the long run, in the service of God when the material benefits of serving God does not come to them at the rate at which they desire.
But God wants us to know, that even though for some reasons, we might not materially enjoy the rewards of our labour in His House, undoubtedly, our children shall enjoy it.
Psalms 112:1: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.
Psalms 112:2: “His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.”
The Man who fears the Lord might be poor. He might have died from an unseen pandemic. Though he feared the Lord greatly and obeyed all His commandments, he might still be oppressed by the wicked and affected by the country’s economy.
Yet, God permits these. God permits it because when we go through these severe trials and persecutions, we are not going through it alone. We are going through it on behalf of our unborn generations.
Psalms 22:30 “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.”.
God accounts man’s service to Him as Generational. Abraham served God and as a result, God blessed Abraham’s seed.
Here is the reason why you must not relent in your kingdom service. Because the reward for whatever you do for the Kingdom is being prepared for both you and your generation.
When you feel like quitting and giving up on the Faith; when the persecution becomes too much, and the temptation to renounce Christianity becomes too strong. Remember, that your decision will affect even your unborn generation.
Prayers never expire. There are times when we pray in the spirit, and we think we are praying for ourselves, but God is actually using that prayer as a means to create a good future for our children and their children’s children.
Serve the Lord for your kids. Look unto Him for a bright future in their lives.
Ensure you get your children engaged in the things of God. Sow a seed of whatever you desire for your children, in the lives of other people’s children.
If you desire favour for your children, favour the children of other people. In festive seasons, you can get gifts you can afford and send to them.
Source: Myface.org
During hard times like this, you can decide to support the feeding or Education of some of those poor children in your locality.
These things might seem to be philanthropic activities and aids rendered to other families.
But in Heaven, it is actually seen as a seed for your children to bountifully harvest such favor in every area of their lives.
The whole Universe consists of elements which are mutually dependent on one another.
Creatures in different animals, interact with each other, and complement each other directly or indirectly.
The Grass grows for the Cow. The Cow defecates and its faeces becomes manure for the Grass.
Man exhales carbon dioxide and inhales oxygen from plants. Plants inhale carbon dioxide exhaled from man.
God fashioned the world such that its elements would be dependent on one another.
Mankind is not exempted from this.
We were created to be mutually dependent on one another. We were created to help one another.
The problem of today’s society is that we all want helpers, but very few want to be Helpers.
Everyone wants help, but only a few wants to help. Such a person who finds it difficult to help others, will never find generous helpers in his life.
The key to an outflow of Helpers from God is in helping others.
In Esther, we are introduced to a young lady, taken captive into a strange land, along with her uncle.
Her parents were killed in a siege on her Homeland. Hence, she was an orphan, in a strange land, living with her Uncle.
Mordecai was the Uncle of Esther. He was not a buoyant man. Rather, he was a poor gate man who served at the gates of the King’s Palace.
Despite the fact that this man wasn’t financially buoyant, he took Esther into his custody and took very good care of her.
His care and good wish for Esther made him to get her involved in the Beauty pageant held to determine the King’s new wife.
The Bible tells us that even while Esther was in the palace, under the custody of Hegar, Mordecai would come to check on Esther from time to time.
In his wit, he saw that Esther revealing her Jewish identity bluntly would greatly affect her chances of Winning. Hence, he instructed her not to reveal her identity to anyone.
Mordecai was not just a guardian to Esther. He was her mentor, coach, guide and Instructor. He helped this orphan girl as much as she could.
Years later, this orphan child, whom he had helped when she had no one to support her, became the Queen of the most powerful Empire in his days.
The Child who he had live with him when she had no one to live with, now had her permanent residence in the palace of the King.
Such is life, beloved.
The one who is seeking your help today might become your helper tomorrow.
The help you render today, are seeds that will guarantee you receive help whenever you need it.
There’s no act so Noble, nothing so great as helping others.
Proverbs 19:17: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
The Bible places giving amongst the most sacred of Christian activities. God declares in His Word, that when we give to the poor, we lend to Him.
On one hand, we are giving our skills and financial resources to the poor. On the other hand, Heaven records whatever you are giving, as something lent to God.
Man would say, ‘I gave XYZ amount of money to the poor’.
But in heaven, it is recorded as, ‘Mr Man lent XYZ amount of money to God. To be paid back with interest in due time’
If the Government of some countries pays back charity organizations for the donations they make every year; how won’t the government of heaven reward you bountifully for the money you’ve lent to them.
Hebrews 13:16: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Now is the time for us to release our help like never before. You do not need to have millions of dollars in your bank account before you give.
Give from the little you have. That is what makes it a Sacrifice. And as seen in that sacrifice, it is such Sacrifice that is pleasing unto God.
Proverbs 6 vs 6 “Go to the ant, you sluggard; Consider her ways and be wise”
The ant is a very special and interesting creature. Though very small in size, it has a lot of interesting and amazing characteristics.
According to science, ants can lift up to 50 times their own weight. So small yet strong and mighty. Another interesting fact about them is that they have no ears. Yes! They lack ears. All they depend on for hearing are vibrations.
These little creatures are ubiquitous. I mean they can be found anywhere and everywhere you go.
Some species of ants can actually live up to 2 hours after their heads have been ripped off their bodies.
These creatures are so amazing and unique, establishing the fact that size doesn’t matter when it comes to surviving in thus world.
Aside these amazing facts, there is also a lot to learn from them such as the lesson of hardwork and determination.
But that is not the only thing we can learn from the ants.
One evening, I was sitting under an almond tree enjoying the coolness of the shades and the evening breeze.
Then I felt something walking on my neck. I quickly threw it off my neck, and I inquisitively went to check what it was.
I discovered it was a little ant which I crushed while trying to take it off my neck.
It lay there wounded. I decided to leave it on the ground, hoping it would heal and gain enough strength to walk again.
I kept going to observe whether it would move, at intervals.
Several minutes later, I spotted another ant coming.
After a few seconds, it got to where the injured ant was and touched it with its antenna. It did this for about 30 seconds.
Then suddenly, it picked up the injured ant and started moving it away from where it was towards their little ant hole buried in the ground. Soon they got to the hole and entered.
This little act of this ant amazed me. It saw its fellow ant helplessly wounded and did not abandon it.. Instead, it helped it to safety.
Everyday, we hear stories of devout Christians falling into grievous sins such as fornication, fraud etc.
We see some at the verge of backsliding because they feel that they have fallen so deep they ca not be saved or used by God again.
Hearing this, instead of becoming a helping hand, we Christians take it as an opportunity to criticize and condemn them.
Instead of showing them love, we become mean towards them as if we are the world’s perfectionists. Instead of encouraging them, we talk them down., instead of correcting, we criticize.
Lots of Christians have commuted suicide due to this. The place from which they expected to get love, faith, strength and Correction, they got hatred, shame and criticism instead.
I want us to know that our maturity as believers is not only measured based on how fervently or how long we pray. Nor is it only measured based on on how well we get deep revelations from the Bible. It is also measured based on how we handle situations around us.
We are on a journey and this journey is a journey filled with stumbling blocks. No one is perfect but we are moving towards perfection.
Many are going to fall but it is the job of those who are already strong in those areas to bring them up, love, encourage and correct them.
Let us help each other on this journey. Let us carry each other along. Let us intercede for one another. Let us fellowship with one another.
Don’t make anyone feel bad for falling. Remember it could happen to anyone and even you.
The Apostle said, “Let brotherly love continue”.
The Road to Eternity is full of thorns and trials, but if we stick to one another, we can definitely overcome.
I once watched an American war movie. It was based on real events. In the movie, American soldiers were fighting against terrorists in a foreign country. The battle was a really tense one.
The fierce bullet exchange kept the American soldiers focused in the battlefield, even though they were gaining grounds.
As they advanced, one of their men was hit by a bullet. It was as though his bulletproof vest had worn out due to several shootings from the enemy’s rifle.
The wounded soldier seemed to be a setback to the advancing soldiers. The bullet had hit him where it mattered most; his left breast; but he was still alive.
But as he lay, bleeding profusely, struggling to stay in this world, a frontline commando ran to him. He grabbed the bleeding soldier and upheld him in his arms.
“Leave me and focus on the battle. I am useless to you in this state” the bleeding soldier managed to say.
But the commando paid no attention to his requests. He took the wounded soldier away from the battlefield to a secret cave.
This cave was built in a hidden place by the American soldiers, and was full of medicals employed to treat soldiers.
The wounded soldier was immediately attended to. He was treated, and lived to become a war veteran in America.
1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith”
2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought a good fight”
Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle… against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
2 Corinthians 10:4: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds…”
The first verse mentioned above reveals to us, that Christianity is not just a religion, it is a fight. But it is not just any fight; it is the fight of faith. In the third verse aforementioned, our opponents are revealed to us.
They are powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness, who try to make our lives sour and send various trials and temptations our way just to shake our faith.
In the last aforementioned verse, we are told that we are not left in this war, without powerful weapons.
Our weapons are mighty. When applied properly, they conquer territories, destroy those who rebel against the government of God, and cast down every device that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.
But this fight is not just an individual one, it is equally a collective one. It is a fight against every member of the body of Christ as well as a fight against the body of Christ as a unified mystical society.
In this fight, do not be so concerned about winning that you fail to help those who have been wounded by the shots of the enemy.
It befuddles my imagination, that these days, whenever a believer stumbles in faith, he becomes the mockery and object of criticism in the church.
He is labelled a backslidden Christian, a hypocrite and is almost ostracized from the church. This is not supposed to be so. The Church is a Body.
When the hand feels pain, the entire body bears it. When the legs get wounded, the entire body is affected. Then why would a saint, see his fellow brother/sister, struggling or wounded in faith, and would ignore such a fellow.
Some would go to the extent of mocking the fellow.
When Peter was taken captive by Herod, and held in jail, the Church prayed fervently for him. It was because of their prayer that Peter got freedom.
Bible never recorded Peter praying for himself, instead, it lets us know that Peter was fast asleep and held in chains when an Angel came to rescue him.
What if the church had not prayed? Peter would definitely have been beheaded by Herod.
There are believers who are being held captive by different kinds of chains. Some are in literal prisons because of their faith. Some are being held by chains of lust, immorality, addiction etc.
They are so held by it, that they see no way out. They wallow helplessly in these vices. They are still believers, but they have been captured by the enemy.
It is the duty of the free saints, to pray ceaselessly for such believer.
You must pray for that believer as if your health depended on his spiritual wellbeing.
Some Christians have been wounded emotionally, by the losses they incurred this year.
Some have been bruised in faith, due to the severe hardship they experienced this year.
Do not ignore them! Pray fervently for them! Let them be your top priority in prayer.
Do not ignore the wounded saints. Even if you cannot treat them, take them to the master doctor; Christ. Offer them unto Him in prayers.
And do not withdraw your help from those you can help. Help them with food. Help them with beautiful Christmas wears.
Treat them with the balm of positive words. Heal their wounds with a genuine smile at them, and a show of love.
This is the life that Christ has called us to live; a life where we bear one another’s burdens. It is a life where we are our brother’s keeper.
Live it to its fullness.
You can begin now by picking up your phone, and reaching out to that believer who you know has gone through hell this year.
You can live it now by wiring money to the account of that church that has suffered financial lapses this year.
You can live it now by ordering for beautiful clothes for that child whose family is too poor to buy her Christmas wears.
KOINONIA ART 