Daniel 1-3:30-The Benefits of Obeying God (4)
• Heavenly Rewards
The decision of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey God, made the entire citizenry of Babylon to experience His immense power first-hand and I believe a lot of people must have yielded their lives to Him unconditionally that day. And for this reason, there must have been great rejoicing in heaven and the three young men must have been suitably rewarded thereafter (Luke 15:10, Galatians 6:7-8). In the same vein, if you win souls for God, which is always a wise thing to do (Proverbs 11:30), you will be fittingly rewarded in heaven as well in Jesus name. Amen.
Categories: Words of Faith Tags: Faith, Obedience, Trust
Daniel 1-3:30-The Benefits of Obeying God (3)
• Divine Blessings
The determination of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to disobey king Nebuchadnezzar and their willingness to obey God as well as their resultant promotion must have exposed them to breath-taking blessings in Babylon. This confirms as true, Isaiah 1:19 which says: ”If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”. Friend, if you too are willing and obedient henceforth, you shall eat the good of your land in Jesus name. Amen.
Categories: Words of Faith Tags: Faith, Obedience, Trust
Daniel 1-3:30-The Benefits of Obeying God (2)
• Divine Promotion
For disobeying king Nebuchadnezzar and obeying God’s law that forbids the worship of other Gods, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego got summary promotion in the province of Babylon. Please note that their promotion was divinely engineered as confirmed by the Psalmist in Psalm 75:6-7 where he said: ”… promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”. So, if you desire promotion in any area of your life today then, seek God’s opinion about it and obey Him strictly too and you’ll have it in Jesus name. Amen.
Categories: Words of Faith Tags: Faith, Obedience, Trust
Daniel 1-3:30-The Benefits of Obeying God (1)
• Divine Protection
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the gold image made by king Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, they obeyed God’s law that forbids worshipping other gods (Exodus 20:4-5). As a result, they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace but four men, the fourth being like the Son of God, all unbound and unscathed, were soon spotted in it. That is, Jesus was on hand to protect them thus verifying what Isaiah 43:2 says viz.: ”…When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you”. As you walk through the ‘fires’ of life day by day, choose to obey God and He’ll protect you divinely in Jesus name. Amen.
Categories: Words of Faith Tags: Faith, Obedience, Trust
YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus Christ, while addressing His disciples, said: ”You are the salt of the earth…”.
He uttered this statement as part of His celebrated Sermon on the Mount which served to influence how the disciples perceived and comported themselves. So, why did He specifically tag them the ‘salt of the earth’? We shall soon know; but for now, let us look at some points about salt so as to understand Him better.
The common salt is a white crystalline substance. It is also called Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and it gives the sea water its characteristic taste. It is the only mineral that people eat and it is often used as a seasoning agent to enrich the taste of foods. As a preservative, it is very effective in preventing the degradation of food products. Furthermore, it is a good disinfectant and in cold climes, it is used to melt ice on roadways to make them motorable.
No doubt, it is invaluable to mankind because it adds significant value to a lot of stuffs. Likewise, the disciples of Jesus Christ added significant value to many people’s lives. They preached to them, taught them, fed them, gave them succour, healed them, delivered them from bondage and led them to Christ. Clearly, they were the shakers and movers of their time and they left the earth better than they met it. No wonder, Jesus Christ called them the ‘Salt of the Earth’.
Apart from the disciples of Jesus Christ, several Christians in times past and nowadays, also qualified to be called ‘salts of the earth’ because their activities added significant value to people’s lives. Some of them are:
1. Michael Faraday (1791-1867). His works on electricity and magnetism revolutionized physics and today, our computers, telephone lines, web sites, etc. depend on them.
2. Isaac Newton (1642-1727). He was an English physicist, mathematician, astrologer and theologian. He is considered by many, to be the greatest scientist that ever lived.
3. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. He also created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax.
4. William Wilberforce (1759-1833). His robust activities led to the abolition of slave trade through an act of the British Parliament.
Others in this group include Paul of Tarsus (Author and Apostle), David Livingstone (Missionary), Mary Slessor (Missionary), Florence Nightingale (Nurse), Dr Martin Luther King Jnr (Civil rights leader), Mother Teresa (Missionary/Humanitarian Worker), Nelson Mandela (Anti-apartheid activist/Former President of South Africa) etc.etc.
You too can become one of the Salts of the Earth of this generation (Philippians 4:13). But first, you have to identify what comes easy to you and use it constructively with the help of Jesus Christ. For example, if you are adept at writing, write to enlighten people and to lead them to Him. And if you are proficient in talking or listening to people, healing, organizing, assisting or mentoring them etc. then, you are in business. Just commit whatever skill you possess into His hands and He’ll boost it for use to add significant value to people’s lives. In the end, He’ll reward you handsomely (Matthew 25:31-40) and your joy will be full. Please remember that with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37)!
Jesus is Lord!
c Adedayo Stoney Adegbulu, 2011
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Assurance, Faith, Hope
LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
Acts chapters 24 to 26, narrates how Apostle Paul was falsely accused and tried by different personalities. One of them was Festus, then Governor of Caesarea. At a time, he (Festus) wanted to please the Jews by transferring Paul to Jerusalem for trial thus making it easy for them to kill him. But Paul knew his intention so; he blocked him by appealing to Caesar in Rome for adjudication. His historic journey to Rome, with others, is narrated in Acts chapters 27 and 28. It mirrors a typical journey through life and it is full of lessons we ought to be abreast of. Let us now look at some of them.
1. The journey through life is often difficult.
Referring to a part of their journey from Caesarea to Rome, Apostle Paul, said: ”When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed …” (Acts 27:7). Above coment, shows very clearly that their journey was akin to most journeys through life that is, difficult; full of pain, sorrow, anger, rejection, confusion, doubt, dashed hopes, etc. Perhaps your journey through life is becoming difficult lately, please keep your calm because such is common and it will soon come to pass in Jesus name. Amen. (John 16:33).
2. We will be ignored from time to time.
Apostle Paul warned his co-travellers of the danger ahead of them if they continued with their journey to Rome, but he was ignored (Acts 27:9-12). Likewise, as Christians, preaching the gospel as part of our journey through life, people will ignore us from time to time. They may even regard us as being mentally disturbed or at best foolish. However, we should not be discouraged by their comments since we are on the right track! And Apostle Paul confirmed this when he said: ”For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
3. We may be tempted to give up.
Paul and his mates were so stressed that they gave up at a point. In Acts 27:20 he said: ”Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up”. Similarly, in our journey through life, situations will arise time and again to tempt us to give up, but we shouldn’t because they are usually transient and beneficial in the end. Again, Apostle Paul gave credence to this position by saying: ”For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”, (2 Corinthians 4:17).
4. We must get rid of every unhelpful luggage in our lives to survive our earthly storms.
In order to survive the storm they encountered on their way to Rome, the crew of Apostle Paul’s ship lightened their ship (Acts 27:18). Likewise, we must lighten our lives i.e., we must get rid of every unhelpful luggage (sins, bad habits, destructive cravings, etc.) in our lives so as to survive the many storms that we will surely encounter as we make our individual journey through life. And Apostle James corroborated this position as follows: ”Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
5. God is willing to help us to fulfil our destinies.
In the nick of time, God sent reassuring words through His angel, to Paul (Acts 27:22-25) and that singular event, renewed their interest in living and in fulfilling their destinies. For example, Paul went on to preach the gospel in many places unfettered; that was his destiny! Also, God is willing to help us fulfil our destinies in the course of our individual journey through life and He Himself confirmed this in Isaiah 41:10 in this way: ”Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”.
As you can see, the journey through life is often difficult and we definitely need help to make a success out of it. But proper help can come only from God through Jesus Christ (John 15:5). That’s why you need to accept Him into your life today as your personal Lord and Saviour if you haven’t already. Next, you must be ready to follow and trust Him for the rest of your life. Then, God will help you and your journey through life will become more tolerable and rewarding in Jesus name (Mark 10:29-30). Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
c Adedayo Stoney Adegbulu, 2011
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Faith, Hope
TRY THE MASTER POTTER
In Jeremiah 18:6, the Lord said: ”O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” … ”Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
Before uttering the statement above, God instructed Prophet Jeremiah to visit the potter’s house and he obeyed. And on getting there, he witnessed first-hand, the man’s dexterity with clay. God later told him that He too, could remould humanity with the expertise akin to the Potter’s.
Who are Potters by the way? Well, they are people who make pottery-ware such as earthenware, stoneware, and porcelains. They operate from places called potteries and they usually acquire their skills from their forebears and pass same down to their offspring. There are a lot of them worldwide and God is their overall Master. And like most brilliant Potters, He is very dexterous at remoulding stuffs, including all aspects of the humanity. For example, He can remould our:
1. Health. One of God’s topmost interests is to heal our diseases and the Psalmist captured this fact succinctly as follows: ”Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits …Who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3). Thus, if your health is not very sound at the moment, then pray to God, the Master Potter about it and He’ll remould it for you in Jesus name. Amen.
2. Business/Work. God also wants our businesses/works to do well. In Deuteronomy 16:15, He said: ”Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands…”. Perhaps your business/work is performing sub-optimally at present; please try the Master Potter for a change and He’ll remould it in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Finances. Remember that riches and honour belongs to God, the Master Potter (1 Chronicles 29:12), and He is willing to share them with us (Psalm 84:11). Therefore, try Him today if your finances are in decline and He will remould them without fail in Jesus name. Amen.
4. Reputation. Jesus is very eager to remould our reputations too; ostensibly for the Master Potter (John 8:29). In Revelation 2:17, He said: ”…To him who overcomes … I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it”. Maybe your reputation is in tatters at present and you are at a loss about what to do; please keep calm. Just try the Master Potter and He’ll remould it in Jesus name. Amen.
5. Salvation. This is a must have for all Christians (John 3:3). Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), a chief tax collector and great sinner would have ended up in hell if he hadn’t met Jesus Christ. And when he did, he received his salvation and became suitable for the kingdom of God. If you are not yet saved i.e., you are not born again; please try the Master Potter through Jesus Christ right now. He is set to remould and save you. Please don’t forget that without salvation, you cannot attain heaven (John 3:3). May you not end up in hell in Jesus name. Amen.
As you can see, God the Master Potter is willing and capable of fixing various areas of our lives that need attention and He is ready to focus on yours in particular this time around. So, if you are struggling with any issue currently, please try Him immediately. Pray to Him to remould you in the area and He will do so and you’ll have you good reasons to rejoice all the days of your life in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Encouragement, Faith, Hope