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Personal walk

 The Call for Self-control and Level headedness under Trials and Temptations

 The Call for Self-control and Level-headedness under Trials and Temptations

“He who is slow to anger is better than he who is mighty, and he who controls his spirit than he who captures a city.” Proverbs 16:32

Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23. We also read that he who controls his spirit is better than he who captures a city.
In our everyday life, at home or at work, how much self-control do we show when the inevitable pressures and trials come our way? It is all well and good to be in good comportment when all is smooth sailing. How do we respond when the turbulence and waves of trials and temptations assail us?

Our physical reaction to pressure is just one aspect of our comportment, what about our decision making under pressure?  Shall we learn from our Lord’s example in the passage in John 8 : 3- 11 (New King James version).

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, [a]this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now [b]Moses, in the law, commanded us [c]that such should be stoned. But what do You [d]say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, [e]as though He did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He [f]raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being[g] convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up [h]and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers [i]of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go [j]and sin no more.”

Comments

There  are many takeaway lessons on self-control which the Lord teaches us in the handling of this episode. Shall we list some of them as follows:

1 Probably the first point that strikes most readers is the clear injustice in their treatment of the woman. There were two persons involved in the act, a man and a woman. Why parade the woman alone?

2. The Lord took His time and did not go on to respond or criticise them. He chose to write on the ground, and waited as He took control of the situation. Shall we learn to think over an issue and not be in a hurry to respond or give an answer.

3. They had to prompt the Lord to remind Him that they were waiting for His reply.

4. In His answer, He gave them a fundamental lesson in ethical behaviour and self-examination in His statement: “He who is without sins should cast the first stone”. At this, they all left, one by one until He was alone with the woman.

5. The Lord advised her that whilst she did not condemn her, she should go and sin no more. Demonstrating that He did not condone her sin.

6. It is relevant to appreciate that the Lord was not against the commandment given by Moses. No, it is necessary to understand the purpose of the Jews in arraigning the woman before Him. It was a trap such that whatever He advised on the law on the incident was implicating.

If he said do not stone her, He would have been seen to be advising against the law of God given through Moses.

If he said, stone her as commanded by the law, He would have been committing a crime against the Romans who ruled the Jews then, and they only had the authority to put anyone to death.

Therefore, He paused, waited and then answered such that His reply not only avoided their trap but also made them leave in self-guilt.

Shall we pause and try to understand a situation or the purpose of a question or an issue before responding to ensure that we provide an appropriate response.

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Personal walk

The Walk of Faith: Paradoxes in the Life of Abraham, the Father of the Faithful

Hebrew 11: 8

Abraham left his people and travelled with his wife and Lot to a place where he did not know.

Paradox

How can an intelligent person abandon all for a strange place because he said that the Lord so instructed him?  Some might argue with him to show them the God who gave him the instructions.

Hebrew 11: 11

Sarah at 90 years of age and Abraham at 100 conceived and gave birth to Isaac.

Paradox

Does this comply with acceptable medical theory? Was Sarah not in the age in which she could no longer have babies?

Hebrew 11: 17 & 18:

Abraham obeyed the Lord and lifted his knife to kill Isaac who was bound to the altar where he was to be burnt as an offering because God told him to offer him as a sacrifice.

Yet, it was the same Isaac that the Lord promised that through him, Abraham was to become a great nation.

Paradox

It appears that there was a contradiction in this command. Abraham should sacrifice his only son through whom the Lord had promised that he would become a great nation.

Yes, by human reasoning, there was. The intelligent pragmatic person would not accept this. How could a dead child become the father of a great nation?

Hebrew 11:19

Abraham obeyed because he reasoned and believed that God was able to raise the dead Isaac back to life and make him a great nation.

Concluding comments

Faith is a complete reliance and obedience to the Lord. In the walk of faith, empirical and quantitative demonstration of the Lord and His ways fall down.

Complete obedience and reliance on God may appear foolish to the thinking person who may choose to disobey God.

We thank the Lord for the faith of Abraham. He demonstrated that faith in the Lord, in complete obedience to Him, sometimes transcends the extremities of human reasoning and calculations. This is because the reasoning man fails to include in his calculations an acknowledgement that the world belongs to the Sovereign Lord who cannot be found by human experimentation. Otherwise, He ceases to be God but a human contraption and invention.

But He can be found, experienced and known by those who faithfully obey His revealed word. Such that to refuse to believe Him is foolishness.

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Personal walk

Importance of Obedience

 

Since writing the blog entitled “obedience is pivotal to successful Christian living”, I have felt constrained to write on the importance of obedience.

To start with, it needs to be clearly stated that salvation is by grace through faith. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation because it is completely a gift from the Lord based on the merits of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ to pay for our sins on the cross of Calvary.

The question is what is the importance of obedience?

There are two Bible passages that could be used to provide a graphic answer to this question. They are as follows:

  1. Encounter of Peter with Cornelius, Acts. 10: 1 – 48
  2. The conversion of Saul, Acts 9: 1-19

Starting with the Encounter between Peter and Cornelius

Cornelius was a Roman centurion in Caesarea and a God-fearing man who always prayed to the Lord. During one of his prayer sessions, an angel appeared and advised him to send for Peter who was then in Joppa that he would explain to him the way to relate to the Lord.

At this time, it was not normal for the disciples to travel to non-Jewish areas to preach the gospel message.

While Peter was praying on that day, the Lord spoke to him through a vision of a vessel with all types of animals including those that it was unlawful for the Jews to eat. The Lord invited Peter to kill and eat them but he politely refused, explaining that he would not eat anything unclean. The vision came to him three times, and he rejected the invitation on as many times. The Lord told him not to describe anything God has cleansed as unclean.

Meanwhile, Cornelius had sent three men to Peter inviting him as the angel directed. By the time they got to where Peter at Joppa, the Lord had prepared Peter to be willing and ready to go with them.

The men arrived at where Peter was staying. After the greetings, they explained why they were sent to him by Cornelius. Peter thanked and informed them that they were to travel together the next day to Cornelius.    The next day, they travelled to Caesarea and met with Cornelius. As Peter was preaching they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They believed and were baptised.

In summary, it took the obedience of Peter for Cornelius and his people, Gentiles, to receive the gospel message and be converted. Please recall that it was an angel that advised Cornelius to send for Peter who came and the Lord used him to convert Cornelius and his people. In effect, Peter was used to do a job that an angel could not do.  The obedient Christian is used by the Lord to win converts, do the task of discipleship, and other assignments  here on earth which angels cannot do.      

Summary:

Cornelius, a God-fearing man was sent by an angel to invite Peter to tell him the gospel . It was unusual for Jews to associate with Gentiles but the Lord prepared Peter for the trip. Peter obeyed and travelled with the people sent by Cornelius to Caesarea where Cornelius was.  He gave them the Gospel message and they were converted.

The second is the conversion of Saul. Acts 9: 1-19

As Saul travelled to Damascus from Jerusalem to arrest the Lord’s followers and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners, a dazzling light from Heaven shone around him and his two companions. He fell down. A voice called him and asked why he was persecuting him. He asked who he was. The Lord answered that it was Him that Saul was persecuting. He asked what He wanted him to do. The Lord told him to get up and go to the city and there he would be told what he must do. As he got up, he discovered that he was blind and was led to where they stayed.

Meanwhile, the Lord spoke to Ananias, a disciple and told him to go and attend to Saul. He explained to the Lord how Saul had been arresting and punishing Christians. Further, his present trip was for the same purpose.  The Lord assured him that it was perfectly safe to go, that Saul had become “a chosen vessel” to spread the gospel message to the Gentiles and he would suffer much doing this.

Ananias went to where Saul was. Prayed for him and he regained his sight.

It took obedient Ananias to pray with Saul at his conversion for him to regain his sight and health. Obedient Ananias obeyed the Lord to go to Saul in spite of the inherent and obvious danger in going to carry out the assignment, given the frightening reputation of Saul as a persecutor of Christians.

Conclusion

The Lord is not interested in the death of a sinner but that the sinner should repent and live. Ezekiel 18:32

God wants everyone to be saved by understanding the gospel message and believing in Him. There is only one God, and there is only one way that people can reach Him. That way is through Christ Jesus, who as a man, gave Himself to pay for everyone to be free. This is the message that was given to us at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2: 4-6

The salvation of sinners is a task that is nearest His heart, which is why He sent His Son to die and resurrect to bring persons back to Him.

He says: “Go into the world and preach the gospel”.  The Lord has been using obedient Christians to reach out and win people to Himself. And also uses them to do other good works to bring glory to His Name. This is one of the points that underline the importance of obedience in Christian living.

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Personal walk

Obedience is pivotal for successful Christian living

The crux of this article is that we have to live a life of obedience here and now in this world in order to be successful at the end of our respective life journeys.

Please, try to read through this writeup and consider the challenge at its end.

This article reviews obedience in both the Old and New Testaments. It considers its application in the conversion of Saul to Paul.  It then wraps up with the Challenge.

We start with obedience in a few verses in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ states in John 10: 27-28: “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”

His sheep follow Him because they hear His voice and obey Him.  They cannot follow Him if they do not hear His voice and obey Him.

In John 15: 14, The Lord says: “ You are My friends if you do what I command”.

These two passages, and many others, emphasise obedience as pivotal in our walk with the Lord.

Going to the Old testament, starting from Genesis: 17: 9 – 11:  Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 

Genesis 17: 23 – 26 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.

How do you rate this on the scale of obedience, a 99 year old man, getting circumcised because God told him to do so?

The first instruction to Joshua as he succeeded Moses in leading the Israelites was, recorded in Joshua 1: 8:  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful”.

From passages of both the Old and New Testament, it can be seen that obedience is a common thread running through the Bible. The Lord states clearly that we should walk in obedience to Him.  The Lord has not left us in any doubt of what He wants us to do.  In Proverbs 23:26, he says: “ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

Considering the conversion of Saul, I would suggest that we may learn some lessons on the importance of obedience from this review,. Now, let us take a look at Saul who became Paul as we read from Acts, 9: 1- 15:

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street, which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Can we see that statement of repentance and surrender by Saul: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

Saul repented of his former zealous but ill-advised ways and completely surrendered to the Lord,  leading to his conversion.

I suggest we can also learn from  the response of Ananias to the Lord’s instruction to go and minster to Saul.

He told the Lord frankly that it was a dangerous journey to make.  Hear him,  from verse 13 “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name”.

Yes, Ananias was correct. But was he telling the Lord what He, the Lord, did not know?  He was not. He knew a little bit of Saul’s situation but the Lord knew the total picture about what had happened to Saul which Ananias did not know and could not have known of. 

Can we see our problem? We know  a bit and build our actions on that bit. But the Lord knows the whole picture and invites us to trust Him and do what He commands us to do but often we refuse; failing the Lord and ourselves by basing our actions on the little we know. Faith in the Word of God is the basis of obedience.

The Lord greatly used Paul and he trusted the Lord through thick and thin and he could say in I Corinthians 9: 27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway”.  Philippians 1: 21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Should this statement be strange, it should not. The Lord Jesus warned:

Matthew 7:22-24 (KJV)

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And ever one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The challenge:

Upon what am I building my life? Are you building your life?  Irrespective of how we answer, the Lord knows how each of us is building our lives.

From the foregoing analysis, it is clear that when someone prays: “ Jesus, I know that no matter what I do, you will still accept me.” This is wrong and does not suggest any repentance, surrender and conversion because a converted person will desire to do what the Lord wants all the time. It should not be a case that “since I am a child of God,” I can do whatever I like and be accepted.” I know a church where some people made this statement at the time, I spoke against it but my view was not considered. Sadly, I am not sure of the attendance at fellowship now of some of the persons who were making the statement. Should this be a surprise? No, when people are led to believe that whatever they do, the Lord will accept them, why should it be worrying that they stop attending church service?

It needs to be clearly spelt out that we cannot be children of God if we choose to do what we like and have not repented of the rule we have over ourselves, and surrendered to obey the Lord completely and unconditionally as Saul confessed at his conversion. The Lord requires this of His sheep, who hear His voice and follow Him.  The Lord Jesus Christ warns: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”, Luke 13:3.

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Personal walk

Abhor Evil

Abhor evil, even if it appears logical, it has its disastrous consequences

The Jewish religious leaders conspired and got the Romans to crucify the Lord Jesus Christ in 33 AD on trumped-up charges, ostensibly to save their nation from being destroyed. On the third day, He rose up in a glorious Easter!!!

In 70 AD, the Romans demolished Jerusalem such that the magnificent temple was so destroyed that there was no stone left on top of the other. Even today, some 1,950 years after, the temple remains not rebuilt.

Yes, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”.  Romans 12: 9

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19. Happy Easter!!!

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Personal walk

Being the Best that I can Be – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The year is ending, it is New Year around the corner. How prepared are we for the new year, 2023?

Being the best that I can be is a mantra, a slogan, a guiding statement worth aspiring to now, in the coming year, and always.

It translates to the following practical statements.

  • In my profession, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my relationships at home, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my relationships  at work, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my community, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my own small world, irrespective of its size, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In trying to earn an income, I do my level best, diligent and determined and work hard with transparent integrity.
  • It is convenient and easy to criticise another person, what about me, what about you, are we consciously making efforts to be the best that we can?
  • It is the in-thing, the politically correct practice, to criticise and even condemn politicians. No one says that what is bad is good. But what about you?
  • Do we make deliberate efforts to do what is right all the time to glorify the Lord, who always watches and sees what we do?

Some Bible verses to consider on this subject, include the following:

  1. Matthew 5: 48:  “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”.
  2. Leviticus 11:44:   “Be ye holy even as I am holy.”
  3. Titus 2:11-14 : “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works”.

Conclusion: The debate has been on-going, whether a person can be perfect here on earth.  Certainly, it borders on lack of humility for anyone to claim to have arrived. No one is good but God alone, so the Lord says, Mark 10: 18.

This of course does not encourage us to continue in any unwholesome and bad behaviour of which we may be guilty at present, because it is the Lord who also commands: “Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is.” Matthew 5: 48. Therefore, we need to make efforts to discard such undesirable behaviours.

In spite of our personal views on attaining perfection, none of the passages quoted in the foregoing paragraph encourages us to be quarrelsome and always overly negative and critical in almost all our public and private statements.

The challenge is for us to be a reflection of the Lord in seeking by His help to live a life of moral excellence and be a blessing to others.

 A writer suggests that “the basic call to a person in this world is to be a reflection of the character of God. That is what it means to be created in the image of God.”

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Personal walk

“There is no God” – the Height of Self-delusion

The Bible states that “the fool has said in his own heart that there is no God”. Psalm 14:1. In everyday life, we often find some people who claim that there is no God. This, they presume, gives them the licence and excuse to live by their own rules. Some of them try, as much as convenient, to ensure that they do not contravene any public rules of law and order. They generally live in their comfort zone.

Some are generous in their interactions and spend on charity. Some live normal lives, trying to be gentle and practise fair play in their ways. While there is a third group whose overriding objective is to look for what is in it for them in everything they do and try to get it. For this third group, doing what is fair to all is way down in their behavioural priorities.

It has been said that there is no person who does not believe in anything. He says he does not believe in God but he believes in himself and just lives for himself. He spares himself no indulgences within his chosen areas of conveniences and comfort. He makes himself an island by refusing normal communication with other people, even those who should be in his small world. In doing this, he short-changes himself by living with counterproductive short-term decisions which have no long-term values. He sadly does himself more harm than good, both in time and eternity.

He does not attempt to worship God. He excludes himself from anything that seeks to accord reverence to the Lord. He says and reasons that he has nothing to do with God, therefore God should have nothing to do with him. He tells himself that the Lord should only be concerned with those who worship and revere Him. This of course is self-delusion.

In spite of his head-in-the-sand behaviour, the Bible states clearly that: “The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand” Psalm 14:2. The truth is that all we do, including what the self-deluded person does, are being recorded by the Lord. The Lord not only sees everything each of us does but He also knows our motives. We cannot hide anything from the Lord.

Moreover, if a person does not live in obedience to God, he is living in sin.

John 3:36 states that “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Proverbs 23:26: “My son give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways”. This statement underlines the core of the matter.

From Colossians 1:16, we read that God made each individual for a purpose. It stands to reason that He cannot use the person to carry it out if he chooses not to obey Him. This is why obedience is paramount in man’s relationship with God.

This underscores why the Lord will punish those who do not know Him; “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2nd Thessalonians 1:8.

Knowing the Lord and living in obedience to Him should not just be seen as only when the person is worshipping the Lord. No please, the Lord is interested in the total life of the person. The personal relationship with the Lord should result in getting the best out of the person for the good of his community and mankind, to the glory of God. The person could be a business professional, a scientist, a medical practitioner, indeed whatever professional, the walk with the Lord should elicit the best out of him so that he will be a delight to his society. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven, Matthew 5:16. 

Repentance is not an option; it is the only action to take. Unless you repent, there is no way you will escape, you will perish. Luke 13:5. The Lord does not desire the death of a sinner but for the sinner to arouse himself from his self-delusion and come back to Him in repentance in Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.

God knows that we cannot save ourselves or make ourselves right with Him. This is why he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the world. He lived, died to pay for the sins of all who will believe in Him, rose again, and returned to Heaven. As many as receive Him, He accepts by forgiving their sins and giving them the power to live for Him as children of God, John 1:12.

The opportunity to repent will not last forever; for “It is given unto man once to die, after that the judgement”. Hebrews 9:27. Today is the day of salvation, 2nd Corinthians 6:2: For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

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Personal walk

Do not hurry to make a decision

Sometimes, a piece of advice is given that one should “sleep on an issue.” This means to wait to decide on the issue until the following day, after you have thought over it at night.

We read from Luke 6: 12- 13 that the Lord prayed all night, it was the next morning that He chose his disciples. The passage: “ 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.”

It is intriguing that the Lord had been with the disciples for some time. Yet, when he wanted to choose the twelve apostles, He prayed all night before choosing them.

Often when we find ourselves trying to make a decision, we feel under pressure to get it done and over with.

In the sad story of Judas Iscariot, he felt bound by the desire to betray the Lord and earn thirty pieces of silver. He had reasoned it all out and was sure that he had it all wrapped up. He convinced himself that the Lord would slip off as He did in the past. Sadly, the Lord was arrested and was about going to be crucified. It then dawned on Judas, that he had betrayed the Lord. He then went on to hang himself.

One lesson to takeaway here is that we should not rush through a controversial decision. If we do, it may end up blowing up in our faces. Therefore, when the urge to decide knocks, we should learn to slow down or even dismiss it.

We could give ourselves twenty four hours at least to think things through and prayerfully weigh its consequences.

Also, in case of Judas, he was a thief as he helped himself to the apostle’s fund as the treasurer. Judas Iscariot “was a thief and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6).

It was sad that in spite of all the warnings from the Lord, Judas did not repent. The Lord said:  “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

The Lord also warned that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

It is sad that in spite of all these warnings, Judas was bent on going on with the Lord’s betrayal blinded by his desire to earn thirty pieces of silver and refusing to repent of his sinful habit of getting money in questionable ways. He ended up committing suicide. “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” Proverbs 29:1

In conclusion, we should not hurry to make decisions, give ourselves time to think on the issues involved. Also, importantly is it morally correct or questionable? We should  not go on with it if it is questionable, we may save our lives if we do not.

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Personal walk

The Futility and Folly of Committing a Suicide, there is a Better Way.

I wrote on this subject because I felt a burden to do so. After preparing it, however, I wondered whether I should publish on such a glaringly physical life-and-death subject with all its sensibilities and emotions. I dragged my feet until, I was jolted into the necessity of discussing the subject when on the 10th March, I saw a billboard at a bus stop at Steyne Road, London, W3 9NU`, with the following inscription:

“UNITED ACTION AGAINST SUICIDE Today and Tomorrow.”

It was posted by the group named Campaign Against Living Miserably.

Therefore, please, here is the article.

Early in February 2023, I was close to tears when I read of two murders and a suicide committed by a man to his family and himself in the UK. There was another case before then in the US. Indeed, there are many cases in different parts of the world. I wish to suggest that the basis for the decision to commit suicide is ignorance and flawed thinking.

It would appear that the driving reason for a suicide is to get everything over and done with as far as the individual’s life is concerned. There lies the foolery.

Taking one’s life is not really the end, it is only a change to another form of existence. Moving to the new existence does not erase the realities and consequences of the current life. What is the authority for this analysis?  It is discussed next.

Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. So, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

This verse emphasises that when the current life ends, judgement follows for the deceased. Therefore, committing suicide is no escape from the problem of the here and now but only moves the problem to the other existence with its consequences.

In effect, the suicidal act has not helped rather it worsens the situation. It is ignorance of the futility of the act that causes someone to embrace it.  If one realises that one’s situation is worsened by the act, then the resort to it should be repulsive and not attractive.

The way out of the dead end that drives and elicits the suicide is to surrender to the Lord Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest, Matthew 11:28

Committing one’s life to the Lord Jesus Christ and surrendering to Him is the better way.  His invitation is that we should come to Him irrespective of our burdens and problems. The guarantee is that He cares and shares the problem with you. The solution that you desire may not result immediately or even later but the guarantee is that He will lead you in the way He considers best in your circumstance if you will let Him do so by surrendering and agreeing that He leads you.

The Futility and Folly of Committing a Suicide, there is a Better Way.

Categories
Personal walk

Blogs

 

List of blogs

  1. Being the Best that I can Be – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2. Quest for Integrity in Private & Public life – Real-life practical integrity

3. “There is no God” – the Height of Self-delusion

4. Takeaway-Lessons-from-the-Betrayal-of-the-Lord-Jesus-Christ

5. Forget the past, learn from past events, and move forward.

6. Depart from evil and do good

7. Living right and Walking with the Lord

8. Overcomers in the Lord

9. The Imperatives for Christian Living

Blogs

  1. Being the Best that I can Be – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The year is ending, it is New Year around the corner. How prepared are we for the new year, 2023?

Being the best that I can be is a mantra, a slogan, a guiding statement worth aspiring to now, in the coming year, and always.

It translates to the following practical statements.

  • In my profession, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my relationships at home, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my relationships  at work, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my community, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In my own small world, irrespective of its size, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
  • In trying to earn an income, I do my level best, diligent and determined and work hard with transparent integrity.
  • It is convenient and easy to criticise another person, what about me, what about you, are we consciously making efforts to be the best that we can?
  • It is the in-thing, the politically correct practice, to criticise and even condemn politicians. No one says that what is bad is good. But what about you?
  • Do we make deliberate efforts to do what is right all the time to glorify the Lord, who always watches and sees what we do?

Some Bible verses to consider on this subject, include the following:

  1. Matthew 5: 48:  “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”.
  2. Leviticus 11:44:   “Be ye holy even as I am holy.”
  3. Titus 2:11-14 : “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works”.

Conclusion: The debate has been on-going, whether a person can be perfect here on earth.  Certainly, it borders on lack of humility for anyone to claim to have arrived. No one is good but God alone, so the Lord says, Mark 10: 18.

This of course does not encourage us to continue in any unwholesome and bad behaviour of which we may be guilty at present, because it is the Lord who also commands: “Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is.” Matthew 5: 48. Therefore, we need to make efforts to discard such undesirable behaviours.

In spite of our personal views on attaining perfection, none of the passages quoted in the foregoing paragraph encourages us to be quarrelsome and always overly negative and critical in almost all our public and private statements.

The challenge is for us to be a reflection of the Lord in seeking by His help to live a life of moral excellence and be a blessing to others.

 A writer suggests that “the basic call to a person in this world is to be a reflection of the character of God. That is what it means to be created in the image of God.”

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2. Quest for Integrity in Private & Public life – Real-life practical integrity

Integrity, in private and public life, is very much in demand. It is sad that it is a scarce commodity with persons who are top officers, ministers, prime ministers, presidents, etc. It is equally scarce among ordinary mortals who go about with their private businesses.

It is said that the lure of sex, money and power has destroyed many erstwhile successful lives. These are practical issues that we face daily. The desire to get rich is always there and needs to be controlled. Beautiful ladies and handsome men will always populate the world and it requires discipline for one to keep one’s self in the straight and narrow. Power corrupts, and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.

We all have much to learn from Joseph, the Hebrew boy sold as a slave by his brothers. He turned out to be a resounding success in Egypt, a prime minister par excellence, such that to him belonged the credit of saving the nation of Egypt from seven years of devastating famine.

He was handsome, and faced temptation over an illicit sexual relationship, had wealth and power, and he passed all with flying colours in the foreign land.

How did he do it? To answer this question, we may have to analyse the account of his life in stages, starting with the temptation over an illicit sexual relationship.

Encounter with Mrs Potiphar

From Genesis 39:1-20, we have the following account: “Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favour in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking.

And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”

 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 

10 And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, 12 she caught hold of his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called out to the members of her household and said to them, “See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; 15 and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.” 16 Then she kept his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; 18 but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.” 19 When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, “This is the way your servant treated me,” he became enraged. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison.

Analysis:

It would appear that the present day society condones or connives at sex between two consenting adults. Not Joseph, he would not have that. He described it as “a great wickedness” against his master and a sin against God.  

It would also appear that while Mrs. Potiphar believed that there were just two of them, Joseph believed that there were three at the scene. There were Mrs. Potiphar, Joseph and the Almighty God.  Joseph knew that he was committed to living for God wherever he was but not so Mrs. Potiphar. She did not see it that way.

At this point, we have to pause for comments.

Testimonies

 Are there any testimonies or experiences on this subject of sexual relationship between two adults.

I know of a visiting professor in a foreign university. He was accommodated in a comfortable room with its ensuite toilet facilities. Whenever the lady house cleaner came to his room, he always left the room for her. On a given day, he was brushing his teeth in his bathroom, the house cleaner came into the room and walked up to him in the bathroom. The visiting professor gently stopped all he was doing and walked out of the room. He waited outside the room until the cleaner completed her work and left his room.

Please more testimonies and experiences are invited. Thank you.

 

3. “There is no God” – the Height of Self-delusion

The Bible states that “the fool has said in his own heart that there is no God”. Psalm 14:1. In everyday life, we often find some people who claim that there is no God. This, they presume, gives them the licence and excuse to live by their own rules. Some of them try, as much as convenient, to ensure that they do not contravene any public rules of law and order. They generally live in their comfort zone.

Some are generous in their interactions and spend on charity. Some live normal lives, trying to be gentle and practise fair play in their ways. While there is a third group whose overriding objective is to look for what is in it for them in everything they do and try to get it. For this third group, doing what is fair to all is way down in their behavioural priorities.

It has been said that there is no person who does not believe in anything. He says he does not believe in God but he believes in himself and just lives for himself. He spares himself no indulgences within his chosen areas of conveniences and comfort. He makes himself an island by refusing normal communication with other people, even those who should be in his small world. In doing this, he unwittingly fails himself by living with counterproductive short-term decisions which have no long-term values. He sadly does himself more harm than good, both in time and eternity.

He does not attempt to worship God. He excludes himself from anything that seeks to accord reverence to the Lord. He says and reasons that he has nothing to do with God, therefore God should have nothing to do with him. He tells himself that the Lord should only be concerned with those who worship and revere Him. This of course is self-delusion.

In spite of his head-in-the-sand behaviour, the Bible states clearly that: “The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand” Psalm 14:2. The truth is that all we do, including what the self-deluded person does, are being recorded by the Lord. The Lord not only sees everything each of us does but He also knows our motives. We cannot hide anything from the Lord.

Moreover, if a person does not live in obedience to God, he is living in sin.

John 3:36 states that “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Proverbs 23:26: “My son give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways”. This statement underlines the core of the matter.

From Colossians 1:16, we read that God made each individual for a purpose. It stands to reason that He cannot use the person to carry it out if he chooses not to obey Him. This is why obedience is paramount in man’s relationship with God.

This underscores why the Lord will punish those who do not know Him; “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2nd Thessalonians 1:8.

Knowing the Lord and living in obedience to Him should not just be seen as only when the person is worshipping the Lord. No please, the Lord is interested in the total life of the person. The personal relationship with the Lord should result in getting the best out of the person for the good of his community and mankind to the glory of God. The person could be a business professional, a scientist, a medical practitioner, indeed whatever professional, the walk with the Lord should elicit the best out of him so that he will be a delight to his society. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven, Matthew 5:16

Repentance is not an option; it is the only action to take. Unless you repent, there is no way you will escape, you willperish. Luke 13:5. The Lord does not desire the death of a sinner but for the sinner to arouse himself from his self-delusion and come back to Him in repentance in Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.

God knows that we cannot save ourselves or make ourselves right with Him. This is why he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the world. He lived, died to pay for the sins of all who will believe in Him, rose again, and returned to Heaven. As many as receive Him, He accepts by forgiving their sins and giving them the power to live for Him as children of God, John 1:12.

God demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. The Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again. As many as receive Him by believing in Him, He gives the power to become children of God.

The opportunity to repent will not last forever; for “It is given unto man once to die, after that the judgement”. Hebrews 9:27. Today is the day of salvation, 2nd Corinthians 6:2: For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

 

4. Takeaway-Lessons-from-the-Betrayal-of-the-Lord-Jesus-Christ

 

 

Judas was a disciple of the Lord and walked with Him for three years. He was the treasurer.  However, he had a secret sin which he lived with; stealing money from the purse, John 12:26.  As he walked with the Lord, His messages would have spoken to him but he held on to the sin. John 8:34 -36: 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Sadly, he continued and refused to repent even as he went to the chief priests. Probably, he felt he had it all worked out. He would take the thirty pieces of silver and he was confident that the Lord would slip off as He did in the past and He could not be arrested. Meanwhile, he had pocketed the money and the Jews would lose their money and the Lord they would not be able to arrest. Regrettably, planning and building on sin is like building a house on sand.

The Lord was arrested and did not slip off. His plan failed, it then dawned on him that He had betrayed his innocent Master. He went and committed suicide. His  miserable end did not change anything. It was too late. “He, that is often reproved, yet  hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1

The lesson is straight forward, we are saved by grace, yes: but sin, no matter how secret, should not be our master. It is counterproductive if we continue with the Lord all the years and hold on to any secret sin. Does it mean, that we are now perfect? We may not be perfect but we should not practise sin for the command is “ Be ye perfect as your Heavenly perfect is” Matthew 5:48. Christians are set apart as holy, to live for the Lord and for His service irrespective of where they live or where they come from, and irrespective of what people around them consider politically correct and the in-thing to say or do. The message to takeaway is that we should repent of any besetting sin. The challenge is to live for the Lord and shine for Him in our own small world. May the Lord help each of us, Amen.

5. Forget the past, learn from past events, and move forward.

Happy New Year, as we go on in 2022, I suggest that we take a look at the message contained in Philippians 3:13-14.  St. Paul wrote: “Brothers, I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The call today is to forget all those past hurts, pains, failures, disappointments, rejection, misunderstanding, and all those bad experiences of past years. Let them go!!! You cannot change the past and none of us can do that!

In order to move forward, you have got to let go of the past! Leave it behind. We cannot drive forward looking backward.

Let yesterday go, it should not determine your tomorrow. Paul overcame his yesterday by forgetting his yesterday. He was not chained to his yesterday. You are not defined by your yesterday. Your view of eternity should affect your today.

Israel could not get to the promised land when they should because they kept looking back. Live in time with eternity in mind.

It is time to continue moving forward with confidence and assurance in the Lord. The command is to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith .

6. Depart from evil and do good, the Lord is against them that do evil

Takeaway lesson & an application: Joseph’s brother stripped him of his coat of many colours but many years later, he ended giving each of them changes of raiment.

Psalm 34:

14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

They stripped Joseph of his coat of many colours and sold him

Gen 37: 23-27

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colours that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

Part of their result

Genesis 42:28c

……“What is this that God hath done unto us?”  Joseph’s brothers complained that the Lord was doing to them. It is easy to blame God for our failures and failings and their consequences.

Joseph, the man of God, gave them changes of raiment, even though they stripped him of his coat

Genesis 45: 22

 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

Romans 12:17-19

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

7. Living right & walking with the Lord

The practice of the Bible study and prayers daily, the Quiet Time, should be one of foundational practices in a Christian family. Indeed, some families conduct it twice a day.

It is hoped that each child of the family should have picked up the habit of conducting the Quiet Time with their family or at least alone for anyone who loves the Lord.

We cannot grow in our relationship with the Lord if we do not study the word of God daily. It is the desire of the individual to get to know the Lord better and walk with Him that motivates the daily study and hence the daily walk. We lose as individuals if we do not engage in the daily study which could be done at any time of our choosing in the day. The Lord also sees through our desire to get to know Him better by studying His word.

Psalm 119: 9, 105

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,  a light on my path.

Joshua 1:8

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 

2 Tim 2:15

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3: 15

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

8. Overcomers in the Lord

It has been the case that the strong powerful and wealthy, whether nations or people, are contemptuous and disdainful of the apparently weak who put their trust in the Lord.

The life of the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that it pays to trust Him and the just shall live by their faith in the confidence that the Lord is faithful. “No one does business with the Lord and gets short-changed”. Compare this with:

“ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”.

John 10:27-28, King James Version

When the powerful is deliberately hostile, do all you can correctly but do not seek vengeance. We may wish to take note of the following two statements: “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord. Please check out these references: Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:17-19

Someone has said that “forgiveness is enlightened self-interest”.

9. The Imperatives for Christian Living

The starting point of the Christian life is a deliberate decision by a person to accept two facts about entering into a personal relationship with the Lord which are:

  • That the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again to pay for their sins which no other person can pay for. This acceptance means that the person’s sins have been forgiven and that they become a child of God. John 1: 12.
  • Allied to this is that the person submits themselves to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. The person accepts Him as both Lord and Master and undertakes to obey Him in all things. The Lord takes the first place in the person’s life. Every other consideration, be it job, education, relationship, etc., is secondary to this.
  • Immediately after this acceptance, the person is said to have been born again. The life thereafter is lived to please the Lord in all things.
  • The person studies and reads the word of God and lives in obedience to the Lord daily. They will pray all the time and also become a member of a Bible-believing church. Joining the fellowship helps the person to meet with other Christians during the weekends and on such weekdays as they meet.

The Rewards: They include the following:

  • A life lived in the full knowledge that one is living to please God, Revelation 4:11.
  • A life of personal discipline that exceeds whatever any human government can provide.
  • An assurance that God loves the person and they are welcome to bring every issue to Him.
  • A guarantee that the ongoing personal relationship started here will continue even after the person has died, Romans 8: 38 – 39.
  • A guarantee of personal protection from physical and spiritual dangers as long as the person walks in personal obedience to the Lord, John 10: 27 -28.

 Warnings

  • The Christian is saved but has to realise that they are not yet in Heaven. The person needs to walk with the Lord diligently and avoid any situation or activity that could derail their faith or damage the relationship with the Lord. The Bible warns that if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12 
  • The Lord Jesus Christ warned seriously that if our hand or foot will make us to fall away, we should cut it off instead of going to Hell.
  • Our God is a Holy God and if we deliberately go into sin, we cut off ourselves from the protection and security that He offers. Instead, we expose ourselves to attack by the devil. Hence the warning: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5: 8, Isaiah 59: 1-2
  • If therefore we refuse to obey the Lord, we automatically start obeying the devil because there is no middle ground. Either one is with the Lord or one has abandoned the Lord for the devil. Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey: whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6: 16.

Return to the Lord

However, when one realises that one has backslidden from the Lord, one can still return and be accepted. If one is returning to the Lord, one should be prepared to repent of one’s sins and submit one’s self unconditionally and completely to the Lord.