“so you must be ready, because the son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (KJV) Matthew 24:44

The bible makes it clear we do not know the second coming of Jesus. He Himself doesn't know except God (Matthew 24:36). This points out that we should work on our faith and hold fast to our salvation with all we got. We should focus on consecrating our lives to God and totally surrendering to His will while we work on living righteous lives just as we are admonished in Hebrews 12:14 "make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be Holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord" (NIV).

We should also make up our mind that earth is not our home and focus our minds on eternity. This will require us to avoid making up excuses such as using church services to cover up for not having a personal relationship with God. My brethren, the last days are near, therefore our everyday lives should reflect as a “rapturable” soul.

Ephesians 5:5 "for this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a person is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (NIV)

Do we know the God we serve? || More

“Moses said to God, suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, what is His name? Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.” (NIV) Exodus 3:13-14

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (NIV) Revelation 1:8

It is very easy as a Christian to recognize that God is with you when all are going according to your plans. When life is “perfect”, we definitely see the hand of God at work in our lives. However, when life seems to be tossing us in all unpleasant directions, do we still see the hand of God at work in our lives?

A story is told of a man who once lived and everyone was envious of his demeanour. When everyone in the village was anxious about one thing or the other, he always appeared calm, at peace and wearing a pleasant smile always. People thought he was the cause of their suffering and they believed that he benefited from the suffering of the people in the village. The youth of the village stormed his home one day to accuse him and possibly harm him. They got to his home only to realize that the state they found him in was worse than theirs. They were amazed so they inquired about how he still remained calm even though he was not as comfortable as he appeared. He simply answered that he forwarded his problems to a competent fellow to handle so there is no need to keep being anxious.

Today, I entreat you to forward all your burdens to God for He is capable of dealing with it. As you do so, there is no need to still feel in control of those burdens. Let them go and express optimism in your appearance, in your behaviour and in your heart that our competent God is dealing with them and will deal with them at the right time. God, increase our faith.

Knowing God || More

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” (NIV) Jeremiah 24:7

The word "know" can take on several meanings: having information in mind, a skill (knowing how to do something), understanding (comprehension), personal acquaintance (as with a friend), knowing of someone (as one knows a famous person), intimate insight (as one knows what another would or would not do), sexual relations, knowing by experience (as with an illness), ethical decision (knowing what choice to make). When used in Scripture for the God-man relationship, to "know" God embraces an intimate walk with him and involves the total person. Information alone is not the knowledge of which Scripture speaks when it refers to knowing God.

To "know" God is to allow him to be God and act as he pleases. One who knows God can be assured that God is always right (Job 42:1-6; Isa. 55:8). Knowing him entails "waiting" for him to act (Isa. 30:18). The opposite action is to take matters into one's own hands, question God's actions, and generally disregard him. Knowing God also demands the right attitude of the heart (Jer. 24:7). God will not force anybody to love him. But he invites a loving response to his acts of love. To know God is to defend the cause of the poor and needy. The Scriptures make it clear that to "know" God is to defend the cause of the disadvantaged and the defenseless (James 1:27). To know God is to resist God’s opponents. Those who "know" God will identify with right and stand against evil. Resisting, not compromising, is what distinguishes people who know God and those who do not.

Do you know God? Let the information and experiences we have on God translate into a covenant relationship with God. That is our calling. Amen!

Pressing towards the goal || More

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead". (NLT) Philippians 3:13

Bible reading: Philippians 3:12-14

Many have the culture of setting goals/resolutions and assessing them throughout the year or at the end of the year. These goals and resolutions most often revolve around academics, businesses, marriages, jobs, travels, etc.

Indeed, these goals are essential as they give us a clear sense of direction. But we ought to remember that as Christians, we are foreigners in this world (1 Peter 1:17), hence in a similar manner, we need to set goals for our spiritual maturity. Goals that will help us to know Christ Jesus more (Philippians 3:10) and also make it to Heaven to enjoy eternal life with God. This should be our ultimate goal each day of our lives as Christians.

Challenges always arise whenever we set goals in our lives. The apostle Paul admonishes us to do just one thing in the face of these challenges; FORGET the past and PRESS ON towards our goals. May the good Lord help us to achieve our set targets.

Boast in the Lord! || More