Been With Jesus?

ACT 4:13 NIV

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

The power of association is Amazing. People judge you, rightly or wrongly, by the company that you keep. The characteristics that surround you show the kind of behaviour you permit or allow, and is a reflection of who you are or what you aspire to be. That is why friends are not to be chosen lightly.

It is the same for us as Christians. We were called out to stand out from the crowd, to dare to be different, and to speak out in defence of the faith we profess. Unfortunately, because we are not even sure of who or what we believe, we just flow in and out of the crowd, adopting the behaviour and traits of the people around us, forgetting that as people who profess to be Christians, we have been set on a hill for everyone to see and observe, and everything we do is measured by the standard of truth itself, the Word of God. You will be amazed just how much unbelievers know about God's standards.  Statements like: "And you call yourself a Christian" is strong proof that they know the truth but they choose not to follow it, but we who claim to know must live up to the standard.

Peter and John didn't even have minimum basic education. They had no rich background, but their lives showed the power of the right kind of association. They knew who they believed in and what He wanted from them and they followed his instructions closely. No wonder then, that people looking at them could see clearly that these men had been with Jesus. A man who had just sworn, denying Jesus, was now speaking publicly for him.

Indeed, there's no life that comes in contact with Life himself that remains the same. Men will know the quality of your confession through your life's contents. Who you believe and follow will be revealed by the things that you do. Can men look at me and say, of a truth, I have been with Jesus? Can men testify that my life reflects his touch and grace? His time of favour is here.

No Condemnation.....Just Life

JHN 3:17-18 NIV
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

God's mercy and grace is always best understood through the gifts that He has given. God claims that He loves us and the best expression of that love is seen by the giving of his one and only Son to pay the legal penalty for our sins. We deserved the death He died and He gave us the life that we did not deserve. That is the highest and purest expression of love that anyone could ever show to man.

This gift has been given now, and the invitation still stands. Jesus' call to us is still this: come unto me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. The world has devised various means and channels through which peace can be bought, but I have learnt from experiences and testimonies that these other channels do not last. It is only in Christ that true life is found and sustained.

The invite will expire when Christ returns to take those who have accepted his free gift of life and have believed in his name. He's not asking for mighty things; just a simple faith in him that guarantees eternal life.

Without trying to scare anyone, this present life, as we see it, will come to an end violently. It will be destroyed completely with fire. Only those who have believed and accepted the free offer of life will cross from physical death to eternal life. Are you one of those? His time of favour is here.

Love's Worth

Luke 7:47 NIV
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Indeed, it is difficult to give what you do not have or make a withdrawal where you have not spent time and resources investing in. It is even more difficult to demand love from a heart that sees no reason to love, or to place a demand on a person to give something of value, when the person has not yet learned the value of that thing.

The woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her tears indeed where she was coming from. She had been judged, sentenced and executed by the people around her, due to her lifestyle. People couldn't care less where she went or what she said; she wasn't worth the time or the effort. In just a few words from Jesus, his merciful heart is revealed: no life is so far gone that it is behind redemption; and no life is a waste If it makes peace  with It's creator.

Most times, our love is directly proportional to the mercies that we think we have received from God. We compare sins and feel that what I have done isn't half as bad as what this other person has done. We feel superior to serial offenders, thinking that we had any good in ourselves in the first place. All that we are and have are direct results of the mercy of God. He's forgiven us all our sins and given us a fresh start. Let us therefore live our lives as grateful children who have been forgiven much. There's Nothing like small sins; the slightest one was enough to take Christ to the cross.

Do you feel forgiven? Do you even know the worth of the sacrifice Christ made? Live today with a fresh start in view, knowing that in Christ, the past is forgotten and forgiven. His time of favour is here.

Good Discipline

HEB 12:11 NIV

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

It has been said that nothing good comes easy. We love the end-product, but do not appreciate the process; we love the blessings, but we can't bear the burdens; we want God to take all our problems and issues away, while we then try and avoid his yoke, which is a necessary part of our walk with God.

God's love for us is Amazing, in the sense that it cannot be understood from human perspectives. Man loves another, and would seek to pamper and spoil, overlooking wrongdoing most times, just to nurture and sustain that relationship. God's love however, requires that He keeps us in check by constantly examining us and reminding us of his expectations for our lives. He keeps us in line as He brings experiences that will keep our eyes focused on him alone.

Never belittle the benefits of the things God allows in your life, as you journey towards perfection. His goal is eternal life and his path is discipline. It is not always palatable, as our human nature will resist anything uncomfortable, but the end of God's dealings with us is eternal life. Submit to God's discipline and live, for his time of favour is here.

Easy Christianity.......

1TI 6:12 NIV

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I sincerely do not know where we got the idea that Christianity is a walk in the park; that you don't have to do much, just coast along, after all, Christ has done it all for you. What I have learned is the summary of the extract for today: you will fight to defend what you have claimed to believe. We take our faith as an easy ride, thinking that since Christ has suffered in my place, I don't have to suffer the same things too. While that is true in some respects, that is not always the situation. We will fight to uphold the truth of what we believe, because there are competing interests fighting for attention. We will fight to establish the truth of Christ in the midst of the falsehood that surrounds us; we will fight to establish His justice in the midst of the wickedness and oppression that confronts us; we will fight to establish his righteousness and holiness in the midst of the sinful and dying world around us. Nothing will come easy; this is a fight of faith, and it is a legacy that must be passed to the next generation.

Pity the people with no legacies to pass on, no faith-experiences to leave to generations yet un-born, no eternity to be born and nurtured in the hearts of men. May my generation not lay waste the sacrifices of Christ for mankind. May my life not be a regret and a waste of resources. As I have publicly declared my faith in him before men, may my life merit that He will also publicly declare his love for me before the entire world. Am I sowing the right seeds now? Am I fighting the right way and the right battles now?  His time of favour is here.

God's Discipline

PSA 94:12-13 NIV
Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord , the one you teach from your law; you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.

Fundamental words. Atimes, we confuse love in the light of discipline. We see discipline as a negative issue, rather than a medium through which purpose is given direction. Discipline is a product of love, and without it, our lives would probably lack the order, direction and effect it was created to have.

Why and how does God discipline us? First of all, it is his children that He disciplines. As we claim to know Christ, that knowledge will be tested through the experiences He brings our way. As He trains us, we grow in our knowledge of him.

It is his Word that is also the medium of discipline. In his Word are instructions for everyday life. There's no situation that has no answer in the word and we would only be better for it when we allow It's principles to guide and guard our thoughts, actions and words.

The benefits of discipline are worth it eventually. The blessings of God are better appreciated in a life that God has prepared through discipline. That is why a man can so physically wealthy, yet so open to giving out, because He has understood God's ways and knows that all He holds and owns are all from God. Want to know a man whom God has taught and disciplined? Watch his reactions to money, wealth and possessions.

As we go out today, remember that God is the owner of our lives. He wants the best for us and He will bring experiences our way that will bring out his best in us. As we work with him, his blessings remain with us. If we fail to work with him, the results are better read here than experienced. His time of favour is here.

Believe .......Get Life

JHN 5:24 NIV

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

There is a big difference between hearing and listening. A lot of our responses to God's word are revealed by the differences between these two attitudes. We all come to church, attend bible study or Sunday school, but It's Amazing just how much of these things we forget in our day to day interactions with other people. We are slighted, we revenge; we are cheated, we take back or strike back. We have one rule for Sundays and other 'holy' festival days, forgetting that with God, every life, every day and every oppourtunity to reach out is sacred.

Never belittle the words you hear daily; the devil will test the quality of your convictions and the depth of your sincerity with God. The extract here attaches much importance to hearing and believing. This means that one is not possible without the other. No matter how hard you try, the seed of the Word must first be sown in your heart before it can bear fruit in your heart. As I believe God's Word, it leads to a strong faith in God, and in his power to do great things in my life. This same faith is what qualifies me for eternal life. Amazing- this same simple faith, that Christ said could be as small as a mustard seed, qualifies me for heaven. It therefore means that If I miss heaven, it is all my fault, because all I need to do isn't monetary; it is all about faith in God, through his Word. Can I trust God enough to give him the control of my life? Can I depend on him to hold me up till I cross into real life? His time of favour is here.

Watch your lips

PRO 13:3 NIV
Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

Watch what you say; it could make the difference between life and death, blessings or curses. It is like a man standing guard over his most precious possessions, knowing that one unguarded moment can result in the loss of something precious. If we could only see lives as the most precious of creation, our lives will be less stressful and would make more impact than it is making now.

We say things without thinking, we want to hurt others with words the way they have hurt us, we want them to feel the same way we feel. God wants a fresh perspective, a new beginning, a break from the norm. You have the power to build up or destroy, to tear down or to restore; it all lies in the power behind your words.

Watch what you say, it may mean life to those who listen to you. His time of favour is here.

Sinner.....yet saved by Grace

ROM 3:23-24 NIV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Two contrasts in the same verse; two destinies merged through one person. Talk of a grace that sees, not what is now, but what it was meant to be. A grace that does not let go or give up on any man, even when He or she is stubborn, unrepentant or wayward.

Our extract today is our default state. We were born dead on arrival. It didn't matter how rich or poor our parents were, we Just weren't qualified by virtue of our fallen state from Eden. No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't make the cut.  But then, grace got into the picture; changed everything. Grace stood where we couldn't and paid the price that we couldn't afford. Grace stood where we couldn't and received on our behalf, what we were not qualified for.

Justification, righteousness, forgiveness, a new beginnng have all been sealed for us by grace. How then can we live as If we could save ourselves or help ourselves? It's all about the grace of a God who gets for his children what they could not get by themselves.

His grace is here. His time of favour is here.

Truth

EPH 4:25 NIV

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

We have been called out to show the world that we live by a different standard from the world. The world seems to accept falsehood, deceit and half-truths as a way of life. We call people who can bamboozle their way through standards 'smart' and 'savvy', forgetting that with God, truth is not negotiable because truth is his person, his nature, himself. As long as I desire to be known as a child of God, then it is non-negotiable that I speak, act and live like the One I claim to follow or know. Would the testimony of my mouth make Any impact If people cannot trust the truth behind my words? Would my life make impact If I do not walk my talk, saying one thing and doing the very opposite?

If indeed I have been saved, and I belong to a family guided and headed by Truth Himself, then I owe it to the head of the family to bear the name well. I must not pollute or cause offence to the name; I must bear the family name well so that when I speak, act or converse, everyone knows whose name I bear and under whose banner I live. His time of favour is here.

Saved.....to be free from sin

1PE 2:24 NIV

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Talk about God's unspeakable and unquantifiable blessings. God's original plan and intention was obvious from the events in the garden of Eden. He wanted a relationship with man, not a  boss-servant association. That was why He would come down in the cool evening to talk with Adam. But then, man fell into sin and lost that initial relationship.

But Christ has come to restore that relationship. We deserved punishment for our sins; someone had to pay the price for our wrongs. Christ took our place, suffered the consequences of our own wrongdoings, so we could walk away, not from God, but from sin. He's taken our punishment and given us a new stand, a great start and a whole life. Now, we live our lives in eternal appreciation of the One who died once so we could live eternally, who was beaten once so we could have permanent healing and who became a curse so that we could enjoy the deepest eternal blessings of Abraham.

What more could a God do? May his sacrifice and pain not be in vain in my life. His time of favour is here.

Power of Words

PRO 15:1 NIV

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

There must be something powerful about what we say that God would send warnings to us through various verses on the need to guard our speech. There have been wars fought and prevented through the misuse or right use of the tongue, and homes have been broken and restored through the application of words. The power of words is best seen in the account of creation where GOD himself, the creator of all things, used words to create the things we see presently. His words brought life as we know it now, and it is still his word that is sustaining the world as we see it now.

It is therefore important that we all watch what we say and what we mean when we speak. Sometimes, we defend our words by claiming that we were joking or we didn't mean what we said. Whatever the excuse we give, remember: words are powerful, even more than guns and swords. With words, we can build up, and we can tear down also. Like today's extract also, with words, you can stop a quarrel or you could make it worse. It all boils down to the use of the tongue.

As we go out today, remember whose child you are: children of the Creator himself, who through words, created the world He called good. Like him, we can use words to create the 'goo' world that we desire for ourselves too. Enough of the coarse joking and lewd words; speak words that build destinies and help fulfil purpose. You act like your father through your words, whatever the kind that you speak. His time of favour is here.

Complete Joy

JHN 16:24 NIV

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

A verse of absolute assurance; a promise backed up by the greatest force in the world: the words of the Word himself. He is the one speaking here and his promises, as you know, will always come to pass.

Before now, we were fond of talking, grumbling, complaining and cranking up about our problems, issues and difficulties. We would analyse the issues and try and proffer solutions on our own. We could determine where the problem was and find a good idea how to solve the problem. We would do all that was humanly possible except the right thing: tell God about it. Our asking means our total dependence on him and not ourselves; our asking means that we admit that we can't help ourselves and we know that it is only in him that our lives can find fulfilment. If I'm looking for complete joy, I must cultivate the habit of giving God everything.

He doesn't promise a trial-free existence. What He guarantees is that irrespective of the external circumstances, our inner man has joy. Joy, not because we have everything we need now, but joy because we have Him who is all we need and who will give us all we ask.

Do you need joy? Do you have Him? He is Joy, He is all you need. His time of favour is here.

Everything matters.......

COL 3:17 NIV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Today's piece encourages us to watch everything our lives produce. We are encouraged to keep in front of us the consciousness that God's name is at stake when his children act and anything we do is viewed from the point of view that we ought to know better. And indeed, we ought to know better. God has taught and shown us through his Word what the standards and expectations are. What we need to do is study these expectations, internalise them and do them.

Our witness to the world is tainted by the things we do and say or by the company that we keep. God is still looking for people in whose lives He can show his power, but we must be willing to work with him on His own terms.

All I do, say and think matter to God. The world is the stage on which the children of God have been saved to display his splendour. God forbid that we now turn his own stage into our own display cabinet. We were created for his glory and our lives' potentials will not be fully realised until we find our rightful place in him.

Let God be seen in you. The world eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. Are you one? His time of favour is here.

Love so Amazing.......

JHN 3:16 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I'm not sure there's Any other verse of Scripture that has been quoted more often than this one. It is a verse of unlimited potential, capable of giving hope to the hopeless and strength to the weary. It is a verse that highlights why God is the only one to be worshipped and praised.

We all understand Love in different ways, but one thing that seems to be general is that we see love from a 'taking' perspective. We ask someone to prove He/she loves us by giving us something. We tie love to physical possessions and think that we will be fulfilled with more things. God is showing us love from a 'giving' perspective, where love is shown by what has been given to us, so that we can learn to give ourselves to other people.

God's love was characterised by his giving his best to us- his own Son. This example is the best we could ever emulate. If God could give us his own best when we least deserved it, how then can we give less than our best for God and to other people? How do people know we are God's children If we prove not look, talk, walk, work and give like our heavenly father? His gift guarantees our lives and future, and seals our redemption. His gift is for all men everywhere. Can we dare do less? Let us share this gift with the whole world, so that his gift will not have been given in vain. His time of favour is here.

None like God

2 Samuel 7:22 KJV
Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

As I read these verses,  My mind goes over all the experiences I have had over the past few years of my life. If there's anything God has been, it is FAITHFUL. In work, family life, business, career progression, spiritual journey, God continues to confirm his Word in our lives that he's a faithful God. No matter the troubles, trials and tribulations, his presence, power and peace continue to be the shield and defence for our souls.

Who then is like our God? A God who could feed over 600,000 men, besides women and children, with manna from heaven, at no cost, can fully satisfy the deepest hunger of my heart. The God that could convert a fiery furnace into a coldroom can turn the most difficult situation into the most pleasant experience.  Through all ages, even till tomorrow, God continues to show himself mighty and able in the lives of those whose hearts  are fully committed to him.

Can God count on you? Does He hold absolute sway over your life? Is his power, might and nature revealed through the experiences of your life? If he's not been glorified, he's not in control of your life. Give him control, See him work wonders. His time of favour is here.

Watch it......

James 1:19 KJV
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

I have heard someone somewhere say that the reason why God gave us two ears, two eyes and one mouth is that we are supposed to listen and observe twice as much as we speak. If only we could learn this golden rule, how less complex our lives would be. Wars have been fought, homes have been broken, lives have been wrecked as a result of improper use of the tongue. Lives have also been saved, destinies fulfilled, and souls saved as a result of proper use of the senses given to us by God. It then means that the end- product of our lives is in our hands. We determine what we get by the things we do or don't do.

As we go out today, let us watch our lives, our conduct, our conversation and the company that we keep. Learn to listen closely and observe carefully; you only know as much as your human mind permits, and because you are not God, motives cannot be known unless God reveals them to you. Listen, observe and speak less; you live longer that way and your live makes more impact that way. His time of favour is here.

Time......

Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We live in difficult times indeed. Men seem to have lost the fear of God; indeed our pursuit of possessions, power and position has become more shameless, brazen and godless. We prefer to make money than make the kingdom of God; we would rather have a fat bank account than make the kingdom of God fat. Our priorities have become muddled up, as we now minor on the majors and major on the minors.

Today's word just seeks to redirect our focus back to the important things: at the end of our lives on earth, the only important thing Will be the question of our salvation: what did you do with Jesus? It won't come down to your bank account balance or your circle of influence. It won't be about your political affiliations or the kind of job you did. The question of eternity goes beyond all these. What are you doing about it?
Have you satisfactorily answered that question? Can God count you as one of his?

Time waits for no man. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is out of your hands; take what you have now and decide for Christ today. Eternity will prove you right. His Time of favour is here