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Others wisdom for living

Finding rest

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am pleased to welcome you into another week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that your life will experience God’s rest in every way in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
Now I offered that prayer for you because it is in keeping with God’s will for you. What I mean is that it is God’s will for you to have rest, absolute rest, in every area of your life. That is why He says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28NIV) This is a free invitation to everyone who is troubled and is bearing loads of life that are crushing him. The Lord says to him, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” If He did not have what it takes to give us rest, He would not say, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” It is because He has what it takes to deliver rest to us from all the things that are troubling us and making us tired of life that He tells us to come to Him for rest.
 
So, you don’t have to allow any problem of life to destroy you or drive you mad. You don’t have to allow any situation to take charge of your life and turn you into a beast or a slave. All you need is to come to Jesus for rest, and He will give it to you. I mean that the Lord will give you rest right here on earth. Yes, the rest He intends to give to us is beyond something that we enjoy only in this world. Rather, His intention is to give us eternal and permanent rest from every problem of life.
 
However, while the earth and all the problems that are associated with staying in it still remain, the Lord wants us to have rest in it. And He has been giving those who come to Him rest in it. For instance, we are told this about King David: “After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said…” (2Sam 7:1-2NIV) Look at that. The Lord gave David rest from all his enemies around him. So, he settled down in his palace to enjoy his life and kingship. But that did not happen overnight. I mean that he did not come to this place of rest overnight. Only God Himself knows what number of miracles He had to perform in order to bring him there.
 
As we are told in the bible, this man was ordained to be king at a very tender age, when he was but a boy (1Sam 16:1-13). But did he ascend the throne the day after his ordination by God? No! Instead, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he went through what many today would call ‘hell’ before he got there. He was persecuted, hunted, robbed, slandered and even betrayed on his way to the throne. And even after becoming king, troubles, wars and betrayals did not vanish from him overnight. They kept on coming for him. But because in all these things, he set the Lord continually before himself and lived according to His word, he was preserved (Ps 16:8). Then there came a time in which even those around him could say, “The Lord has given this man rest from all his enemies around him.”
 
Now the same God that gave David rest from all his enemies around him is the one we are dealing with. Yes, He is the one that says to us, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” And if you have come to Him, then, rest is already available for you to enjoy. But someone may say, “I have come to Him. Yet I am not enjoying any measure of rest in my life. My life is still full of troubles that are weighing me down and seeking to utterly destroy me. What, then, is the problem?” Well, the problem is that you have not learnt how to take His rest and make it yours.
 
See, the Lord does not just say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He also says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29-30NIV) Did you see that? The only way to find the rest that God has given is to walk with Him and learn to do things His own way. Even though you have come to Him, as long as you are trying to solve your life’s problems in your own way, you will never find the rest He gives. But the moment you quit using your methods and schemes and start listening to Him and acting on His instructions, you will start finding His rest in your life. Yes, He may have to daily perform a million miracles for you to experience His rest. But what does it matter? He will do whatever He has to do to make sure that someday you are able to look around and say, “Blessed be God, who has given me rest on every side from all that seeks to destroy me.”
 
Do have a very pleasant week.
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wisdom for living

You can be kept from destructive decisions

“Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.” (Gen 13:10-13NIV)
 
One of the prayers we must learn to offer in life is that God will keep us from making any decision or taking any step that will ruin our future or make a waste of our lives. It is true that we are always making decisions and choices. We make decisions about what food to eat or not to eat, what dress to wear or not to wear, what place to go or not to go and so forth. And even when we refuse to make a decision about something, that is still a decision.
 
But then, there are certain decisions that we make that can impart the course of our entire lives and even other people’s lives for good or for evil. For instance, the choice of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, to visit the young ladies of the land of Shechem one day led to her defilement that same day – she was raped and her virginity forcefully taken. And this, of course, further led to the sacking of a whole city by her brothers, Simeon and Levi. Just one decision, a decision that seemed harmless at the time it was taken, ruined entire lives and generations.
 
Also, as we see in the bible, Lot’s decision to live in Sodom and Gomorrah ended up making him lose his wife and everything else he had laboured for in life as a young man (Gen 19). But when he was making that decision, it looked like the very right thing to do. He saw a legitimate opportunity to enlarge his livestock business by staying in Sodom, and he took it. But he had no idea at that time that God had already marked the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for destruction. So, it was not a matter of whether those cities would be destroyed; rather, it was a matter of when they would be destroyed. And they were eventually destroyed along with everything Lot had. In fact, he barely escaped with his life and the lives of his two daughters.
 
Now remember that Lot was a righteous man, according to the bible (2Pet 2:7). Yet he made a decision that made a mess of his old age and lives of his wife and children. So, righteous people, godly people, can also make decisions that will ruin their lives, homes, future or generations of people. In Lot’s case, it was a moment of greed that led him to make that decision. And in Dinah’s case, it was a little desire for some pleasure that led to her defilement and disgrace. So, a single decision made out of our carelessness, thoughtlessness, greed, unclean desire for pleasure or insensitivity may result in a lifetime of shame or ruin.
 
All of this is why we must learn to always pray that God, who alone knows the future, will continually keep us back from making any such decision that will ultimately ruin our lives or others’ lives, regardless of the pressure to do so or of how harmless it may seem at the time in question. And supposing you are already suffering terribly because of certain decisions you made in the past, decisions which seemed harmless and right at the time you made them. As long as there is breath in you, you can still count on God to free you from the consequences of such decisions.
 
At least, He delivered Jacob from the consequences of cheating his brother, Esau, many years later, when he called upon him in his moment of fear and desperation (Gen 32&33). And He will deliver you too, if you will call upon Him for help. How He will do this I cannot say. But I know that the Scriptures that say, “Anyone that puts his trust in Him will never be put to shame and everyone that calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” are true. So, call on Him now, regardless of how messed up your life has become because of your bad decisions, and He will save you from your fears and shame. (Cf. Rom 10:11-13)
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Others wisdom for living

WHERE IS IT APPLICABLE?

Many read the bible and study the Scriptures, but they have not fully come to terms with the fact that these things are meant to be applied to life. The things we teach, the things we learn in our meetings, are meant to be applied to life. So, we must not just focus on studying the Scriptures, we must also learn how they apply to life.
I wouldn’t know what comes to your mind each time you sit down to listen to a sermon and make notes. Do you consider how and where the things you are learning apply to life? You ought to consider that. As you listen to a sermon, you should be able to say, “This is where this applies.” Or, “I should be able to apply this where I work.” Or, “I should be able to apply this in my school.” Or, “I should be able to apply this in my business.” But if you cannot see how these things apply to life, I am telling you, you are just wasting your time. And that is one of the problems most people that attend schools of Theologies and Seminaries usually have. Nothing is wrong with attending such schools. But the truth is that whatever you get there is just book knowledge. And until you are able to apply it to life, it does not count for anything.
 
And you know that is also one of the problems we have in Nigeria today. Our students learn a lot of things in School, things that they do not know where they are applicable in life. Those of you who are still in school and are reading this, do you know where the things you are learning in school are applicable? In some other climes, they spend a lot of time on finding out where the things they teach and learn are applicable. They keep asking, “Where can we apply this law? Where can we apply that law?” But we don’t do that here. We just read to pass examinations and read to get some certificates. And then when you get out there, they will tell you that you are not employable, because you are useless. Why? The things you have learnt, you cannot bring to bear upon life.
 
So, it is important to know how the knowledge of the Scriptures you have relates to life. It is not in reading more Scriptures. Of course, it is good to read the Scriptures, more and more of them. But this goes beyond reading more Scriptures or memorising more Scriptures. I know there are people who busy themselves memorising Scriptures. I am not against memorising Scriptures. I memorise Scriptures too. But if you don’t know where these Scriptures apply or how apply them to your relationships, activities and all of life, they will not work. It is only the Scriptures that you apply in your life that will produce results.
 
(Adapted from ‘The essence of Christian living in the world’, a Sunday 20th December 2015 Sermon by J.O. Lawal.)
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Others wisdom for living

Freedom – a difficult thing to manage

One of the lessons to learn from the story of Hagar and her son, Ishmael, when they were wandering in the desert of Beersheba, not knowing where to go, is that freedom can be a difficult thing to manage. This woman and her son had been sent out of the house of Abraham with nothing but some food and a skin of water. Why? It was because she and her son were just slaves in that house. Yes, she bore Abraham a son. That, however, did not change the fact that she was just a slave, the property of her mistress, Sarah. And when the presence of her son began to threaten the inheritance of Isaac, the true heir to all that Abraham had, Sarah insisted that she and her son must be sent away. This, of course, troubled Abraham, for Ishmael, slave or no slave, was his true son. But God overruled in the matter and told him to listen to the voice of his wife. So Hagar and her son were both sent packing the same day. (Cf. Gen 16&21) Now, of course, though they were sent packing with nothing to live on, they were sent away as free people. In other words, what they did with their lives from that moment on was nobody’s business again, not even Sarah’s. Yet there are times that facing life as a free person may be more difficult or dangerous than facing it as a slave. As slaves in Abraham’s house, both Hagar and her son Ishmael had access to food, water, shelter, wears, security, money and so forth. They even had the attention of Abraham because of the relationship they had with him.
But when they were sent out that house, with nothing to their credit, they realised how dangerous being free can be. I mean that it just dawned them that perhaps freedom was not they needed at that time. For though they were free, their freedom could not save them from hunger, thirst and loneliness. And this is something many young people need to seriously consider and learn from. A lot of times, they agitate for freedom from parental guidance and monitoring. And that is because they think being free is synonymous to being on top of the world. Then, when they eventually succeed in taking the freedom they want, they use it to destroy their lives, their future and, sometimes, other people’s lives as well.
In like manner, there are many who want freedom from spiritual guidance and monitoring. They think they have just had enough of being pastored or led by God and the leaders He has appointed over them. So, they have forcefully given themselves freedom from the leadership of the Spirit and are now ordering their own lives as they please. I tell you, a day is coming when, having ruined their lives and perhaps those of others, such people would wish they never had the freedom they took for themselves.
See, the fact that you are free, in whatever sense you want to be free, does not mean you will be able to use your freedom to arrange a better life or future for yourself. There are many independent nations today that are still begging and borrowing all the time to survive. And there are many free men, women and children today who have not been able to do something tangible with their lives with the freedom they have. Is that to say freedom is not good? No! Freedom is great. But freedom is responsibility. Yes, it means you take responsibility for yourself.
But can you take responsibility for yourself without destroying yourself in the process? You cannot, if you do not have God with you, supplying you with the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and resources to do so. This, of course, is what we see in Hagar and Ishmael’s case. Until God showed up to open their eyes to see His provision of water for them in that desert and to also tell them His plans to make Ishmael great, their freedom would certainly have cost them their lives.
So, first, know the kind of freedom you seek to have in your life, for it is not every kind of freedom you can manage without destroying yourself. Second, don’t just seek legitimate freedom from the things that have enslaved or bound you in life; also seek God’s provisions to manage your freedom. And perhaps you have already used your freedom to ruin your life. You can still turn to God for help, as long as there is breath in you. He will not turn down your earnest prayer for help but come to your rescue with speed. But don’t wait any longer. Call to Him now.

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Others

Don’t lose your mind because of them

Don’t lose your mind because of them

By: J.O. Lawal |Date: May 24, 2020
Series: From Pastor’s Desk |Number: Vol. 9, No. 3
 
Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart to remain true to Him to the very end, regardless of what men may do against you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
One of the things we learnt from the earthly life of our Lord Jesus is devotion to God, even in the face of rejection, betrayal and denial of men. Here is One who fully gave Himself to doing the will of God in all things (John 8:29). Yet men, including those who benefited tremendously from His life and ministry, rejected Him. Even those who had the rare privilege of fullying sharing in His great life and ministry, at some point, denied and abandoned Him because of fear. That is besides the fact that it was one of them that betrayed Him and handed Him over to those who wanted to take His life. And he did that out of greed.
 
Nevertheless, in the face of all these things, our Lord Jesus stayed true to God to the very end. He did not lose His mind because He was ultimately rejected, betrayed, denied and abandoned. Painful as all this might have been, He did not become bitter. Instead, He committed His soul to the One who was able to deliver Him and also asked for forgiveness for all those who treated Him wickedly (Luke 23:34&36). Therefore, God answered His prayers, honoured Him, exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).
 
Similarly, Paul the apostle experienced the rejection of his own people, the Jews, even though he had given his entire life to doing the will of God, their God. Not only that, at some point in his life, he was abandoned by many among the people of God, including some of his own ministry associates, people that his life and ministry had been a blessing to. (Cf. 2Tim 1:15-18 & 4:9-10&16) But did he lose his mind because of this and withdraw his devotion to God? No! Or did he become bitter, resentful and malicious because of the rejection and betrayal he had experienced? No!
 
Instead, Paul cast himself totally on God for safe-keeping and also offered prayers of forgiveness for all the brethren who abandoned him, so that God would not hold it against them. And God answered him and kept him safe to the end of his earthly race. (Cf. 2Tim 4:16-18) This was why he was eventually able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Tim 4:7-8NIV)
 
So, even if all hell is let loose against you, and you are being rejected, persecuted, abandoned, betrayed or denied by men, including those you love and those who have been blessed by God through your life, don’t lose your mind or throw away your devotion to God. Instead, follow the examples of our Lord Jesus and Paul the apostle by doing what Peter says. And what does he say? He says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1Peter 4:19NIV) Did you see that? If you are suffering while doing the will of God, don’t lose yourself. Instead, commit yourself to your Creator and continue to do good. And at the appropriate time, you will be rewarded for your steadfastness and trueness. May the God of all grace and comfort be with you. Amen.
 
Do have a great week.