Category: Fire in my Bones

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Show respect for their things | Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 31, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 5, No. 16

“If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man’s property.” (Ex 22:5-9NIV)

One of the ways to limit growth and development where we are is to continually treat the properties or possessions of our neighbours with disrespect. See, whatever a man has or owns represents him. That is because that thing is a product of his labour, a product of his sweat. So, if you treat it carelessly or without respect, it is the person that has it that you are actually disrespecting. And wherever that is the case, wherever we are messing up with the fruit of other people’s labour, growth and development are bound to be hindered.

Therefore, if we want growth and development to be fast and progressive in our land, there must be laws that will compel us to treat the properties and possessions of our neighbours with care and respect. We cannot assume that people will treat their neighbours’ things with care and respect. That is because they may never do so. In fact, the natural man is naturally selfish. So, he cares only about himself and what belongs to him. And there are situations in which he may not even care about himself or what belongs to him. That being the case, if there is nothing to compel him to care for others and what belongs to them, he may never do so.

You can see why God, when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, did not assume that they would naturally be nice to one another. Instead, He gave them laws, as we see in our opening bible text, that would compel them to treat one another’s properties and possessions with seriousness, even if they did not like another. Of course, these people had all suffered as slaves of the Egyptians for centuries. But that did not mean that they would think about that and be nice to one another or to the foreigners among them. They still needed laws to compel them to do so.

Look, the fact that someone has suffered before and has now been comforted does not mean that he will be kind to others. If the love of God is not in living in him and compelling him to be kind to others, he will not be kind to them at all. You may know certain rich or influential people who started out in poverty in life and who are yet terribly cruel to those under them. Why has the history of such people in poverty not taught them to be kind to others? It is because there has never been kindness in them.

Money or position never makes anybody kind or wicked. These things only highlight what people have been all along. Therefore, we cannot assume that people will treat their neighbours’ possessions, properties or businesses with respect and care either because they are rich or poor. There must be laws that will compel them to do so. And that was God did with the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt. He gave them laws that would make them respect the possessions and properties of their neighbours. So, even if you did not like your neighbour, when you thought of the penalties that come with not treating their things with respect, you would behave yourself.

See, God did not want a situation in which people would cultivate the habit of wasting, losing or destroying their neighbours’ properties or possessions and saying, “Oh, it was a mistake.” So, He said, “Even if it was a mistake, your being sorry is not going to be enough. You have to refund the money you lost or replace the property you damaged. That would teach you to be more careful with other people’s things in the future and also prevent you from hindering the progress of your neighbour or limiting his enjoyment of his possession or property.”

But you know we often get upset when people demand that we refund or replace things that they entrusted to us that we lost or messed up. Why? It is because we think it is unrighteous and wicked of them to do so. We see it as a sort of revenge. But that is not how the word of God describes revenge. Revenge is when you pay people back evil with evil. And it is different from when you demand that people act responsibly in handling your things.

God Himself wants us to act responsibly and carefully in relating to anything that belongs to our neighbours. That was why He gave laws to the people of Israel concerning this. And we do have similar laws in many countries and organisations today, laws demanding that people treat their neighbours’ things or anything that is entrusted to them with seriousness and care. The unfortunate thing, however, is that it is not everywhere that these laws are enforced.

For instance, in Nigeria, even the government is not serious about enforcing laws that protect lives and properties. So, many are daily strengthened to mess up with the fruit of others’ hard work and labour. And we wonder why we are not moving forward at any serious rate. God will not preserve the fruit of our labour or prosper the works of our hands, as long as we keep treating what belongs to others without care or respect. So, we need to change our attitude along these lines, individually and collectively. Otherwise, the growth and development we are looking forward to seeing in our lives and land will never happen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t detest hard work |Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 24, 2022 |Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 15

“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38NIV)

There is a growing hatred among many young people today for hard work. All they want is much profit with little or no work at all. They want to live in mansions, ride the latest exotic cars, eat delicacies all the time and move around with the finest of ladies or guys in the world. All for doing what? All for doing almost nothing!

Is it wrong to live in mansions or to ride exotic cars or to eat delicacies or to marry beautiful ladies or handsome men? No, these things are not wrong in themselves. But we need to earn the right to have them through honest, hard and diligent labour.

Now observe that I said spoke of honest, hard and diligent labour as a means to earning the right to live large. That is because it is not every job that is hard to do that is also honest. For example, robbery, drug trafficking, human trafficking, kidnapping, burglary, prostitution, and swindling are all hard and risky jobs to do. And they can make plenty of money available for people to live very large lives. However, regardless of the degree of devotion and diligence given to doing these jobs, they are not honest or legitimate jobs. So, those involved in them can only hope to get destroyed through them sooner or later.

So, when I am taking about being given to hard work, I am not talking about any kind of work. Rather, I am talking about legitimate and honest work that people can proudly identify with. And I am saying don’t be ashamed to give yourself fully to any such job. Why? First, it is because God rewards those who work hard and diligently. Paul, writing to the Colossian brethren, says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” (Col 3:23-25NIV)

Did you see that? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is interested in our work and also in our attitude towards it, regardless of whom we are working for or working with. And He will reward us right here in this world for whatever we do, even if we are not Christians. This explains why He may pick an unbeliever from among believers and exalt him, if he is hardworking and diligent. There is no favouritism with Him.

I am sure you know the story of Joseph and of how God exalted him. Why did God exalt him in the manner that He did? One main reason was that the young man was a hard and diligent worker. And it did not matter to him where he was, whether he was in slavery or in the prison, whatever he found to do, he did it wholeheartedly. So, he was always experiencing exaltation and standing before those who mattered wherever he was. Of course, he did not become great in one day. But because he had a culture of working hard and diligently, God was able to clear the way for him to attain the highest position anyone could ever wish for in life. (Cf. Gen 39-41)

If you too will learn not to run away from hard work but to handle your work, whatever it is, seriously and diligently, God, who is always watching you, will see to it that you are always standing before those who matter where you are and not before irresponsible and useless people (Prov 22:29). Then, if you do not faint, a day will surely come when you will be led by Him to that height that no one thinks you can ever attain. And who knows how close you are to that day?

Another reason you shouldn’t run from hard and diligent labour is that you may through it offer comfort and rest to future generations. As our Lord points in our opening bible text, His disciples had a very rare privilege of eating the fruit of the labour of many prophets of old that had lived and ministered before them. Those people did the hard work of clearing the way for Him to come. But they were the beneficiaries of their hard work.

In like manner, the Christian liberty and sound spiritual education may of us are enjoying today have been made available for us through the hard work of some great men and women of God who lived here in the world before us. These people gave themselves to hard and diligent spiritual labour with perseverance in order for the truth of Jesus Christ to be preserved for us. And if they had detested hard work, all that we are now enjoying in terms of our spiritual heritage today would not have been ours to enjoy.

Interestingly, the same thing is true in the natural realm. The sophisticated lives many of us are living in the world today have been made available to us through the hard work of some great scientists, thinkers, academics and business men and women that lived years or centuries before us or that are living now among us. Similarly, there are many young people today that are able to enjoy quality education and live comfortably because of the hard work of their parents or grandparents. But what if these people had run away from hard work or if they had treated it with contempt, would the kind of lifestyles some of us are living now have been possible at all? No!

So, if you give yourself to hard work, you won’t be the only one to enjoy it. Others coming after you will also enjoy it. Stop running away, then, from hard and diligent labour, for it is your own way of vitally making the world a better place for all to live in

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

In praise of wickedness | Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 17, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 14

“I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power of injuring each other. I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man’s evil deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had committed their many crimes! How odd!” (Eccl 8:9-10TLB)

One main way to keep a town, city, country, or organization in stagnation, misery, or poverty is to continually praise or reward wickedness. Unfortunately, many people do not understand this. Therefore, because of fear, greed, or love for the praise of men, they praise wickedness where they should condemn it or reward wickedness where they should punish it. Then they sit down and wonder why there is not much growth, development, prosperity, and safety where they are. Isn’t that odd?

Well, that is exactly the situation Solomon is dealing with in our opening bible text. According to him, he had been to funerals of wicked people and had seen how even victims of their wickedness spoke well of them. But they knew in their hearts that these people deserved no form of praise or commendation. Yet hypocrisy, fear, or greed would not allow them to say the truth that they knew about them. And Solomon is asking if that is not odd.

Now perhaps you have once attended a funeral in which those who were asked to speak spoke ill of the dead person. I have never attended one. And I am sure most of those who have attended funerals at different times and of different persons will agree that people hardly speak ill of dead people at their funerals, even if they have been direct victims of their wickedness. Why is this so? Hypocrisy!

Hypocrisy is the major reason we will be singing the praise of a wicked person, whether they are dead or alive, even when we have been victims of his wickedness. Today, we often see those who have hurt their own people terribly and oppressed them in many ways being praised and commended in religious houses by the very same people they have been oppressing, especially when they make some huge donations. What is behind such things? Hypocrisy!

But as Solomon tells us, it is odd and actually foolish of us to function in this manner and still expect a better society. It is foolish of us to continually speak and sing in praise of wickedness and still expect it to go away from our society. That will never happen. It will never happen because what we are doing is counter-productive.

See, we cannot be strengthening evil with our words and songs and expect those doing it to stop. They will not stop. Instead, they will continue to act under the assumption that we are okay with whatever they do. And even when they know that we are not fine with their wickedness, they will still continue to perpetuate it, as long as they can induce us to sing their praises instead of saying what we really think and know about them. You can see why vote buying, vote selling, and other similar nonsense are widespread in our land.

In any case, if you and I want to break the wings of evil where we are, we have to begin to call it what it is, instead of singing its praise, maybe out of fear, hypocrisy, or greed. But are we going to do that in our homes, schools, offices, neighborhoods, cities, and religious assemblies? May God grant us sufficient willingness and courage to always do so, for our good and for the good of those generations of people that may come after us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

The rich must be wrong | Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 10, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 13

“Do not show partiality to a poor person at his trial.” (Ex 23:3GNT)

I really cannot recollect the number of times I have on the road witnessed commercial motorcyclists abusing and cursing private vehicle owners, even when it was clear that they were in the wrong. Unfortunately, most times, when others would intervene and judge such cases between people, it was the one that appeared to be rich among them that they would want to blame. Some would not even bother to find out what really happened before point accusing fingers.

Now why is that often the case? It is because most poor people have hidden bitterness in them against rich people. And that is because they usually think they are the reason they are poor. But while it is true that rich people can be oppressive and unfeeling, it is not every rich person that is hostile, wicked or oppressive. There are rich people that have become rich through the help of God and their honest and diligent labour. And there are rich people that are kind, generous and peace-loving in every way.

Therefore, we can’t always hold the rich responsible for the poverty of the poor. In fact, in many cases, they are not to blame at all for the poverty of the poor. People become poor and stay poor in life for different reasons, some of which could be lack of financial intelligence, laziness, pride, misfortunes and so forth.

If you are poor, then, you should settle down and carefully study the reason for your poverty and misery instead of always blaming the rich in your land for them. That way, you can begin to take steps that will take you out of poverty and lead you into abundance.

In any case, in our opening bible text, God warns us not to function with bitterness against the rich, regardless of our position in life. Why? It is so that we will not become judges with evil intentions. See, as long as we are bitter against those who are rich in our lives or around us, we will never see anything good in or about them. They and whatever they do will always be wrong in our eyes. This being the case, whenever we have any opportunity to judge a case between a rich person and some poor fellow, we will most likely favour the poor person against the rich one, without examining the facts or even with the facts clearly showing us something different.

Now when we function like that, we are promoting wickedness in our land; we are perverting justice in the land. And God will not hold us guiltless. This explains why some people will never be rich or great in life. Yes, they themselves want to be rich and great. But they are filled with hot bitterness and anger against rich and great people. Therefore, God Himself is resisting their advancement and exaltation in life. And He will continue to do so unless they repent and cleanse their hearts.

Perhaps you too are guilty of these things. Perhaps your bitterness, anger and injustice against those who are richer or more highly placed in life than you are the reason your life is stagnant. Every time you are speaking against them and working against them, even when they have not offended you or done you any wrong. You need to repent without delay and allow God to wash your heart with His word. Otherwise, that great height or better life you are eyeing and wishing for yourself in this life may forever elude you.

Mind you, I am not saying we should not condemn the rich when they are wrong. By all means, we should judge them wrong wherever they are wrong. But we must never assume that the rich must be wrong in every case they have against the poor. God will never work with such assumptions. So, we too should henceforth stop working with them.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Emotional statements ensnare | Pst. J.O. Lawal | August 03, 2022 | Youth for Jesus |Vol. 5, No. 12

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”” (Mark 6:21-23NIV)

When Herod was swearing an oath to Herodias’ daughter that he would give her anything she wanted, up to half of his kingdom, he did not think that the girl would, even in her wildest dreams, ask for nothing but the head of John the Baptist. But that was what she asked for. Now because he made his pledge publicly, he was under pressure to fulfil it. And he fulfilled it and joined the company of prophet killers.

But was Herod under any form of pressure to make that pledge? No! He made the pledge because he was excited. So, it was an emotional pledge, a pledge that he made without thinking clearly, a pledge he made when he was probably half-drunk, a pledge he made without considering the character of the person involved. So, he needlessly ensnared himself by his words and made himself a murderer.

Also, we have in the bible the account of a man named Jephthah and of how he made a vow to give to the Lord as a burnt offering whatever came out of his house to greet him, if the Lord should give him victory over his enemies, the Ammonites. Unfortunately, when he came back home, after the Lord had given him victory over his enemies, it was his daughter, his only child, that came out to greet him and to celebrate his victory with him. (Cf. Judges 11:29-40)

Now was Jephthah under any pressure to make a vow to the Lord at the time? No, he wasn’t. Yes, he was faced with the pressure of a war that he did not ask for. But the bible is also very clear about the fact that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him on that occasion to give him victory over his enemies. So, whether he made a vow or not, victory was already sure for him. 

Was it wrong for him, then, to make a vow to the Lord, as he did? No, it wasn’t! Making vows to the Lord is an act of faith in Him and should not be discouraged. However, making vows to Him is also a personal thing. It is not something anybody should force anybody to do or something anyone should do under pressure. That is because once we make a vow to Him, we are bound to fulfil it. Otherwise, we may just put ourselves in trouble (Ecc 5:4-6). Therefore, you must never allow anyone or any situation to drive or coerce or manipulate you to make any kind of vow to the Lord. Make your vows only because your heart wants to do so. 

But then, even if you have to make a vow, don’t make it on an emotional basis. Rather, make your vows on rational basis. In other words, think carefully about the kind of vows you are making and your capacity to fulfil them. Remember that you are not in charge of life and its affairs but God is. Remember also that accidents, mistakes and all kinds of unforeseen events happen everyday in this life. So, before you make a vow, first, make sure it is in line with the will of God. Also, make sure it is what you truly have the ability to make good. That means you must be reasonable in making your vows. That way, even if circumstances that are beyond your control should keep you from fulfilling your vows when due, God Himself will understand that is not your fault.

Jephthah made an emotional vow. He did not consider the will of God at all in making his vow. Would God ever accept a human burnt offering? No! Did He literally accept it from Abraham? No! In fact, one of the things He told the children of Israel never to do was to sacrifice their sons or daughters in the fire, for it was because of such things that He drove out the inhabitants of Canaan for them. (Cf. Deut 18:10)

So, it was totally out of place for Jephthah to make the kind of vow he made to God. In other words, his vow was dead on arrival – it was invalid from the moment it came out of his mouth. Why, then, did he make it? He made it because he was ignorant of the will of God for them. He made it at a time everybody in Israel did was what right in his eyes, not what was right in the eyes of God.  Otherwise, he should have had people that would let him know that it was not in his place to make that kind of vow. (Cf. Judges 21:25)

Unfortunately, people still act like Jephthah and make invalid vows and pledges today. They make vows and pledges that are born out of their ignorance of the will of God for them. Also, people make vows and pledges without considering how they will affect those in their lives or the roles those in their lives could play in enabling them to fulfil their vows or in voiding them. Then, when it is time for them to fulfil them, they will realise that they have taken on themselves responsibilities that are too much for them to handle.

Now, of course, how Jephthah fulfilled his own vow will always be a subject for debate among God’s people. Did he truly offer his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord? Or did he redeem her and offer something else to God in her place? We really would not know what he did, seeing that we were not there. But the lesson of his story is clear. And it is that we must avoid making emotional statements, emotional pledges, vows, curses, blessings and so forth, especially when we are excited or under pressure. Otherwise, we may end up ensnaring ourselves with our words. And if we do so, the price we will pay may just be too much for us to handle. 

So, be careful.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

An unnecessary burden of favour | Pst. J.O. Lawal | July 27, 2022 | Youth for Jesus | Vol. 5, No. 11

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.” But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever pleases you.” The king said, “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever pleases you. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.”” (2Sam 19:31-38NIV)

From the story told by Luke in his gospel about the healing of certain ten lepers by the Lord Jesus, it is clear that God wants us to always be grateful for everything He does for us. He doesn’t want us to cultivate a culture of overlooking His acts of kindness and mercy to us day after day. Otherwise, we will be blocking the flow of His goodness into our lives in ways beyond our understanding. (Cf. Luke 17:11-19)

Think about it yourself. Even as human beings, we too want people to express their gratitude when we do them good. We don’t want them acting as though our labour or sacrifice of love or mercy over them means nothing. And when we are dealing with anyone who will not take our goodness or kindness to them seriously, we begin to think of how to block the flow of our acts of goodness to them. So, we cherish gratitude, and rightly so.

However, even though it is highly important that people express their gratitude to us when we do them good, we should be careful not to become an unnecessarily burden to them because of anything we have done for them. And we will become an unnecessary burden to them, if we do not understand that we cannot help anyone or do anyone any form of good, if God has not enabled us to do so. So, whatever measure of good we do for anybody is not something we can take credit for. The one that should take all the credit for it is God. Otherwise, we will be paralysing ourselves and making ourselves incapable of abounding in good works. (Cf. 2Kings 6:27; Isaiah 26:12; 2Cor 3:5-6)

See, when we understand that God is the reason we are able to bless others, we will look to Him only for our reward and not be bitter, if men fail to show us gratitude for whatever we have done for them. There may indeed be times when men forget to show us gratitude for the good we have done for them, as we see in the case of Pharaoh’s official that forgot to help Joseph for two full years. And there may be times that people just deliberately take lightly what we have done for them. Nonetheless, whether people show us gratitude for our goodness to them or not, as long as we have done what we have done for them with a right heart, God will reward us fully for it at the appropriate time. (Cf. Gen 40-41; Gal 6:7-10)

Now if we are functioning with this understanding, we will also know when it is totally unnecessary for us to accept some show of gratitude from certain people God has used us to bless. What I mean is that there are times we can become an unnecessary burden of gratitude to others, all because we want them to be grateful to us. And that is what we will be, if we are greedy and don’t know how to say ‘No’ to what we don’t need or what we don’t have the ability to manage or enjoy.

As we see in our opening bible text, even though Barzillai was tremendously helpful to King David during the rebellion of Absalom, he would not accept his gesture of gratitude to him after the rebellion had been squashed. Why? It was because he knew that he did not need what the king was offering him, seeing that he was a very wealthy man himself and had also become too old to appreciate merriment. He would just become an unnecessary burden to him by taking it. So, he persuaded him to let someone else become the beneficiary of whatever good he wanted to do for him. And so it was.

In like manner, we too should not allow greed to make us accept from others any material expression of gratitude that we don’t need or that we can do without. Instead, at such times, we should consider their words of gratitude and prayer sufficient for us. That way, others that truly need what they want to do for us or give to us can become beneficiaries of it. Then God who sees our hearts will reward us abundantly for our thoughtfulness and also make His face shine upon us.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Humble yourself to serve | Pst. J.O. Lawal | July 20, 2022 | Youth for Jesus | Vol. 5, No. 10

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12-17NIV)

One of our sisters in church recently asked me why Jesus once told Peter that unless he allowed Him to wash his feet, he would not continue to be one of His own people. And I said it all had to do with possessing a willingness to serve others, even those that we have some measure of authority over. 

As the account goes, our Lord Jesus, when the time came for His earthly ministry to end, decided to wash the feet of his disciples. But at that time and in that clime feet washing was done mainly by servants. Sometimes, people also did it for guests or strangers that they considered honourable to them. That was because it was a show of respect and honour to others. (Cf. Gen 18:4; Gem 19:2; 1Sam 25:41) 

You can, then, imagine how those disciples of the Lord must have felt when He stooped to their level to wash their feet. They were just not comfortable with it. And while others kept quiet and allowed Him to wash their feet, not understanding why He had to do so, Peter could not just resist the urge to protest. He told the Lord that he would not allow Him to condescend to the level of a servant and wash his feet. In other words, he believed that he was the one that was supposed to be washing His feet and not the other way round.

But the Lord’s firm and frank response to that shocked him and the other disciples there. He told him that if he would not allow Him to wash his feet, then, he should consider himself disowned. Why? It is because in His kingdom, it is not only the subjects that serve; their Lord Himself also serves. That was why He lived all His earthly life serving men. (Cf. Mark 10:42-45)

Now serving men, of course, is not always about taking the position of a slave or a lowly person. I mean that you don’t have to be in a lowly position to serve others. In fact, a lot of lowly people don’t serve others or understand service. That is because they think of serving others only in terms of doing things for those who are greater than us. But people don’t have to be greater or more honourable than us for us to serve them. That is because service is all about using our position, resources, time and skill to do good to others, make life easier and better for them and also make them happy, regardless of their relationship or our relationship with them.

That was the way our Lord functioned when He was here on earth. The bible says He went everywhere doing good and healing all those who were oppressed of the devil because God was with Him (Acts 10:38). And when all had been said and done, He gave His life as a ransom for all humanity. That is the height of service.

Then, towards the end of His earthly ministry, He began to show His disciples how seriously they too must take serving one another and all the people He would be entrusting to them. He did that by washing their feet. And He told them that any one of them that was not ready to act similarly, to humble himself to do even menial jobs for those below him in the kingdom of God, at home, at work, in the neighbourhood or elsewhere should not consider himself as one of His people.

You can now see why all the apostles of old used their lives, knowledge, spiritual gifts, time and even resources to serve people. Yes, they too, like Jesus, went everywhere doing good, healing all those who were oppressed of the devil and making the world a better place. Also, they taught the brethren to act similarly, to cultivate the culture of serving others, regardless of their position and where they were, and making the world a place where God could freely move and bless men.

If we too, then, consider ourselves as belonging to our Lord Jesus, we must humble ourselves to serve others and make life easier, better and more enjoyable for them, even if they are lower in class in the society or younger in age than us. Unfortunately, we don’t even want to serve those that have authority over us or that are older than us, if we have our way. We think of it as being used by them or as making life unnecessarily easier for them. That being the case, how can we be expected to serve those that we are on the same plane of life or those younger than us or those that are of lower class in the society than us? 

This is why we could, for example, go to a friend’s house and not see anything we could do to help them or ease the burdens they are carrying. Our usual line of thought would be, “At least, I am the guest here. He should be the one running around to care for me and not the other way round.” And if we could reason like that when dealing with our friends, then, one can be sure that our thought would be worse when we are dealing with someone that we consider to be beneath us in one way or the other.

But the Lord is saying to us, “That is not my way. That is not the way of the kingdom. And as long as you continue to function like that, know that you are not one of my own people.” So, if you want to be considered as one of His own, wherever you are, wherever you go and whatever you are, give yourself to serving others. Cultivate the culture of using whatever you have to help others and make their life better, easier and more enjoyable. Don’t let your focus always be on what others can do for you but also on what you can do for them. That way, even if it is few minutes you spend with them, they will know that you have lifted some burdens off their shoulders and made them happier than you met them.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Why you are permitted to witness it | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 13, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 9

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.” (Dan 5:22NIV)

Those were the words Daniel said to King Belshazzar when God was set to end his reign. The man began ruling over Babylon after his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had passed on. And from what God wrote on the wall of his palace concerning him, it is clear that He had expected him to be better than his father, especially in the area of humility.

As bible accounts show us, this king’s father, Nebuchadnezzar, was once a very proud king. He was proud because he was a great and mighty king that was feared and honoured by the peoples of all nations. But what he did not know at that time was that his greatness was a gift from God. He did not make himself great. It was God that raised him up, gave him honour and splendour and put all the peoples of the world under his dominion. (Cf. Dan 5:18-19)

Now because he did not know the source of his greatness and splendour, he began to nurse proud thoughts in his heart and to act arrogantly towards God and men. So, God dealt with him ruthlessly. He caused a strange thing to happen to him, a thing that made him live like an animal and among animals for some seasons. And when his sanity was restored, he lost no time in acknowledging God as sovereign over all men and their kingdoms. Therefore, he was shown mercy and given back his kingdom and his glory. (Cf. Dan 4:28-37)

Why did God show this king mercy and didn’t allow him to waste away like an animal? It was so that he would be a living witness to all men of God’s greatness and of how far He could go in judging pride. That means God wanted all the people in the lives of this man, especially his princes and officials, and others who would hear about his story to learn from him and humble themselves before Him.

But did the people in the life of Nebuchadnezzar learn anything at all from what happened to him? Evidently, they did not. If they had learnt from what happened to him, his son Belshazzar, would not have gathered his wives and one thousand officials of his to get drunk on wine, using articles of silver and gold belonging to God, and to sing praises to the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Imagine the fact that over a thousand nobles got together for revelry and idol worship. It was a shameful thing. (Cf. Dan 5:1-4)

In any case, because Belshazzar, who was a direct son of Nebuchadnezzar and who also witnessed first-hand how God judged his pride, failed to take to heart and utilise the lessons from his father’s fall and restoration, God judged him too. In fact, He made an end of his reign without delay and without mercy. (Cf. Dan 5:22-31)

What, then, is the point of all this? It is that there are incidents or events that God permits us to witness in order for us to learn and imbibe certain virtues. And whether these things concern someone’s fall or exaltation, it does not matter. What matters is what we gain through it for our own preservation or exaltation. Otherwise, we may someday blame ourselves for being too dull to learn what could have separated us from death, failure or disgrace when he had the opportunity to do so.

So, as people are being lifted or brought down around you, see to it that you learn all that you can about what is responsible for their elevation or fall. Don’t just act unconcerned or uninterested. That is because you may need to deal with situations similar to theirs one day. How, then, will you fare, if that should happen?

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t give His place to anything | Pst. J.O. Lawal | July 06, 2022 | Youth for Jesus | Vol. 5, No. 8

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)” (2Kings 18:4NIV)

We have in the book of Numbers the account of how God sent venomous snakes among the Israelites because of their ingratitude and grumbling. And when they cried out to Him for forgiveness and mercy, He listened to them and told Moses what to do for their salvation. (Cf. Num 21:4-9)

What, then, was Moses to do for the salvation of these people? He was to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole for all of them to see. Then anyone that was bitten by a snake only needed to look at this bronze snake in order to live. And it was so. All those who were bitten by snakes and who looked up to the bronze snake lived and did not die – the venoms of those dangerous snakes had no power over them.

Now what was in that lifeless bronze snake that made it effective in keeping alive any of the Israelites that was bitten by a live poisonous snake? What power was it carrying? The answer is ‘None’. There was nothing powerful about it or in it. It was just what it was – a lifeless bronze snake.

Why then did it work in saving the people? The truth is that it wasn’t that bronze snake that saved those Israelites. Rather, it was God that saved them. Remember that it was He that told Moses to make the bronze snake and put it on a pole for the people to look at. And He could have asked him to put up something else or to do something totally different for their salvation, and it would have worked as well. Therefore, their salvation did not come from the bronze snake but from Him and through their obedience to His instruction.

Unfortunately, they and their descendants after them did not see things that way. They thought it was that snake that saved them from death in the wilderness. So, somehow, years after Moses had left them, they idolised it and set it up in a high place as a god to worship. And they continued to worship it until Hezekiah became king and totally destroyed it and ended its worship, as we are shown in our opening bible text.

Now try to imagine the kinds of suffering those people must have experienced from God’s hand, year after year, for worshipping that bronze snake in place of Him. Yes, He was the one that gave it to them. But it was merely an instrument that He used to get their attention at the time and make them trust Him for their salvation. So, it was never meant to be kept as an object of worship. But they turned it into another god for themselves and became idolaters and sinners. 

In like manner, there are many today that have idolised certain people, things or processes that God used at some point for their salvation, healing or exaltation. So, anytime they have any problem or challenge, they look up to these things for help instead of looking up to God. They may have been doing this thoughtlessly. But it does not change the fact that they have become nothing but idolaters.

Now, as it is made very clear to us in Scriptures, God has zero tolerance for idolatry. He always judges it in very ruthless ways. That is why we are commanded by Him to flee from idolatry (1Cor 10:14; 1John 5:21). So, if you have anyone or anything that you have idolised in your life, perhaps because God once used it for your healing, deliverance or promotion, you need to redefine your relationship with it and smash whatever altar you have erected for it in your heart. 

See, people are people, not God. And things are things, not God. Yes, God may have used them in the past for your good. But He could as well have used other people or things or even nothing at all. So, don’t exalt them to His place in your life and arouse His jealousy. Don’t turn them into the solution to every problem you have or encounter. God alone holds the solution to all your problems and challenges. And if you give His place to another in your life, utter disgrace and destruction are the only things you can hope for.

Then be careful not to allow anyone to use you or anything from you to replace God in their lives. And if this is already happening, you need to stop it right away before you ensnare yourself. That is because God will never share His place as God with anyone or anything. And scriptures are very clear about this. So, watch yourself.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

A lesson from Bathsheba | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: June 29, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 7

from pastor's desk

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.” 2Sam 11:2-4NIV)

The story of David’s scandal with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, is one of the most popular stories of the bible. That is because it illustrates for us those warning words from the Scripture that say, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” David fell when and where he never thought he would fall. And the consequences were of very terrible proportions for him and his family. (Cf. 1Cor 10:12)

But then, was it only David that fell? It was not only David that fell into the mud of adultery. Bathsheba also fell into this same mud because she too was married. Yes, God held David more responsible for what happened. That was because he was the one that initiated the whole thing. He was the one that sent for Bathsheba and most likely sweet-talked her into committing adultery with him. But it was not a rape case. It was a voluntary sexual escapade between two consenting adults.

So, David was not the only one to blame for this gross sexual misconduct that eventually led to the murder of an innocent man. Bathsheba was also to blame. It is true, according to the account, that David was in a wrong place at the wrong time. He was not supposed to be in town at all at the time, for it was a time when kings led their armies to war by themselves (2Sam 11:1). But for reasons best known to him, he chose to send his general in his place at the time. And that was what exposed him to the situation that Satan used to ruin his testimony as a man after God’s own heart.

Therefore, always avoid being in the wrong place at any time, not just the wrong time. Avoid making excuses for not being where you should be when you should be there. That is because you don’t know when your being in a wrong place will expose you to battles you should never have any business fighting or to situations that may damage your life, relationships or reputation permanently.

But as I pointed out before, David was not the only one to blame for what happened. Bathsheba also was to blame for it. How? Was it her fault that she was beautiful? No! Or was it wrong for her to take her bath the very evening David saw her? No! How, then, was she also to blame?

Well, for the most part, she was to blame because she did not take her privacy seriously enough. Think about the case yourself. Was she living in a village, where life was low and the people uncultured? No! She was living in a city, in fact very close to the palace of the king of the land. What, then, made her, a married woman, choose to take her bath in a place so open or conspicuous that anyone aimlessly wandering around could see her? Only God knows. But poverty of a good bathroom was most certainly not the reason.

Yes, I am certain that this woman did not go out that evening expecting the king to see her while taking her bath. But she ended up exposing herself to the sin of adultery by not taking her privacy seriously. And even at that, she could have politely rejected the king’s adulterous proposal. If she had, David would have needed to rape her to succeed. Then the story would have ended differently. But she did not. Why? I will leave that to your sanctified imaginations, since we are not told the reason in the bible.

At any rate, what I want you to learn from her is the need for you to take your privacy seriously and to guard it jealously. There are many women today, married and singles, who, like Bathsheba, do not take their privacy seriously at all. They wear whatever they like, regardless of where they are or of where they go. And they often blame this on weather, fashion, pregnancy, motherhood, tiredness or anything else their mind can think of. We now even have those who record and store their private activities, especially immoral ones, on their mobile phones.

Now what all such people need to know is that they are playing with fire. And someday, like Bathsheba, they may get burnt. They may end up exposing themselves to people or situations that will take away from them things that neither money nor time can buy. Then their lives, happiness or reputation may be gone forever. And if you will ask around, you will discover that some are already living testimonies to this. So, watch yourself.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)