Category: Youth for Jesus

Your hard work or His generosity | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 08, 2025 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 35

fire in my bones

“”But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matt 20:13-16NIV)

Those were the words of a landowner that our Lord Jesus Christ speaks of in a parable of His. According to the parable, this landowner had gone out very early one morning to hire people to work in his vineyard. And when he got his first set of workers, he agreed to pay them a denarius at the end of the day’s work. So, they went into his vineyard and began to work. (Cf. Matt 20:1-2)

Then, some hours later, he went out again to get more people to work in this same vineyard and told them that he would pay them something fair at the end of the day’s work. So, they also went to work in his vineyard. (Cf. Matt 20:3-5)

However, as this man could clearly see, the people he had brought in to work for him were not enough to get the day’s job done. So, he kept on going out to bring in more people to work for him till the very last hour of the day. And at the end of the day’s job, when it was time to pay his workers, he instructed his foreman to pay everybody the same thing, including those who worked for only one hour. This, of course, infuriated those whom he had hired during the early hours of that day. They felt that it was unfair of him to pay them, who had worked hard all day in the hot sun, the same wages as those who only worked for one or three hours of the day. So, they began to grumble against the man. (Cf. Matt 20:5-12)

Now were they right to grumble and protest against this landowner? Judging from a human point of view, we might say that they were right to do so. But judging from God’s point of view, they were not right to protest or grumble at all. Why?

Well, as we see in our opening text, the man paid them exactly what they had agreed to collect from him when he was going to hire them. So, he did not cheat or defraud them at all. He only gave them what they had bargained for.

But in dealing with others who worked for him that day, especially those who worked only for one hour, he did not pay them according to their labour but according to his generosity. Why did he act like that? We are not told in clear terms in the account. But it could be that he was impressed by their perseverance in waiting until they got a job.

As the account goes, before he brought these men into his vineyard to work that evening, he had asked them why they were standing in the market place all day long doing nothing? And they had told him that it was because nobody gave them a job. So, it was not because they were lazy and unwilling to work that they stood for a whole day in the market place doing nothing. Rather, it was because nobody gave them a job to do.

Now these men could have gone back home in the afternoon of that day, since nobody was going to hire them. But they did not. Instead, they decided to wait until the very last hour of the day to see if anyone would still eventually hire them. And their perseverance paid off. Someone came and hired them, even though he knew that they would only be able to work for one hour. Not only that, that person decided to pay them a whole day’s wages when they done working for him. And that shows us that it pays to persevere in doing the right thing.

See, doing the right thing may not immediately yield us a good result. But if we don’t give up on doing it, God will surely make it pay off, even in what we might call the last hour. So, don’t turn away in anger, discouragement or disappointment from doing that right thing you are doing. Don’t give up on it because nobody is paying attention to it or showing any interest in it or in you. Just keep on doing it and trusting God. And when the time is ripe, He will do for you what will let you know that doing the right thing is never a waste of time.

In any case, why does the Lord share this parable with us? He shares it with us to show us how God rewards people in life and in His kingdom. And how does He reward them? First, He rewards them according to their labour. Second, He rewards them according to His kindness and generosity. And it is the one that they desire out of these two, then, that will determine how He rewards them.

In other words, if you want Him to reward you on the basis of your hard work and diligence, then, He will do so. The only thing is that you may not like what you will get. But if you want Him to look beyond your labour and reward you according to His kindness and generosity, then, you can be sure that what you will get will be beyond what your years, months, weeks or days of hard work can ever bring to you.

Which, then, is it going to be this year? Will you want God to reward you according to your hard work or according to His generosity? As for me, I will want Him to reward me according to His kindness and generosity.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, Fire in my bones, wisdom

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Do your very best | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 01, 2025 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 34

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date January 1, 2025
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“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2Tim 2:15-16NIV)

I rejoice in the Lord with you, as we come into this new year, year 2025. My prayer is that God, in His mercy and love, will perfect all that concerns you in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we are starting this new year together, I want to encourage you with the words of Paul the apostle, which we have in our opening text. And what do they say? They tell us to do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved, workmen and workwomen who do not need to be ashamed and who are correctly handling the word of truth.

What is this telling us? It is that gaining God’s approval is not automatic. Yes, all that we needed to do in order for Him to accept us as His people was put our faith in the Lord Jesus. But in order to live lives that He approves of, lives that He will continually reward and honour, we must make effort to daily learn those things that please Him and to also do them.

As Paul further shows us in that text, if we are not making effort to gain God’s approval through the way we live and through the things we do, we will often find ourselves ashamed to stand before Him. There are many today who are ashamed to stand before God to pray or to do anything. And is that because God does not love them or because He has rejected them? No! Rather, it is because they know that the lives they are living and the things they are doing are not worthy of Him or presentable to Him.

To say the fact, the lives and the works of some people are not even presentable to people like them. I mean that they themselves are ashamed to let others see their lives and their works for what they really are. How, then, will they feel confident before God about their lives and works?

Now don’t miss my point. I am not saying that our good lives or good works give us any ground to declare ourselves as righteous before God. Nobody’s good works are good enough to make Him righteous before God. Only God Himself can make us righteous before Him. And it is through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ that He makes us righteous before Him. Also, it is only through our faith in Christ Jesus that we qualify to stand before God unashamed.

However, we must also understand that if we truly have faith in Him, we will also be serious about living our lives the way He wants us to live them and handling whatever we are doing in life the way He wants us to handle it. Otherwise, we will often find ourselves ashamed of ourselves and of our works, when we are confronted with the truth about them.

John, in one of his epistles, says this to us: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” (1John 2:28NIV) Did you see that? If we want to face the Lord Jesus confidently and unashamed when He returns, we need to remain in Him and also continue to live our lives and to do our works, whatever they may be, to honour Him. Otherwise, when He shows up, even though He is not going to reject us or cast us away, we will not be happy with ourselves for letting Him down in life.

So, as you face this new year, do your very best to show yourself as one approved of God. Yes, do your very best to be devoted to learning what pleases Him in all that you do and to doing it. And remember that His grace is sufficient for you. Remember also that you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you. So, don’t attempt to make excuses for doing things that you will be ashamed to let God know about or to present to Him. And may His grace continually overflow to you for a life that is excellent before Him in the year. Amen.

Happy 2025.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Even on missions that are not holy | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 25, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 33

fire in my bones

“But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here — provided the men have kept themselves from women.” David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”” (1Sam 21:4-5NIV)

That was part of the conversation David had with Ahimelech the priest, when he was running away from King Saul. And as we see in their conversation, David desired to have some loaves of bread from this priest, so that he and his men would have something to eat on their journey. But the man of God told him that he only had consecrated bread with him.

Now was anything wrong with giving David and his men consecrated bread? Yes, everything was wrong with it. That was because only anointed priests were allowed by God to eat it. But then, as Ahimelech told David, those who were not anointed priests could also partake of this bread on one condition. And what was that condition? It was on the condition that they had stayed away from any kind of sexual relations on the day they were to eat it. (Cf. Lev 24:5-9)

What is this showing us? Well, first, let me tell you what it is not showing us. It is not showing us that married people must abstain from sexual relations with their spouses in order to be fit to serve God or to experience His power. Of course, the word of God also admonishes married people not to use all their time for sexual relations. Otherwise, they will be distracted and unable to fully give themselves to prayer and other things of the Spirit. But sexual relations are legitimate for married people. So, they don’t get defiled or rendered useless to God by them. (Cf. 1Cor 7:1-5)

However, those who are not married must watch themselves against sexual relations, any kind of sexual relations. And those who are married too must watch themselves against sexual relations with people that are not their spouses. That is because these things will defile them and make them unfit for God to use to accomplish His good purpose. So, wherever you are and whatever you do, stay away from sexual impurity.

As we see in David’s case above, even though he and his men were not entitled to having or eating consecrated bread, he was still able to get it for them on the occasion mentioned. And that was because of their abstinence from sexual impurity. In fact, as he pointed out, even when he and his men went out on missions that were unholy or ordinary, they still kept themselves from impurity. And that is telling us that it is not only when we are going to be involved in some spiritual activities that we are to keep ourselves pure before the Lord; we must also keep ourselves pure before Him when handling natural matters.

There are believers, for instance, who stay away from impurities and ungodly things only when they are fasting or when they are going to be preaching, singing, ushering or doing something that is connected to Christian service. When they are not going to be involved in anything connected to service in God’s kingdom, they will give themselves freely to all kinds of ungodly and immoral things. And what they do not know is that there is nothing like seasonal or occasional purity before God. If you are not going to commit yourself to a life of purity before Him, then, your occasional purity will not serve His purpose.

Now what is God’s purpose for us? His purpose is that He will be able to use us for any kind of good work anywhere we find ourselves. And it is those of us who maintain a life of purity before Him that He can use to do so. Those who give themselves to purity only occasionally aren’t fit for His use in this sense. If you, then, want Him to be able to use you for any kind of good work, including the good work that He might have used an apostle, prophet or pastor to do, make sure your life remains pure even in handling natural or ordinary things.

God bless you.

Copyright © 2024, 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)

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Make the Hobab in them stay | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 18, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 32

fire in my bones

“Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.” But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.”” (Num 10:29-32NIV)

In our opening text, we have a brief conversation between Moses and his brother-in-law, Hobab. And as we see in the conversation, Moses earnestly desired that this man would stay with them all through their journey into the Promised Land. Why? At least, the man was not God. So, he was not the one to lead and protect them on their way into the Promised Land. Why, then, would Moses, a great man of God, be eager to have him, who was not even an Israelite, on their side?

Well, even though God was the one protecting and leading the Israelites on their journey, showing them when to move and when to stop, He would not step out of heaven to give them details of where to camp and where not to camp and how to stay safe in a wilderness that was loaded with all kinds of danger. They needed a man to do that. And Hobab happened to be the right person for the job.

But as I pointed out already, Hobab was not an Israelite. The only reason he was with the Israelites at the time was Moses. He was his brother-in-law and must have come to visit him. When did he come to visit him? We are not told in the bible. It may be when his father, Jethro, came to visit him. Or it may be that he came at a different time.

However, his coming to Moses proved to be very profitable for the man of God and his people. During that short stay, the man showed himself as someone that was highly helpful in showing them how to stay safe in the wilderness. That, of course, was why Moses did not want him to leave them but to stay.

We too must be individuals that people will love to have around them. And that is by being truly helpful to them in unforgettable ways. So, don’t be a liability to anyone. Yes, all of us need helpers in our lives. But we too must learn to be helpful to our helpers. And even if we are just visiting, we should be thoughtful enough to help our hosts in ways that they will always have good and fond memories of our stay with them, however short it may be.

Well, Moses, having thought much about how helpful Hobab had been to the entire Israelite community during his short stay with them, wished he could make him permanently stay with them. But the man was unwilling to stay. And that must have been because he wanted to return to his country and to his people in order to realise whatever dreams he had for himself.

How, then, did Moses make him stay with them? First, it was by letting him know how highly they valued his generous and free help to them. Second, it was by assuring him that they would share with him whatever good things the Lord gave to them. That means his stay with them would not be a waste of time or a waste of his life – he too would be treated as one of them, qualified to enjoy as much goodness of God as any of them when they came into the Promised Land.

What is this telling us? It is that we too should learn to place proper value on our relationships with those in our lives. See, there are people that God has planted in our lives to make life easy for us in various ways. And these people are actually working, fulfilling His will in our lives. It will be wise of us, then, to value highly what they are doing for us and to show it.

What I mean is that we must learn to verbally express our appreciation to all the people God has been using to make life easy, meaningful and profitable for us. In other words, don’t keep your appreciation of others to yourself. Instead, express it to them clearly and wholeheartedly. Otherwise, how will they know that you truly appreciate them?

Then learn to share the good things of your life with those that are contributing to your prosperity, progress and peace of mind. Yes, God is the giver of all good things. But it is people that He often uses to give the good things of life to us. So, as we are showing Him gratitude for the good things He is giving us, we should also be showing heartfelt gratitude to those He is using for us. And one fine way to do that is not to be selfish with the good things He is giving us but to freely share them with those He has used in making it possible for these things to come to us. Otherwise, we may at some point lose the help they are giving to us to some other people who will duly appreciate them.

So, as we come to this season of celebration, remember all the people that have been instrumental to your enjoyment of life this year and share good things with them. How far doing that will go is not what I can say? But it may just make the Hobab in them stay with you for life. Or what do you think?

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t be like David | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 11, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 31

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date December 11, 2024
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“David had just said, “It’s been useless — all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”” (1Sam 25:21-22NIV)

David, as we are told in the bible, was one of those few people that God commended for their unwavering loyalty to Him. In fact, God said concerning him, “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22NIV) And is there a better testimony that God can give about anyone than this? I don’t think so. That, then, puts David among those saints of old whose lives are worthy of emulation.

However, as we equally see in the bible, it is not everything about David’s life that is worthy of emulation. For instance, as we see in our opening text, David once planned to attack and destroy the entire household of an innocent man. And who was that innocent man? His name was Nabal.

Now someone may say, “Wait a minute! How could you say that Nabal was an innocent man? Doesn’t the bible say that he was a mean and wicked man?” Yes, it is true that the bible says that Nabal was an arrogant, selfish and wicked man. And for being that kind of man, he deserved to be judged and punished by God. (Cf. 1Sam 25:2-3)

However, on the occasion we are dealing with, Nabal was innocent and did not deserve death from the hands of David. Yes, he despised David and his men, when they came to ask him for some material support. And that was not just because he was a stingy man but also because he did not know them and wasn’t interested in knowing them.

At least, this same Nabal threw a banquet for his workers. That means he was not altogether stingy and cruel. If he, then, had known David and his men, as others in Israel knew him, he would most likely have treated them differently on that occasion, that is, with courtesy.

Besides, as the account also shows us, Nabal was not under any obligation to give anything to David and his men. Yes, they served as a shield to his shepherds when they happened to be together in the same area. They did not abuse or molest them or steal from them. Instead, they protected them in whatever way they could. (Cf. 1Sam 25:15-16)

But then, did David and his men treat those people kindly because they wanted a reward from their master? No! Rather, they did what they did because it was the right thing for them to do, as those who knew the Lord and also had His fear in them.

Therefore, the one they should have expected their full reward from was God, whom they had honoured, not Nabal. And even if Nabal was to give them anything, it was supposed to be in form of appreciation and not entitlement.

Unfortunately, on that occasion, David missed it. He got carried away with a feeling of entitlement because of what he and his men had done for Nabal’s shepherds. So, he allowed himself to be offended by the man’s refusal to appreciate them. That, of course, was why he was determined to destroy him and his entire household. And if God had not sent Abigail to stop him in time, he would have become a murderer.

Therefore, don’t be like David in this sense. Don’t be someone that forces others to appreciate him or that victimises others for not appreciating him. Is it good for anyone to be ungrateful? No! But you must realise that the only person that can properly appreciate us for any good we do is God Himself. And He has promised to do just that, when the time is ripe and if we do not give up on doing good. So, whether people appreciate us for our good works or not, God will surely appreciate us at the right time. (Cf. 1Cor 15:58; Gal 6:9; Heb 6:10)

Then we must also not forget that many of us too have been ungrateful in our dealings with God. Yet He does not victimise us or force us to appreciate Him. Instead, He labours everyday to draw our attention to all that He is doing for our good, so that we may gain understanding and begin to duly appreciate Him.

In like manner, we too should allow people to come by themselves to an understanding of the need to appreciate us, instead of trying to take it from them by force. Otherwise, we may end up becoming worse than them, as we oppress, victimise or punish them for being ungrateful to us. And where that is the case, we will not only be robbing ourselves of whatever appreciation that should have come to us from God for our good acts but also exposing ourselves to His judgment. When next you, then, want to take appreciation or gratitude from people by force or manipulation, remember these things.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Another pillar of salt | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 04, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 30

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date December 4, 2024
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“Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32NIV)

Who said these words? It was the Lord Jesus Christ. And why did He say them? He said them because He actually wanted us to remember Lot’s wife. And what are we to remember about Lot’s wife? It is the fact that she illustrates for us the danger of a moment’s disobedience to God’s instruction.

As the account goes, in His mercy, God had decided to spare Lot and his family on the day that He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their many sins. So, through His angels that were to carry out the destruction of these two cities, they were instructed to run for their lives and never to stop or look back until they have gotten to safety. Otherwise, they would be destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah. (Cf. Gen 19)

But why would God tell them not to stop or look back while they were running away from those two cities? The reason was that He did not want them to be double-minded about leaving them. He Himself was not double-minded about the destruction of the cities. He had already made up His mind to destroy them and there was no going back. Anyone, then, that would be saved from the destruction coming on them could not afford to be double-minded about running away from them. In other words, the person could not afford to stop or look back on the way to see whether what God had said about their destruction was going to happen or not. Otherwise, he would lose his life along with them.

Unfortunately, Lot’s wife did not seem to get this. So, at some point while they were fleeing, she stopped and looked back. That means she became double-minded about the whole thing. Otherwise, why did she stop and look back? If she was not entertaining doubts about the destruction of those cities, would she have stopped to look back? If she was certain that she had made the right decision about running for her life, would she have stopped to look back? And if she had not been wishing she could take along more of her possessions, would she have stopped to look back?

In any case, by stopping and looking back that day, against God’s clear instruction, Lot’s wife made herself liable to destruction. So, she became a pillar of salt, as a testimony to the double-minded and the disobedient. You can see, then, that the Lord is telling us to remember this incident so that we too will not become double-minded or disobedient like her in our walk of faith and endanger our souls.

As we see in the bible, those of us who believe in Christ Jesus have already fled from this wicked and corrupt generation to become partakers of God’s eternal kingdom. And we cannot afford to be double-minded about that. In fact, we must not be double-minded about it. Instead, we must keep on running towards our goal, never stopping and never looking back to consider the empty way of life we have left behind. That is because one moment of stopping to look back at whatever we have left behind may expose us to God’s judgment and turn us into another pillar of salt. Yes, it may make a mess of our lives and faith and hinder us from finishing well our race to God’s eternal kingdom.

Now my prayer is that you will not become another pillar of salt that will be serving as a warning to the people of God. But you too must know that you cannot be double-minded about your faith in Christ Jesus. No, you cannot be wishing you could go back and enjoy more of the ways of this world. And you cannot be wondering whether you made the right decision or not by coming to Jesus. Doing that may turn you to another Lot’s wife and, of course, another pillar of salt. Therefore, mind yourself.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t ruin the future | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 27, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 29

“”Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.” (1Sam 2:30-33NIV)

Those were very strong words from God to the household of Eli. And from what He said to them, it is clear that excellence, health and peace of mind would be far from them, even from their unborn children. But why should God give this kind of judgment to this family?

Well, from what we see in the account, it was because of the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. And what was so special about them that God would curse their father’s entire household because of them? Again, as we see in the account, these young men were scoundrels, wicked and unreasonable people who had no regard for God at all. (Cf. 1Sam 2:12)

But they were raised in the house of the Lord. They were, in fact, raised as priests of the Lord. And from what we know in the bible, they were raised by the same person that raised Samuel. They were raised by their father, Eli. But Samuel did not turn out to be bad, wicked or unreasonable. Instead, he turned out to be a faithful servant of the Lord.

What, then, was the problem with Eli’s sons? Why could not the same training that made Samuel a great man of God make them great men of God? The reason was that they would not allow the word of God to dwell in their hearts.

Now the bible tells us that when people refuse to retain the word of God in their hearts, they will, at some point, be given over by God to do things that are not convenient, things that will ultimately destroy them. And that was what happened to Hophni and Phinehas. God, at some point, gave them over to impurities because they would not retain His knowledge in their hearts or give Him regard. Therefore, their wickedness degenerated to a point where they began to shamelessly sleep with the women that were working at the entrance of the Lord’s tabernacle. (Cf. Rom 1:28)

What, then, did their father do when he saw that they had utterly lost their way and were on the verge of self-destruct? He called them and rebuked them. And did that work? No, it did not work. They did not listen to him. And what did he do when he realised that they would not listen to his words of rebuke? Nothing! He just let them be. (Cf. 1Sam 2:22-25)

But could he really have done anything else to stop them from destroying themselves? Yes! He could have removed them from their positions as priests and sent them far away from the Lord’s tabernacle. That way, he could cleanse the house of God of their impurities and corruption. And doing that would have satisfied the God of justice. But he did not do so. Why? We are not given the reason for that in the bible.

At any rate, because Eli failed to judge these sons of his, he opened the door for God’s judgment to come upon his entire household. And as we see in our opening bible text, the judgment that came upon them was so severe that no right-thinking person would want to marry from their family or into their family. That judgment ruined their future. But was it really God’s judgment that ruined their future? No! It was their sin that ruined the future for them.

In like manner, our sins and errors can ruin the future for us and our family lines. And there are many in the world today that are already ruining the future for themselves and their descendants through greed, sexual immorality, bloodshed, oppression or some other forms of wicked practices. While these ones may think that they are enjoying themselves right now, they are actually taking away peace, joy, honour and excellence from their descendants that will come after them. And unless such descendants of theirs know God truly and give themselves to living for Him, they will not be able to separate themselves from partaking in the judgment on their ancestors.

So, watch the way you live and how you use your various positions and privileges in life. Don’t ruin the future with your present. Otherwise, those coming after you may turn your name into a curse. Then, if, as a child of God, you are currently partaking in some generational curse or judgment, begin to steadfastly take your stand against it, in the name of Jesus. That is because you are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. So, you can refuse to share in any ugly generational experience of your natural family. And may you find sufficient strength in God to do this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Be observant | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 20, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 28

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date November 20, 2024
No Comments on Be observant | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 20, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 28

“Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.” (Gen 31:1-2NIV)

What did Jacob notice, as we are shown in our opening text? The change in Laban’s attitude towards him? In other words, Laban no longer related to him kindly any more. And had he been kind to him before this time? Well, to some extent, he must have been kind to him. Truly, he cheated Jacob ten times of his wages. But that is not to say that he was not kind towards him at all.

For example, he gave him his two daughters as wives. Also, he provided all of them and their children with accommodation. And though he did cheat him of his wages a number of times, he did not stop him from building his own wealth. So, Laban was not altogether a bad person. And isn’t that interesting to know?

But then, at some point, Laban’s attitude towards Jacob changed. Why? The reason was that his sons had been telling him that Jacob had taken over his wealth. And was that true? No, it was not true at all?

Jacob, as we see in bible accounts, worked very hard for about 20 years for their father, Laban. And though he was working really hard for him, the man had no intention of rewarding him accordingly. Instead, he was cheating him of his wages, not even considering the fact that they were related by blood. And if God had not stepped into the situation, Jacob would have left his house empty-handed.

However, God stepped into the situation to reward Jacob for his loyalty to him. So, as Jacob would later tell his wives, it was God Himself that took away Laban’s wealth and gave it to him (Gen 31:9). More so, Laban himself knew that it was because of Jacob that God had made him wealthy and not because of his cleverness (Gen 30:27). Unfortunately, his sons were too spiritually blind to see that. So, they began to eye Jacob’s wealth and to poison his mind against him.

But then, where were these sons of Laban when Jacob was working hard night and day and making money for their father? Why were they too not actively involved in their father’s business at the time? They were probably getting drunk and sleeping around with women with the money Jacob was making for their father. Yet they could wake up one morning and start saying that Jacob had stolen their father’s wealth. What a shame!

Sadly, there are still children like them today. They live off the sweat of other people for their parents. Then when those people begin to rise out of the shadows of their parents, they will start talking rubbish with their mouths and saying things like, “If my father had not picked you up from the mud, where would you have been?” Shame on them! They are nothing but Laban’s sons, irresponsible and useless.

In any case, Jacob was attentive enough to notice what was happening at the time. He was attentive enough to know that he, his household and his wealth were no longer safe with Laban. And what did he do about that? He waited for God’s instruction. Of course, we are not told in clear terms that he prayed to God about the matter. But I personally believe that he must have communed with God about the matter. That is because the next thing we are told in the account is, “Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”” (Gen 31:3NIV)

When did the Lord tell Jacob to leave Laban’s house? It was after his observation that Laban’s attitude towards him had changed. So, there must have been some sort of communion between him and God about the situation.

At any rate, the point of it all is that Jacob did not leave Laban’s house merely on the basis of his observation; rather, he left it on the basis of a divine revelation. And that was why his departure from there did not result in harm for him.

In like manner, we too must be attentive and observant in all our dealings with people. Otherwise, where we think is safe for us may just have become a death trap for us or certain opportunities meant for our greater prosperity may simply elude us. But then, as also in Jacob’s case, as God’s people, we should not make any decision merely on the basis of our observations; rather, we should learn to always seek God’s face in His word and through prayer for divine revelations on what to do with our observations. Otherwise, we may end up making decisions that we will have no strength or wisdom to see through or making decisions that will rob us of God’s provisions for our elevation.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

When you too need to move on | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 13, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 27

fire in my bones

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'” (Matt 23:37-39NIV)

That was the lamentation of our Lord Jesus over the people of Jerusalem just before He went to the cross. And one main thing we see from what He said about these people is that He was unable to help them experience a fulfilment of God’s purpose for them. Yes, He wanted to help them. He had the ability to help them. But they were just unwilling to be helped. So, He had to leave their house to them desolate. He had to move on. What a shame!

Now if the Lord Jesus, who was full of God’s grace and truth, couldn’t just help certain people to witness the goodness of God and be saved, we must also know that there are people we cannot help, regardless of how hard we try. Yes, it is important that we always endeavour to do for others all that God lays on our hearts and also gives us the grace to do for them. That way, we can maintain a clean and clear conscience before Him that we have done our own bit for them.

However, we must also know when no further effort we make to help some people will amount to anything. And where that is the case, we need to stop wasting the time, energy and resources God has given to us on such people and move on. Otherwise, whatever harm or frustration that comes to us as a result of it will be self-inflicted.

As we see in the bible, after God had rejected Saul, Samuel did not stop mourning for him. But he did not go to visit him. Why did he not go to visit him? It was because he knew that the man had passed the point of no return. In other words, he had gone beyond where any help he offered him would work. So, he would not visit him. Yet he wouldn’t also stop mourning for him. (Cf. 1Sam 15:34-35)

Why did Samuel continue to mourn for this man? It was because he was the one that ordained him as king. Yes, he was the one that told everybody that the man was God’s chosen and anointed one. How, then, would he face these same people again and tell them that God had changed His mind about him? Would they not even think that he probably did not get it right in the first place?

But then, it was not Samuel’s fault that Saul turned out bad. It was not his fault that the man became unfaithful to God. And it was not his fault that no attempt he made to set him right worked. Yet he kept on blaming himself for him and mourning over his spiritual death. So, God had to step in at some time and say to him, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”” (1Sam 16:1NIV)

Did you see that? God stopped Samuel from worrying about Saul and praying for him. Why? All that he was doing for him was an effort in futility. It wouldn’t change anything about Saul, neither would it change God’s mind about him. God had already moved on. He had already chosen another man in place of Saul. So, it was only wise of Samuel too to move on. And that was exactly what God told him to do.

Now do you know that God also told Jeremiah more than once not to pray for the people of Judah anymore? Why? The reason was that He was not going to answer him. That means his prayers for them would not help or save them from what was coming for them. If Jeremiah, then, continued to pray to God for them, would he not just be wasting his energy and time? He would. (Cf. Jer 7:16 & 11:14)

In like manner, there are times that God will expect us too to just let some people be and move on with our lives. And that is because there is nothing we do for them at such times, however good or honourable it may be, that will help them change their ways or that will change God’s mind about them. God has already moved on, as far as their matters are concerned. So, we too should move on.

How, then, do we know when we need to do this in our dealings with others? It is by divine revelations. What I mean is that it is not in our place to just say, “I am done helping you or praying for you,” to anyone. Rather, it is for God to determine. In other words, if God has given us the responsibility of taking care of someone or supporting them, whether through our prayers, resources or the word of God, we can’t just wake up on morning and say that we are done with them, even if the person is terribly messing up. Instead, we must first go back to God who made that person our responsibility and report to Him. Then He will tell us what to do.

Remember that both Moses and Elijah, at some point during their lifetimes, try to abandon their duties to the Israelites because of the stiffness of the neck of the people. But God literally said to both of them, “No, you can’t do that. You have to finish what you started.” And they both went on to finish what they had started. (Cf. Num 11; 1Kings 19)

So, don’t use what I am sharing with you here as your excuse for abandoning your prayer duties to anyone or for turning away from giving them whatever help God has put you in the position to give them. That will be a sin against God (1Sam 12:23). But if God Himself has already shown you that you have no further help or assistance to give to someone to save them or lift them up, you had better move on and stop wasting your time on them.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Get your priorities right | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 06, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 26

“”Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:41-42NIV)

Those were Jesus’ words to Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, when He once visited her house. But why would Jesus say such words to her? It was because she had complained to Him about her sister, Mary.

Now what was her complaint about her? Well, it was simply that Mary had left her to handle all the preparations that had to be made in the house alone. What preparations were they to make? From the context, those preparations, for the most part, had to do with the meal that Jesus and those with Him would eat.

In any case, whether they had to do with what Jesus and those with Him would eat or something else, what was clear was that Martha was upset that Mary, her sister, left her all alone to deal with all that had to be done. And she probably would not have voiced out her annoyance and frustration, if Jesus had rebuked Mary for being irresponsible on the occasion. But Jesus did not rebuke her at all. Instead, He just kept on teaching her and others who were there with Him.

Now when Martha could not take it anymore, she confronted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40NIV) Think about that. This woman accused Jesus of not caring at all about her frustration. And she did that because she thought that would wake Him up to do the needful.

How often we too do that! We accuse God of not caring at all or enough about our challenges, trials or frustration. And we think that if we accuse Him or nag Him long enough in that manner, He would wake up from His slumber and attend to us.

But God never sleeps nor slumbers, as we are told in the bible (Ps 121:3-4). Instead, He is always awake and alive to whatever is happening in our lives. Why, then, won’t He act on our behalf and make things go in our favour, as we often expect Him to do? Well, the reason may just be the same or similar to the reason Jesus did not attend to Martha on that occasion.

As we further see in the account, Jesus’ response to Martha’s complaint was both shocking and revealing. In other words, first, His response was contrary to the woman’s expectation. Second, His response showed that she was the one that missing it and not Mary, her sister. She was the one that had misplaced her priorities, not Mary. So, she was actually the one that needed rebuking, not Mary.

But how was that so? Well, the answer is in the part of the account that reads, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made… ” (Luke 10:40NIV) Did you see that? Martha was distracted. When do you say that someone is distracted? It is when the person is paying attention to the wrong thing. That thing my not be bad in itself or at all. But it is not something that should get the person’s attention at the time. And if he should continue to pay attention to that thing, he may end up totally losing out on what should really be getting his attention.

What this means, then, is that Martha too was supposed to sit down and be listening to Jesus at the time, as Mary and others who were there were doing. But she would not settle down to listen to Him because her mind was unduly occupied with other things that she needed to do. However, the only thing that she was supposed to give her attention and devotion to at the time was the word of God that Jesus was sharing. Sadly, she allowed distraction to make her miss her word for the hour. And that was because she did not get her priorities right.

Mary, on the contrary, got her priorities right. And she was so convinced about what was right for her at the time that she did not join her sister, Martha, in whatever she was doing or look her way at all. Therefore, the Lord said that what she had gained from that day’s teaching would remain with her forever, working in her life for her good.

What, then, is the point of all this? It is that we need to get our priorities right all the time and make the main thing the main thing in our lives. See, there may be all kinds of good things that we can give ourselves to in life and that others around us are busy doing. But if they are out of line with what God wants us to be doing at any given moment, we should not give ourselves to them, whether out of fear, greed, jealousy, indecisiveness, loneliness or desire for the praise of men. Otherwise, we may end up being frustrated in life and also missing out on what should really be ours.

Not only that, if we don’t get our priorities right, God may just be watching us in our frustration and not do anything about it, as Jesus’ did in Martha’s case. And if we won’t open our mouths to talk to Him in such situations, He may still not say anything to us about what we are missing. Then we may just go on and waste our lives on irrelevancies or non-essentials.

Now my prayer is that you will not waste your life on irrelevancies or anything inconsistent with God’s purpose for your life. But you too must learn to pray and to give yourself to the word of God, so that your heart may be loaded all the time with revelations of the things that you need to prioritise with in life. Then you will be able to gain those eternal things that God wants you to gain in life instead of living in frustration.

Cheers!