Tag: Fire in my bones

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

More than competence |By: J.O. Lawal | November 09, 2022

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 26

“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (Gen 39:2-5NIV)

Evidently, from what we see in Scriptures, Joseph was a highly competent young man when it comes to administration and management, whether of people or of things. But it was not his competence that took him to the top everywhere he found himself; it was God’s favour.

As we see in our opening bible text, when his master saw his competence and success in handling whatever was committed into his hands, Joseph found favour in his eyes. Therefore, he promoted him, made him his personal attendant and put him in charge of his whole household. But do you know that Joseph’s master may as well have ignored the competence he saw in him? Do you know that he could as well have considered his competence to be a threat to his own position as the master of that house?

See, it is not everyone that is comfortable with having competent people around them. There are people that feel threatened when they have a wise and competent subordinate or colleague around them. They see them as a threat to their current position or future position. So, they become jealous and start considering how they may pull them down or how they can show everyone that they are overrated.

Remember the story of King Saul and David. Remember that even though David killed Goliath and saved the nation of Israel on one occasion, King Saul never wholeheartedly accepted him as a loyal servant. Why? It was because he was not comfortable with his competence and the fact that God was with him everywhere he went. He was not comfortable at all with the fact that the young man might just become the next king, just by watching the way he was rising in the army and becoming more and more popular among the people. (Cf. 1Sam 17&18)

So, even though he promoted David and gave him a high rank in the army, he did it reluctantly. He did it because he had no choice, for the bible tells us that all his officers and the people of Israel loved the young man because of his competence and because he fought and won their battles for them. Then, even though he made him his in-law by giving him one of his daughters, it was not because he loved and cherished him as one of his loyal men. Rather, it was because he wanted the girl to be a trap that he would use in catching and killing him.

In any case, when he could no longer bear the thought of David becoming his successor, he, in his jealousy, began to deploy all the resources at his disposal to hunt him down at every given chance in order to kill him. If David, then, had not found favour in the sight of God, he would have perished at some point in the hands of this wicked and jealous king.

Therefore, the fact that you are competent does not mean that the people that matter where you are and who, to some extent, can decide how high you rise in life or how far you go in life will respect and appreciate you. They may not at all. Instead, they may be the ones that Satan will use to prey upon your very life. This is why you need to find favour in their eyes, even though they are wicked and unreasonable. And God can make that happen.

How reasonable and kind was Potiphar? We would not know, for we are not told in the bible. But we are told that Joseph found favour in his eyes. So, even though he was a total stranger to him and not an Egyptian, he kept on promoting him until he put him charge of his whole household. And how reasonable and kind was the prison warden that this young man met in the prison, having been shamefully treated by Potiphar’s wife? We are not told in the bible. But we are told that God caused Joseph to find favour in his eyes, so much so that the man recognised his abilities and put him in charge of the entire prison facility and all that was going on there. (Cf. Gen 39)

Also, we are not told how reasonable and kind the Pharaoh of Joseph’s days was. I suspect that he must have been a highly reasonable and kind man. But then, it would take more than being reasonable and kind to make a total stranger, one just coming out from the prison, your second-in-command and ruler over your entire nation. All the odds were against Joseph in that situation. But because God’s favour was working for him, Pharaoh and his officials did not see anything wrong with putting a man with such great competence over their entire nation, even though he was not a native. (Cf. Gen 41)

So, if there is anything you need more than competence to keep rising in life, it is God’s favour. It is good to be competent. And you should labour to be known and seen as a very competent person in whatever field you are working. But competence without God’s favour will never leave its prison room. So, crave His favour. Receive His favour. And whatever abilities you have will begin to shine forth and open doors of greatness for you.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t shut the door against His favour | By: J.O. Lawal | Fire in My Bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 26, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 24

“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 the words spoken to Eli the priest by the man of God that was sent to him. God, as we see in the text, said that He was changing His mind about the family of this priest. He had promised them before that they would minister before Him forever. But because of him and his sons He said that what He had promised would no longer happen.

So, if you think God never changes His mind about people, you are wrong. Yes, God will never change His mind about Himself. And He will never change His mind about His standards of righteousness and justice. But just as we have Scriptures that show us that He will not go back on any promise He has made, we also have those that show us that He can change His mind about people, for good or for evil, based on their attitude towards Him and His instructions.

As we see in the case of Eli, God changed His mind about him and his family. First, He said that He would not allow them to minister before Him forever again. That means, at some point, this man would no longer have any descendant as a priest before God. Second, God said that He would no longer allow them to live long. Eli himself died at the age of ninety-eight (1Sam 4:14-15). But God said that he would be the last person in his family line to live as long as that. Others would start dying young, starting with his sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

Why, then, was God so mad at this man that He judged him in this manner? It was because he allowed his sons to desecrate the priestly office God had given to them as a gift. Of course, he was not the one that committed all the atrocities his sons committed with their office. But as the head priest in the land, he was in a position to punish them for their crimes. But he did not. He did not restrain them but allowed them to continue to abuse and misuse their priestly office and privileges. Therefore, he unconsciously shut the door of God’s favour against his family line and his descendants.

In like manner, if we are abusing whatever position of advantage or privilege God has given us, we may just be shutting His door of favour against our descendants. This is why certain individuals, who were wealthy during their lifetimes or who once occupied very great and important positions in the world died and disappeared with their names, wealth and honour. Yes, they may still have living descendants that bear their names. But when those names are mentioned, they don’t ring any bell in anybody’s ears. And that is because those who now bear those names are some nonentities or irresponsible persons that no serious person wants to associate with.

Now such things, as I already pointed out, often happen when people abuse their positions and shut God’s door of favour against themselves and their family line. And if we don’t want similar or worse experiences in our lives, we need to watch how we too use whatever position of advantage God places us in life. That is because it can go a long way in determining whether His favour shown to us will flow down our family line to our descendants after us or will end with us. And may God fill your heart with the humility and patience you need to use whatever position of favour He places you in life in ways that will not deny those coming after you a similar or greater experience of His kindness. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

He loves a cheerful giver | By: J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 19, 2022 | Number: Vol. 5, No. 23 | Series: Youth for Jesus

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2Cor 9:7-8NIV)

Giving, without doubt, is one of the most controversial practices of the Christian faith. And that is because of the way preachers often abuse and steal from people through it. But the fact that there are many abuses of the practice of giving does not mean that it should be altogether nullified or that there is no proper and acceptable way to handle it before God.

As we see in our opening bible text, God expects every one of His children to be a giver. That is why Paul says, “Each man should give…” So, if you are a child of God, don’t be left out in the grace and practice of giving. That is because it is the will of God for you. God has given to us the indescribable gift of His Son and is also daily freely giving us all things (Rom 8:32). And if we are truly grateful for what He has done and is still doing for us, we too should be giving to Him and to all the people He wants us to give to.

But then, even though God wants us all to be actively giving for His cause, there are things He also wants us to keep in mind when giving. Otherwise, there will be no reward for our giving. Remember that though Cain gave to God, He did not accept his offering. So, it is not every kind of giving that is acceptable to God. And if we give in a way that is not acceptable to Him, our giving will be rejected, wasted and not rewarded. Only God Himself, then, knows how many are daily or weekly wasting the so-called tithes, offerings, seeds and so forth they claim to be giving to Him.

Well, if you don’t want to waste whatever you are giving to God or to His people, pay attention to what Paul says in our opening bible text. And what does he say? First, he says when giving, give as you decide in your heart to give. That means no one is to determine for you what to give to God but you. Otherwise, that may affect your willingness and generosity in giving. And once these are affected, you can lose your reward for giving.

What, then, are we to say about assemblies where targets are given to brethren or to their pastors of what to give to God? They are missing it, regardless of how big or influential they may be in the eyes of the world and regardless of what results they may seem to be getting by acting in this fashion. And a day will come when all the people they have misled to waste their giving will see the truth. But it may have become too late then to change anything.

Am I, then, saying that anyone that gives to God in response to a target set for him by some church leader will surely miss his reward? No! If the person’s heart is right in giving to God, he will still have his reward. But once we set targets for people in matters of giving, the tendencies are high that they may not be giving willingly but reluctantly.

Now that takes us to the second thing Paul says to us in our opening text about giving. He says when giving, we are to give wholeheartedly and cheerfully, not reluctantly or under compulsion. That means you must give to God and to His people only because you want to give to them and not because someone is forcing, threatening or manipulating you to do so. If you do not want to give, don’t give, whatever your reasons may be for not wanting to give. God will certainly get His will done whether you give or not.

However, if you must give, then give cheerfully and willingly, not because you want to please or satisfy anyone but because you want to please God. That is because, as Paul further says, God loves a cheerful and not moody or reluctant giver. It does not matter what you are giving to Him, whether it is praise, worship, facility or time, God will cherish it, only if you give it cheerfully. But even if you bring all your wealth to Him, as long as you are not cheerful or happy or excited about giving it, it won’t win His heart. Therefore, you won’t have any reward for it.

You can now see why many give and don’t get to receive from God for their giving. They are not giving in line with His will. And if you want to separate yourself from such fruitless giving, start giving as you purpose in your heart and cheerfully too. Then, He who sees your heart will reward you in His own way and at His own time. He may not give you money in return for money or facility in return for facility. But He will surely reward you according to His grace and mercy, not just here on earth but also when His Son returns.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Be on your guard against them | By: J.O. Lawal |

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 05, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 21

“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.” (2Tim 4:14-15NIV)

It is true that the word of God tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be like God our Father, who shows mercy and kindness to even bad people (Matt 5:43-45). But that is not the only thing it tells us about how to relate to our enemies and those who persecute us. It also tells us to be on our guard against them. Otherwise, though we love them and are praying for their good, we may end up being victims of their wicked schemes.

For example, in our opening text, Paul tells Timothy to be on his guard against a certain man named Alexander the metal worker. Why? It is because he has been a victim of the man’s wickedness. He says, “He did me a great deal of harm.” What sort harm the man did Paul he does not say in this letter. But it was bad enough for him to warn Timothy to be on his guard against him, so that he too would not become a victim of the man’s wickedness.

In like manner, if we do not want to unnecessarily become victims of people’s wickedness, we must know those that we need to be on our guard against. For example, people who are directly attacking our faith in Christ Jesus are suspects in this matter. We must be on our guard against them. This, of course, does not mean we are to be like them and start attacking them as well or that we are not to pray for their salvation. No, we must not be like them. And we must not stop praying for their salvation, for that will be acting contrary to the will of God who wants all men to be saved (1Tim 2:1-4).

However, we must not foolishly or ignorantly walk into whatever traps they may be setting for us. Instead, apart from praying to God to frustrate their wicked plots against us, we must also be ready to take whatever legitimate step we can take as humans to stay away from their trouble. For example, when Paul learnt from his nephew that there was a plan afoot to assassinate him by some Jews, he did not dismiss it as a rumour or say, “Don’t worry. God will protect me from them.” Instead, he told the young man to discreetly inform the commander in whose barracks he was being held. And the commander did the needful and arranged some soldiers to take him to safety.

Why did Paul function like that, instead of foolishly or arrogantly walking into a death trap, all in the name of trusting God? It was because he knew that the reason God revealed the matter to him was so that he could act on it and save himself. And if he had not made a wise use of that revelation, he may have lost his life in the process and also ended his ministry before his time was up. We too must learn to use whatever God reveals to us about those who oppose us to protect ourselves. Otherwise, we may end up being victims of evil people without need. (Cf. Acts 23:12-34)

Apart from those who oppose our faith, people who are ruthlessly ambitious, envious or greedy are also individuals we must be on our guard against. They may not reveal themselves as our enemies in an open or direct manner. But some of them are like Joab, who would call you ‘brother’, even though he had the dagger he would use to kill you hidden away in his dress. And some of them are like Judas, who would betray you with a kiss to anyone who paid him enough money for your head. (Cf. 2Sam 20:8-10; Matt 26:47-50)

In any case, however close anyone may be to you and whatever pet name they may be calling you, as long as you know them to be greedy, ruthlessly ambitious or envious, be on your guard against them. And I pray that God himself will continue to keep you safe from all harm and from the schemes of wicked and unreasonable people, including enemies that pose as friends. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Read the signs|Fire in my bones|By: J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 14, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 18

“So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”” (2Kings 1:13-14NIV)

The story of how Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume two companies of soldiers and their two captains is without doubt a very popular one. As the story goes, the king of Israel once sent a captain of his army and his company of fifty men to bring Elijah to him anyhow. Why? It was because the latter had pronounced a judgment of death on him for consulting Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, for healing instead of consulting God. Unfortunately for those soldiers, Elijah was not at all in a mood to condone any form of arrogance at the time. So, he called down fire from heaven to consume them.

Now when the king of Israel heard about that, he got even more upset and sent another captain and his company of fifty men to get Elijah to come to him. In like manner, Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume them as well. And they were consumed.

But did that stop that stubborn king from sending more soldiers to arrest Elijah? No! He still sent yet another captain with his company of fifty soldiers to arrest the man of God. Why? He was a wicked person that cared about no one but only about himself and whatever he wanted. And the world has never been in shortage of people like him, people who don’t care at all about whose lives get ruined or destroyed in their quest to have certain things, get to certain positions or punish certain people that they see as enemies.

If you, then, have your way, avoid any form of dealings with such people. Otherwise, they may end up sacrificing you one day for their selfish desires. And that was what happened to those soldiers of King Ahaziah. They were sacrificed by him for nothing. And the same thing would have happened to the third captain and his fifty men that he sent to arrest Elijah, if that man had ignored the signs of death that were staring him in the face.

As a soldier, that captain had no choice but to obey his master, even if he was being sent to his death. But he also knew that he did not have to die a needless death. All he needed to do to avoid that was to pay attention to the signs left behind by those soldiers before him who died while trying to arrest Elijah and use them to his advantage. And that was exactly what he did, as we see in our opening bible text. He could see that Elijah could not be arrested like any common criminal. You had to beg and persuade him to follow you to wherever you wanted him to go, even if it was a king that you wanted him to meet. Otherwise, you may end up dead in the process. So, he literary begged Elijah to spare his life and those of his men and follow him to the king that had wanted to see him. And that man of God listened to him.

What is the point of all this? It is that, in handling life’s matters, it is important that we learn to read the signs left behind by those who went ahead of us and not foolishly walk into the traps they fell into. Yes, by praying to God and trusting Him, He can protect us from any kind of trouble. But it is not every trouble that praying to God will save us from. There are some troubles that God Himself wants us to make use of the sings pointing to them and avoid them. And if we fail to read such signs that can keep us safe from certain troubles, God may not do anything else to save us from them. This explains why righteous and good people sometimes perish needlessly.

So, learn to pay attention to signs of failure, death, danger or destruction left by others for you. That way, you can receive wisdom from God to utilise them and keep yourself safe. For example, if you come to an office or a place where those before you failed woefully, died mysteriously or got disgraced before leaving, don’t just hurry to start doing this and that in that place. Instead, first find out what was responsible for what those people suffered, instead of assuming that you know it all. Otherwise, when signs of danger start showing up, you may not even know at all, not to talk of get yourself ready to deal with what is coming. And by the time you fall the way others fell, you will not even believe it, if you are still alive to tell the story.

Furthermore, lean to pay attention to signs of success left by others for you. That way, you can make your journey to greatness smoother and quicker. But if you are just walking on in life and ignoring all the warning and direction signs left by others, you may end up missing your opportunity for promotion or enlargement before it even shows up. So, be wise and give heed to the signs on your life paths.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

How will they treat you?|Fire in my bones|J.O Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 07, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 17

“King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”” (Jer 38:19NIV)

Those were the words of King Zedekiah, the last king of the nation of Judah before the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Babylonians. He said them to Jeremiah when he told him that the only way for him to save Jerusalem, his palace, the temple of God and all his people was for him to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonians. And this counsel wasn’t this prophet’s idea at all. It was the word that the Lord had given to him.

But why was Zedekiah afraid of being turned over by the Babylonians to the Jews who had already defected to them? He was afraid because he knew that those Jews would illtreat him, even though he was their king. And why was he so sure that his people would illtreat him, if he should be handed over to them? He was sure of this because he knew that he had not been a good and righteous king to them. So, if, for some reasons, the tables were to be turned and he were to be brought down to their level, they would not treat him kindly at all.

Now what is the point of this? It is that all of us who have people under us, however few they may be, need to be careful to use our position to make like better and more enjoyable for them, instead of maltreating or tormenting them. Why is this important? First, it is important because God will certainly judge us for how we treat those under us.

In Colossians, chapter 4, verse 1, Paul says this to us: “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Col 4:1NIV) Did you see that? If you are a leader in any capacity, God expects you to be fair and just in the way you treat those under you, whether they are related to you by blood or not. Why? It is because you too have Him as your master. And as your master, you will want Him to be just and fair in treating you. If He were, then, to treat you the way you treat those under you, how do you think things would turn out for you?

Apart from that, as we see in Zedekiah’s case, if situations were to change, if, for some reasons, you were to find yourself under the authority or in the power of those who are now under you, how do you think they would treat you? Would they remember how kind and wonderful you have been in leading them and caring for them and then use all their might to do you good? Or would they think it is payback time? I am sure you now the answers to these questions.

Well, this word is coming to you so that you can assess the way you are now using your position and see if it will not give anyone a reason to want to hurt you, if circumstances were to be altered. And if it is clear that you are abusing your office or position of advantage, I counsel you to change your ways while doing so will rebuild your reputation. Otherwise, a day may come when you will fall into the hands of some of the people you are now cheating and oppressing. And they may not be merciful at all in handling you.

So, watch yourself.

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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

Categories
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.

Categories
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?

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