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Digest Archive
VITAMINS The Word of God A Vital Medium When Willing To Be Directed From Above The Bible is the most authentic,
ever-living, ever-truthful, ever-faithful book that has ever been in
existence. If you are willing to hear God’s voice, the best book to
peruse is the Bible. ‘For the word of God is alive and powerful...It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.’ Hebrews 4:12. Is that not what we expect vitamins to do? The Old Testament lays emphasis on
paying attention to what is written in the scriptures. The Lord
instructed Joshua in Joshua chapter 1 to, ‘Study this Book of instruction...Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do,’ verse 8. David, the Psalmist was successful because he spent time pondering on the Lord’s commandments allowing the word to direct him. He considered the word as 'a lamp that guides and as light for illumination.’ Psalm 119: 105. As we determine to do what the Bible says, our lives change positively. What the Lord wants us to do with His word is to:
When you determine to follow the
instructions written in the Bible your life no doubt changes, you become
healthier -spiritually and physically which brings about a positive
transformation. Just like any other thing in life, being directed by the word is an art that needs constant development. How much of the word of God do you have inside you? God’s word refreshes, directs and heals. It is essential fibre for our body that helps our spiritual digestive system. It is medicine that eradicates all diseases both spiritual and physical; and it is that driving force that causes us to do a detour and return to the Lord for directions. Flourish In Christ Reading Psalm 92, the twelfth verse particularly caught my eye. In the Amplified Bible it states: The [Uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long -lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]...” Can you imagine anything more refreshing? From time to time I make conscious effort to do some stocktaking; to examine where I am with God, whether my relationship and rapport with the LORD is still intact; whether I still revere the LORD as before; willing to do anything and everything He asks me to do without trying to reason it out. At such stocktaking moments how refreshing to read Psalm 92 that reassures us that even though we might be advancing in age; in spite of the fact that we are, long-lived and stately we are upright and useful. If you are someone like me, this scripture reassures you that you are not expendable. Instead, it affirms that you are still useful for the Lord’s service, as the wealth of Christian virtue you have acquired is an invaluable resource. On the other hand, maybe you look inwardly and view you have become complacent as you assume you have nothing more to offer. The fourteenth verse says: “[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality]…” My perception of this scripture is that God expects us to grow as trees continuously grow no matter their age, expanding our roots below and increasing fresh branches above. His desire is that we are a blessing to all those who come in contact with us, more especially those of the household of faith, particularly, young believers. I believe the Lord would be pleased if we live our lives the Bible way and we are ready to share with anyone who is willing to know what the Lord has done in our lives. Giving our stories from time to time will help those who are still young in faith comprehend the greatness of the Lord, enabling us to live out His word in the fifteenth verse that says, “[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises...” This can only happen if they have heard about the goodness of the Lord. To me, this verse indicates that the Lord is giving you the privilege to talk about what He has done for you to enable others see His faithfulness; to have an assurance that He doesn’t disappoint and that He is never too late. Has He done anything for you that you should be telling others about? How Refreshing!
Weekly Digest: ‘For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Isaiah 9:6 New Living Translation. Have you ever wondered what the word everlasting means? It means just that, everlasting-lasting forever. How do you feel about that did it cause you any excitement? Maybe this illustration might help you. I had a father who I loved and I believe loved me- no doubt we had our moments but he was Great. One day however, I saw him no more. Many times I wish I could just ring him and tell him something or ask him something but he is far away from where any telephone can reach. What gives me joy is that fortunately, this is not the case of our God- our everlasting father. From generations –the time of Abraham He has been God and as long as Christ tarries, He will continue to be father to as many that are willing to acknowledge Him as Father. This week’s Digest is part of a five week series [no more four], the focus for the past few weeks has been Isaiah 9:6 celebrating Christ as the ‘Wonderful’, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Mighty God’ and now the ‘Everlasting Father’. Even though from time to time in most jobs employers do want those they could train so they do not mind if they are young and lack experience, they also rely heavily on experienced employees to move the company forward. Wherever you might be in life maybe you’ve been around for quite awhile or you’ve just come on the scene, I’m pleased to inform or it might just be to remind you that the Father you rely on or the father you are willing to commit to and rely on is not a novice-he has a great deal of experience, to the point that you can fully rely on Him for the great or even miniscule things because He is able to do, ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us’ Ephesians 3:20 NIV. Just as responsible fathers are committed to their children, so is your everlasting Father committed to you. The difference between any other father and our heavenly father is, our heavenly father does not give up on us. No matter where you are at in life, your Everlasting Father is constantly watching over you, willing to offer you support, encouraging you daily, assuring you He is able to meet your needs, give you directions –as the reliable counsellor and to offer you support, not giving up on you because He is the Mighty God. There are so many encouraging words/ phrases in the Bible but this is a personalised one to you or whoever needs it, no matter how many times you require it in a year, month, day or hour. Do you know why? Our God is our Everlasting Father. He never grows old, never retires, never has too much to deal with, never gets depressed or lacks money or substance. What is it you need at this moment? Is it wisdom? He says, ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking’ James 1:5 The New Living Translation. Apparently our Everlasting Father attaches great importance to wisdom: Proverbs chapter 8 talks about wisdom, verse 12 declares, ‘I Wisdom, [note the capital ‘W’] live together with good judgement. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.’ NLT. Verse 16 goes on to explain, ‘Rulers lead with my help...’, however you might not be a ruler in that sense but as a leader in your home, at work and in His vineyard, verse 15 states, ‘Common sense and success belong to me, Insight and strength are mine.’ I’m glad to inform you that your Everlasting Father does not stop there, He says in verse 18: ‘I have riches and honour, as well as enduring wealth and justice. My gifts are better than gold...my wages better than sterling silver’ verse 19. In verse 20-21 He declares, ‘I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice, those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries.’ This is amazing I could go on expounding this one chapter [Proverbs 8] it assures me [and I hope you too that all we need, all we desire all we long for is with our Everlasting Father. He is wisdom –that is why you can trust and rely on Him. He has been around for so long – ‘before the mountains were born’ and He cannot die – Psalm 48:14 ‘For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide [even] until death.’ The Amplified Bible. Oh how blessed we are to have Him as our Father.
THE MIGHTY GOD For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 [The Amplified Bible]
Ephesians 1:19, N.I.V explains God’s ‘mighty strength’. The beginning of verse nineteen tells us this power cannot be compared ‘incomparably’ to what humans could ever imagine. It is a bit worrying though that we tend to forget or really do not know our God is as mighty as He says He is. Let’s take a few steps back into the O.T. when the Egyptians were chasing the Israelites, can you remember what happened? The entire Egyptians with their chariots drowned in the sea, ‘... and Miriam sang this song: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea."’ [NLT] Excuse me for using the illustration of the gorilla once again but Joe had to escape the hands of his poachers, protect the lady who had been taking care of him but still saved the boy who was at the top of the Ferris wheel. Our Lord Jesus escaped the hands of Herod and the Pharisees and even in the process of being persecuted He still helped as many as He good. He is the saviour of the world but He is also your saviour. Zephaniah chapter 3:17 declares Him as ‘mighty to save.’ Can you remember the last time the Lord averted danger from coming close by? God didn’t just avert danger from you but from your family too. It is His way of showing Himself strong, declaring Himself as the mighty God stretching out to save you and yours. How about that time you found yourself desperate for a breakthrough? It was your father, the Mighty God who came to your rescue promising, ‘I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go...’ Genesis 28:15 [NIV] which gives us the confidence and assurance that no matter how big our predicaments, God has the capacity and demonstrates the willingness to bail us out of them all causing us to, ‘praise him for his acts of power...[and] his surpassing greatness ’Psalm 150:2 New International Version. The greatest thing that indicates He is the Mighty God is the change of heart and life He has given to you and me. Remember what you were before you experienced His loving kindness? Maybe you’ve known Christ all your life even with that, you would agree with me that over and over He has demonstrated His mighty power in your life. No matter where we were, when He found us, He has redeemed us and given us hope, a new life, a life we are expected to celebrate as long as we have it. How proud are you to show off our Mighty God to the world? Why not sum up courage today and share your story with someone, tell them the last mighty act He has done for you and give them the opportunity to see for themselves that you serve a ‘Mighty God’. Have a great week and remember to ‘us a Son is given... Mighty God’. Next, we shall be looking at The Everlasting Father. Mean while Leave your comments and I shall get back to you as soon as possiblenot forgetting to celebrate the life that you have today, making the most of it.
The Reliable Counsellor For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. Why are counsellors needed? Who is capable or in the position to give guidance? In general, a professional is likely to be in this position as s/he has been trained. Parents too have the privilege of counselling their children ensuring they are ‘well trained’. A lot of people through their jobs or positions in society find themselves in a position to offer counselling and guidance to others. For instance one could be offered guidance in relation to their career that could come from a teacher or someone in an academic setting. Nevertheless, when Jesus was about to ascend He promised not to leave us without counsel by recommending the comforter-John 16:13-15: "But when he, the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth…” - The New International Version. This shows the Lord’s intention is for us to seek and receive effective guidance. How much teaching do you want? How much guidance do you require? Are you tired of receiving counsel that is not profitable to you? That could stop now if you determine to rely, and lean on Jesus through the Holy Spirit who speaks to us ensuring we receive the most effective counsel walking in His ways and directions. Have you imagined why the Psalmist chapter 3 verse 5-6 said, ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight’? Where are you in the programme of God this week? What are you so much concerned about that you need counselling so badly for? Try and get into the presence of the wonderful counsellor and be quiet in His presence for He will surely guide, and you will be so glad you took time to listen, as that counsel is about to transform your life. Have a great week and remember the wonderful Counsellor is by your side. See you next week as we look at Christ as the Mighty God. Leave your comments hereand I shall get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, celebrate the life that you have today, making the most of it.
Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday Today and Forever I've been away from home for about a few weeks now but the main thing I have observed is that the Lord is the same wherever I find myself. The scriptures are perfect, 'the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof'. Are you constant? God wants us to serve Him with a genuine heart? Not when our pastors are around we are the most holiest of all but when we are far away we do what we like. For these few days that I've moved around, I've realised that God is the same no matter the land, the people or the tribe. As I pondered on His Handiwork all I could say is, Our God is the same He never changes and He loves His people. "...He is our God forever and ever and He will guide us until we die." Psalm 48:14 NLT “A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.” Proverbs 22:15 [New Living Translation] Last week I felt I had something to write in relation to discipline but I convinced myself otherwise. Today, exactly a we In the world today discipline is one thing quite a number of people struggle with no matter the age, background or gender. Little wonder the scriptures spend a few passages referring to discipline in various ways. Discipline is synonymous with ‘hard work’ as Proverbs 6 tells us about the life of an ant. It works reasonably hard to ensure it gathers enough to survive during winter even though it has nobody to boss it around. Whenever I read this part of the scripture I visualise termites I have seen working and if you’ve ever been to continents where the climate is reasonably hot, you are likely to come across a humongous heap of sand-their habitat. From my own perspective, the word ‘training’ is also synonymous with ‘discipline’ as in I Timothy 4 Paul encourages Timothy [a young person] to ‘train’ himself both physically and for Godliness. I think it is easy to say that Timothy would have hardly comprehended the word ‘training’ if he had not been taught discipline by His Godly mother and grandmother. I will be quick to add at this point that my focus is not just females so don’t think you are left off the hook, oh no. It just happened that the scriptures I have used so far has highlighted ‘mothers’, ‘aunts’, ‘sisters’, ‘grandmothers’ and ‘female carers’ but verse six even before the verse 15 of chapter 22 says, “Direct your children onto the right path. And when they are older, they will not leave it.” [NLT] Maybe you feel you are not included in this, how wrong could you be. The NIV says, “Train a child” so, maybe you are a trainer in one form or the other, you are included in the instructions the Lord has given, it is part of your responsibility as a believer. Imagine how different things would be in the world today if every adult who found him/herself in the position to offer training did it with the mind of leaving a biblical legacy. As the Lord took me to other scriptures, it became apparent that ‘physical discipline’ means discipline and it is as simple as that. Many times I have heard people say a person lacks discipline in relation to the way they consume things or the way they use language or the way they comport themselves. Discipline means ‘training’ it means ‘hard work’. As someone who is privileged to teach I have come across students who lack discipline even at a reasonable adult age; discipline to persevere, to wake up in the morning, to use language effectively or to be considerate and sensitive to others. From my perspective, some form of training which could have just been discussions etc or practical hands on deck situations could have reversed quite a number of these. It is such a shame that discipline: training and hard work are not promoted or encouraged as the Lord expects it to be but you and I can start it today. Do you have a child/children; a little cousin; a niece; nephew; do you work with young people? The word of God encourages you to train them to be disciplined. Think about it, maybe for such a time like this these people have walked into your life, what could you do about it? What ideas do you have, what methods can you use to help them become disciplined individuals? This afternoon I heard someone say, ‘Although the method maybe different, the principle is still the same.’ I thought that is about right in relation to the scriptures we are talking about today. The methods used for you might be totally different from the ones you will employ but the principles in the scripture cannot be flawed. Look out for next week’s Weekly Digest where we will be looking at more ways of how to encourage the youngsters we have the privilege of directing. In the mean time read more articles here
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