All posts by : Simbo Odunaiya

Being good is to be loving, to be kind, to be a patient person, a faithful person and someone who exercises self-restraint.

It is interesting to note that patience is one of the attributes or characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.  Growing up, I had always heard it said that patience is a virtue.  So, I am not surprised to learn that God holds patience very high among the attitudes He wants us, as His children, to exhibit.  So, it has been said that patience is linked to better health; that patience makes people better friends and neighbors, and that patience helps us to achieve our goals.  In addition to this, I am certain that when we live our lives with more patience, we will have more peace.  As Christians we are fond of saying “it is well” or “it shall be well”.  The whole idea of saying “it shall be well” pre-supposes that we trust that God is in charge and that He will always come through.  In fact, the real essence of patience is that our mind is at rest because we believe that things will eventually happen the way they have been destined to.  When our minds are at rest then we are at peace.

The idea of being at peace with God, with others, and with ourselves means that we have completely surrendered to God.  We have surrendered to God so that He will take care of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.  This realization should help us to exercise patience for God to do whatever He needs to do in His own time. So, when we are at peace, we can be more patient.  On the other hand, it is by being patient that we can maintain the peace that we need.  So patience leads to peace and vice versa.

This is probably a hard time to talk about patience to anyone, an even harder time to talk about peace.  Right now, the peace of the whole world is disturbed.  From the East to the West and the North to the South, everyone’s peace is disturbed.  This Coronavirus has caused havoc in many families.  Many deaths are being reported all over the world.  Citizens are no longer patient with their governments.  Everyone is scared because we do not know what is going to happen next.  Our health is threatened, our jobs are threatened, our future is threatened, the stock market is crashing, and people’s life-long savings or investments are going down with it.  This is all because of a virus that we cannot even see with our naked eyes.  People are losing sleep because they do not know where this pestilence will strike next.  Shelves at Grocery Stores are getting empty and stores are running low on food, toilet rolls and many other things.  It is enough to disturb our peace. To many of us our governments are not moving fast enough.  We are losing our patience with them, and I dare say many are also losing their patience with God.  Currently, patience is not even a word many want to hear.

The truth is that we cannot afford to be anxious even in this period.  We need the peace of God to survive this time and being patient can fetch us that peace.  Our Lord Jesus Christ said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” – John 14:27.   Even if everyone around you this time is troubled and afraid, the word of God says we should not be troubled, and we should not be afraid.  There is no doubt that we all wonder how to be patient because patience is hard when everyone around you is afflicted.  How can one be patient when you cannot hug your children again for fear that they will pass the virus to you?  How can one be patient when suddenly we do not see people anymore, all we see is the virus?  How?  But the word of God says we must “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” – Romans 12;12.  I know the present affliction shall pass because I believe the inspired words of the Bible.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” – 2 Corinthians 4:17. I don’t know how, but I am sure this affliction will yet achieve for us an eternal weight of glory. 

My brothers and sisters, let us be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.  In patiently waiting for Him, His peace will overwhelm us.  Let us continue to look unto Him who is the author and finisher of our faith.  We need to turn our worries over to Him and I know He is able to carry our burdens.  Let us turn these present circumstances patiently over to Him and live in His peace.  – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

With the Coronavirus pandemic that has not shown any sign of slowing down, there is a palpable fear in almost every country around the world now.  Italy, a country of about 60 million people is on lock down today.  Airlines are cancelling thousands of flights, workers are being asked to work from home, and students are being asked to go on an unscheduled vacation.  The stock market is responding wildly to the uncertainty that pervades every facet of life.  Am I going to be sick?  Will I survive if I get sick?  Will I still have a job when this is all said and done?  Will my retirement fund make it back on time for my retirement?  All kinds of questions are going through people’s minds.  Yet, the word of God says “Rejoice always” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  How can one rejoice within the uncertainty that is going on now?  The word of God in Philippians 4:4 makes it a little clearer.  We are not supposed to rejoice by our own strength.  Circumstances and vagaries of life often overpower strength and they have the tendency to take away joy.  But the word of God says “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  The idea is to rejoice in the Lord, because the joy of the Lord often gives strength that we cannot summon on our own accord.

When the word of God was read by Ezra in Nehemiah 8, the exiles who returned listened to it, became convicted by the word and broke down weeping.  They wept profusely because they realized where they had gone wrong.  They were obviously in despair, but Nehemiah encouraged them and said to them, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10. It takes the grace of God for one in despair to go and enjoy food, not to talk of enjoying the food and then having the heart to be kind towards others.  That grace comes from the joy of the Lord.  And he told them “for the joy of the Lord is your strength”.  The joy of the Lord produces inner strength.  The joy of the Lord gives an inward disposition that says I know this is not the end of the story, I know my God is in control, and I know tomorrow will be better.  Realizing that the Joy of the Lord is their strength, they moved on from being people in despair to folks who built shelters for all of them that returned from captivity.  Nehemiah 8:17 tells us that “their joy was very great”.

How can we experience the Joy of the Lord in our lives like these exile returnees did?  Our faith and relationship with God is key.  There is a kind of joy that emanates from making God a friend.  Everything about Him becomes personal.  His word becomes personal.  Serving Him becomes personal.  Worshipping Him becomes personal.  In fact, loving Him also become personal.  That personal relationship with Him is what oils our joy in Him.  “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty” – Jeremiah 15:16.  Just imagine the kind of joy you feel in your hearts when you fall in love.  Seeing that person gives you joy.  Talking to that person gives you joy.  Hearing from that person gives you joy.  The relationship becomes so personal that everything about that person gives you joy.  The joy you feel sometimes reaches a level where you think you are ready to take on the world with that person by your side.  That is how it is with the Joy of the Lord, only even more so at a higher level.

This personal relationship with God leads to a lot of other things.  It leads us to serve God with all of our hearts, which now results in even more Joy in the Lord (1 Chronicles 29:9 – the people rejoiced because of the service and the gifts they had given God willingly from their hearts).  Taking time to be in His presence in Spirit and in truth also leads to further Joy in the Lord (in His presence there is fullness of Joy – Psalm 16:11).  Above all of these, never cease to pray that His joy should always encompass you. “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” – John 16:24. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so only the Spirit of God can cause it to develop in us.  When we have His joy it transforms our weakness into strength.  That is the amazing God we serve.  May His name always be praised!!! – By Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

The first of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 is love.  So it seems that love forms the core of the fruit.  We can say that love is the characteristic that fruit develops on.  It can be said that without love, we essentially do not have a fruit.  It is not surprising that this is the case.  When Jesus Christ was asked which is the greatest commandment in the law, He replied, ““Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””  In essence the most important commandment in the law book is love.  If it is the most important then, it should be the prime characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit.  In fact, it can be argued that this supreme law was already reduced to one by Christ as He said in John 13:34 that “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Essentially, we can only be recognized as disciples of Christ if we love one another.  Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” – John 15:8.  And the core of that fruit is love.

If indeed the most important commandment in the law is about love, then every Christian must learn to love.  It takes on even greater significance when the whole law is reduced to love.  How do we love?  We must of course love with God’s love.  God’s love is pure, God’s love is clean, God’s love is not conditional.  There is no “Quid Pro Quo” in God’s love.  God’s love is not proud, God’s love is not possessive, and God’s love is not self-seeking, etc. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  As Saint Augustine puts it, “Love, and then do what you want, for from that root nothing but good can spring.”  Anything that is done in love is good, because God is love and when we exhibit the love of God, there cannot be a single evil bone in us. 

In our world today, there are different ideas about love.  In fact, one can say the word ‘love’ is overused these days.  These days, people ‘love’ their cars, they ‘love’ their food, and ‘love’ their shoes, etc.  I want to let you know that love cannot be objectified.  In fact, I believe strongly that the idea of love should only be directed at living things.  There is a principle that a human being becomes what he loves. According to St. Augustine, “Let him love the earth, he will become earth; let him love the eternal God, he will share in God’s eternity”.  When we desire an object, we should love the God that created the object.  Our ultimate goal in life is to love God, but our love for God can only be evaluated through our love for our neighbor.  Anyone can claim to love God.  In fact, it is easy to proclaim love for God.  It is more difficult to show it.  “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen (1 John 4:20).  It is only in our efforts to love our brothers and sisters that we can become well aware of our shortcomings in loving God.

We must know that the best love idea comes from God. A Christian who intends to obey God’s word to Love must remain with God.  We must abide with Him and in His love.  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” Abiding or remaining in Christ requires us to fellowship with Him and His people, but this is not enough.  It is possible to fellowship with God’s people and still continue to live old ways.  Jesus Christ says, “you are my friend, if you do what I command” – John 15:14.  So, even as we fellowship with God’s people, even as we commune with God in prayer, even as we work in the House of God, we must live our lives in obedience to His command.  “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love – John 15:10.  If love is anything at all it is a matter of doing good things.  Love is exhibited through action.  It starts from the heart and ends in action.  So as we do all these things we must make sure that we practice loving God’s people.  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”