All posts by : Simbo Odunaiya

“Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, NIV).

Many times I do wonder about my prayer life. I wonder how many times I remember to thank God for His goodness over me, considering the uncountable number of times the Lord has shown Himself faithful in my times of distress.  Prophet Habakkuk’s example is quite instructive. He was complaining about why the wicked prospered while the righteous suffered. It seemed God did not act as he had expected. Yet he concluded his prophecy with praises of God because he knew that there was a benevolent God behind the seemingly unpleasant circumstances. He would rather rejoice in the Lord even in his precarious situation. He concluded his prophecy thus: “Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NIV).  So, I see this prophet of God who still insists on praising God even when he is reflecting on things that are not quite pleasant.  I wonder why I do not praise God even more during my unpleasant experiences.

Another example is Job, who in his anguish praised God. Why? He remembered in his pains that God’s purpose is always good. Hear him, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him…” (Job 13:15, NIV); “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God…” (Job19:25-26, NIV); and in Job 23:10, NIV he says “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold”.

God knows our circumstances; He knows our fears. He sees every problem we face. He sees our ups and he sees our downs.  He knows our limits, and therefore knows when to intervene.  Sometimes we think or wonder “If he can rescue us, why does he wait so long? Why does he sometimes let us go through so much or get in so deep before he steps in? Why does it sometimes look like he doesn’t rescue? Why does it sometimes feel like he has abandoned us?”  Perhaps you’re facing an overwhelming problem right now and you are wondering why God has not shown up yet. Is it the illness of a loved one, or a longing or desire that has not been met?  You have prayed, you have fasted and have come to the conclusion that God will not do this.   Listen to the voice of the Lord today as it came to Abraham and Sarah, “is anything too difficult for the Lord?” With God, there is no impossibility.  Have faith in God and His sovereignty.  He does what He wills and does them at His own time.  He has a plan and only He knows how the plan will unfold.  Just have faith in Him and He will work out His plan.

My brothers and sisters, what are you passing through? Are you so sick, so poor, so sad, so weak, or so whatever? Praise the Lord anyway! He still cares for you. The psalmist boasted: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, NIV). Be full of thanksgiving in all circumstances. That is God’s will for you!  Remember that we serve a faithful God.  He has already shown Himself faithful many times in the past. So why do we refuse to show gratitude.  There are so many wonderful testimonies of His goodness and faithfulness.  The Bible says “.. give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His loving kindness is everlasting” (Psalm 107:1, NIV).  Even if what we are going through is painful, we must always remember His word that says “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.  Brethren, let us make it a point today to always be full of thanksgiving in spite of our circumstances. Know this for sure, it shall always end in praise. Amen!!!

Several years ago, I was on a trip with my boss from Athens, Ohio to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  We were traveling in his private Airplane, a Beechcraft Bonanza.  Before then, my boss has been encouraging me to take up flying lessons, but I was not in the least interested.  The problem was, although my profession requires flying, I was very afraid of heights.  My calculations were that somehow, I can avoid the flying part of my job.  Being only two of us and we were traveling very far, it did not take long for my boss to suggest that I try my hands on the yoke (the airplane’s steering wheel).  He pointed to an instrument in the cockpit which he asked me to use in steering the airplane.  According to him the needle must be centered, and I should steer to follow the needle just in case it goes off center.  Oh well, I thought, that is good enough, after all I have been driving a car for a very long time.  If all I must do is turn a steering, it must be a piece of cake.  But, in my estimation, this needle in the piece of instrument that I am supposed to follow cannot tell me anything better than what my eyes will tell me, since I can see the outside sky from the cockpit window.  I just made my first two mistakes.  My perception (really a misperception) that steering an airplane is the same as steering a car and another misperception that what I see with my eyes is better than what the instruments tell me.

In order not to make me panic, my boss pretended as if he was reading a book. He was a veteran.  At the time, he had been flying for more than 40 years.  I bet he knew exactly what I would do.  You see, when pilots learn to fly, they are taught to totally trust the instruments in the airplane.  If they rely only on sensory input, they could get into some dicey situations because our senses are reliable only to a certain point. The instrument must always be checked to confirm what the sense is feeling. The kicker is that when flying through clouds, the pilot’s senses get confused about the orientation of the airplane.  They may feel as if they are flying straight or level when in fact they are slowly getting into a spiral. So, constant attention must be paid to the spirit of the airplane, the instruments.

Now back to my trip with my boss.  Of course, I was doing everything the pilot is trained not to do.  It did not take long before I started feeling confused.  I was steering without looking at the instrument, and when I look once in a while, I find out that the airplane is not only off course, but also not level.  Then, I will make that little sound, “wow”.  My boss who is watching everything from the Captain’s seat will just take over and straighten the airplane out.  After a while I told him I could not continue because the stress and the fear of what could happen was killing me. He insisted I must, a sort of baptism by fire.

My brothers and sisters, this is the same way it is with us when we take our misconceptions and misperceptions into our relationships with our neighbors.  Misperception can be biased and when it is, it is usually a self-serving bias.  Our judgements are based on things we have picked up along the way that do not necessarily apply to the situation at hand.  We tend to trust the outward things we see with our physical eyes rather than rely on our spiritual eyes.  God desires that we totally trust His Spirit that works in us and use it as a check on our physical senses. We must not allow our emotions to get in the way or become a spiritual liability.  The Word of God should always be the ultimate decider of our actions.  “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” – (Rom. 8:7-8 NIV).  If we must love our neighbors, emotions or feelings cannot guide or reveal what is right or wrong because they are constantly changing.  Let us stand firm on God’s word and allow His Spirit to lead us always. Just like the instrumentation in the airplane, the spirit of God is our ultimate guide.

The Scriptures contain the unchanging mind of God and the Spirit of God brings His Word to life.  If we allow ourselves to be controlled by the emotional desires of our flesh, we will only care for the outward manifestations of the flesh.  The Word of God however says, “you, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you” – Romans 8:9a.  How people look is not an ultimate decider of what people need.  May His Spirit always guide us and help us always to overcome the desires of the flesh and lead us to always do His will.

It is no secret that our place or location in life often determines how well we recognize the needs of others.  Folks who are well placed many times miss the point when it comes to recognizing needs.  In fact, well-to-do Christians find it difficult to love people who are still struggling to meet basic needs of life because they might consider them as not being in their class or as lazy people who have squandered their opportunities.  The problem is not unidirectional, poor or lower-class people also do not understand the upper-class people and may times blame them for their own misfortune.  It is a “We vs They” or “Us vs Them” problem.

When our Lord Jesus Christ told a law expert what he must do to inherit eternal life, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” in Luke 10: 22, the law expert made attempts to justify himself when he asked “And who is my neighbor?”  His intention was to put a limitation on who should be his neighbor, or one can say his intention was to categorize who his neighbor should be.  A subtle “we” and “they” or “us” and “them”.  The “we and they” is not meant to be another “we and they” in the sense of we don’t do it, but they do it, rather it is something that everyone does.  Each of us has a natural propensity to view the world from a “we” and they” perspective. Many times, we do not engage in this perspective intentionally. However, when we do it takes a heart for God to be able to see and do the right things with the right perspective.

The “we vs they” also results in the “here vs there” perspective.  We are here and they are there.  The “we vs they” or the “here vs there” perspective bring challenges that are difficult to overcome when the issue of loving our neighbor as ourselves arise.  There are several differences that lead to the “we vs they” perspective.  Differences like class, education, culture, language, etc.  For example, when it comes to showing love, “we” Christians find it quite easy to love people from our family; and family here could mean our biological nuclear or extended family, our church family, our township family, or our same language family because they are part of us or because they are here with us.  Our calling is however not to only love those who are part of our family, but to love all our neighbors. As we learnt in Luke 10:30-37 our neighbor is not necessarily part of our family, our neighbor is not necessarily one of us, and our neighbor is not necessarily here with us. The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that the neighbor God calls us to love is not limited by tribe or ethnicity and is not limited by national boundaries.  There is no us, and there is no them. The word of God to us is to go and make disciples of all nations not only our own nation.  Our address or location in life should not be a stumbling block for us to accomplish God’s work.

The “we” and “they” or “us” and “them” separation sometimes leads to seeing issues through a set of bifocal lenses.  We see issues that relate to “us” with one part of the lens and the issues that pertain to “them” with the other part of the lens.  Many times, the issues that concern “them” are seen with distorted lenses while our own issues are seen through a set of filters that make things look better than they are.  This is one of the reasons many white or black folks in America will tell you they are not racist or that they have no racist bones in them.  The truth however is that we all exhibit some racist tendencies because we all tend to view things that concern us through rose colored lenses and see others with distorted lenses.

This idea of “we and they” gets in the way of the gospel, it gets in the way of loving wholeheartedly, it gets in the way of loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Someone needs help and we do not want to help because “their kind never appreciates whatever we do for them”.  The “us” vs “them” gets in the way.  The “otherness” of other people makes reaching out more difficult.  The “here” is our comfort zone and over “there” takes too much effort.  The solution for us is to realize that a problem exists.  Once we do, we can begin to make intentional efforts at overcoming them.  Take that extra step to understand “them” better.   Take that extra step to understand why “they” do what they do.  Take that extra step to reach out and be understood, because the “otherness” may be mutual.  As we make all our efforts, we must also ask that the Lord gives us the grace to overcome the challenges that “otherness” creates in our effort to love our neighbor as ourselves. May God give us the grace to overcome these challenges.

On Thursday I was talking to the Kingdom Men of our Church about personal Ministry.  We talked about how important it is for every man to grow spiritually in order to be the man that the Lord wants us to be.  The neutral point of our discussion is that personal ministry is very important for a man to grow spiritually but that in order for this to happen a man has got to get off the bench and get into the game.  We also talked about two major things that hinder men from getting off the bench and getting into the game. Many men believe they do not have what it takes, and many others believe that their sins will not let them.  It is important for us to note that if we do not participate by having fellowship with others, we will not know how much we have.  It is equally important to note that we are all sinners, and God will still meet us and use us in the mess of our sins.  What I was telling the men easily applies to women too.

A few years ago, I read this book titled “Messy Spirituality” written by Mike Yaconelli, a rebel in every sense of the word whose understanding of Christianity is completely different from what you and I are accustomed to.  When you see the picture of Mike Yaconelli you will not need any further explanation of the word messy.  However, when people who had known him for ages were asked to describe him, they used phrases or words like disorganized, sincere, passionate, painfully honest, faithful, prophetic, grace-filled, grace spreader etc.  Once you read this introduction of him you know you are in for a treat in what is to follow.  I remember inviting my wife into his book many times as I read many seemingly incongruous things that on second thought felt so deep.  Hear him: “Jesus is not repelled by us, no matter how messy we are, regardless of how incomplete we are. When we recognize that Jesus is not discouraged by our humanity, is not turned off by our messiness, and simply doggedly pursues us in the face of it all, what else can we do but give in to His outrageous, indiscriminate love?”  So true but yet not universally accepted.  We cannot let the knowledge of our sins keep us away from serving God.  We cannot let our sins be in the way of our learning more about this loving God that we serve. The more I read “Messy Spirituality” the more I understand what the gospel of grace according to Apostle Paul means.  I write this today so that we can all have a heightened sense of God’s grace in our lives.

It is important that as we seek to grow spiritually, we also understand what it means to be spiritual.  One thing I found in Mike Yaconelli’s book that helps me put things in perspective is the way he defines spirituality.  He says “Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship.  Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy.  Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection.  The way of Spirituality begins where we are now in the mess of our lives.”  Many of us think that when we talk about spirituality, we are talking about some out of the body experience.  Some of us also believe that some folks are more spiritual than some others.  Well, according to Yaconelli, and I do agree with him, Spirituality is not about competency, in which case some folks will be more competent than others.  Rather our spirituality begins with wherever we are now in our journey of faith.  This is what he calls the mess of our lives.  This is because we are not more spiritual than each other, our spirituality is only different from each other. 

Someone who used to be a drunk and gets struck by the power of God and decides now to follow God with all God-given energy is not worse than one who had the same experience 10 years ago.  The question is what has been done with their lives in the ten years of His grace on their lives.  We do not judge our own spirituality against another person’s situation. Our spirituality must be currently on the move and in the right direction.  It never comes to perfection.  So, as we are looking to spiritual growth, and enhancing our personal ministry, know that we are not going to come to a sudden perfection in our spirituality, rather our spirituality will take a turn for the better from wherever we are, no matter how messy it is.  As Yaconelli will put it “we all have to overcome the idea that we must fix ourselves before we approach God, but instead we should let Him enter into our mess and fix us up for good.”  This means no matter where we are in our journey, we are still fixable.  Your sin is not bigger than mine and mine is not bigger than yours.  In the eyes of the Lord, we are all sinners, we are all messy, and we all need to be cleaned up. 

My brothers and sisters, we must allow the Holy Spirit to take complete control of our lives, but I want us to know this, and Yaconelli puts it best when he says, “Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God being present in the mess of our unfixedness. (Messy Spirituality)”; “Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives.”  So, we must come with a broken and contrite heart to God even in all our messiness and from there His grace will take over.

^“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:3. How do we become like little children? We are being asked here by our Lord to become childlike, and not childish.  There are various times in life when one needs to act mature, and when we do not act mature, we are acting childishly. But here we are asked to become childlike.  We may get a glimpse into what it means to become like little children by considering a distinct characteristic of children. This distinguishing characteristic of babies or infants is how helpless they are when they are born.  They are helplessly dependent on their caregiver.  All they can do is cry, but whatever they need or desire at that time of their life must be deciphered by their caregiver since they cannot even get the information out on their own.  Ironically, babies stay in this state for a while and continue to live a fully dependent life. If we, the people of God, would turn to God and place our dependence completely on Him, we will be welcome into His Kingdom, a world of peace and strength, a world of joy.

Our Lord Jesus Christ did not stop at the idea of becoming like little children in Matthew 18:3, He went on in Luke 18:17 to expand the idea by stating, “Truly I tell you, anyone, who will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” The next logical question then is how do we receive the Kingdom of God like a little child?  We have noted the complete and total helpless dependence of a child on their caregiver. We must also note that the dependence is wholehearted and without any distrust.  Little babies trust their caregivers completely.  They trust their care-giver for their food and how warm or cold the food is. They trust their care-giver for their protection and about where and how to be safe. Little babies cannot provide their own food, clothing, and shelter, yet they never doubt that they will be clothed and fed, and that there will be comfort, warmth, and shelter when they come home. We have a lot to learn from the attitude of these little babies.  If only we can learn to trust our God just half as much as little babies trust their earthly father or mother.  We must learn to place our complete trust in God, our maker. Only those who trust God unquestionably will enter the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 18:4 also talks about the humility of babies. “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Anyone who wants to enter the Kingdom of God must receive the Kingdom in humility.  Every pride and arrogance must be eschewed.  Entering the Kingdom of God is not about what we have become, who we are or what we are.  Entering the Kingdom of God is not about how many times we have come to Church because coming to Church is not an end; it is only a means to an end.  Attendance at Church is important to learn all the good things our God wants us to imbibe and use to live our lives, but it will not by itself take us into His Kingdom.  Entering the Kingdom is not about the role we played in Church.  One can be the most senior Pastor and still get turned back at the gate if our life was all about arrogance and pride.  Entering the Kingdom of God is not about who we know or do not know.  Little babies do not get caught up in the trappings of knowledge. So, they do not argue over knowledge.  They remain completely dependent on the knowledge of their care-giver.  We must be like little babies so we can exhibit humble acceptance of the Kingdom of God.  When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He gives us grace and is sure to lift us up (James 4:6,10).

We can learn something from little babies about the pattern of our behavior towards God who is our main caregiver and towards our fellow men who God wants us to love as ourselves. Humility must be the hallmark of a Christian’s behavior towards his/her fellow man, whilst trust and complete dependence must be the pattern of our attitude towards God, our maker, our caregiver, and our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Brethren, let us come to God as a little baby.  Let us come in complete dependence, trust, and humility.  It is only those who receive the Kingdom of God in this manner of a little child that are destined to enter it.  We pray for His grace to be childlike, not childish, for the Kingdom in Jesus’ name.

We cannot love our neighbor as ourselves if our hearts are not transformed. Many of our wrong actions emanate from our hearts. We profess to be followers of Christ but our actions in no way resemble what Christ will do.  We rather chart our own courses, even when these courses are completely different from what the Bible enjoins us to do.  Quite a number of us are nice on the outside but have not allowed the Word of God to sink into our hearts. Yes, God desires that we be nice, but He wants our hearts to be involved. God wants our whole heart and not just our outer actions. He doesn’t want our vain actions. He does not want us to be just doers of good deeds or just to be good people, He wants our hearts. Our love for God and our neighbors cannot be merely with words, but it must lie in our hearts, which will, in turn, influence every aspect of our lives.

The reason many of us who claim to be Christians can say and do the things we do, and for that matter neglect to say and do, the things we do not do is because of the state of our hearts. I have often wondered why our handling of our children, marriages, conflicts, finances, and difficulties in life is in no way different from that of our non-Christian counterparts. I have wondered endlessly why the only way we differentiate ourselves from non-Christians is because we attend church services a few times a week.  We proclaim Christ but we have not allowed Christ to penetrate our hearts.

We can tell a lot about a person if we were to look into their hearts. The obvious problem is that no matter how we try we cannot really see into another person’s heart. We cannot know what you are thinking; we cannot know what the motives are behind your actions; we cannot know those deep innermost feelings that you have, and we cannot know the wounds that run deep that very few may know about. They all lie within your heart. What we know about most people comes from what we can visibly see about them. We hear people speak, we see people’s facial expressions, and we see people’s actions.  Right or wrong, we make certain judgments about people’s character based on what we see and on what we perceive.  We realize that we can be wrong in our judgments. We also realize that we can be fooled. We know that there may be some we see as people of great character and integrity who may not really be.  However, if there is a way for us to have a glimpse into your heart it would reveal who you really are. The heart would tell no lies. Our hearts reflect who we really are.  Proverbs 27:19 says “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” This means that if we really need to change who we are, we must begin by changing our hearts.  We all fall short.

God has given us the capacity to love without limits, but some garbage that we allowed to seep into our hearts work against this plan of God for our lives.  Sometimes our life experiences, our position in life, mess with our hearts and they affect how we perceive other people which ultimately affect how we love them.  People who have been victims of injustice in their own lives may grow up to become immune to such injustices because their hearts have been calibrated to accept such actions.  For our hearts to be recalibrated or retuned or become accustomed again to doing good and love justice, it needs to be spiritually transplanted.  Our hearts must be transformed. We all must go through a change process, but change does not come easily. Change takes place over a period of time of consciously choosing to do the right things, to be in the Word of God daily, to be in constant communication with God, and to be in a steady fellowship of the saints. The Word of God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26. Surveys have shown that those of us who call ourselves Christians are just as likely to have been divorced, become addicted to pornography, or use alcohol as much as our non-Christian counterparts.  It is in the heart.  Our heart must change, and God can change us.

I think it is sad, if not tragic that the world can barely see a difference in the actions of Christians and non-Christians. People should be able to tell that we are different, that we are set apart, people should be able to see a difference in the way that we talk, the way that we act, the things that we do, the things we chose not to do, and the way we love others.  Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a charge to go change the world by loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves, but we must realize that changing the world, and fixing all the problems in the world begins with ourselves being changed first.  Let that surgical procedure begin now, let the transformation begin now because when we are changed, we will be able to do amazing things in the world. That change must however begin with us, and it starts from our hearts.

Today we celebrate “Fathers’ Day”. I am sure fathers will not mind being celebrated daily.  We are grateful to God for the great dads in our lives. And as we praise God for the gift of godly fathers, we are fully aware that not every person has had the benefit of having a dad that truly deserve the distinction of being “a great Dad”.  But, for all the dads out there who truly and honestly seek that distinction of being a godly example and dedicated caregiver to their children, we pray that the end of it shall be greater than the beginning for you and your children.  We are fathers for a purpose and that purpose is to help raise godly children. Be encouraged and know that the God who has called us into this divine and high calling shall also prepare us to answer it successfully.

The reality of life is that there are people who are becoming fathers but are not ready to be fathers.  There are people who do not even understand what it means to be a father. Our role as fathers is to lead our family into a communion with the Lord almighty.  It is definitely not an easy task, but it is a role that the Lord has destined for us as Fathers.  The Bible tells us in Genesis 18:19 – “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”  It seems to me that if we want our destinies to be fulfilled, we must be about the work the Lord has appointed for us. If you direct your household and your children after the Lord, then He will bring about what he has promised you.  Raising children can sometimes be stressful.  The remedy is to always seek for strength from the Lord.  He chose us and He will equip and strengthen us for the task at hand.

Knowing we are called for a purpose; we must live and act purposefully. The Word of God teaches us in Proverbs 22:6 to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” If we are going to achieve the task the Lord has given to us, we must do so when the children are still young.  Children are a lot easier to mold in their younger years and have a better chance to remain with what they are taught.  Children also catch habits much more easily than through teaching.  They are keen watchers of what goes on around them.  Whether we like it or not, we, fathers, are role models for our children.  They catch our habits, and it does not matter whether those habits are good or bad.  Children tend to model their lives after those of their parents.  We have also inherited some of our parents’ characteristics and should expect that our children will inherit some of ours too.  As fathers, therefore, we must be purposeful in how we act around our children.  The ultimate goal is to raise godly children, so our attitudes around our children must always by godly.

We are never able to completely control what our children are exposed to in their youth. So, we must expect as fathers that while we try our best at home to model a godly home, their exposure outside the home may be to things that are contradictory to our plans for them.  Thus, we must always make sure we pray for our children and seek the grace of God over their lives.  We must pray for our children.  We must pray and lift them up to God, so God can do for them things we cannot do for them.  We must also pray that they do not catch the wrong things we model for them. That when we do wrong, they also see it as wrong and not normalize it.  Pray that every effort we make will be blessed by the Lord.  The promise of the word of God is that these efforts shall not be wasted.

Proverbs 23:24 states that “the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice. And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.”  Aside from the benefits we drive from God being pleased with us for dutifully fulfilling His purpose for us, there are other benefits for us too.  Children that are trained in the way of the Lord, and remain with it, will always be a source of joy for their parents. We must never get weary as fathers. Sometimes it may seem like these children do not care about what we try to teach them, but if I go by my own experience, they will ultimately revert to it.  The wisdom of our fathers has a way of staying with us for eternity.  We must therefore never get tired of always imparting godly knowledge and wisdom in our children because it will come in handy when they get old, and our God most high will be pleased that his purpose for us was greatly fulfilled.

I have always believed that if God is in it, it shall be accomplished (Isaiah 46:9-11). And the word of God had taught us that God has a plan for each of us.  So, there is no doubt that His plan for us will be accomplished. “The Lord will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever” – Psalm 138:8b(NLT). In our youth we should work very hard to determine what God’s plan for us is, because once we set our feet on that path, the God who made the plan will be sure to accomplish it.  God orchestrates all the events in our lives to lead eventually to the accomplishment of His good plan for us.  So, it is important that as we live our lives, we make sure that God is in all the plans we make. 

How do we make sure God is in our plans?  We do this by making sure that God is the basis of all our thoughts and actions.  As a young person, for most of us, the last thing we think about is God or His plans for us.  There are so many things that tend to take us away from God.  There are so many things that Satan himself has packaged and made to look so attractive that tend to draw us away from God. As young people we also deal with peer pressure.  There are lots of kids who don’t know a whole lot because of little experience but pretend to know everything and use their lack of knowledge to lead other kids astray with bravado.  Then there are those teachers who should not really be teaching anyone because they have acquired the wrong kind of knowledge, but they take joy in continuing to propagate their misleading knowledge.  We can however deal with all of these by making sure that we find God and find him early in our lives.  Truth be told, some folks will miss their ways early in life because they need that experience to fulfill God’s purpose in their lives.  Ultimately, the only way we can reach our God-set goal or achieve God’s purpose for us is to find God.  Roman’s 8:28 says “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”.  This is to say, if you find God, and you love God, everything, including when you miss your way, will work together for your good.

On this note, I congratulate all those who are graduating or have graduated this year.  What you have just accomplished is part of God’s plan for you.  You have not reached the bus stop yet.  You are still in transit and God is still working out His plan for you.  It is however a good time to pause and think.  Have I found God?  Do I love God?  Remember that everything will work for the good of those who love God.  Remember also that God is able to finish everything that He starts (Philippians 1:6).  You have just finished a phase of the necessary steps to be what God wants you to be.  Right now, you are not what you ought to be. You are only a fraction of what you will be. But God says, “That is okay. I am taking my time working on you. Keep moving on.  Do not be afraid to take new steps, but make sure I am in your plans.  For every step you take will eventually work for your good if I am in them.  Take every step with purpose and confident assurance that I shall finish what I began.”  That is God’s word for you as you move into new phases and challenges of life.

I know many of us have dreams we want to achieve, and that is good.  You must however remember that God’s purpose for us reaches far beyond what we can dream. No matter how great our dreams are, God’s purpose for us is even greater.  So, as we dream our great dreams, make sure God is the basis of all those dreams.  His purpose is bigger than ours and His plan gets accomplished no matter the storm that develops along the way.   Only God fulfills His purpose, not us.  And as you move forward, do not forget Apostle Paul’s admonition about “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” – Philippians 3:13b (NLT).  Your accomplishment now is great, but it only serves as a springboard for what you are yet to achieve.  The road is long, the road can be rough, but one thing is certain, the one that made the plan for you lives forever and He is always there to keep you moving.  Acknowledge God in all you do, and He will surely direct your paths (Proverbs 3:16).  Even when you feel you are not up to the plans, remember that every time the Lord looks at us, He sees great potential. He sees great potential to fulfill the purpose He has set before us.  He wants us to look at ourselves and see that same great potential even in our weakness.  Be inspired, be encouraged, and know fully well that He has given us that grace to finish whatever we start as long as He is in it.  May the Lord guide you and place your feet on the right path.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Matthew 25:31-46, our Lord Jesus Christ was teaching us about our call to care.  The point of this parable is simple and clear: God will judge us based on our caring service in the face of human need. When we read this passage, we see three distinct lessons our Lord Jesus Christ was trying to teach us.  The Lord has called us to a caring and loving service, He will judge our service, and He will also bless our caring and loving service. 

The Lord has shown us His love by providing and continuing to provide all we need daily.  Even when we should have been condemned, he gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  Our God is the God of love, and He expects us, His children, to also show love.  We are expected to live as His children and act out our faith in Him.  While we act out our faith in our worship and our praises of Him, we must also act out our faith by giving, sacrificing, and offering ourselves to others.  His words say “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” – Matthew 25:40.  Just as He is a God of giving and sacrifice, so too, we are to give, sacrifice and serve others.

The Bible tells us in the parable of the sheep and goats that the Lord will judge our service. If you do all the good you can, for as long as you can, you will end up in His right hand.  We have a responsibility to be personally involved in our giving, not only in Church but also to the needy.  What we are able to do and fail to do will definitely be judged by the Lord.  There was this story about a boy from the Ghetto who had no shoes.  The boy was being teased by someone who said, “If God loves you, why doesn’t He take care of you? Why doesn’t God tell someone to bring you shoes and a warm coat and better food?” The young boy thought for a moment, and then with tears starting in his eyes, said, “I guess He does tell somebody, but somebody forgets.”  Are you that person that forgets to help those who are in need?  He will ask of you what you did with all the resources at your disposal. Are you that person that ignores everyone you meet along your way?

Another story was told a long time ago, about a King who organized a great race within his kingdom. All the young men of the kingdom participated. A bag of gold was to be given to the winner, and the finish line was within the courtyard of the King’s palace. The race was run, and the runners were surprised to find in the middle of the road leading to the King’s palace a great pile of rocks and stones. Many of them managed to scramble over it or to run around it to eventually get to the King’s courtyard. Finally, all the runners had crossed the finish line except one. But still the king did not call the race off. After a while one lone runner came through the gate. He lifted a bleeding hand and said, “O King, I am sorry that I am so late. But you see, I found in the road a pile of rocks and stones, and it took me a while, and I even wounded myself, in removing them.” Then he lifted the other hand, and in it was a bag. He said, “But, Great King, I found beneath the pile of rocks this bag of gold.” The king said, “My son, you have won the race, for that one runs best who makes the way safer for those who follow.” In our journey of life, we will come across physical obstacles, we will come across piles of rocks and rubbles, and we will also find along our ways folks who need our help.  We cannot afford to ignore them because God placed them along our path so they can lead us to our destiny.  Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”  Whatever we do, let us care enough to do good to those who need it around us.

This parable of the sheep and goats reminds us that those who fulfill their call to care will be separated from those who ignore their call at the end of time.  The Word of God says, the King will say to those on the right side, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (verse 34).  This is an indication that God will indeed bless their caring service.  Brothers and sisters let us live our lives with an attitude that every act of kindness, caring, or love that we perform is a direct service to the Lord, and that no such acts of kindness will go unrewarded.  Here and now in this fellowship of God’s beloved children, let us rise like a people marching to battle and declare a war of caring and kindness on each other.  Then we will be ready to take it further and go seek the helpless, the confused, torn, and the lost, to help them find their way home.