Posts in category: The Shepherd’s Blog

Many of us who attended Sunday School as little kids grew up singing the song “He’s got the whole world in His hands” – a very melodious tune that has the capability of taking over one’s mind completely.  Even now, as old as I am, I cannot help myself each time I remember the song.  I find myself humming the tune beneath my breath for days at a stretch.  I sleep humming and I wake up humming.  The downside is that the melody is so good that as we hum, we tend to forget the import of the words in the song.  That song pretty much says, that the whole world is in the hands of the Lord to do with as He pleases.  Just exactly what Psalm 24 says that “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”.  For emphasis, that Psalm says God’s ownership is not limited to the earth or the world alone, but it includes all who live in it.  When you own something, you reserve the right to do with that thing as you well please.  So, God’s ownership of the earth and everything in it means we are all in His hands.  This ability of God to do all things, know all things, control all things is what the theologians refer to as God’s sovereignty. 

The Psalmist in Psalm 115:3 says “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”  God said to Cyrus the King of Persia, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”  Our God will do what He pleases because He has the whole world in His hands.  Yes, God will do what He pleases, and we cannot even question Him.  First law of God’s sovereignty is “question me not”.  All of these have implications for us; far reaching implications that may elude our understanding sometimes.  We have questions like, why am I suffering like this?  I thought the basic foundation of Christian morals is that good begets good and evil begets evil.  Why am I experiencing the opposite?

How do we explain it when someone who seems to be doing good is struck by evil?  How do we explain people who have seemingly given their lives completely to God and are yet struck down by debilitating illness?  Should we question God?  This is the story of Job and he indeed questioned God when he decided to list all the good things he has done.  The Lord had a classic response for him in Job 38:2, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” It continued in Job 38:4-6, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone”.  There are a couple of things here – 1) When we question God we may be standing in the way of his plans? 2) Who is Job anyway to question God?

In spite of all the above, Job understood one thing and he made it clear that He knows who controls His life, “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). God has the whole world in His hands to do with as He pleases.  This sovereign God is a master orchestrator.  All we need to do is to “trust the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3), because His plans for us are for good (Jeremiah 29:11).  We cannot question his actions at every moment because whatever happens to us is part of His grand design for us.  God is not man, so we cannot relate with Him as if He were man.  Man rewards positive actions with trust.  God requires that we trust Him, and He rewards our trust with His actions.  We however cannot question His actions because they are part of a grand design, the end of which only God knows.  He is an unquestionable God.  When we question Him, we get in the way of His plans (Psalm 38:2).  Our questions are often based on what we know, and unfortunately, we do not know much because for now we only know in part (1 Corinthians 13;9).  He is sovereign, and we can rest on His words in how He deploys His sovereignty, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Our God is able to use every circumstance we may find ourselves in to work for His good and His glory.  Abide in Him and watch His plans for you unfold. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

I must say one more thing about the joy of being known by God.  There is no doubt in my mind that the idea of being known by God is a precursor to a lot of things that make our walk with God worthwhile.  Even as we strive daily to know God a little better, we find, as J.J Packer said in his book “Knowing God”, that what matters most is not the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it, the fact that He knows me.”  As important as it is that we know God, we find that on this side of eternity we can only know in part.  Our hope, always, is in what Apostle Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known”.  The time comes when we will know even as we have been fully known.  This tells me that it is important that God knows me, and also that the day will come when I will know more than I do now.

As much as we try, our identities are not clear to us.  We think we know who we are, but again, we only know in part.  Let us take the example of Simon Peter the first time he met with our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:42), He told Simon Peter, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”.  Obviously, the Lord Jesus already knew him inside and out.  He knew his complete identity.  What the Lord knew about him is completely different from what he thought he knew about himself.  Recall when the Jesus asked Simon Peter to cast his net in a certain direction and he ended up catching so much fish after initially arguing with Him.  Subsequently Simon Peter knelt down and proclaimed to the lord that he is but only a sinner.  That was what he knew about himself, that he was a sinner.  But the Lord Jesus knew so much more about him that he never knew.  Jesus called him the rock, and that was exactly what he became. 

As Simon Peter continued to grow in faith, the vestiges of his past still did not allow him to express his faith the way someone who is supposed to be a rock should.  When Jesus Christ asked him to walk on water, he did momentarily (Matthew 14:29-30), but when the wind started blowing his faith was not as stable as a rock was supposed to be.  When trials came for our Lord, Peter still managed to deny Him, as the Lord had already prophesied. All of these did not mean he was not the rock that our Lord Jesus Christ knew him to be; they were all part of the design of God in getting him prepared to play his role as the rock of faith.  That was his identity, Peter the rock, the one on whom the followers of our Lord had to depend.  All the events that occurred later proved this to be so.  One can argue that the event led to his knowing God much better.

In 1 Corinthians 8:2-3, Apostle Paul says “Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.” Meaning we do not quite know what we think we know.  However, anyone that loves God is known by God.  So, while we may not yet know why we are here, and we may not yet know who we are, or quite well who we serve, as long as we continue to love God, we are known by Him.  The time will come when we shall know fully, even as we have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).  So, here I see a nexus between knowing and being known.  It seems to me here, that knowing comes from being known, and being known emanates from loving God which comes from a relationship with Him.

Being known by God leads to knowing Him.  Being known by God leads to me knowing who I am and why I am here.  Being known by God transforms me.  All these can happen only when we have a symbiotic relationship with God and give ourselves completely to a real relationship with Him in word and in deed.  Knowing and being known transforms us to who we ought to be.  As Apostle Paul mentioned in Galatians 4:9, “But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”  Anyone who knows God or is known by Him is a new being and cannot go back to old rejected ways.  My prayer is that God will help us to love Him the best way we can. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

It can be kind of overwhelming to grasp or even think about the all-encompassing knowledge of God.  We get so stuck in this overwhelming mode that we fail to grasp or understand the import of this omniscient God for us, His children.  Last week I wrote about the fact that this means He knows my name and that the fact that God knows my name is a big deal for me.  There are so many more big deals that attempting to write about them will be a tall order.

I remember in my younger days living with my parents.  I was the quiet one but was always found in the company of the mischievous ones.  Whether at home or at school, when someone is doing something they are not supposed to do, I was there.  I was not necessarily the one doing it, but somehow, I am there, completely roped in.  The thing at home though, is how it seemed then that we could never do anything that our parents will not find out.  It does not matter what angle of her vision this is happening; all you will hear is “I see you”.  The worse was when these things do not even happen in the house and then you get back home and they, the parents, start telling you all the things you just did that you were not supposed to do.  Somehow, our actions preceded us.  In those days we could bet that these parents were all-knowing, and we would have won the bet because nothing can go past them. 

When I think of this all-knowing attribute of God, this is what comes to my mind, “I cannot get away with anything!”  He knows all there is to know about me, including things that I am not even aware of.  Wow!  It is quite sobering to think of.  “For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes” (Jeremiah 16:17). From the time the idea of sin forms in our hearts God knows.  When we ignore that little whisper in our minds that tells us we are about to commit a sin, God knows.  When we come back to God and give that fake “forgive me God”, all so because we think we are smart and can outsmart God, He knows!  Of course, that is foolishness and God knows our foolishness too.  “God, thou knowest my foolishness; And my sins are not hid from thee” (Psalm 69:5).  There is absolutely nothing we can hide from God. David in Psalm 119:168 talks about this when he said “I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.”  All our ways are before Him in the sense that He knows, and He sees all.

Another thing I think about is how this God knows what every of His creation needs to survive.  For animals He knows, for humans He knows.  For people who live in the tropics He knows, and for those who live in the temperate or even in the polar climates, He knows.  God knows every one of our needs.  “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”  Even before we ask, He knows.  If God can differentiate the needs of people in the tropical region from those of the temperate region, I bet He can also differentiate the needs between one person and another. Remember He knows each of us in and out and because He knows us, He knows our needs.  The word of God tells us that God “shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  He will provide your needs, and He will provide my needs.  My needs are not necessarily the same as yours.  All these facts about God’s knowing powers and promises for us have implications for how we live our lives.  They have implications for how we respond to His call. 

It can be quite scary and can even make one feel uncomfortable to know that God knows about all those things we will rather keep secret.  On the flip side, it can be comforting to know that this God knows all I need even when I have not asked and that He has the power to right wrongs for me.  You see we serve a God who is infinite while we are finite, a God who is unlimited while we are limited, a God who knows all while we know little.  The best decision one can make in life is to trust and obey this God because He has us completely covered. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

One interesting phenomenon I have come to observe, both as a Christian and as a Church leader, is the level at which we are always seeking for something.  Yes, people are always in search of something. Either we are searching for healing, or we are searching for wealth, or we are searching for fame. Some folks are in search of a partner or in search of a job.  We are all always looking for something. This has made many folks so desperate that they look in the wrong places. We forget we do not have to search too far because we have a maker who already knows everything about us.  Many of us also do not know the God we worship enough to realize that He knows us inside and out.

Why am I still searching when God Himself has already searched me thoroughly?  Psalm 139:1-2 says “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”  So, God knows every one of my troubles. When I go out, He knows. When I come in, He knows. When I am in pain, He knows. When I am in joy, He knows.  When I am in want, He knows and when I am in abundance, He knows. I do not need to look for anyone or go through anyone for God to understand my problems because He already knows.  God knows the real me. He is an all-knowing God. When I am not even sure who I am, God knows. He knows and He can use His revelation power to reveal a lot more to me than I can ever know about myself.  So, whatever I am searching for God already knows.

Whatever the burdens we are carrying on our shoulders, God wants to relieve us of these burdens.  We must however have a relationship with Him first. We need to know His name just as He knows our names.  When I was in High School, we had this Guidance Counselor who seems to know everyone’s names. He knew us so well that his counsel on which subject or profession we should engage in were usually right on the money.  I met this man again a few years ago, when many old students gathered to honor him, and I was surprised to find out that he still knew my name. As many as we were in the hall, each of us not only had words of appreciations for this man who guided us on our professional paths, but we also had various stories of our encounters with him while we were in school.  Back at school, none of us ever wanted to believe that the man truly knew our names until he has a personal encounter with you. For every student I know who has had this encounter, the feeling was always “oh my God, he knows my name”. This was so because it confirmed to us then, that the man truly had a relationship with each student. We all returned the favor, he was a beloved teacher among many. 

If a man could have that kind of impact on his students, how much more our God?  The all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God! It should be the same for us children of God.  Our God knows our names, a sign of His close relationship with every one of us. God loves us and we also need to return the favor by seeking a close relationship with Him.  The word of God in Jeremiah 1:5a says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”. He knows us because we are important to Him.

God knows your name, He knows my name; and as that popular worship song says, “He knows my every thought, He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call.”  You see, this our God that is omnipotent and omnipresent is not too powerful to relate with His own; He is not too powerful to know my name. I believe it is the song for that Sitcom “Cheers” that said, “Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name”.  That is okay, but I am perfectly satisfied being under God’s canopy of love anywhere, knowing fully well that He, above anyone else, knows my name. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

I have come across several Christians, and not many of them, me inclusive, can vouch or say without fear that they indeed know God.  And it is not that we do not know God, it is that we do not know Him the way we need to know Him.  For example, I find that the kind of things I often think about are those things that Apostle Paul referred to as “dung” (Philippians 3:8).  Our preoccupation many times have to do with material gains.  We think of how we can make more money in our chosen professions, or how we can move up the ladder and become the main man.  We think of how we can become famous.  Even in Kingdom service, many are thinking of how to become famous, not because we want to spread the word of God, but so that we will be known as people of note.  All these kinds of material gains are the things Apostle Paul said he “considered loss for the sake of Christ”.  He considered them loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.  Knowing God changes our commitment and the level of our service to Him.

There are many who know a lot about God.  However, there is a world of difference between knowing about God and knowing God.  There are people who have entire sections of Scripture perfectly memorized, and they may even be able to do things you and I cannot – but God is not really in their lives, because they do not know Him.  Many of us are easily broken when one or two life circumstances happen to us.  People who know their God do not brood over circumstances.  People who know their God do not become bitter because one thing or the other is not falling in place for them.  Those who know their God do not play victim because they happen to be in the valley of life, because they do not forget that the God they knew when they were on the mountain of life is still the same God in the valley.

There are yet folks who think they know God because they have gifts of tongues, gifts of healing, or gifts of the word.  And they are very quick to quote Daniel 11:32 that “the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits”, except that the passage is referring to a different kind of exploits.  Because, like we read in Matthew 7, on the day of judgement, prophesies and miracles will not give any advantage.  This means there are folks who perform those kinds of exploits but still do not know their God.  The word of God says “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ – Matthew 7:22-23.  What the Word of God is telling us in Daniel 11:32 is that those who know their God shall be strong in the face of different kinds of life circumstances, and they shall also do exploits for God.  There are three main things that will happen when we know God.

Firstly, those who know God will be zealous for God, just like Daniel and his three friends were even in the face of persecution.  The Word of God says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zeal.’” – Zechariah 1:13-14.  Those who know their God should be able to say “Come, follow me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” – 2 Kings 10:16. Secondly, those who know their God are bold in the Lord, just like Daniel and his three friends.  This same boldness was exhibited by the Apostles in Acts 5:29 when Peter and the other Apostles told the Sanhedrin “We must obey God rather than human beings!”  They knew how ruthless the King can be but they stood firm because of who they know. Lastly, those who know their God are always satisfied in the Lord no matter what situation they find themselves in, just like Daniel and his three friends.  Even when they were thrown in the fire, they were at peace because of who they know.  Apostle Paul, because of who he knew said “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

When we know God, we will not be “Cotton Candy” believers – looking pretty, tasting good, but when you bite into it there is literally nothing there!! Lots of calories but empty nonetheless. We all need to be zealots for God, because there is so much work to do.  It is in knowing God that this can happen.  The peace and contentment that follows knowing Him is an icing on the cake.  Are you ready to do exploits?

– Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

It has been a pleasantly revealing time of knowing God better, for us at Christ International Community Church (CICC), this year.  I say it is pleasant because I have personally enjoyed every moment of it. There is also no doubt that it has been revealing as God continues to show us a little more about Himself through the revelation of His words.  It has been a time of revival as many of us have woken up in the realization that the God we serve is much greater than we can fathom in our minds. I have seen many folks wake up to take responsibilities that I never thought they will.  I am seeing the word of God in Daniel 11:32b – that “the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” – being literarily confirmed by what the revelations about our God is leading His children to do among us. I see a revival in the making.

Many times, we talk about the need for revival in the Church of God.  The very concept of revival speaks to something that is dead and has to come back to life.  I see our relationship with God being revived as we continue to know Him better. Many think our relationship with God is dead because God is mad and has left us.  So, their idea of a revival is then predicated on getting God to come back. This is similar to what happens to us now when we talk about the need for a revival. We definitely need revival, but the revival we need is not of God’s return, because He never left, but of a people who need to know their God better so that they can get right with Him and their relationship with Him can get stronger.

How do we get right with God?  It is all about righteous living.  It is about obedience. It is about having a heart of worship.  It is about trusting God with all our being and all our might. However, being right with God requires a complete transformation of our minds just as Apostle Paul delivered in Romans 12:2 – “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Many of us Christians do not know what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, and we know not because we do not know the God we serve. I have seen many Christians who erroneously think that what is good and acceptable and perfect is to “bind and cast”. There are others who think that being a Christian is to be financially successful, so they align themselves with all kinds of prosperity gospel.  But Apostle Paul says the key to not wasting our lives with the kind of success and prosperity that many of us pursue, is by being transformed, such that we know God’s perfect will for us.

In essence, in order to get the transformation that we need to know what is good, and acceptable, and the perfect will of God, our minds must first be renewed. Apostle Paul said we should be transformed by the renewal of our minds.  Renewal of our minds gives us total transformation. Not conforming to the world is not just a matter of avoiding what the world does. That is transformation on the outside. I remember when I was first ordained as a Pastor, many people told me you cannot dance in public again.  They told me I should not eat in public again. They made a very long list of things I could or could not do again. Then, I wondered if I do not do these things openly but do it in my mind or in my room, what will that make me? In any case, how many can I realistically avoid? These are rules, and as obedience to rules go, they do not indicate the state of the mind.  However, when the mind is renewed, the transformation begins from the inside and then shines on the outside.

Renewal of the mind is not just by educating or reeducating the mind, but it is by what Apostle Paul again referred to in Ephesians 4:23 where he says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” Now, how can you be renewed in the spirit of your mind?  Being renewed in the spirit of your mind presupposes that your mind has a “spirit”. Of course, it does! What we call our “mindset” is the “spirit” of our mind. We must renew our mindset. We must renew our viewpoint, our bearing, our attitude, our bent, our inclination.  These constitute the spirit of our mind and we must renew them. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” When we renew our minds, we will no longer live in ignorance and in the futility of our own worldly thinking like the Gentiles do (Ephesians 4:17-18). It is only after we have been transformed that we can then rededicate our lives to serving the almighty God, and in so doing we can attain the level of grace that the Lord has planned for us.  We must be renewed to be transformed. When we are transformed, we will be ready for that revival that we all long for. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

Sunday, July 21st is children’s day at CICC; a day we set apart to get our children to take over most of the Service.  This is our own way of corporately doing what the Bible calls “train up your child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).  You can also call it our attempt at “passing the baton”. A Church that does not get the children and the youth involved in their services ultimately runs the risk of becoming extinct.  This is more so in this present world where the Church is competing with a lot of other things for our children’s hearts and time. It is therefore very important for us to take affirmative or intentional steps in making sure that our children are introduced early to our faith so that they can grow in it.

When our time passes by, the success we made of it will only be judged by the preparations we made for sustainment.  While it is important for leaders to disciple other leaders, who can succeed them and also maintain their legacy, it is even more important to make sure that the baton is correctly transferred to the generation coming behind.  As I always say, children are very good passive learners. Passive in the sense that when you are actively teaching them, they hear what you say but they do not necessarily follow what you say. On the other hand, what you do when it is not your intention to teach them is what they catch very quickly and imitate. This is what I call passive learning.  Values, especially, are caught and not taught. So, we must make intentional efforts at making sure that the values we display to our kids are the ones we want them to catch.  

In the letter Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he encourages them to be “imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2).  Paul is teaching us all how to live with this statement. It is reminding us that as we look to imitate our Father in heaven, so also our children are looking to imitate us.  Being aware of this, we must choose to live in a way that shows a good example to our children. This imitation thing has a bad side. It is one thing for the children to imitate what they see us do in Church, like they are doing today.  It is another thing, if they choose to imitate both our Church and our out of Church attitudes. Children learn how to act by seeing how we act. So, if they see us live our lives as loving Christians, the tendency is for them to grow up and become loving Christians.  If they see us as hypocritical Christians, there is a high probability that they will become the same. They will come to Church and put up a show just like we do, and when they get out of Church they will become monsters.  

My favorite Bible passage about children is Psalm 127.  Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain (Psalms 127:1).  We need the help of God to raise our children the right way. We cannot do it by ourselves.  So, we must make sure that we always reach out to God for help as our efforts alone are not enough.  The same Psalm 127 goes on to say in verses 3-4 that “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth”. One only needs to ask an archer, people who participate in the sport of shooting arrows, and we will find out how much time is spent in taking care of their arrows.  Only an arrow that has been well designed and well taken care off will hit its target. Our children are like that. The process of training them in the way they should go is the same as making sure the arrows are well polished, straightened, and ready to go.  When they are released, they will stay on their path and surely hit their intended targets. When, our children are properly prepared, when they are released, they will stay on their path and they will also hit their intended target. Malachi 2:15 tells us that God seeks “Godly offspring” from us. How do we make sure that our offspring are raised in a Godly way?  We must seek God’s help, and we must train them the way they ought to go. Training them the way to go also depends on how we live our lives. We must live a Godly life for us to raise Godly offspring. Therefore, when we talk about passing the baton, that baton we talk about is the Godly life. So, as much as we can, let us model a Godly life for our offspring and when they grow up, they will not depart from it. – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

ey can grow in it.

When our time passes by, the success we made of it will only be judged by the preparations we made for sustainment.  While it is important for leaders to disciple other leaders, who can succeed them and also maintain their legacy, it is even more important to make sure that the baton is correctly transferred to the generation coming behind.  As I always say, children are very good passive learners. Passive in the sense that when you are actively teaching them, they hear what you say but they do not necessarily follow what you say. On the other hand, what you do when it is not your intention to teach them is what they catch very quickly and imitate. This is what I call passive learning.  Values, especially, are caught and not taught. So, we must make intentional efforts at making sure that the values we display to our kids are the ones we want them to catch.  

In the letter Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, He encourages them to be “imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2).  Paul is teaching us all how to live with this statement. It is reminding us that as we look to imitate our father in heaven, so also our children are looking to imitate us.  Being aware of this, we must choose to live in a way that shows a good example to our children. This imitation thing has a bad side. It is one thing for the children to imitate what they see us do in Church, like they are doing today.  It is another thing, if they choose to imitate both our church and our out of church attitudes. Children learn how to act by seeing how we act. So, if they see us live our lives as loving Christians, the tendency is for them to grow up and become loving Christians.  If they see us as hypocritical Christians, there is a high probability that they will become the same. They will come to church and put up a show just like we do, and when they get out of church they will become monsters.  

My favorite bible passage about children is psalm 127.  Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain (Psalms 127:1).  We need the help of God to raise our children the right way. We cannot do it by ourselves.  So, we must make sure that we always reach out to God for help as our efforts alone are not enough.  The same Psalm 127 goes on to say in verses 3-4 that “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth”. One only needs to ask an archer, people who participate in the sport of shooting arrows, and we will find out how much time is spent in taking care of their arrows.  Only an arrow that has been well designed and well taken care off will hit its target. Our children are like that. The process of training them in the way they should go is the same as making sure the arrows are well polished, straightened, and ready to go.  When they are released, they will stay on their path and surely hit their intended targets. When, our children are properly prepared, when they are released, they will stay on their path and they will also hit their intended target. Malachi 2:15 tells us that God seeks “Godly offspring” from us. How do we make sure that our offspring are raised in a Godly way?  We must seek God’s help, and we must train them the way they ought to go. Training them the way to go also depends on how we live our lives. We must live a Godly life for us to raise Godly offspring. Therefore, when we talk about passing the baton, that baton we talk about is the Godly life. So, as much as we can, let us model a Godly life for our offspring and when they grow up they will not depart from it.

– Pastor Simbo Odunaiya

One of the most difficult things to convince a believer about is the goodness of God.  They do not even wait too long before they challenge you that if God were good, why is there so much evil in the world.  An obviously good question. So, we must go there, if God were good, why is there so much evil in the world? There is an age-old dilemma that we as Christians always have to deal with.  If God is all-good, then He would want to get rid of evil in the world. If He is all-powerful, then He has the ability to do it. Why then, is there so much evil in the world in the face of a good God.  It is a concept that is difficult to understand.

When we say God is good, we are saying that is His very essence.  God will not be God if He were not good. So, the goodness of God is one of His basic attributes.  Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” As it is with all of His attributes, the goodness of God can be seen in His creation.  Genesis 1:31a says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The goodness of God is very germane to our faith. We feel His goodness in our souls, we feel it in His provisions and His protections.  If, for example, someone was to prove to us that God is not good, or our mind somehow perceives that God is not good, then our faith can fall apart like a pack of cards. This is what the devil tries to do daily.  The devil tries to prove to us that God is not good. The devil tries to play with our mind and create a perception that God is not good. We ask questions like, if God were good, why am I suffering like this? We wonder why all the natural disasters if God is indeed good.  We tend to think the negative things all the time because that is what Satan will have us do so that we can begin to doubt this important attribute of our living God.

The truth, however, is that we can see proof of the goodness of God all around us daily.  This proof abounds in the life-sustaining provisions of God, in the crops that come in their own season for our food, and even in the air we breathe. As Christians we must be ready to showcase these proofs of the goodness of God to others every day.  But, what about the evil? This is how C. S. Lewis a former Atheist puts it: “If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having” (A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis).  In essence, the idea of evil in the world is the only reason goodness is appealing and worth pursuing.  When we look at the things we consider to be good, we find that there is supposition that there is evil.  For example, how can we talk about love without talking about hate. How can we talk about mercy without talking about wrong doing?  So, we have a choice, between love and hate; and between kindness and wickedness.  

Apostle Paul says when we sorrow, we should not do it as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  This is because we know our God is good and that good always overcomes evil. In our sorrows or when evil strikes, we can always cry out to our benevolent God.  When my late wife died at a young age, that was torment from Satan himself, but because I know I serve a good God I was able to cry out to Him in my anguish just like Job did in Job 1:21c, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”  The good Lord restored my soul, He restored my hope, and He ultimately restored my joy. That is our good God. The idea that God is good does not mean we will not have trials. The idea that God is good does not mean we will not be sick. But in all things God will establish His authority and show His benevolence.  The lessons we learn in life do not usually come through pleasure. In fact, great lessons of life will come during periods of adversities and pain. Afflictions can be blessings in disguise. The bible teaches that “tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:4, KJV), and “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17, KJV).  It is the way of salvation and does not take away from the goodness of our God. Despite the evil in the world, our God remains omnibenevolent. He is all good, and He is good all the time.