LOVE REDEFINED

LOVE REDEFINED (The motivation for creation)

1John 4:8;16, Psalms 8, Gen 1:26-31

The first book of the Holy Scriptures reveals to us the records of the events of creation. It reveals to us how God lighted the dark places of the earth, gave form to the formlessness and filled up the emptiness of the earth. After all these, we realised that God did all He did just to make the earth habitable for man and for man to be the king and authority over the earth as long as he subject himself to the authority of his creator.

One day, as I was meditating on the concept of biblical creation of man and the earth, I was moved to ask the Holy Spirit for the inner motivation that propel God to create man and grant him such privileges. The Holy Spirit made me realised that actions are reflection of the true nature of the actor. The creation of man was born out of the hunger of God for an object of love by reason of His nature as the Love God. Creation was just a reflection of the Love nature of God. He was hungry for someone upon whom He can lavish His love and resources to prove His Love nature. Love isn't perfect if we have a subject of love without an object of love.

The nature of God made Him to act out in love. Who you are inside will determine what you will reflect outside. Your heart will determine your acts. Permit me to confront you today with the fact that you cannot claim to love if you do not possess the nature of the Love God in you. God is Love and until you are born of God, you possess the nature of the devil. It is impossible for the devil to love. Even his agents will end up in the fire with him. He does not have the capacity to love likewise you if you are not born again.

May I warn someone reading this piece today that no one can truly love you if it is not Christ that is loving you through such a person. The heart of an unregenerate man is deceitful and full of darkness and the heart will determine the acts. The person may claim to be loving but it is all deceit and wouldn't last. The son of a devil is a devil. Always remember this.

Prayer: Father please help me to understand the true nature You possess and represent. Help me live my life with the consciousness of Your heart within and let Your nature be made my reality
Amen!!!

COMMUNION: FUEL TO LOVE

COMMUNION: FUEL TO LOVE

Rev 4:11; Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5-6

While God called forth other creatures to existence, He took His time to create, form and make man to conform into His image and likeness so that He can have smooth fellowship with man with ease at all times. God knew that for man to be able to relate with and commune with Him the right thing to do is to design and make man in His own replica, image and likeness.

God decided to upgrade His style of creation because of the love He has for man even making him. He created man specially for communion with Himself so that we can be fit for dominion on the earth for Him. The strength and authority for dominion on the earth was designed divinely to spring from our communion with God and our communion with Him cannot be a reality if we do not possess within us what will make for a connection, communication and communion with God.

We were created out of love for fellowship with the person of God so as to transmit same to all creatures. In our days, we emphasise the dominion mandate without a good grasp on the Communion requirement. God is still hungry for fellowship with His men till this day and it is with men that create time for God that He is well pleased. (Gen 5:21-24; Hen 11:5-6)

The proof of God's love toward man is the privilege of being conferred with the dominion mandate and mantle but the demand of God's love from man is the appreciation and appropriation of the grace, privilege and platform of communion with God.

Prayer: Father help me to understand the value of the rare privilege of communing with You and please help me to maximise same to bring honor to You all my days on the earth. Amen!!!

LOOK DOWN ON NO ONE

LOOK DOWN ON NO ONE ON THE JOURNEY

Gen 1:26-31; 1 Sam 30:8-11; Acts 4:13; John 4:39-42

When God created man, He did not create some to be superior and some to be inferior. He created all men to be in His image and likeness.  After creating other creatures, He looked and said It was good but after creating man, He looked and said it was very good. Man being the crown of God's creation on the earth was the reason why God moved from the realm of 'good' to 'very good'. Man is the workmanship, best work of art of God and the masterpiece of God.

Alas, many of us despise what God value. We rate ourselves superior to others because we think that they do not possess what we have and so they do not fall into the class of men whom we can associate with you. We assess men by worldly concept of superiority thus causing serious pain to the heart of God. Most times, many of us lose those whom God has prepare to help us fulfil our purpose on the journey of life because we expect too much from those we think God should send to us.

David on his journey of recovering all that the Amalekites have taken from his camp at Ziklag had an encounter with an Egyptian who seems to be of no value to them but David by God's wisdom cared for the man despite the need to recover his people and his goods. On the long run, it was this man that God used to make their journey successful. One would have thought that God would have led Elijah to a rich man in the land instead of the widow of zarephath but God works in mysterious ways. He uses the base things of this world to confound the wise.

Jesus showed us a great example of valuing men. In making the choice of his disciples, He did not go for the elites or the educated of his days. He stooped low to the company of the fishermen, to the sinful tax collector in Matthew and to several men of no significance in the sight of men. The pathway of the gospel into Samaria was paved by a woman who would have been tagged by many of us to be an harlot. No one is invaluable with God and God can use anyone to assist you in the fulfillment of divine purpose.

No one looks down and go up. You only move in the direction of your vision. When you look down always on men, you cannot go far in life because your focus and vision will always be downwards. You lose the opportunities around you and ahead of you when you despise men and look down on them. If you must go up, look up and see the best in men around you.

Prayers: Grant me Father the true understanding of the fact that You created men in Your image and likeness for Your pleasure and glory that I may live aright with men around me. Amen!!!

GOD OF THE CONTRAST 4

GOD OF THE CONTRAST 4

In the last episode of this topic, we saw the biblical injunctions as to our rightful attitude during each season of any of the extremes of the contrast since our attitude determines how profitable or otherwise the situation will be for us.

In this episode, I want to highlight some of the steps to be taken especially when we find ourselves in the negative extreme of the contrast of life.

1) CHECK YOUR LIFE UNDER GOD'S LIGHT: Whenever it seems that hard times strike us, we must strive to quickly place ourselves under Gods searchlight and see if there be any iniquity in us that has attracted the challenges to our lives (Psalms 139:23-24). Having done this and we see ourselves free from any sin or guilt, that is when we can stand confidently in God waiting for His time and purpose. The wages of sin is death. Death is not just a cessation of life but a reality of being cut off from the rightful environment where one belong. When Adam was sent out from Eden, He was dead to Eden and alive to the forest . When a child is born, he is dead to the womb and alive to the world of men.

Likewise whenever we sin, the result of sin may be our being cut off from our season of prosperity and translation into a season of adversity. Thanks to God for the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all our sins whenever we confess them with a genuine contrite and repentant heart. (I John 1:9)

B) UNDERSTAND GOD'S UNDYING LOVE FOR YOU: Read Isaiah 48:10-11, ROM 8:31-39.
Always remind yourself that whatever a love God does to His own children are acts of love. Our God is love , loving and lovable and can never do any wicked or harmful thing to His beloved. He does things in love in His own way and for His Name sake.

When we understand His love in any situation, it'll be difficult for us to complain or murmur in His hearing. Our revelation of His love towards us propels within us a strong love for Him that makes the situation work for our good. Paul the apostle noted that nothing can seperate us from the love of Christ . This means that our situations does not regulate Christ's love for us I.e either we are rich or poor, His love for us is intact. This means that even if we are feeling pain because of the circumstances we are facing we should have a rest, assurance and succour in the truth that in all these, Christ still loves me.

The loving God of the mountain is still the caring God in the valley !!!