The Lost Art of Service

I wish Adam never fell to the Devil's schemes. Why have we failed to take advantage of and live in accordance with the examples of Jesus Christ Himself? The natural man is greedy, covetous, seeking self importance, prideful, arrogant, hoarding, with a zeal to Lead, be popular and feared. Yet, Jesus the greatest man who has ever lived on earth displayed contrary attributes. He came to show us God's intention and manual for man's existence on earth; to be humble, generous, serve without the pressing need for acknowledgement, love without expecting anything in return. For the very reason that Christ died for our sins, before we even came to know Him, speaks of a man who left all his grandeur in heaven, to show us what it means to love truly.

Christians have been blinded by religiosity. They want to lead and not serve. They want people to deem them as important. They want their words to be law. They want to be feared. They want to amass all the riches and be viewed as society's top class citizens. They want to air their views to seem important irrespective of how God would have them act. They have reduced Christianity to a set of rules, reduced the power that should work in them, living by the letter of the Bible instead of the power, intent and Spirit behind the letter. The politics and attitude in the church is fearful. I speak of the church because, whatever it permits becomes allowed on earth, and vice versa. All that we see in the world is an extension of what goes on in the church. Men are anxious to be viewed as important, the life blood that holds an organisation together. The boss is demeaning, disrespectful to his subordinates because he thinks he wields power, treat people anyhow and get away with it. What a world!

Whatever happened to treating a fellow human nicely without expecting anything in return? What about enjoying anonymity and yet being the brain behind the successful project that everyone knows about? How about being the boss and not dishing orders disrespectfully? What about respecting the opinion of other people? Forgiving a person when they hurt you, even if they don't say 'I'm sorry'? What has happened to the art of service? Why are humans power hungry? Why do they become power toxic when they eventually occupy a position of power? "I can see it now - at the final judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God- sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.' Matt 7:21-23

I earnestly pray that we'd go back to the basis of our Christianity, living by the examples Christ displayed and being actually Christ-like. "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." Phil 2:5-8

God Bless You

Spiritual Unity in Marriage

When God designed marriage, Adam acknowledged that the woman shall be "the bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife: and they shall become one flesh". Gen2:23&24 I strongly believe this oneness includes both physical, emotional and especially "Spiritual Unity". Although they messed this oneness up with disobedience, the redemption of Jesus restored the marriage unit to the oneness originally intended by God. Today, I see a lot of marriages focus on other aspects of "oneness", disregarding the most essential aspect of "oneness", which is SPIRITUAL UNITY. 

By spiritual unity, I mean both parties being in a place in God where they know who He is, the way He works, and understand His purpose. In most marriages today, you find out this is not the case as either the wife is trying to expand her husband's understanding of God by coercing him to go to church and work for God, or a husband is trying to make his wife see the reason why she needs to grow in God. I strongly believe that the world would have been in a better place than it is in today, if much attention was paid to spiritual unity. 

A spiritually united couple will be armed with purpose, and would walk in destiny together. The power of unity will see them have dominion in whatever sphere they decide to play in. They will produce seeds who know their identity and are unstoppable. They will together make decisions seasoned with wisdom, discernment, understanding, built on the very foundations of God's kingdom; righteousness and Justice. Even during tests and trials, they will trust in the saving power of the God they know. 

For those yet to be married, I strongly encourage that you look beyond the other "brouhahas" every one is used to. The spirit of God is the essential quality you need in order to determine other factors to be put into consideration before choosing a mate. You then proceed to inquire from God what His plan is concerning your marriage. Your knowing His plan will aid in your spiritual oneness with your spouse. For those who are married with the desire to experience spiritual oneness, God is able to reveal this to you, if you yield to Him. He teaches all things. One fact however remains that you cannot achieve spiritual oneness if you do not know your personal purpose. Personal Purpose and Spiritual Oneness, are both journeys that can only be embarked on in God.

God Bless you

In the Midst of Everyone's Opinion..

Whose approval do you live for? On whose opinion and advice do you base your life's decisions? In this age of social media, do you live and do things for the 'likes' or for approval by the majority? In the midst of every one's opinion concerning your circumstances, who do you listen to?

As I journey through life, I have come to realize that everyone has some form of advice and opinion concerning almost every aspect of your life. From family, to friends, to the endless list of loved ones. While Father wants you to take a job at a prestigious international organisation, Uncle thinks you should get a third degree. Friends think you should start a business. Aunties think you better settle down and get married. Others think you are better off at any job you find, after all half a bread is better than none. Truth be told, they all have your best interests at heart. Yet, if you find yourself caught up in this mix of 'what everyone thinks you should be doing', what do you do? Do you succumb to taking each and every advice?(If you do, you might just drown!)

In the end, all that matters is the voice and direction of your manufacturer and maker; God. As I come to know Him intimately, I understand that He will show you the path to take as you journey through life."I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go". Isaiah 48:17 In most cases, no one would understand this path except you who has been given the manual specifically. Trying to explain to others without revelation, will more often than not lead you to a dead end. 

If you are faced with making a decision today, whether as regards a business deal, a career move, an investment decision, or in the course of your relationship(marital or otherwise), I challenge you to listen to the voice of God irrespective of the clutter of voices around you. You remain responsible for your life's decisions. Besides, when you are solely dependent on God, He holds you accountable for your every action, because He'd test and judge your every action right on the spot. I encourage you not to be deterred by the non-acceptance of your decisions by those around you including your loved ones. It took Jacob a while to accept the authority of his son Joseph, despite the dreams he was privy to. Eliab despised David his seeming 'little brother' because of his courage and boldness. Mary and Joseph didn't understand Jesus' zeal for His Father's work, despite the supernatural conception they experienced. Let your confidence be in the Lord's direction of your every move. 

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

God bless you