Are you a fan or a follower?

Today, the world is defining what it means to be a Christian in so many interesting ways. The disturbing part however is that we have created more fans for our Lord Jesus, than followers.

I guess you know who fans are. They sit with the cheer dancers, singing and jubilating as long as you keep winning. I have heard people say, “Chelsea for life” in one season and “Man-U for life” the next season. Fans really don’t care about the things you do to get to the top, all they want is for you to shine for them.

Does our Lord Jesus want us to be His fans? I would say, He wants His followers to be His fans. Followers stick around long after the cheering is over. They care about your interests beyond the pitch. Followers try to be as disciplined at their Master.

In Matthew 8:19-20, after all the astounding miracles done by Jesus, a young man who I believe was a fan made the bold declaration to follow Him. The Master was quick to give him the true picture- there are no mansions, no SUVs, body guards attached to this SuperMan! After that eye-opener, there was no other record of that man following Jesus.

Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 

However, to us who have decided to follow Him, He says “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). He didn’t try to candy-coat the reality of following Him just so that His band stand will be filled. He wanted followers and not just fans.

If we are Christians, then we can’t just be fans. Fans have no business with self-denial. They will not give up anything of value for the Lord. Fans are ashamed of the Cross but celebrate its glory.

Followers are disciples of Jesus. That’s the life we are called to. We are called to represent the Master.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. Luke 6:40.

Dear friend, train to be like the Master!

On the Las Vegas massacre...

Watching and listening to the news on the monstrous event that claimed the lives of 58 innocent people, points one to so many realities.

The man who committed this unt

hinkable evil, was an American who was living the ‘American dream’. He had never had to pay for electricity without any power supply. I can bet that he had never had the fender of his latest model SUV pull out because he made a wrong plunge into a ‘pot-hole’. I know for certain that he never drove a sick relative to a hospital and was told that doctors were on strike.

Stephen Paddock was blessed by human standards. He was rich enough to have owned two private aircrafts. He was also reported to have loved the Sin City, Las Vegas.
What could have gone wrong with such a man? It hasn’t been established that he was linked to ISIS or any other Islamic group. This was a premeditated evil; one that he spent money, time and careful planning to achieve.

Friend, no matter what the investigations throw up tomorrow, it is clear that this seemingly blessed man was frustrated, bitter and eaten up by the devil. It made me think about Luke 12:15 again – And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Indeed the content of our lives is not in the things we possess.
If such a wealthy man could feel so much emptiness to have committed such a mindless act, then it is certain that he lacked that one thing that makes life full and worth living- loving the Lord.

This incident and several others of its kind affirm the Scriptures in Matt. 24:12 and 2 Timothy 3:1-4 about the last days. Today, like no other time in history, the love of men are waxing dead cold, men are unloving, unforgiving, despisers of good, unholy, brutal, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

We are living in the last days; the signs are all here. The Bible also said that activities will be going on like nothing is wrong, to the point that men will not be mindful of these signs (Matt. 24:38 – 39 paraphrased).

The question for us is, “had I been one of the victims of this massacre, the hurricanes or the mudslide, would I have made it to eternity with Christ?’ Before you say, “God forbid”, please take time to answer this question honestly.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims. May the Lord comfort you all.

Is life really vanity upon vanity?

I tend to agree a lot with king Solomon on most of his summations about life and I know you can’t blame me for that. After all, he was a man who saw it all, took it all, had it all.
However, the life of Apostle Paul and his own declaration about life left me thinking if it’s the same life that was described as ‘vanity upon vanity’ by Solomon the great.

Apostle Paul had nothing as compared to the amount of wealth king Solomon commanded. He didn’t have a personal house, not to mention one that had a swimming pool; no wife nor concubine, yet his frustration about life and living was expressed by this statement-

And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your, it is better that I continue to live. Phil. 1:20-24 NLT

The difference in the perspective of these two men wasn’t the absence or presence of material wealth. It was a determination to pursue divine purpose. Solomon forgot God’s agenda for his life, hence the failure, confusion and frustration that led to his conclusions.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Eccl. 2:11 NKJV

Apostle Paul on the other hand summed up all his pursuits in life into one eternal goal- I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14 NKJV

Life becomes a chasing of the wind (Ecclesiastics 1:14) when we chase any other thing other than God’s purpose for our lives.

Action Point
Can you say that living for you is more fruitful work for Christ? Please make your time here, count for Jesus.

Resisting the devil? How?

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

I had an encounter with this verse of Scripture some days back. Often times, the reason the devil does not flee from us when we resist him is because we haven’t fulfilled the condition that empowers our warfare. Submitting to God is how to resist the devil.

If we make a success at submitting to God, then our lives’ default setting will become ‘resist the devil’ with little or no action from us.

Hey dear! How have you been fighting? Putting the cart before the horse or the horse before the cart?
I can even imagine the wicked one gritting in excitement, yes gritting in excitement at our folly and misplacement of the order of spiritual weapons. If we are to use the Word which is the Sword of the Spirit in battle, let's make sure to also obey it.

Looking at our theme Scripture, I would think that it’s easier to do the first part and allow the second and third to glide along. How is it that we keep trying to work it from behind?
According to 2 Corinthians 10:6 it is only when we are walking in obedience to God that God fights those seeking to contradict His Word over lives.

So, if we submit to God, it is correct to say that the devil will flee from us!
💞💞💓

Parable of the Talents

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Matthew 25: 15-18 NKJV

In this parable, our Lord Jesus taught about our responses to eternal gifts. There is no difference between the man who received the five talents, the man who received the two and even the man who received one talent. What made the difference is how they responded to the gifts.

You’d notice that the man with the five talents came back with five more, making 100% profit and the same with the man with two talents. In these two instances the response of the Master to both men were the same- ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He scored them by what He gave them.
Had the man who received one talent returned with one more, the Master would have congratulated him too.

The problem with most of us is that we are not responding well to the gifts and potentials that God has deposited in us. Yours mustn’t be as ‘BIG’ as your friend’s before you can bring returns to the Master. Do something with what the Lord gave to you. We all carry great treasures.

The servant who did nothing with his talent was called wicked and lazy by the Master. ...‘You wicked and slothful servant! Matt. 25:26
So, it's wickedness and laziness to not put to use the gifts and potentials God has deposited in us. And you'd see that the Master took his one talent and gave it to the man who already had ten.
We attract divine favour when we are diligent at our duty posts.

Action Point
You are created for so much more! Go out and trade with your talents. It’s wickedness to God when we do not use our gifts. If you buried any talents, dig it out and dust it up today.

The Parable of the barren fig tree

He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that[a] you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)

In the parable of the fig tree, God is the Landowner, and Jesus is the Keeper of the Vineyard. You and I are the fig trees. We see the Vinedresser, our Lord Jesus negotiating for extra time on behalf of the figs. And the Vinedresser didn’t just secure extra time but he did something to help the figs bear fruit. He dug around them and fertilized them. This extra time and His digging around the figs is what we call grace today; it is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus to redeem us from eternal destruction. Grace came so that we can be fruitful.

The Vinedresser fertilized the figs when He sent us the Holy Spirit, to quicken us, teach us all things and make us fruitful unto God (John 14:26).

In spite of how much the Vinedresser was willing to raise the fig, He never promised to make it bear fruit. He said ‘…if it bears fruit, well. But if not, You can cut it down’. The word ‘…if” is indicative of the fact that it’s our responsibility to make something of the grace of God upon our lives. His grace came to make us fruitful.

What are you doing with your extra time? Are you bearing fruit? If not, begin today to abide in Christ, to avoid being cut down.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4)

Prayer
Lord, please help us to be fruitful so that we will not be cut down.

Love and obedience

Obedience to God is such an essential attribute of our Christian lives that it is the proof of our love for God. There’s no way we can claim to love God if we are not walking or willing to walk in obedience to His Word.  

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. John 14:23 NKJV

Obedience has been defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of one in authority.” The word ‘dutiful’ means it is an obligation to obey God as our Creator. ‘Submissive’ indicates that we yield our wills to God’s will as the One Who has authority over us. 

While it is good to obey God as a matter of duty, it is far more pleasant when we obey Him out of love. When we begin to think about Him as a Lover who we do not want to hurt, obedience to Him will become a lifestyle. Then, we’ll no longer struggle with submitting to Him.

If you take a second look at the Bible passage above, you’ll see the web of love and obedience. It’s the love inspired obedience that attracts the love of God and ultimately gives birth to fellowship with the Divinity (…and We will come to him and make Our home with him).  

Have you settled the love question yet? If not, you can open your heart to Him today in a special way. You can find Him at the place of prayer. 

Obey Him if you love Him and love Him if you want to obey Him. Then and only then will They come and make Their home with you. 

Lord, help me to love You with all my heart, all my soul and with all my mind!