He will provide all things

Many times, we have worried about the basic needs of life. Whenever we experience the lack of food, clothing, shelter among other basic necessities in life, we tend to worry about how to get these things. Homelessness and its attendant issues can sometimes be traced to the lack of basic necessities of life. What do you do when you wake up to find that there is nothing to eat, drink, wear and you stand the chance of being evicted from your house? These things as basic as they are can cause one to lose focus in life. It is important we do our best to provide our basic needs in life, but we shouldn’t miss the fact that sometimes life can present unexpected turns of events.

In His popular sermon on the mountain, Jesus addressed this issue of dealing with the basic necessities of life. He said in Matthew ̈6:25‬ that “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Jesus knew that the basic needs of life can cause worry and He therefore appealed to His listeners not to allow the lack of clothes, food and drink to cause them worry. Jesus’ reason is this:
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:26‭-‬30‬).

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬)

Worrying doesn’t add anything to our lives, it rather takes away our time, energy and even our vigor. Our lack of things should not open us up for pain and shame. According to Jesus, we shouldn’t worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:31‭-‬32‬). Life is more precious than these things. There is a better approach according to Jesus and that is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬). Thus, if our lives are lived on the mantra of “God first” in everything, God shall provide for us the things we need in life. He will always bring helpers our way. He will provide us with the basic necessities of life and we shall not be at the mercy of worry. Sometimes, our real worry is not about the fact that we don’t have these basic needs.

Our real worry is about the desire to have what others have and be at par with them. Our real worry mostly centers on our wants, not our needs. It is not worth it crushing our brains because we want to wear purple dresses but we have blue dresses. These are things unbelievers struggle with in life. We should be content with what the Lord graciously provides for us each day.

Evildoers and their reward

There are some people who delight in causing pain and sorrow to others as long as their own needs are met. Such people can go the extra mile of hurting innocent people if that brings them the desires of their heart. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:1‭-‬2‬ admonishes us this: “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.” They might seem to be enjoying their evil but the reality is that their days are numbered and judgement awaits them. One woman in the Bible who was committed to evil was Jezebel, the wife of Ahab. She was fearless and had no respect for God and man.

As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ‭‭(1 Kings‬ ‭21:15‬)

In her quest to ensure that Ahab takes possession of a Vineyard belonging to Naboth, she went the extra mile and conspired to have Naboth killed for no reason. This evil plot was successful and “as soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ‭‭(1 Kings‬ ‭21:15‬). Jezebel’s wickedness did not go unnoticed. The Lord through the prophet Elijah declares a series of punishments for the house of Ahab and “concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’‭‭” (1 Kings‬ ‭21:23‬). Let’s consider a few lessons from this story:

Do not lie to get what you want: When Jezebel realized that king Ahab is sad because Naboth will not sell his Vineyard to him, she said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”‭‭ (1 Kings‬ ‭21:7‬) Jezebel wrote a letter in the name of the king and lied against Naboth that he has cursed God and the king. This wasn’t true but the nobles performed the instructions to the latter and killed Naboth. In Revelation 21:8, we are told that liars and all other sorts of sinful people are consigned to the lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 21:8).

Don’t hurt others to get what you want: There are others who don’t mind hurting others in the bid to get what they want. Jezebel’s murder of Naboth brought pain and sorrow to the Naboth family. Naboth was safeguarding his ancestral property and died for it. All the people who rely on Naboth would have been hurt because of this injustice.

Contentment: If Ahab had been content with his Vineyards, he wouldn’t have caused the untimely death of Naboth. Discontented people can do anything to get what they want. We need to understand this truth: “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:6‭-‬7‬). Paul, writing to the Philippian churches, reminded them of the need to be content whatever the circumstances (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:11‬).

Evildoers are destined for damnation: Jezebel and Ahab’s action led to bad consequences. This was the Lord’s verdict: “I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” (‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭21:21‭-‬24‬). Ahab’s family was wiped out in a drastic way. Don’t be in a hurry to instigate evil. You will pay before the law (imprisonment) and before the Lord (eternal punishment). Repent now!

Let love lead you in all your choices: When we love self and hate others, we make provision for a better ground of evil. Jezebel didn’t care about the harm Naboth’s death could bring. Her main goal was to satisfy Ahab’s desires. When we fail to demonstrate love to one another, we make room for evil. If whatever we do is not motivated by real love, we can do foolish things just to make us happy. Let love lead in all your ways.

Know this, “Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.‭‭” (Proverbs‬ ‭29:6‬). May God protect us from evildoers in Jesus name. Amen.

Oholah and Oholibah: The two adulterous sisters

The book of Ezekiel is full of different imagery depicting the state of the nation’s of Israel and Judah. Women were mentioned in different places referring to real women such as the enchantresses or women depicting the character of societies. All throughout scripture, the people of God have been given feminine attributes and are sometimes referred as the bride of God, the bride of Christ, daughters of God, daughters of Zion among many others. These feminine attributes include positive characteristics such as compassion, empathy, caring, loving,respectful, appreciative etc. However, some of the feminine depictions of the people of God demonstrate characters that show the weaknesses of the females. For example, we see greed, susceptibility, physical and emotional weakness among many others. Two such feminine depictions are mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 23:1 states this: “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.”

The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 23:4)

The verses 2-3 of Ezekiel 23 explain the moral state of these women: they were prostitutes. These women were born by one mother and their moral decadence was the same. Their prostitution was done in Egypt. The verse reveals this truth: “The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.” These women are not nameless. Oholah and Oholibah were daughters of the most high God. This revelation implies that the book is referring to symbolic daughters. Oholah and Oholibah refer to the nation’s of Israel and Judah. The very detailed description of their prostitution in Ezekiel 23:5-23 shows how the nations of Israel and Judah forsook God and chased after all the foreign gods in the lands they dwelt. They lusted after gods without power. They defiled themselves with the high and mighty. Oholah’s sin led to her deliverance to the Assyrians. The Assyrians stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her (Ezekiel 23:10).

Even with all these, her sister Oholibah was not moved. She even carried her prostitution further to the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians. Then a prophecy was given against Oholibah: “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.” (Ezekiel 23:28‭-‬31). The detestable practices of Oholah and Oholibah attracted God’s judgement. In Ezekiel 24:36-39, The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.”

If we are appalled by Oholah and Oholibah, imagine God! As much as we might want to condemn these two symbolic sisters, we should reflect on our own lives as believers. Has anything taken the place of God in our lives? Do we care more about things of the world as compared with the things of God? Do we desire or even covet the “gods” of the world? God doesn’t want us to lack, but He warns us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). If God is not enough for us, nothing will satisfy our insatiable needs. If our desire is to be like others and attain things, we might be drawn away from God and drawn towards those things we crave for. Satisfaction and contentment in God is relevant for our Christian journey.

Thanksgiving: He is good and His love endures forever

Another Thanksgiving Day is here again in Canada and for most people, it is about eating and having family and friends coming over. I imagine the homeless and those living on their own, it might be a lonely time for them. For most people, to have the best Thanksgiving Day means to get the best turkey and all the accessories that come with it. For some people, Thanksgiving is about belly satisfaction; for others, it is about pleasing family and friends and for few others,  it reminds them that they are alone. What is your plan for Thanksgiving? Did you have an advance Thanksgiving celebration? Is your turkey in the oven already? What are you Thankful for on this day?

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalms 107:1)

Holidays and celebrations are good periods for us to reminisce about the love of God and show it to the world. We should be intentional about our Thanksgiving to God. The fact that you have strength to eat your turkey should remind you to be grateful. Don’t compare your kitchen with others. You might not have all it takes to host a bigger Thanksgiving lunch, but you have enough to provide for yourself and your family. Others have nothing to eat. Others will spend the whole day crying for not having anyone to celebrate with. Still, others will be on the street begging to survive. If we have a roof over our heads, food on our table and peace of mind, we should be thankful to God for His provision. Today, let’s join the Psalmist and celebrate the goodness of God with Psalms 47.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” (Psalms 107:1‭-‬43 NIV)

Happy Thanksgiving Day, be happy, be grateful and be content!

Keep your lives free from the love of money

Does God desire for believers to be rich? Obviously! God’s desire that your spiritual and physical well-being are healthy. To be rich in spiritual things and poor in life is not healthy.  The opposite is not healthy either. A false balance is abhorred by the Lord. As much as we seek to grow in spiritual things, we should also seek to gain mastery in managing wealth. However, in our quest to gather money, we should also have a kingdom mindset: money should not rule us. Money is like fire, it is a very good servant  but when it becomes your master, you are heading out  for destruction. What should we do to have a good balance in money matters?

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

God knows that you will need money. In fact, we see Jesus catching a fish to get money to pay the temple tax. But, we should be mindful not to be carried away by our desire to make money. The author of Hebrew stated that, “keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). As we saw yesterday, the love of money is the root of all evil therefore we should not channel our desires just to love money. Sometimes, it is difficult to talk about money without being reminded of all that we need money for. The truth is we need to work to support God’s work, provide a decent livelihood for ourselves and to provide for the poor. Our resources should have eternal value. 

Knowledge of this should bring some sense of contentment. No one desires to work and have the money given to another. If you are physically strong to engage in an employable venture, please do, and do not put your burdens on others. As you work daily, know that with God on your side, your cup will never run dry. If you are doing life with God, know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I have experienced rock bottom stages in life on a few occasions and God came through miraculously. While I worried nothing happened, when I continued with my life and cried out to God using His word, He brought help to me.

If you don’t know how to pray about your finances, use scriptures to pray. God wants to prosper us all ways, spiritually and physically. Knowledge of that should give you peace when you are at the lowest point. 

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (3 John 1:2)

The Original life owner

Growing up in Ghana, I heard popular cliché such as “life owner”, “living my full life”, “best life” and many more. It is easy to think that we live our best lives when we are in control of everything including our fashion style, our finances, our businesses, our marriage, our children etc. These things are good and might give temporary satisfaction but they do not give you a full life. The most hardworking people are all rich and famous. Why do we need to work when we are still rich? Why don’t we get permanent satisfaction from pleasure? Why do we still desire things each day?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

Man’s insatiable needs cannot be satisfied with man’s hardwork and riches. In fact, whether you are working hard or smart, none is able to make you whole. When we started our online business (working smart), it did not stop us from desiring to have more opportunities to work. The devil is much aware of man’s insatiable appetite for wealth and affection. Therefore, he comes like a thief (usually not clothed as a thief) to entice man until he steals you from God, kills your dreams and visions and finally destroys you and makes you a candidate for hell.

The level of total and permanent satisfaction is only found in Christ. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Jesus is the original “life owner”, He gives grace to “live life in full” and we have our “best life” through Him. It doesn’t mean you will have a bed of roses, what it means is that you will be made spiritually whole and thus be able to escape the deceitfulness of the devil. So the question is, are you living your best life now?”

To ponder:
With Jesus in your boat, you are assured of getting to your destination. When the storms and the tempest roll, He will just proclaim, PEACE, BE STILL. Therefore, commit to making Jesus the captain of your life.