For
unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be
upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
For God so greatly loved and dearly
prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that
whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish
(come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (Thus) The
Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 3:16(amp) John
1:14(msg)
God
gave us His best… thus, He can’t and will not withhold anything from good from
us. The beauty of Christmas… A reminder of God’s love, mercy and faithfulness.
Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, and Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
There’s something about the Christmas season that brings undeniable joy and good cheer. It always seems like the atmosphere changes and people smile more, are more cheerful and are just generally in a jolly good mood… and I’m not just talking Christians. I’m talking about everyone! smiling at random strangers and saying "Merry Christmas" even when they try to change it to "happy holidays" we still get the point... it's Christmas!
The malls and markets are over crowded… gift giving, food cooking and sharing, and the good life in general. They say it’s just the holiday season… but this isn’t just any holiday season even if they choose to deny the fact. It’s not just the stuff gotten that makes it special. I should know… trying to get Christmas gifts for my nieces as happy as I am to do it, is enough to suck the joy out of my thinning wallet… but look, I still have joy even in the midst of spending, however little.
This is the season when Gods salvation plan manifested.
Christ came… and joy came with him. Because in His coming was the fulfillment of his death, burial and resurrection that reconciles us with our heavenly Father and elevates us to the position of honor.
Yesterday, I heard Pastor Onyema Monye say that Christmas season is “a season of fulfilled prophecy"
Something leaped in me when I heard that. It put to words what my heart was trying to shape for this post.
It Is indeed a season of fulfillment of prophecy… the word that was spoken through the prophets of old and recorded in the bible, from Genesis to Micah and the books between, was fulfilled in this season with the birth of Jesus… the word became flesh and dwelt among us(kjv0... the word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood(msg) John 1:14... who wouldn’t be excited when such a prophecy is fulfilled? That gives me butterflies in my belly. It causes me to rejoice… because it’s a season where my prophecies are fulfilled as well. Jesus coming changed everything for me, and for you. Circumstances and situations have no power to bury this truth.
Joy to the world, in His coming, was the beginning of the process for the perfect sacrifice for my redemption… “Because Jesus was conceived supernaturally without human intervention, His blood was divine, holy and untainted by human sin! And that’s why it was perfectly qualified and perfectly able to wash away every sin of mankind when it was shed at the cross.” Joseph Prince
The joy of the Lord is my strength(Nehemiah 8:10)… because He has come, You and I have Joy and this joy is our strength. Our strength to stare down opposition and shadows that try to cover us.
Because he has come… We will rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) even when life doesn’t seem to give us reasons to. We will hold on to the ultimate reason; Christ was born, and through His birth, to the cross, in his death, burial and resurrection, we have eternal life. We have a perfect sacrifice speaking for us. We have salvation and in this salvation is hope… hope in the promise of the cross. In this salvation is all access that qualifies us to be called a son of God. That assures us that just as much as God loves Jesus, we are loved…
Joy to the world because as we have received or will receive Christ, not just into the world but into our lives, according to Ephesians 1:3-11….
We are blessed with every blessing… the minute we connect with him
We are chosen in Him.
We are holy, blameless and loved.
We are adopted into His family.
We are accepted in the beloved
We are forgiven… and certainly not licensed to sin in this forgiveness, this grace… rather in the total forgiveness, love and grace and our understanding of His complete undiluted forgiveness and extravagant grace; we are empowered to live above sin.
We have wisdom; we have all knowledge (There’s so much left untapped because we don’t use the gift of the Holy Spirit as much as we should)
We Know God's will, because His Spirit is in us.
We are joint heirs with Christ.
All things are ours.
God has invested Himself in us.
We cant be separated from the love of God... ever!
That’s a reason to rejoice. To live in Joy, and with all the points listed in Ephesians 1, there’s even more to rejoice about even in the face of the lies and evil reports the devil tries to throw at us.
Like Herod tried to kill the baby Jesus/the prophecy that was fulfilled, but was unable to even with all his efforts, the devil can’t kill our individual prophecy, as much as he tries … no matter how long it takes, or how far fetched it looks, in the words of Juanita Bynum “the prophecy is still alive” Be encouraged knowing, it can't and wouldn't be killed. be encouraged by the fulfillment of this prophecy that God does not and cannot lie... His word will surely come to pass in your life... the key? Keep your eyes fixed on the slain lamb... the sacrifice of Jesus, His finished work... the blood covenant. Look to the cross and walk in the fulfillment of Gods word concerning you.
So, joy to you... the King is come indeed!
Was to certain poor
shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay
keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night
that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
The First Noel
The
shepherds were going about their own business… watching their flocks on that
night when suddenly they saw a host of angels. They encountered something that
must have been such a spectacular sight, with a message that changed the world. And with
that announcement, they hurried to see for themselves what they had been told
As
the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s
get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has
revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby
lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the
angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were
impressed.
Luke 2:15-18(msg)
Those shepherds must have been men of
great faith… after all the experience of angels doing a praise break (now that’s a sight I’d be triple triple
delighted to see, an angelic praise break… it must have been such a sight for
the shepherds) they were given the news of the birth of a king… its one
thing to get revelation in the presence of God, in an atmosphere where the
glory is glaring… in church, in the place of worship or your private fellowship
with God… its one thing to get the message, the word in the light of Gods tangible presence... from your pastor etc. It
illuminates through you. It lights up your body and your heart is enlarged, you
are refreshed and ready for battle… and its another thing to keep the faith
after the thrill and excitement of the moment wears out. When the atmosphere
isn’t as dense as it was. When the worship music stops and you move away
through life, on your way to Bethlehem to see the word, like the shepherds… its one thing, and its one thing to see
the word in flesh… because sometimes, most times, it doesn’t always manifest as
it is. It comes as a speck, a tiny seed that transforms into something bigger
with time… into the promise you’ve been handed.
Those were men of faith to go to Bethlehem
and not in the finest inn or home, but in the room where animals were kept, not
in a crib, but on a manger where animal food was served… they saw a baby there
and they recognized the king in him, not by sight, but by the word spoken to
them. They held on to that word to be true even when the surrounding situation
was dodgy. I mean we hear from God sometimes, but we still find ourselves in a
place of doubt…
They didn’t let their doubt stop their
worship… they worshiped the king even when He didn’t look like one. They
worshiped Him when he was just a baby in a manger. Even if they questioned when
logic slowly seeped in, even when they could convince themselves that maybe they dreamed the angelic hosts rejoicing… they still worshiped, and
they didn’t stop there, they went about telling everyone the word concerning
the child in a manger. Their conviction must have been so strong, strong enough
for the bible to record that those who heard the bizarre news through them were
impressed.
You see, God gives us words… and this
words manifest in form of seeds, but we refuse to look at this seed, and we
ignore them sometimes, because they don’t look like the picture God has shown
you. When a baby first forms in its mother’s womb, it looks nothing like a
baby. He’s not giving you a full-blown ‘adult’ dream when you haven’t birth it.
And sometimes the birthing wouldn’t be where and how you want it to be, it will
be in a manger… but don’t be so short sighted, that you fail to recognize the
king you have birth becomes it doesn’t come in or from the package you expect.
For
who hath despised the day of small things?...(Zechariah 4:10)
Don’t despise the days of small things…
when you see the word manifest as a child in a manger… rejoice, worship God for
fulfilling His word, and let it grow into the bigger picture that was shown.
Don’t kill the vision before it manifests fully because it’s delivered in a
different package than what you imagined.Elijah's servant saw the cloud as small as a mans fist and it was enough for Elijah to confidently send a message to the king to get up and going, for he knew he had been answered. (1 Kings 18:43-45)
Also, the shepherds story showed me that
we can’t continue despising people because of where they are from (tribe, race,
social status)… the shepherds bowed and worshiped the baby Jesus as King, even
though Christ was in a manger… in the same grade as they were. But they knew
what they heard, and were not fazed by what they saw. Do not despise a person’s
journey, you don’t know the king that is seething and preparing for a
manifestation that would change. The world.. In the lady who makes your hair,
the guy who washes your car, the cab guy who picks you up, the nanny you
employed… anyone, everyone. Show respect to those you meet even if they don’t
look like the kings you mingle with or hope to dine with. You never know who’s
king tomorrow with a vision/mandate that would bless your life.
Of course we know this is more fiction than biblical, but it’ll
serve its purpose as it's packed with so much goodness.
The little drummer boy is a charming little boy. The
magis/wise men called him to come along with them to see the newborn king… but
he was a poor boy in the midst of those taking the finest gifts to present to
the baby King… what could a poor boy possibly bring that would be worthy in the
midst of the finest gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh?
He looked at himself, surely he couldn’t afford any finely
gift, he couldn’t even afford his most prized treasure, his drum… he made it
himself, from scarps and hand downs he gathered.
While he pondered on this, a light bulb of wisdom hit this
young lad, he didn’t turn back, he didn’t look at what was tagged his short
coming to stop him from coming before the king… he had no gift in the worlds
eye, and even in his own eyes that looked worthy… but what he could do, what he
had, he offered to give to the king… the rhythm of his drum. He’d rather give
that than give nothing…
And that was all he needed. What he had in his hands… and it
was such a worthy gift.
I played my drum
for Him
Pa rum pum pum
pum
I played my best
for Him
Pa rum pum pum
pum,
rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at
me
Pa rum pum pum
pum
Me and my drum
He didn’t just play the drum, he played his best… Some of us
turn away from going to the King/serving the King because we feel we have no gift to give… but
sweetie, you really do have a gift to bring like the little drummer boy. Its
all about what’s in your hand… any other thing is a bonus.
What are you worshiping the king with? It could be your
leadership skills, your organizational skills, your cooking skills, your
writing, your speaking, your singing skills… you have something in your hand
that’s fit to give the king, if only you would yield and stop thinking hard
about it.
You love to play the flute, then play on in service and
worship to him…
There’s something about your gift making room for you… it’ll
never make that room, if you never decide to yield and use what is in your
hand.
How would we sing a carol about you years later if you never
yield? :)joke!
But seriously… there’s so much in you waiting for you to
manifest, waiting to be manifested through you to bring glory to the King of
kings… and the beauty of it is, when you glorify the King with what you have,
the world hears about you… look how we sing about that drummer boy… fictional
though he is, but down in history he’s gone.
Play your drum… well proverbially speaking… I mean, play
your gift, I mean stir your gift, dust it out and enjoy serving it to the king
in worship and watch how far He takes it. You’ve got to start the car if you
want it to move… maybe all your prayers have been answered and Gods been
waiting for you for ages to just start it so he can move it, remember faith
without works is dead,
Do you in service, and watch Him do Him in the miraculous.
Good God.
What’s in your hand is important to the world, the world
around you and most especially to your God… it’s a worthy gift to give the
King, by serving humanity.
This brings the parable of the talent (Matthew 25:14-30) to
mind, the ones who had five and two talents respectively could pass as those
who called the drummer boy to come along as they held their finest gifts, and
the one with one talent could pass for the drummer boy… only, he didn’t bury
the talent, he went along and played that one talent the best he could and
caused the king to smile at him.
So what if others have more talents/gifting than you… play
your one, the best you can and watch it thrive.
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down his sweet head
The stars in the sky
Look down where he lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
Away in a
Manger
In a barn… that’s where the
treasure of heaven was born. In a place that smelled of animals… and he was
laid in a manger as a crib. I wouldn’t chose to be born or have my child that
way even as a ‘mere’ human… talk less
of being God Himself, but He did. And then He filled up Nazareth as His state
of origin on all those forms… Nazareth, the town that was despised as worth
nothing… a disciple is quoted as saying “can
anything good come out of Nazareth?”(John 1:46)
I’m glad He did… out of all
the choices of palaces and wealth… He chose this washed out, unconventional and
quite ridiculous way to make an entrance… A King of all kings, born in a barn,
lay in a manger.
He was born in the lowliest
of circumstances to show that in the lowliest of circumstances we find our
selves in, He’s ready to come there and save us… no situation is too lowly for
Him to intervene… to save or to deliver us from.
Because He did that, today,
no matter how lowly we feel, we can welcome Him in… we are accepted as we are.
No matter how messed up we feel, no matter how dirty our past choices make us
feel. It doesn’t matter if we’ve never lied, or we breathe on lies. It doesn’t
matter if we live in palaces or are homeless… however we are, He’s ready to
come into our lives with no conditions and when He does, He transforms.
The manger, that lowly ol’
place became a destination place even to this day… people travel from all over
the world to visit and stand in awe at what it stands for.
Wise men came with vast
riches from far away countries, went through the king’s palace to bow at the
King this manger held and present their treasures to Him. Glory came upon that
barn... that manger, and it has gone down in history.
“Out
of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet. Judges
14:14
Out of something bitter,
something sweet has come. Are you having a barn and manger experience? Are you
so despised that people think nothing good can come out of you? Has the year
been so ugly, dirty and unworthy for you that you conclude nothing good can
ever come out of all you’ve been through? Can
anything good come out of Nazareth?
Has your life been through so
many backstreets of life, slept in alleys of depression and picked out food of
truth from the trashcans of people’s judgment and rejection?
You, then my love are just
the perfect landing for the King of glory. Jesus isn’t such a snob that He
ignores you and fixes His attention on just those in the palace, on those on
the mountains… He isn’t so out of touch that He wants nothing to do with those
in the valley, those who are lost, struggling, in pain, those who it’s been
concluded nothing good can ever come out of…. Remember, He came to the world in
a mere barn (most likely smelling of animal dung), through a plain girl in
Nazareth, a town seen as worth nothing… He laid His royal body in the manger
that housed animal feed. You can’t be so bad… and even if you were, He’s
willing to come and dwell in you… to dwell in your situation… to dwell in your
dreams, your purpose, your life, your marriage… and your hopes…. And when He
does… out of that bitterness is something so sweet emerging.
The barn became a center of
attraction because heavens glory dwelled within it.
You will become the center of
attraction because the glory of heaven has dwelt in you.
The wise men of the world are
seeking you out and bringing gifts to you because they have seen what you hold
within you. What the Christ in you has equipped you with.
All men seek Jesus (Mark
1:37) and they see Him in you… you are taken from the valley to the mountain
top, and your light, the light of the King that has come is shinning in and on you
and men are glorifying your Father I heaven, like the shepherds saw the glory
in that barn and bowed before it glorifying the heavenly Father for the
treasure the barn carried.
God is good. He loves you… He
hasn’t forgotten you. Call on Him and He will hear you… your location or your shortcomings
isn’t enough to keep Him at bay.
You weren’t born to remain in
the backstreet, especially those who already have Christ in them… you can’t
remain an ordinary barn or manger when Christ is in you… rise up from where you
are. Allow Him to be who He is in you… yield to Him and shine baby shine.
Silent night, holy night…. Christ the savior is born….
Silent
Night.
I love the silent night hymn…
Loads of adjectives describe
a silent night; a night that is dead, sullen, inaudible, awful, deathlike,
solemn, tongue tied, hushed, and mute... but Christ was born right in the midst
of that silence and darkness, to bring light and hope to the world.As much as we called it a silent night... O, what a Holy night it turned out to be.
We go through silent nights
sometimes… But when we do, when we face the silence life throws at us, when its
not only silent, but dark… that’s not the moment to loose hope, to fade into
the darkness and be weighed down by it. that’s the time to rejoice, because the
silence of the darkness is the perfect time for Christ to come. For His light
to show forth in our lives and the sound of rejoicing to burst forth at the joy
He brings. It's a Holy night for you.
What’s silent in your life
right now? The world has cast a silent night spell in various ways… from wars
and rumors of wars, terrorism and financial crisis enough to marinate a blend
of hopelessness and despair in the hearts of all men… including believers. What
silent night situation has left you inaudible, unable to respond to life and
the questions of your worth and ability to survive, that has left you
deathlike… moving through as a living dead, looking alive on the outside but so
dead in hopelessness on the inside?
Whatever it is, however deep
that you can’t even express yourself… now is the time to rejoice, because
Christ the savior is born into that silence. Rejoice because the King is among
you, He lives in you… He paid the perfect price for your light to shine ever
bright, through the darkness of the world. He paid the price by coming down to
earth on that silent dark night… so that you can overcome every other dark
silent night that comes.
Rejoice, because Christ the
savior is here for you, the darkness is your assurance that your light has
come, so rejoice… see Christ in the midst of it and rise up from the ashes.
How do you rejoice? How do
you see Christ the King that was born for you? By meditating on His goodness
and His love for you.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one
and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have
eternal life.” John 3:16
You can’t perish, you are not allowed
to perish in the deep silence of the night, because God loves you so much and
Christ has come for you. See His love and break the silence in your voice
ofrejoicing… praise and worship and
you’ll rise in the brightness of the morning glory.
“For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation” Psalm 100:5
His unfailing love for you continues
forever… it does not stop… it is a continuous flow, like a river and it goes
beyond forever… to eternity. Nothing can separate you from that love, and
that’s your assurance that surely He’s got you in the dark and He will not
leave you or forsake you there.
Meditate on the blood
sacrifice on that cross that qualifies you for a life of eternal light, not
just in heaven beyond but here on earth.
Christ was born in the silence
of the night, to give you a voice of rejoicing in the light of His Glory all
the days of your life.
Cheer up, He was born so no silent
night can ever shut you up and make you inaudible… speak out the love of God
for you… nothing can separate you from that love… see that love… and see it
with the eyes of a trusting child and see that indeed your Father is there for
you and you have conquered the world and life and all the darkness it throws
your way. You are victorious and you are full of life. You have jubilee in the
midst of the recession. You hear of evil and even if you dwell in the midst of it
all, it cannot and will not drown you in it’s darkness. You are walking in
fire, but its not consuming you and you are walking through it (Isaiah 43:2)… and
you don’t even smell of smoke, you don’t smell like what you’ve been through,
because light drowns out every darkness. …
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD
delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Psalm 34:19-20
It says God delivers you from all the
troubles… all the dark nights and when he does, not one of your bones will
scale through broken… he protects it all… meaning, no scars… you don’t smell of
the smoke, of the darkness. You come out into the light scot-free.
Silent night? Well that’s
perfect for the light to come... it's a Holy night!
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
I really don’t care about the arguments of Christ not been
born in December… what’s important is we as Christians have picked a time to
celebrate His birth and the world adheres to it… because everyone gets in the
Spirit of this beautiful season, and good cheer is truly shared even by those
who don’t believe in Christ.
I attended the Hillsong Carols and I’m thankful
for all the things it represents. I
love it that they haven't taken the Christ out of the carols in the midst of
all the production, and it hasn't stopped more 'unchurched' people from
flooding to Wembley every year. So much excellence without loosing the essence.
They keep raising the bar and showing that church doesn’t mean sloppy in all
things but prayers. I attend Hillsong when I’m in London and all I can say is
I’m so proud of the standard the set when it comes to doing church, not just in
music and worship and service, but in planting Christ and His love in the
hearts of all who come in…
We followed the wise
men as they followed the starts in a humorous path to the manger where the baby
Jesus laid, and on that path was beautiful carols retention’s. One of my favorites
amongst the many favorites was drummer
boy… I loved how Juliet sprinkled some spicy Yoruba spin on all that sweet
sauce….
A video posted by Jannine Nicholas (@jv_nicholas) on
So, the essence of
this post is to introduce the new series I’ll be doing in the five days leading
to Christmas. I’m going to be picking different carols and doing a post of hope
I draw out from each of the beautifully written hymns. I pray it’ll be a
blessing and an encouragement to everyone who reads.
I did a voice recording over daddy’s
Marvin Gayes music on his cassette tape. (For those who are clueless, it was
the mp3 of the day)
Hands up if you experienced this.
It wasn’t funny to him, but
it was fun for me. I really needed to hear myself sing and talk childish
rubbish on radio, and I needed a tape to do that and daddy’s car was right there
with cassette tapes, so I took the tape and now he was mad, so mad he scolded
me.
I hated daddy’s scolds, he
never hit me, his scolds were hardly screams… but daddy scolding me was as good
as daddy beating me. You can’t really blame me, weren’t you ever fascinated that you could hear yourself on radio? The joy of hitting the
record button and saying whatever you want,and
then rewinding the tape, and listening to yourself, and
just feeling pure joy? Daddy didn’t understand that, he was more concerned that
his music was wiped out by my magical voice. So I went into the guest toilet to
live out the rest of my life.
He was so angry I just didn’t
want him to see me or bump into me, so I stayed in that toilet adjusting to my
new life in tears. I don’t know how long I stayed in there for, it probably
wasn’t up to thirty minutes, but it felt like forever and what joy it was when
mummy came looking for me and asked me to come out and drive to my aunts house
with her.
We got back home later that
evening, and I heard nothing about my escapades ever again, although I was still a
little mouse hiding out from the big daddy cat I upset earlier.
I have misbehaved a lot of
times as a little girl, and my solution even when I wasn’t scolded at was
making myself scarce. I remember my aunt made two lovely kaftans, with such
beautiful gold embroideries… those outfits were dreamy… my little girl eyes
were overwhelmed by the beauty of the gold thread on the navy blue sheda material.
After aunty showed mum her new outfit, she asked me to get a bag for her to put
them in and I rushed to get her one. I left with her for her house for a
sleep over as I always did.
We got to her house and
that’s when it happened. Aunt brought out her brand new outfits to admire and
what a shocker! There were huge white patches on them… apparently I brought a
bag that had a bleach spill in it and it ruined/discolored the outfits.
I felt horrible. She wasn’t
mad at me, she knew it wasn’t my fault, but even as young as I was, I
understood I had just ruined a beautiful and expensive outfit… I felt horrible,
and I disappeared from the scene. I made myself scarce. I went downstairs or
somewhere to hide out the rest of my night…. Until I heard my aunt looking for
me. She wasn’t mad at me. Of course she must have been upset that her new
outfit was ruined, but not mad enough to hate me, or send me away from her.
A friend
forgot to call me on
my birthday and he felt so bad about it that he kept running and
running; avoiding me. I really didn’t care about that,
I’m not petty about stuff like this…. I could feel condemnation
dripping from him in the way he cautiously avoided me, and I decided to
have fun with it and torture him with my silence for a little while
longer. I
really didn’t care about his not calling, there was no big deal. When I
was done having fun,
I sent a message and I could feel the relief coming through the phone
from the
other end. No, I’m not angry with you friend, stop putting unnecessary pressure on
yourself. The more he thought I was upset, the more he stayed away
from me. And that's the game we play with God, the more we think He's
upset with us, the more we run from Him.
When we misbehave, our
natural response is to hide. Run and hide. Hide away from the one we hurt.
That’s what we do; the way we react to our parents is the way we react to God.
God is not mad at you… even when you misbehave, His love covers you, don’t run
from Him…. That’s the time to stop and be still in His presence, not the time
to run away just like Adam and Eve. Stop hiding, Daddy loves you. Your silly
mistakes or the sin isn’t enough reason for him to disown you. He loves you
uniquely and his love is daily renewing and transforming you. There is no condemnation
for you in Christ(Romans 8:1)
-->
He
says that He isn’t thinking about your sins or mistakes. He’s not holding them
against you, come out of hiding. 'I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins
for my own sake and will never think of them again.'
Isaiah 43:25(NLT)
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Don’t stay stuck in the toilet like I
did, hoping not to bump into Him. Avoiding church, avoiding prayers and fellowship with Him because you’ve
“failed” him. You my friend are not so powerful,that you can make Him stop being who He is…
that you can make Him stop loving as He does by your mistakes.
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The more you run, the further
away you go and the less of His presence you’ll feel and you’ll think He’s left
you, the truth is He never left, you’re the one who ran from the throne of
grace, His arms are wide open waiting for you. He wouldn’t be giving you the
side eye when you come back, like I behave to my little niece and cousins when they've wronged me and come back with an apology, no
he wouldn’t be judging you from his throne of grace… no, he’s not snapping his
fingers at you in anger… He loves you darling.
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"The law screams, "shame on you!"
Grace screams, 'shame off you!"- John Gray
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Grace screams mercy louder than the law
screams condemnation. What voice are you listening to? The voice you listen to determines if you're running away from God or running towards Him. If you're going to be a running man, then do the right kind of running... towards Gods unending love.
Not just blogging in general, I haven’t
written much. Sometimes life happens and then you feel pinned down, enjoying it
maybe? Or sometimes wallowing in circumstances, that you choose not to bring
your head up long enough to just breathe.
It’s been a combination of
both for me. Enjoying life, basking in it and in the midst of that, having this
silly moments of staggering in a sad situation that should be translated to thanksgiving
and rejoicing, because as bad as it is, it’s all good as well.
I lost my grandma.
I wrote about her being ill
here…. But she recovered from that.
She was well and strong, till
she just dropped and moved on to eternity last month.
You see she was an old woman.
A blessed woman that lived a long life. One thing I keep telling myself is how
glad I am she didn’t live the earth helpless on a hospital bed, but she died so
full of life. Mum saw her almost soon after she passed on and all I heard
from mum and those who saw her was how she looked so beautiful, her skin glowing, a picture of peace.
That’s just such a beautiful thought to behold.
I’m wallowing because
sometimes, I enjoy being a child… a spoilt child. Thus I let myself act that
way to my heavenly Father, because I know He loves me enough to indulge me… couldn’t
she have lived a little bit longer Lord? I always pictured her at my wedding… I
always pictured her there like she always is. As much as I knew this day would
obviously come, I never imagined life without her. Oh Father, but I'm so thankful for the blessing of growing up with her, getting nourished and polished by her values and what she stood for. She saw not just her grand-kids, but great-grand kids as well. She lived a rich and satisfying life.
I boarded a plan for London that morning,
not knowing that just as I was about taking off,
grandma had taken her last breathe. We were both lifted from the earth same moment, me on an airplane, she on the wings of glory. I got the call when I landed, when I had
just settled down at home and was enjoying the goodness of having my nieces
around me. I was so calm when I was told… because I didn’t know how I was
supposed to react. I thought I was strong… then I heard myself scream.
Death has no victory over us, but
sometimes it just feels like it gave a hard blow that knocked you off your
feet… and it takes a little time to rise up again and stand in the truth you
know that, really, it has no victory. My grandma
blazed out of life in victory into eternal life. She shut her eyes here, and
opened them in heaven. When
grandma was near death last year, she saw things. She spoke about beautiful
houses she saw, beautiful houses she’s never seen in her life. We didn’t let her
step into that beauty then, and God indulged us, gave us more time with her…
and this time, we couldn’t stop her from stepping into that beauty, into His
glory.
My family is close knit, my
grandma wasn’t just a figure that was there, there was a true relationship with
her, our lives weren’t separate, and our lives were fully involved. As a child
I would go to visit with mum and refuse to return home, mum would have to
travel back home alone and send clothes to me. I enjoyed my grandma… a super
woman, full of dignity, grace, love, kindness and peace even with her strong
resolute self.
The meals she served us with
were next to none. She was an exceptional cook… but what made her food beyond
the ordinary was the love she prepared and served us with. Cooking for us was
her love language. And she always made my favorite fried okro soup spiced with
love and garnished with the biggest pieces of chicken (I suspect that’s why no
one else can match up to hers)…
She was a great host, and
I’ve watched the women in my family standing tall on her shoulders of
excellence when it comes to hosting and entertaining, when it comes to showing
kindness and giving.
Her heart and her home was
always open to all: our friends and anyone who just happened to step into her
home with us; the high and mighty, or the lowly and poor. I grew up seeing her
compound always full especially at meal times, and everyone served food from
the same pot her children ate from.
I took her to the hospital
for her eye check up the last time she came over. I must confess I wasn’t too
pleased with my mum for passing that responsibility to me, because mum was the
one who did the appointments, but she and my aunts had to travel. I’m so glad I
did. People kept admiring her that day; saying how beautiful she looked, how
her skin glowed and saying how beautiful we both looked… I was such a proud
granddaughter walking beside her that day. I didn’t know it was our last outing
together, or the hug I gave her when I walked her to the car as she left for
Otukpo was the last hug from her.
She loved the market, the
attention she gave to detail in her shopping, be it for fish, oil or earrings,
she was such an intense shopper, be it in the local market or in the malls in
London, she showed herself… no doubt where her children get their shopping
genes from.
She lived a good life and she
has passed on to glory and now we are in the place where it’s our turn to live
and carry the baton and torch of greatness, standing on the shoulder of the
great giant that lived within her small frame, moving to even greater heights.
We called her "Queen Queen" sometimes. She was a real queen, from a royal family, a child of a king on earth, how excited she'd be seeing herself as royalty in heaven as well.
I’m thankful for the life of
such a woman of substance and grace.
When I began to understand Gods love, it was
hard for me to accept just how deep and unassuming it is. I still struggle with
the truth of how great this love is sometimes. You mean the person who hurt me…
the murderers, the schemers, even the prostitutes; you mean God loves them as
much He loves my then self-righteous self? Yes! And I am required to love them
too... We love the people, not their actions, not their sins.
Thus I took incense, worship to the
inmates… and as we know what the Nigerian system is like, some are convicted and some have no business being
there. We took hope to them; we took the truth of Gods love to them, the beauty
of His grace through worship.
As much as we took worship and Gods love to them, we took our love, and this
love was in form of items to help make them a little bit more comfortable. We
nourished and refreshed their spirits as well as their bodies.
I can't begin to say what impact it had
on me. It wasn't arranged the usual way, the way I planned, but it sure was
God's way. I saw women at their lowest worship God the deepest... And what
presence!!!! The men had a great time as well; the sound out of their block was
like one from a football match.
We took Gods love to them and I believe their lives would never be the same again,
that something happened from the impartation. Romans 8:38 is brought to light here… Nothing can indeed separate us
from Gods love. Even in their guilt, God loves and does not condemn them or
us... That's why He died for us! So thankful to some of the true worship leaders I
know (Paul Amuta, Owie Abutu, Adakole William, Doshai, Tessy Okewu)who came out to help release the worship of Gods beloved
children who didn't know better, made mistakes and found themselves in these
unfortunate circumstance.
So
thankful that God has so much faith in me to hand me such a precious thing as
Incense… I’m so sure I wouldn’t have the guts to move and to do, to obey and to
trust Him to come through always if He didn’t pour out His grace that’s more
than sufficient to help me believe, be bold and lean on His strength to do
this.
