Quote for the Day 13Nov2009

Lord, help me see the devil’s offers for what they are—enticements to sin. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You and Your Word, and my ears attentive to You in prayer. Amen.

PENCILS IN THE HANDS OF GOD

Dearly Beloved,

PENCILS IN THE HANDS OF GOD

“‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 18:6 NIV).

Recently, I received an SMS from an online friend that is very inspiring. The SMS was titled “Five Pencil Tips.” These tips are:

1. In everything you do, always leave a mark.

2.You can always correct your mistakes.

3. What is important is what is inside you.

4. In life, you will undergo some painful sharpening that will make you a better pencil.

5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

The SMS ends with these words: Remember! We are nothing but pencils in the hands of our Creator. (Interestingly, this statement is the slogan of the producer of a popular national television drama series here in Nigeria.)  

The message of the SMS is self-explanatory. Each of us is indeed like a pencil in the hand of God. God Himself used another analogy to establish this to the people of Israel. The Lord sent Prophet Jeremiah to a potter’s house in order to see the potter as he worked at the wheel. When Jeremiah got to the place, he saw the potter shaping and reshaping the clay till he got a desired result. Then God equated the people of Israel, as well as any other human being, to the clay in the hands of the potter.  

God is ready to make good use of you if you can surrender yourself unto Him. No matter the seemingly difficult experience, He is working to bring something good out of you (Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 4:15-17; 1 Peter 1:7-8). Indeed, we are pencils in His hand.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 26Oct2009

The Bible is God's Word to us, Still fresh through all the ages; And if we read it we will find God's wisdom on its pages. —Sper

DO YOU HAVE SHOCK ABSORBERS?

Dearly Beloved,

DO YOU HAVE SHOCK ABSORBERS?

"Just be determined, be confident; and make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you. Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed wherever you go. Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:7-8 TEV).

The designers of various kinds of motor-vehicles, aircrafts, and so on design hidden devices that are fitted to the tyres or springs of vehicles to absorb vibration caused by the unevenness of the road surface. These devices are called shock absorbers. No one would enjoy riding in any vehicle with no or bad shock absorbers. Even in smooth and good roads, these devices are still very relevant parts of a vehicle.

The world is full of unevenness and rough roads. Only "good shock absorbers" can absorb the "vibrations" caused by the unevenness and rough roads of life. These shock absorbers are proper understanding and application of the words of God while the vibrations of life are life experiences including the good ones like success, affluence, position of authority, and the bad ones like trials, suffering, persecution, and the like.

Unfortunately, many people are indifferent to these shock absorbers and this has been to their detriment. A good example of such people was King Solomon. Because of his affluence, he did not yield to the words of God written in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:16-20) and even the ones that he heard directly from God twice (1 Kings 3:14; 9:3-9). This made him to sin against God, and the Lord was angry with him and tore the kingdom of Israel from him and gave it to one of his subordinates (see 1 Kings 11). Jesus Christ was different. He could counter the temptations of the devil by the words of God (see Matthew 4:1-11).

Do you have the shock absorbers to absorb the vibration of life? How good are they? How knowledgeable are you in the words of God? Are you meditating in them frequently? Do you have proper understanding of them? Are you applying them to your daily living? The Psalmist said, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (119:11 NIV).

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 24Oct2009

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. - Hugh Downs

Quote for the Day 23Oct2009

As long as we are persistence in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time. - Denis Waitley

Quote for the Day 22Oct2009

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light somewhere nearby. - Ruth E. Renkee