Quote for the Day 30Apr2013

Courage is not having strength to go on - it is going on when you do not have the strength. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 29Apr2013

Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh, When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee; Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight, Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee. - Harriet B. Stowe

Quote for the Day 28Apr2013

The Lord is not done with you yet. He will arise in His appointed time and manifest His power in your life. - Bayo Afolaranmi

"IS IT TOO LATE?"

Dearly Beloved, "IS IT TOO LATE?" "The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, 'This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.' Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these--where have they come from?'" (Isaiah 49:20-21 NIV). I was with my father in his farmhouse some years ago when he was telling me his life story. It was the early part of his marriage with my mother. They had lost their first three sons in succession. All his contemporaries were successfully having children. It seemed that there was no hope of having another child. As he was in that same farmhouse one afternoon pondering about his dilemma, he heard a voice saying: "IS IT TOO LATE?" He did not know the source of the voice, but he believed that it came from God, and that it was actually not too late for him and his young wife to have children that would live. That was about forty years ago. The Lord has now blessed my parents with five sons, three daughters and eight other grandchildren - all alive to God's glory! It was indeed not too late for my father to be a biological father and even now a grandfather. The bereaved family of two is now about twenty. My parents still wonder till today that they could have such number of living children. I remembered this situation as I was reading the above Bible passage recently. Hannah was in a similar situation. The Bible introduced her as a sad childless woman (1 Samuel 1:2-7). However, God changed her story. She later had three sons and two daughters after giving birth to that great man of God, Samuel (1 Samuel 2:21). What is your situation? Do you also have a similar situation? It may not be childlessness. It may be any other seemingly hopeless situation. Let me reaffirm it that IT IS NOT TOO LATE! The Lord is not done with you yet. He will arise in His appointed time and manifest His power in your life. Remember the words the Psalmist, "When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.' The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy" (Psalm 126:1-3 NIV. Read also Jeremiah 31:16-17). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor) Prayer Point: Lord, arise in Your appointed time and manifest Your power in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. NB This message was first sent out on October 31, 2004.

Quote for the Day 27Apr2013

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for. - Epicurus

Quote for the Day 26Apr2013

Do not ever judge God’s love based on your circumstances. Instead, evaluate your circumstances from the perspective of God’s love. - Henry Blackaby

Quote for the Day 25Apr2013

All of us are tempted to seek security in people or things. How often we need to be reminded to forsake these false confidences and turn back to God. Are you putting your trust in something other than Him? - Dennis Fisher

Quote for the Day 24Apr2013

If you have not learned how to get along with people, you will always be fighting a battle to succeed. - John C Maxwell

Quote for the Day 23Apr2013

Our dealings with God should start with praise and end with praise. - Phil Adika

Quote for the Day 22Apr2013

We are under mandate to build a witnessing family because we belong to the heavenly kingdom. - Supo Ayokunle

Quote for the Day 21Apr2013

Faith is not a gamble. It is giving of what you cannot keep into the hands of Him who keeps and multiplies all things for your own benefits, no matter how painful and unreasonable. - Bayo Afolaranmi

EVERYTHING?

Dearly Beloved, EVERYTHING? "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left EVERYTHING and followed him" (Luke 5:11, NIV). "But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon EVERYTHING as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown EVERYTHING away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 GNB). In spite of all their struggles, Simon Peter and his colleagues could not catch a single fish. But the words of Jesus Christ saved the day, "they caught such a large number of …" (Luke 5:6 NIV). This event changed their life goals. They left everything to become disciples of Jesus Christ! Also, Abraham left what he had to do the will of God (Genesis 22). In his old age, he was ready to give up his only son to God. In fact, the Bible says he did sacrifice the son (Hebrews 11:17). Undoubtedly, Isaac, the son, was everything to him and his wife. Paul was an accomplished scholar, yet he considered it invaluable so that he might experience Christ! All of them prized their faith above the temporal benefits. Can one say that all of them were sensible? How could they abandon what they had toiled for - achievements, status, prestige and the like? Would they gain anything from such actions? In fact, once, Peter asked the same question: "What is our benefit?" (see Mark 10:28). Jesus Christ's answer was captivating: "I tell you the truth… no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30 NIV). Faith is not a gamble. It is giving of what you cannot keep into the hands of Him who keeps and multiplies all things for your own benefits, no matter how painful and unreasonable. What is your "everything" that God asks you to leave for Him today? Probably God has just given you what He asks for. Are you ready to leave it? Think of the outcome of Abraham's faith. Every decision taken due to God's word is a road to life. You will get "everything" back if you leave them for God (see Hebrew 11:19). Everything! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). NB This message was first sent out on November 9, 2003.

Quote for the Day 20Apr2013

You are important to God! He has a plan and purpose for your life. He will equip you for every ministry He calls you to do. Seek His will, find your place of service, and pursue with perseverance all that God wants to do in and through your life. He will faithfully lead you and empower you! - Ed Powell

Quote for the Day 19Apr2013

If a man (woman) has not discovered something worthwhile to die for; he (she) is not fit to live. - Martin Luther King Jr.

Quote for the Day 18Apr2013

What burdens have you helped bare today? What resources have you shared with others? Don't seek to please yourself; seek to please the Lord by caring for others. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 17Apr2013

Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 16Apr2013

Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them. - W. Clement Stone

Quote for the Day 15Apr2013

Instead of polishing and protecting our own image, we need to be guarding and reflecting the image of God, which is being perfected in us through Christ. —Julie Ackerman Link

Quote for the Day 14Apr2013

O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end; Be Thou forever near me, my master and my friend; I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side, Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. - John E. Bode

O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED

Dearly Beloved, O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED “You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words” (Psalm 119:57 NIV). “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go’” (Luke 9:57 NIV). “Mo ti seleri, Jesu” the Yoruba version of the hymn, “O Jesus, I Have Promised” was one of the hymns I loved when I was growing up as a teenager. I could sing off-hand almost all the lyrics of the hymn in Yoruba. It is a hymn of commitment composed by John Ernest Bode (1816-1874), an Anglican clergyman serving a small parish near Cambridge, England when his three children, a daughter and two sons, were ready for confirmation. As the priest of the church, he would preside over the ceremony. So, he composed the hymn to remind the children of their commitment to Jesus Christ, the spiritual warfare that is associated with Christian life, and the fact that if Jesus Christ is with them, they will overcome and in the end be with Him in Heaven. In this hymn, John Bode declared that he had promised to serve Jesus to the end and asked Jesus who he knew as “my Master and my friend” to be near him forever. He confessed that he would not fear the battle if Jesus is by his side, nor wander from the pathway if He would be his guide. Because of many temptations that the world often offers the Christian and the fact that foes are ever near both within and without, John Bode prayed that he feels Jesus near him and shield his soul from sin. He continued to pray that he hear Jesus speaking in accents clear and still above the storms of passion and the murmurs of self-will. Because Jesus is the guardian of his soul, he wanted Him to speak to reassure him and make him listen to Him. John Bode reminded Jesus that He has promised all who follow Him that where He is in glory there shall they also be. Therefore, he reaffirmed his promise to Jesus to serve Him to the end. John Bode also prayed that he see the footprints of Jesus, and desired to plant his own footprints in them. He affirmed that his hope is to duly follow alone in the strength of Jesus. He wanted Jesus, his Savior and Friend, to guide him, call him, draw him, uphold him to the end, and receive him in Heaven. What a great commitment! What is your commitment to Jesus Christ? Have you promised to follow and serve Him till the end? Are you ready to listen to Him and let Him be your Guide? You will never regret you did! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that you will be committed to faithfully following and serving Jesus for the rest of your life.

Quote for the Day 13Apr2013

Honesty in all areas of our lives is one way we can bring honor to Jesus Christ, our Savior. - Cindy Kasper

Quote for the Day 13Apr2013

Honesty in all areas of our lives is one way we can bring honor to Jesus Christ, our Savior. - Cindy Kasper

Quote for the Day 12Apr2013

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. – Barbara De Angelis

Quote for the Day 11Apr2013

Even when we receive something that doesn't seem good, we can be grateful because we know there is more to it than we can see. What seems like an imperfect gift may be the means by which God perfects us. - Julie Ackerman Link

Quote for the Day 10Apr2013

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. - Anonymous

Quote for the Day 09Apr2013

Do not judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. The seed(s) you plant today determine(s) the harvest of tomorrow. - Oyesoji Aremu

Quote for the Day 08Apr2013

Count your blessings instead of crosses; count your gains instead of losses. Count your joys instead of woes; count your friends instead of foes. Count your smiles instead of tears; count your courage instead of fears. Count your health instead of wealth; count on God instead of yourself. - Roy Zuck

Quote for the Day 07Apr2013

What are you passing through at the moment? Are you so overwhelmed with the situation that you do not recognize God in it? God is indeed nearby to help you out of the situation. - Bayo Afolaranmi

DO YOU RECOGNIZE HIM?

Dearly Beloved, DO YOU RECOGNIZE HIM? “‘Woman," [Jesus] said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, [Mary Magdalene] said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him’” (John 20:15 NIV). This year Easter season has come and gone, but many lessons are to be learnt from the events that surrounded the season. One of the lessons has to do with Mary Magdalene. Here was a woman that once possessed seven demons before Jesus cast them out of her (see Luke 8:2). Here was a woman that devotedly followed and supported Jesus in His earthly ministry (see Luke 8:3). Here was a woman that identified with Jesus in His suffering and death on the cross (see Matthew 27:55; Mark 15:40). Here was a woman who with other women monitored the burial of Jesus while His disciples were nowhere to be found (Mark 15:47). Here was a woman who with other women arose early on the first day of the week to go and anoint the corpse of Jesus (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1) and even stayed behind to weep profusely for the seemingly “lost” corpse (John 20:11). What a devoted woman! Nonetheless, the sorrow that overwhelmed Mary Magdalene did not let her recognize Jesus Christ when He appeared to her. She thought that He was a gardener! She could recognize Jesus only when Jesus called her by name. Interestingly, some of the disciples that went to fish after the resurrection also did not recognize Jesus until He performed a miracle (see John 21:1-7). On many occasions, we allow our circumstances to blind us from recognizing the fact that God is with us even in those circumstances. The psalmist said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (23:4 NIV emphasis mine). The psalmist recognized God even in his circumstance, and he put his trust in Him. What are you passing through at the moment? Are you so overwhelmed with the situation that you do not recognize God in it? It may seem as if He is not there, but God is indeed nearby to help you out of the situation because He “...is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NIV). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Help me Lord that my circumstance will not blind my eyes to recognize you in the circumstance.

Quote for the Day 06Apr2013

Today will never come again. Be a blessing. Be a friend. Encourage someone. Take time to care. Let your words heal, and not wound. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 05Apr2013

When we set our focus on the problem instead of on Christ, we miss the infusion of God's power. - Michael Youssef

Quote for the Day 04Apr2013

God does not need to give you a proof before He fulfils His promises in your life. - Supo Ayokunle

Quote for the Day 03Apr2013

When life's problems are baffling, when you face some Red Sea impossibility, call upon the wonder-working God who upholds all things. And remember that with our almighty God, nothing is impossible. - Vernon C. Grounds

Quote for the Day 02Apr2013

Share your testimonies! As long as you keep it to yourself, you deny many people of their blessings and you will be held responsible someday. One reason God did what He did in your life is so that your testimony can trigger that of others. How are you utilizing this powerful tool? - EA Adeboye

Quote for the Day 01Apr2013

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Risen our victorious Head; Sing His praises; Hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead. Gratefully our hearts adore Him, As His light once more appears; Bowing down in joy before Him, Rising up from griefs and tears. - John Samuel Bewley Monsell