In The Blink of an Eye

We are like weeds that Sprout in the morning,

that grow and burst into bloom,

then dry up and die in the evening.

~ Psalm 90: 5b, 6

The Psalmist sang to the Lord saying “Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise” and this is the basis upon which I am reflecting on the title “In the Blink of an Eye.”  How should I use the ephemeral nature of my life here on earth to promote the tenet of justice, peace and love and thereby become an extension of the Kingdom of Heaven?

The story was told of the foolish rich man, who experienced a bountiful harvest and decided to neither acknowledge God nor share his talents with the people around him, by planning to build a larger storage facility to accommodate his produce in anticipation of living a life of luxury, laziness and self-indulgent! Unfortunately, that very night God demanded of his life and behold his plan came to naught. In conclusion Jesus Christ said “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

When man failed to acknowledge God and by extension the limitation of his earthly existence, the tendencies are the perpetuation of actions that does not in any way manifest the divine will that was fashioned for humanity from the beginning of the world!

WHY AM I HERE?

Due to the very busy nature of our contemporary society and the availability of technological advancement and all sorts of teachings, some which fundamentally challenges the existence of God, man is caught up and at a crossroad as to the importance of spirituality in his life. We at times blatantly refused to accept the fact that we even have a spiritual nature to our humanity, choosing to only believe in science and technology, and by that I mean anything that cannot be proven by mathematics or science is a fairy tale.

However and notwithstanding this inimical trend, the reality of humanity is that man is made up of a physical and a spiritual part and the two natures complement one another, and failure to accept such reality makes man one dimensional and therefore a great threat to justice, peace and love.

Man was created for the glory of God, and on earth is given the task of propagating the Kingdom of God, which is light and eternal life to the world that has fallen as a result of the sins of disobedience by our first parent Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Our God have certain expectations of all of us; firstly we must believe in him as the almighty, omnipotent and omnipresent, the alpha and the omega and the creator of the entire universe and all that is contained within and secondly we must through our faith in God love him and love our neighbors as ourselves. It is upon these expectations that man can find the true meaning of life on earth, while anticipating the glorious eternal life in heaven.

SEEK WHAT IS ABOVE

We live in a world that is driven largely in part by our insatiable quest for material comfort and under certain circumstances even to the detriment of our spiritual well being. When the quality of life become secondary to the quantity of life, the repercussions are too numerous to count and often are manifested as features of what St. Paul referred to as our earthly part or body. These are; immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry, lying to one another and discrimination on the basis of status, race and culture.

In order for us to seek what is above, it is contingent upon us to first and foremost acknowledge the fact that we have been raised by Christ Jesus and the same Christ is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. Furthermore we have also died to the body by virtue of receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior and therefore our life is hidden with the same Christ in God.

So what are the things that are of above? These are the righteousness and the Kingdom of God!

The simple way that the righteousness and Kingdom of God can be evident in our lives is if we practice through our words and actions and treat others with justice, peace and love.

If you see a hungry man and you help to feed him, you are seeking the things of heaven

If you refuse others to be unjustly condemn, you are seeking the things of heaven

If you love others irrespective of their race, culture or lifestyle, you are seeking things of heaven

If you share your talents, faith and hope to bring good to others, the same applies too.

If you are a peacemaker, you are seeking the things of heaven

If you build humanity rather than denigrate life, you are seeking the things of heaven.

WISDOM

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and this kind of fear is not the one commonly associated with punitive punishment, but rather a sacred one which is fundamentally rooted in love so infinite and steadfast that, knowing how much you are loved by God will make you to be fearful to go against his plans for your life.

Wisdom enables man to choose life over death, love instead of hate, peace over war and hope over despair, because when you become wise in God, you no longer see your circumstances through the prism of your eyes, but rather through the eyes of God’s grace, mercy and compassion. As a result no matter how seemingly challenging the situations you are inside may be, because you trust in God’s infinite love and faithfulness, you can deal with them.

FOOLISHNESS

On the contrary, the foolish man does not see the need for God, since he has calculated that his destiny is in his own hand and therefore his actions or inaction determines his fate! This kind of philosophy are informed and perpetuated as a result of the imbalance that exists when man becomes one dimensional. The foolish rich man did nothing wrong in building wealth for himself! His foolishness arose as a result of his selfishness, idolatry and lack of acknowledging the fact that his life was made by God and his understanding is limited by his human nature- you cannot play God, simply because you are the “richest” or the most “powerful” man on earth!

SHORTNESS OF LIFE

In the Blink of an Eye, we may be no more and then what?

The Psalmist hymn to the almighty God to please, “teach us how short our life is, so that we may be wise” is recognition of the ephemeral nature of our lives on earth.

We are given a unique opportunity by God to bear witness to the glory of his name, show compassion, mercy and become an instrument of peace, joy and consolation to those who are at the receiving end of life’s struggles, challenges and distressing circumstances that are almost making them to question the existence of God.

How you respond to this calling to be the kingdom of God to your neighbor is very fundamental to our God and the awareness of the shortness of our lives here on earth can greatly help.

I may be rich today, but tomorrow is not a guarantee that my riches will abide.

I may also be poor today, but can become rich tomorrow.

Either way, the emphasis about the shortness of life in relation to the “In the Blink of an Eye” is about the unpredictability of life and how we can best prepare when the curtain of life finally fall and we are no more physically present.

How will the almighty God feel about you and what will people say about you? Were you a generous, loving and compassionate person, that love God and man, a peacemaker, humble and kind to all irrespective of what they were?

The curtain may fall today or tomorrow or years from now, some of us may go at a young age and others may have the opportunity to live longer. How was the quality of life that you live compared to the expectations that you were assigned by the almighty God?

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father,

You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.”

For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.

Help us that if today we hear your voice, let us not harden our hearts!

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Do not allow us to take our life on earth for granted, instead help us through the gift of the Holy Spirit to see you in all the situations that we encountered and therefore be encouraged to face them all by your grace.

Thank you O Lord my God for by faith we believe that during the “In the Blink of an Eye” moment you will receive us into your kingdom of eternal glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

Ref: Colossians 3, Luke 12, Psalm 90, Genesis 3

Podeh2016

The Mustard Seed

“If you have faith as big as a mustard seed,

you can say to this hill,

‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go.

You can do anything!”

Mathew 17: 20

In the Parable of the Mustard seed our Lord Jesus Christ liken the Kingdom of Heaven to how a man grows a mustard seed in his field and even though this seed is the smallest of all seeds,  when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches! 

Are you ready to be the Mustard Seed Jesus Christ is talking about today?

Is your faith as big as the Mustard Seed to be transformed into a tree of justice, peace and love for humanity?

Are you ready to be that tree of compassion, understanding and hope, humility, patience and kindness, obedience, generosity and joy to your neighbors today?

The Kingdom of God as we all know is manifested in Justice, Peace and Love and when we exhibit these features in our lives, we are in part fulfilling the part of the Lord’s Prayer which said “Thy Kingdom Come.”

In our contemporary society, we are bombarded on a daily basis conflicting messages about how our faith in God must be big enough in order for the miracles, our petitions and prayers, our dreams and aspirations can become a reality.

Unfortunately many have taken undue advantage of our physical distress and impatience with God to manipulate us into succumbing to their egocentrism, self-pride and in the worst case scenario “con” by usurping any hope, faith and love we have within our reserve to approach God wholeheartedly again!

SITUATIONS (MOUNTAINS)

The situations or circumstances we face in life are the mountains or hills that are impediments to us expressing our faith completely trusting in the Lord and also the means by which our God want to manifest his steadfastness, faithfulness and infinite love for humanity. In order words, the mountains of your life, the hills of your life, the challenges of your life are by no means intended to kill you, rather, God design them all to bring us closer to him.

How many times have we made that gigantic offertory to God in expectations of answered prayer?

How many times have we been faced with a mountain in our lives and we want somebody else to mediate for us before God?

How many times have we prayed, and in our despair feel dejected, frustrated and rejected by the same God we look up to for salvation?

How many times have our dreams been shattered and we are force to start all over again?

Your marriage is about to hit the rock bottom!

Your career is not making any progress!

You have no job or underemployed!

You cannot afford to feed your family!

You have been betrayed by a trusted friend, making you to doubt the authenticity of friendship

You cannot afford to pay the bills!

You have no healthcare insurance!

You have no unemployment insurance!

You are living in fear of homelessness and so on and so forth!

Today, Jesus Christ is asking you and me to take a leap of faith, and in the most compassionate, considerate and merciful fashion, this request is not contingent upon how “Big a Faith” you have!

On the contrary, our Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the living God, is telling us all that is need is a faith the size of the “Mustard Seed”

EXPECTATIONS

You might have been waiting for those prayers to be answered today

You might have been waiting for that phone call to hear you have been hired or promoted

You might have been waiting for the news that finally your childless marriage is about to end

You might have been waiting for the news that the cancer and the chronic pain are gone for good

You might have been waiting to hear that you don’t need to worry about the bills anymore

You might have been waiting to hear that finally you have made the breakthrough in your career

You might have been waiting to hear from a lost son or daughter, mother or father

You might have been waiting for him or her to call and mend the relationship again

In fact, you might have been waiting for that turning point in your life so that once more you can bask in the vicinity of justice, peace and love, success, joy and happiness.

It may seem an endless wait and expectations on your own part and to say the least a long shot in terms of its realization.

In the midst of these confusions, is it possible to really trust and obey the words of Jesus Christ, especially his admonition that “You can do anything?” How can I as a child of God bring myself into accepting situations and continue to patiently wait in joyful expectations that God will come through for me?

RESTORATION

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “If you have faith……you can say to this hill go from here to there! And it will go.”

We might have been praying and banking on our faith in God and yet our physical situation might not have changed as we expected, so what do we do, give in to doubt or by faith wait upon the Lord?

The restoration that Jesus Christ promised us is that as long as we look up to him at all times, by focusing on his words of eternal life rather than on the challenges we face; the mountains of our lives which causes disappointments, failures, sickness, and even death, he will give us the capacity to carry our cross and wait upon his timing.

Nothing is impossible for our God to do! And whenever we align our desires with those of our Lord Jesus Christ, without doubt we are in the process of moving that mountain in our lives and therefore becoming the emblem of the “Mustard Seed” that he talks about.

If you cannot pay your bills, but by faith believe that God will make a way, and you keep on thriving and working hard, you are exercising the Mustard Seed in you!

If you are married and have been endlessly waiting for the fruit of the womb, but by faith have not given up, the Mustard Seed is in you!

If after you have done all you can and still your career is not moving forward, but by faith you are hoping that Jesus Christ will restore your fortune, I tell you, you are exercising the Mustard Seed in you!

If you have invested your time and energy trying to bring your family up in the good way, and yet face the challenges of unfaithfulness, lack of appreciation and mistrust, and nevertheless hope that Jesus Christ will make it right and you continue to work toward it, the Mustard Seed is in you!

If you cannot afford to help your loved ones as you had wanted, but hope that one day Jesus Christ will make that possible, the Mustard Seed is in you!

If for the love of God you practice justice, peace and love towards your neighbors, irrespective of their religion, status and lifestyle, but see Jesus Christ in them, the Mustard Seed is in you.

If all your hope and ultimate aspiration is to allow the will of God to be done in your life, accepting your situations with thanksgiving and hoping for the best possible future from Jesus Christ, the Mustard Seed is in you.

All that Jesus Christ is asking from us today is not any different from what he has expected from the disciples.

Martha and Mary believed that Jesus Christ can bring the dead to life, and behold it came to pass that Lazarus was raised from the dead after four days in the tomb!

The woman with the hemorrhagic disease after spending all her fortune running from one physician to another exercised her Mustard Seed faith by touching the clothe of Jesus Christ and she was made whole again!

The Roman Centurion believed and have faith in Jesus Christ and asked the Lord to heal his servant and behold it came to pass that the servant was made well again! That is a Mustard Seed moment!

So what are you doing to do with your situation today? Will your expectations be focused on restoration from you exercising your Mustard Seed moment or are you going to allow the Devil to steal your joy and deny you of yet another opportunity to trust and obey?

PRAYER

O Lord, my God! Today I come before your throne of grace to first and foremost thank you for your infinite love, compassion and mercy, for faith, hope and trust, and above all for your gift of life!

I am weak and fearful because I fail to exercise my Mustard Seed moment in life and therefore, here am I again.

Please come and comfort me in distress and be my hope in despair, joy in sorrow, and love when hate abound.

I offer you all the challenges of my life today and pray that may your holy will prevail in my life.

You alone know what I truly need and by faith, I believe like Mary and Martha and all the disciples that you will make everything well again and at your own time.

Father in heaven, for the sake of your holy name, do not allow those who do not trust in you to laugh at me, and rather use my situations as the instrument to bring about the conversion of hearts and the restoration of hope for the hopeless.

Jesus Christ, fill me with your divine mercy and provide for me out of your providential care as I trust, hope and put my faith in you.

Holy Spirit, strengthen me with your presence, so that in it all, with it all and through it all, I may see only my Lord Jesus Christ in my situations and therefore continue to give thanks and praises to the almighty God who the Potter of my life and I the clay to be mold and remold into his ultimate design.

Thank you O Lord my God as I humbly ask for your holy will to be done in my life today!

Amen!

Ref: Mathew 17, Luke 13

Podeh2016

Love is Life and Failure to Love is Failure to Live in Christ

Jesus answered,

“Love the Lord your God…….

’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

~Matthew 22: 37, 39

Failure to love is failure to live in Christ is intended to shed light on our calling to be the “Light of the World”, emblem of love and imitator of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, and the implications of failing to love others, propagating hatred and trying to justify such in the pretense of achieving a false security that is not rooted in God!  Love is life, because God is life!

I am a Christian, married in the Catholic Church and saved by the precious blood of my Lord Jesus Christ who I confessed as my Savior and the Son of the living God!

I am a father, husband and son, a friend, benefactor and a human being. I am a medical scientist by trade.

I am from a large family where different faiths converged; some are Christians, others Muslims and some others practice the African way of worshiping God and the other minorities claimed not to belong to any.

In spite of this diversity, my family thrives not based on individualism, but simply through the power, might and strength, and the bond of love that emanates from the commonality that we have similar ancestral origin and takes pride in our family.

We see ourselves as human beings first and foremost before discriminating on the basis of religion, education, wealth, status, height and complexion! This is the kind of philosophy and tradition that I have come to cherish as a person, and therefore it hurts when I see people of God manipulate circumstances to their own egocentric. A typical example that continued to rear its ugly head is the denigration of anything Muslim in this great country, called the United States of America!

Without making excuses for those who used religion to propagate their nefarious, inimical and inhumane ideological inclinations which have led to countless violence, death and destruction of properties and even make us to question the idealism of the sanctity of life, the “eye for an eye” philosophy will only make the entire world blind, because it is neither a solution nor does it emanate from our Christian belief.

As a Christian we are challenged today, just like yesterday and in the times of the Apostles of Christ Jesus Our Lord on earth, to act in a fashion that Jesus Christ will be manifested in our lives and that implies, but not limited to loving our neighbors as ourselves, even if these neighbors are perceived as enemies or they really do not look like us!

HOW WE FAIL

The worst kinds of people in the world are those who used the name of God for their selfish aim.

As a Christian;

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by promoting racism, and hateful discrimination and dichotomy on the basis of religion,

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help strangers,

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by advocating a culture of death: war, abortion and legalized killing and suicide

We fail to initiate Jesus Christ by refusing to home the homeless

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help the poor and vulnerable

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help refugees, and pretending they are criminals, killers and evil

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to see the image of God in other people that look different

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by keeping silence in the face of injustices, lynching and inhumanity.

I believe Christianity is not our problems.

I be Islam is not our problems either.

I believe Judaism is not our problems.

I believe Hinduism is not our problems either.

I believe that religion is not the root cause of the problems being witnessed nowadays, rather the lack of it.

Our fundamental problems originate from the lack of God and therefore love in our lives. 

Every religious belief is intended to draw us closer to the almighty, superior and supernatural being- God, who in his infinite wisdom created us in his image and likeness.

WOLF AS SHEPHERD

When a Pastor acting under the conviction of being a Christian preaches hatred against those who may not know Jesus Christ, that individual is engaged in his own agenda.

When a Pastor encourages the government not to help non- Christian, that individual is serving his individualism and doesn't speak for Jesus Christ, who offers salvation to all men.

When a Pastor encourages his fellows to direct their passion toward hating the sinners, unbelievers and the forgotten, rather than challenge them to love thy neighbor’s as thyself, irrespective of the culture, religion and orientation of these people, he is not serving Jesus Christ, but dancing to popular sentiments and the opportunity to keep his congregation hooked to his charm.

When a pastor keep silence after other minority pastors and people of God are killed in America; for instance in Charleston South Carolina where a young Christians American massacred nine faithful inside the church and yet attempt to make the loudest noise when a Muslim killed a priest in France, we send the wrong message to the world, namely it seems it is okay to kill people as long as you are a Christian in America.

Woe to those pastors that preach hate instead of love, despair instead of hope and doubts instead of faith through their words, thoughts and actions!

Woe to those pastors that preach discrimination and advocate dichotomy of people based on religion, race and socio-economic status.

Woe to the pastors that preach Jesus Christ in a way that only enhance their personal agenda, but leave their followers hungry and thirsty for justice, love and compassion, for mercy, forgiveness and humility

By and large, we lose Jesus Christ whenever we lose to love our neighbors and there lays our problems.

In a nutshell, whenever we are challenged to love, but chose hatred instead, faced with hope, but choose despair and instead of faith, choose to doubt God's infinite power, might and love to make everything good again, we fail to imitate Jesus Christ!

OUR SALVATION

We failed time and again, and as a final remedy, our God send his only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to die for us and pave way for our eternal salvation.

Unfortunately, some of us used this path to salvation for our egocentric, selfish and sometimes inimical agendas that are not in line with God's quest for our salvation and those of the world.

True security is therefore rooted in the conviction that our actions and inaction must be guided by the love of God and the love of our neighbors. We must offer our challenges to God, pray and act in a way that bring out the light of Jesus Christ in us and not the evil or darkness of the unbelievers.

If we desire to be safe and secured, it is contingent upon us to accept our limitations and in the same light completely turn to God for divine intervention; the same who is not limited by anything under the Sun.

LET US PRAY

Dear heavenly Father, our Lord and God,

You promised the prophet Jeremiah saying,

“Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail for I am with you to deliver and rescue you.”

Today we ask for your divine protection.

Please give us your wisdom, knowledge and understanding, so that we can handle the uncountable challenges that faces us every day; violence, death, war, hatred, hunger, homelessness, and inhumanity.

Touch our hearts today, that your love may find its dwelling among us

Offer us your protection and grant us the grace of your mercy.

And above all, help us to see the shortness of life on earth and the eternity to come and therefore be guided by your love, hope and faith.

O Lord our God thank you, as we offer our limitations to you and thank you for your steadfastness and infinite love through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ref: Mathew 22, Jeremiah 15,

Podeh2016

We Are The Kingdom Of God

 

“For indeed the Kingdom of God is within you.”

~Luke 17:21

 

Ever wonder about the part of the Lord’s prayer that we have to say

 

“Thy Kingdom come”?

 

As a result of the commonality of this prayer of which many of us are used to saying, we believe that ultimately the “Kingdom of God” that we are asking, seeking and knocking for is one which is about an imminent observable coming in which for instance the Lord Jesus Christ as the universal king will come down from heaven to separate the good from the bad and reward each accordingly!

 

 

How can the Kingdom of God be within us, if we are expecting ‘Thy Kingdom come”?

 

In a world saturated with violence, unnecessary killings and massacres, poverty, hatred and plenty of hurt, disappointment and even failed dreams for a better tomorrow, let alone the despair, doubt and uncertainty, Jesus Christ is challenging us today to be the “Kingdom of God” on earth. We are all uniquely made and given the Kingdom of God to dwell within us as children of God.

 

While it is true that our human expectations and imaginations of the Kingdom of God is that of the second glorious coming of Jesus Christ, which will ultimately put an end to our sorrows and death and pave the way for everlasting joy, happiness and life, the reality is that there will always exist in this world the good and the bad, and those who live according to the lifestyle of Jesus Christ and believe in him will end up becoming in part a slight image of how glorious heaven will be!

 

Therefore how do we march our expectations of the Kingdom of God in our daily lives in order to give glory to our God? In other words how can we be the kingdom of God on earth, while awaiting the second coming of Christ!

 

The Kingdom of God in us

 

According to the evangelist Matthew, certain criteria are necessary to enter into the Kingdom of God and by implication telling us that if the kingdom of God is within us as instructed by Jesus Christ our Lord, then we ought to fulfil these criteria.

 

When I was hungry you gave me food to eat

When I was thirsty you gave me drink

When I was a stranger you welcomed me

When I was naked you clothed me

When I was ill you cared for me

When I was in prison you visited me.

 

These attributes when performed from believe in God through Jesus Christ, manifest that the kingdom of God is actually within us.

According to our Lord Jesus Christ the greatest treasure in our life is the kingdom of God, because if the kingdom of God is within us, we will be able to be happy in the midst of sorrows, and the harsh reality of a world full of cruelty.

 

Additionally,

When we are peacemakers in the world that is too quick to advocate for war,

When we are merciful to those that are indifferent and nonchalant,

When we are meek, humble and honest,

When we hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness,

When we exercise clear conscience toward others,

When we are ever forgiving and

When we love man because of our love for God,

The kingdom of God is within us!

 

Today we are being challenged by God to become his “Kingdom” on earth!

Today we are being asked to take the time to truly reflect on the “LORD’S PRAYER”

And today, we are being tasked to recognize our uniqueness, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore live by the same example that made the world to come to believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of the living God.

 

Does the Kingdom of God dwell within you? If it does, put it into action while we await the glorious return of our Jesus Christ be loving your neighbor as yourselves, showing compassion to all and being merciful and always forgiving, and becoming an agent of true happiness to all that come in touch with you today!

 

Prayer

 

O dear heavenly Father,

Here am I again!

Please make me into your Kingdom of hope, love and faith, so that through me many shall come to believe and accept my Lord Jesus Christ as thy Son.

Grant me the grace to be an emblem of your Kingdom of peace and righteousness and help me to be the light in the midst of darkness, love in the center of hate, joy in the middle of sorrow, wisdom in the in doubt, hope in despair and above all your sign of life when death surrounds us.

Hear me from the depth of my sincerely grateful and thanksgiving heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!

 

Ref: Matthew 5, 25 & Luke 17

Podeh2016

The Potter and Clay: “Perfection-In-Love”

The beauty of life is perfectly made manifest in love, and in love God is made manifest in life, because God is love and love is God and without love, God cannot be found! The Potter and Clay: “Perfection-In-Love” is the testament of Prophet Jeremiah to the insatiability of God’s desire to make us perfect in love. Enjoy it!

Then the word of the LORD came to me:

Can I not do to you, house of Israel

as this potter has done? Says the Lord

~ Jeremiah 18: 6a

I remember very vividly how my parents, siblings and the entire village in which I grew up will over and over again correct my mistakes, praise my successes and share in my burden. Retrospectively, one thing that stands out in my memory is the love, compassion and humility of these blessed people in my life.

When I read through the Prophet Jeremiah’s conversation with the almighty God regarding the house of Israel (We are now that house- “you are the temple of God”) this morning, my heart melts with absolute joy and happiness because of the steadfast love of God for humanity!

My father was an artist by trade and as a young child, I watched some of his paintings, both the finished and unfinished ones alike, and I must be honest, they were all fascinating and unique in themselves. My father, as a human being even understood the need to make his painting much better, driving his desire for perfect product and I can imagine what it might be like to see God take interest in us and also steadfastly desiring to turn us into a perfect vessel of love, hope and faith for him and for mankind.

The Potter

The Potter is none other than our God! “Can I not do to you, as this porter has done?” say the Lord, our God! What did the potter do to the clay? Well while the prophet Jeremiah watches, whenever the object of the clay which is in the hand of the potter turns out badly, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. In other words, the potter risk time and energy, comfort and challenges, perception and reality and even frustrations at times to devout his time into the finished product of his imagination which will turn out to be good and not the bad one he started with!

Have you ever question yourself, why me O God?

Why is nothing working out for me?

Why is my relationship hitting the rock bottom?

Why am I not successful?

Why is my marriage falling apart?

Why is my child not making progress?

Why can’t I keep a job?

Why am I unemployed?

Why is life so unfair to me?

Why am I so hated by this person?

Why am I still alive with all these pain?

Why this sickness?

The answers to most of our questions that originates from lifelong experiences can never be completely answered in the fashion we desire nor can we even understand the many why in our lives. However without doubt, the Prophet Jeremiah is challenging us to see in these many “Why” of our lives the necessity of the Potter relentlessly trying to make us into perfection-in-love vessels.

The Clay

We are invariably and unquestionably the “Clay” in the potter’s hand!

The potter created us from dust; “We are dust and unto dust we shall return”, however when he breath the breathe of life into each one of us, we became a living being, design with perfection-in-love, set apart to rule over the universe, but above all to love our creator and God exceeding any other desires of our lives.

Nobody in his or her right mind will be unwilling to make room for change, especially when such change is intended to create a better person, environment and situation, consequently leading to harmony, understanding and ultimately the manifestation of love.

My faith does not approve of this lifestyle, so I will change it!

My wife does not approve of this habit, so I will change it!

My husband does not like this attitude, so I will change it!

My children do not fill empowered by my characters, so I will change them!

My parents are disappointed, so I will change that way of life!

My co-workers were hurt due to my behavior, so I will change it!

This desire to make amend in a positive fashion is a way that we all want to get along with our other selves; wife, children, parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, co-workers and humanity, generally speaking. However as we have seen over and again many of us fall short of our goals in life not because we did not often try, but as a result of our ego in not seeking help from the Potter!

Perfection-In-Love

We are well aware of the fact that, as humans we were fearfully and wonderfully made by God and nothing in life exemplify this unique attribute more than Human Anatomy! Have you ever imagine how the human body is intricately, but perfectly made; from the cellular to the tissues and to the organs and finally the human person?

This is a pure work of perfection-in-love from none other than the almighty God!

Reflection

Today we are being challenged by the Prophet Jeremiah on the necessity for us to accept without doubting that we are the “Clay” and the almighty God is the “Potter” in our lives.

Today we are also being asked by the “Potter” to recognize and allow him to mold and remold, build and rebuild and remodel us again, no matter how hurt and difficult we may feel and no matter how at times we may experience brokenness, rejection and discrimination!

Today, the “Potter” wants us to attest to the fact that, no matter how bad it seems, no matter how daunting, intimidating and disheartening our life experiences may be, when we trust, hope and love the Lord, our God, just like the broken clay, he will make a new and better one out of the old.

Today, the “Potter” desire that we recognize that each one of us is a work in progress, which will ultimately lead to perfection-in-love in the eternal Kingdom where everlasting peace shall reign supreme.

And today, the “Potter” wants us and I mean all of us to recognize our human limitations; knowledge, wisdom and understanding and life! These things shall pass away one day, when we are finally called from this earth, when breathe of life is taken out of the body. At such moment, we are being asked to trust and obey, believe and have faith in the realization that, just like the clay in the potter’s hands, our God has finally and absolutely make us into the perfection-in-love vessels that he so much cherish and therefore willing to have us come back and share in his Kingdom of eternal glory.

The question for us therefore is not who is the potter of my life nor what type of clay am I? Rather, how can I allow myself to be the clay that the potter is willing to mold and remold again and over until I am able to bring glory to his holy name while I am still breathing?

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father,

In the name of Jesus Christ your Only Begotten Son, I approach your throne of grace today with a humble, repentant and a heart of thanksgiving for all the steadfast love, compassion and mercy you have continued to shower on me, in spite of my unworthiness.

Help me to accept you as the Potter of my life and I am clay for your design!

Help me to make myself available as your instrument of peace, love and hope!

Help me to bring Jesus Christ to my neighbors!

Help me to bring your joy and happiness to those in mourning!

Help to bring food for those that are hungry!

Help me to fetch drink for those that are thirsty!

Help me to bring love to those that are experiencing hatred!

Help me to be your light in darkness!

Help me to be your eyes to those that are blind!

Help me to be your legs to the cripple!

Help me to be your ears and mouth to the deaf and dumb!

Help me to bring comfort and support to the weak and vulnerable!

Help me to lead by your example of love!

O Lord, my God direct all my actions from your love, with your love and in your love, through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior in union with the Holy Spirit, one God world without end. Amen!

Picture interpretation: Hands (God the Father), Cross (Jesus Christ, God the Son) & Dove (Holy Spirit). Ref: Jeremiah 18: 1-6

Podeh2016

My God Is My Refuge: Amazing Grace

Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

~ Jeremiah 15: 18

These were the words of the prophet Jeremiah to our God following series of criticism and even threat to his life following his preaching to the people about the need for repentance from sin.

What about you and me? What risks are we willing to take to bring love to our people and live a life that will bring glory to God in spite of criticism, antagonism and rejection?

Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort in order to speak the truth about God?

Are you willing to sacrifice your ephemeral friendship for the love of God?

Are you willing to preach the words of God by your lives?

Are you willing to trust in God’s protection and divine providence?

The prophet was able to continue to preach about these necessities and therefore the “Kingdom of God” by the power and grace of the almighty God who promised never to abondon nor forsake Jeremiah!

Today we too are called upon to share in the mystery of the joy and comfort that comes from doing the will of God!

Today we are challenged to love instead of hate, share joy instead of sorrow, live in the freedom of the Holy Spirit instead of in the bondage of the Devil!

Today God is asking us to trust in his infinte protection for our lives because he the almighty is our amzing grace!

GOD’S REMEDY:

As we go about doing God’s will in our lives, the same almighty will respond to our concerns, fears and doubts in the same way that he answered the prophet Jeremiah, if only we shall hold on!

”Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.

Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.

Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.

I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.”

~ Jeremiah 15: 19 -21

Prayer:

Let us join the Psalmist and pray in confidence to our God and recognize in the almighty the resident power that he is truly our refuge and without him we can do nothing and he is our amzing grace!

O Lord, help me to respond as the Psalmist did today and believe in your divine protection, mercy and comfort for all those who put their trust, hope and faith in thee.

(Psalm 59)

God is my refuge on the day of distress.

Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.

For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.

O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.

But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.

O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
God is my refuge on the day of distress.

May the good Lord God bless his words in our lives. Amen!

Podeh2016