Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

There are so many details about Jesus found in the Bible that put Him in His own class. His birth was the first and last of its kind. When the angel Gabriel announced that Mary would conceive and give birth to the Saviour, she probed how that could be possible without relating with a man. The response was that the conception would be by the enveloping power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus became the first to be born without the normal relation between a man and a woman. He scored another first in His work. He gave sight to a man born blind. When the Pharisees tried to dismiss the miracle and label Christ a sinner, the healed man faulted their theology: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind” (John 9:31-32).

His birth was the first and last of its kind…Jesus scored first – He rose from the dead…Since Christ is raised to immortality, those who are saved by Him are also sure of a better life after death.

Our lead scripture shows another critical area where Jesus scored first – He rose from the dead. Now, there were a number of miracles both in the Old and New Testament where the dead were raised back to life. The difference, however, is that none raised himself by his own power as did Christ. In addition, they were not raised to immortality. They fulfilled their days and still went the way of all life – death. It is Christ alone who was raised to immortality. For believers, death has lost its power! Since Christ is raised to immortality, those who are saved by Him are also sure of a better life after death.

In December 2023, I attended a thanksgiving service in honour of someone who has impacted me in the past. With the festive season knocking at the door, the traffic was long and slow in every direction. At that time too, I was grappling with a lot of tasks as deadlines were gnawing at me. I went all the same. The following morning I felt happy that I went and would have probably regretted if I didn’t show up for him. It was then it occurred to me that what is expedient may not necessarily be comfortable. What is expedient and what is comfortable seldom travel in the same direction.

…what is expedient may not necessarily be comfortable. What is expedient and what is comfortable seldom travel in the same direction…Those who mean business with God and life have grown past doing things that are convenient; they go for what is necessary and profitable.

Those who leave things to when convenient will end up leaving the most important things of life undone. For example, regular church attendance is essential for fellowship and growth. But if you leave that to when it is comfortable, you will probably attend church only on Christmas Day. Think of other spiritual exercises too. We know that spiritual growth is as a result of spiritual exercises. Prayer is an exercise that leads to growth. If that is left to when convenient, you will have a chequered prayer life. The same thing goes for fasting. Think also of giving. Perhaps the only comfortable time to give will be when all your needs have been met, and that time is not anywhere near. Those who mean business with God and life have grown past doing things that are convenient; they go for what is necessary and profitable.

Connecting with the voice of God is as good as connecting with direction and solution. In most cases, hearing God is work half done! However, hearing God is not an easy proposition. If you are in doubt of this, ask the following persons: Moses, who had to wait seven days on the mount before he heard a single word from God; Elijah, who had to embark on a 40-day trek to the mount to hear three seemingly simple succession plan; and Jeremiah, who had to go to the potter’s house to hear an illustrated sermon on restoration. Hearing God takes time and effort.

Connecting with the voice of God is as good as connecting with direction and solution…Hearing God takes time and effort…The process by which we get to hear God’s voice is also the same thing that takes us to Christian maturity.

Left to us, we would love hearing God to be the way we ask Siri for something or run Google search. The point is, God is not a robot! He is a Being, and has to be approached as such. There is no button to press that will make God respond like a machine. The established rule is that those who would come to hear His voice must follow the protocol. Our lead scripture says that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; whereas it is the honour of a king to search it out. So, when we are in search for the voice of God, which invariably will include His will, we are being led in the path of honour. Moreover, every moment you spend in praise, prayer, and searching scriptures for His voice builds in you the eternal virtue of patience. The process by which we get to hear God’s voice is also the same thing that takes us to Christian maturity.

Napoleon Bonaparte did not pretend to be a lover of any religion. He once said that if he were to choose a religion, he would prefer the sun as the universal giver of life. Well, he missed that by some distance. Perhaps he should have been told of One described as the Sun of righteousness. His distaste for religion may also have been informed at the duality of people who profess faith in God but lived inconsistently with what they professed. Hear him: “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay hands on everything they can get.” Such hypocrisy could not have been a good advertisement of the Kingdom the priests were proclaiming.

We are a city set on a hill, we cannot be hidden. Knowing that we are public spectacle should spur us to a lifestyle that is above reproach.

The point of our meditation today is that the world is watching. They are listening with rapt attention. They are looking for any element of incongruity between what we say and how we live. Our text states that Jesus was watched closely when He went to a Pharisee’s house to eat. Though they were frivolous in their attacks on Jesus, it does not remove from the fact that those who mention the name of the Lord cannot escape scrutiny. We are a city set on a hill, we cannot be hidden. Knowing that we are public spectacle should spur us to a lifestyle that is above reproach. Paul pledged that whether in life or death, Christ must be honoured in his body. This should be the resolve of every professing Christian.

Muhammad Ali was not only mighty in the ring, he was equally savvy with words. Baring his somewhat pompous attitude, Muhammad Ali can be described as heavy weight not just in the boxing rings but also in his words. One of his quotes that I have come to fully appreciate is this: “The man who views life at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” Life could not be better captured than these precious words. Recently, I turned 64! It is amazing how everything look different from when I was 20. In my early twenties, life seemed interminably long. Now in my late sixties life is incredibly short! At some point, conquering territories was all that mattered. Now, I place emphasis on good health, peace of mind, and divine endorsement rather than worldly acclaim.

One thing that underscores growth and maturity is change in perspective…If nothing is changing in the way you reason and act, growth is not taking place. Regardless of our biological age, a juvenile in the kingdom cannot access all of the kingdom privileges.

One thing that underscores growth and maturity is change in perspective. Apostle Paul witnessed such transition in his perspective. He reminisced on his childhood. His thought pattern, understanding, and speech were juvenile as is the case with every youngster. At an older state, juvenile reasoning and its attendant behaviours had to give way. This is applicable both in physical as well as spiritual aspects of growth. If nothing is changing in the way you reason and act, growth is not taking place. Regardless of our biological age, a juvenile in the kingdom cannot access all of the kingdom privileges.