08 - Aug

Whenever a petition is not answered as expected, a child of God should be assured that something better is in the offing.  It will take patience to understand the reason for what is withheld and for the eyes to be opened to God’s better package.

Sin is a robber and the first thing it steals is our confidence to approach God. If you want to receive from God beyond what you ask or think, endeavour to keep the line open to God through a life of righteousness.

Transport this occurrence to the Big Heavenly Father. We have been given the liberty to approach Him with all our needs. Keep in mind that there is nothing we ask that He cannot afford; and there is nothing that He gives that will in any way dent His fortune. Our God is simply unlimited and inexhaustible!

Everybody is prone to discouragement at one time or another. The men and women that we revere today as greatly accomplished are those who succeeded to wrestle their way out of discouragement. It is inconceivable that one who has not mastered discouragement will end up doing exploit. One of the things discouragement does is to stifle initiative and paralyse positive actions which are all necessary for success.

It is equally interesting that a horrible past spent in sin does not preclude you from the service of God. The loving God does not need to consult your past before engaging your future. The woman of Samaria became an evangelist, and Broome is currently serving as a pastor. You have a place in God’s scheme of things.

We stressed that the hallmark of life is not just being happy, but having others happy because of us. Ruth exemplified this maxim adequately. Naomi was happy because of Ruth; and it was just a matter of time when she would reap the benefits of her selfless service. Living for others is the golden rule of life.

Life is richer when it is lived in the service of others. We conquer selfishness, the root of all sinister moves, when we devote ourselves to the welfare of others. The moment you make it your priority to promote people’s welfare, you at the same time activate a spiritual principle. God will ensure that other people are seeking your welfare too.

In our case, we should look up as if everything depends on grace; but then we must work as if everything depends on us. Except we put our hands to the plough we will be frustrating the grace of God.

Job 5:22 states that we can laugh at famine. How is that possible? Connecting with the word of God will invariably lead to the place of abundance amid scarcity. One of the greatest prayers we can make is to ask God not to afflict us with the famine of the word.

Grace can lift barriers for you. Grace can make you go past where your peers and relatives stopped. And in times of global epidemics, you can count on grace to exempt you.