A lot of Christians haven’t really understood love. A few others talk about love in the light of something they expect to receive from others. But can you imagine if every Christian thought about themselves every time 1 Corinthians 13 flashes through their mind? Christianity will be truly defined. How do you love?

The Communion offers us both the blood (that overcomes) and an opportunity to testify of our faith in the finished work of Christ.

The Communion offers us both the blood (that overcomes) and an opportunity to testify of our faith in the finished work of Christ.

The Communion offers us both the blood (that overcomes) and an opportunity to testify of our faith in the finished work of Christ.

Love never fails

Love never fails

The title of this blogpost would seem like an oxymoron, consisting of a phrase with conflicting or opposing ideas. It seems to be saying ‘don’t think‘ and yet ‘think‘ 🙂 It is impossible to continue to live and not think 🙂 so what is this blog about?

To guard something means to watch over it in order to protect and control it, to protect something against damage or harm.

The heart (mind) plays a key role in human existence. It is the seat of emotions, locus of thoughts and the centre of intellect.

Science describes the heart as a hollow muscular organ which pumps blood round the circulatory system and around the body. Thus far in human existence, no one has actually seen the heart (mind) as used in the Bible. However, we find from studying the scripture that a person’s personality, character and behavior reveal their heart.

“for as he thinks in his heart, so is he (in behavior -one who manipulates}. He says to you, “Eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you….” {Proverbs 23:7}.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” NKJV

Looking at the 2 scriptures above, we immediately see a link between the heart, behaviour (actions) and spoken words.

I was browsing through my last birthday messages from friends and family and I observed something that kept recurring through the messages from different people; “beautiful in and out” that stood out to me (*wink, wink). It’s a good report and I celebrate God’s Word in my heart 🙂

God wants us to guard our heart and by so doing control our actions, reactions and words.

“Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life”
Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

To keep means to continue or cause to continue in a specified condition, state or course.

This is so important because all issues of life spring from our heart. Emotions of fear, hurt, love, anger, worry all stream from the heart. Our intellect is built and influenced hugely by the things we expose our heart to, thoughts emanate from our heart.

Clearly then we must control what goes into our heart and by so doing automatically control what comes out of it- as thoughts, words or actions.

Truth is, our emotions, thoughts (and actions) can either cripple or energize us.

God wants us to be selective about what we permit or allow access into our heart and we have a reference;

Philippians 4:8

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things. NKJV.

So we should consciously put every thought (from within or without) against true/noble/just/lovely/of virtue/of good report. Any thought/word/action found wanting on this weighing scale must be discarded and ignored. A thought flashes through your mind that does not pass the litmus test? Discard. Somebody says something to you that displaces the balance of the weighing scale? Discard and ignore.

Reminds me of an incidence that took place in my office some years ago; someone became very upset and restless because another colleague referred to him as ‘a rat’ 🙂 The matter escalated to the point that the overall boss had to intervene, he called a meeting. After listening to the two people involved, one of his admonitions to the offended colleague was a question ‘Are you a rat?’ If someone refers to you as a rat, and you are not a rat, you haven’t behaved like a rat, then why are you so upset. 🙂

I believe that the easiest way to align our thoughts according to Philippians 4:8, is to always operate in Godly wisdom. And Godly wisdom flows freely from the Word of God.

In recent times, my most treasured status is that of being at peace. So I purposefully ‘guard my heart to think’ by protecting it from harm and exposing it to the truth sourced directly from the word of God. I consciously resist any attempt by life issues to destabilise this state 🙂 I keep my peace. Sometimes I miss it, but then I chase after it until it returns.

You can do same 🙂

The peace of God is available to us always but we must choose to walk in it.

To have a well-kept heart, a well-guarded heart, there are places we cannot go, there are movies/shows we cannot watch, there are books we cannot afford to read, there are associations and gatherings we must avoid, there are discussions we cannot be part of, there are pleasures we cannot indulge in.

I leave you with the complete words of wisdom from Proverbs 4:23;

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:23‭-‬27 KJV

Shalom.

A Business Owner had worked all year round to keep his business afloat amidst regular dips in profits. His hard-work paid off, business still made sense; his profit margin wasn’t bad at all. Only thing was, he has become really exasperated, irritated by trivial issues, excitable by mundane ones. He needed a break!

He called for a management meeting with all departmental heads and informed them of his plan to proceed on an extended leave. Business must remain profitable in his absence. He assigned tasks and targets to each managerial portfolio with accompanying resources to aid achievement of expected outcomes.

Few days before proceeding on his vacation, he assembled his managers again and distributed seed stocks. To the Sales Manager he handed $5,000 and a list of tasks. He must at least double the money before the business owner returns. Standing next to the Sales Manager was the Finance Manager, who thought to himself, ‘Oh! the company’s net worth is better this year than it was last year, that attests to my hardwork. I’ll surely get more than $5,000. He got $2,000! The other person in the room was the Operations Manager who, just like the Finance Manager was full of great expectations. ‘He has kept everything together this past year, he thought’. If not for his dedication and commitment, their experience could have been worse considering global economic recessions. His Master would certainly give him more than $5,000 to trade with. He got $1,000!

Spread across the faces of the Sales Manager and the Finance Manager was a mix of chagrin and delight, they are certainly unhappy with Mr. Business Owner but then their fate seemed better than that of Mr.Operations. ‘At least the Master considered them more productive and superior to Mr. Operations. They busted into laughter. Mr. Operations went all red.

The Business Owner watched them in utter bewilderment. ‘These people don’t get this, he thought’. He quickly called them to order, explaining the criteria for distributing the resources. Every man has received according to his strength, ability and role in the organisation. This was not a reward system. His hopes are that each manager would employ given resources, maximize profits, without neglecting his primary responsibility. He wished them well and embarked on his journey.

Despite the explanations given by the Business Owner, the Operations Manager went away disgruntled, depressed and disillusioned. ‘The Master surely hates me, he thought‘ He is not only ungrateful and selfish, he is a wicked man and cares about nothing more than his profits.’ Mr. Owner has treated him badly despite all his years of hard-work and commitment. Instead of rewarding him for ensuring the smooth running of daily operations in the organization, he humiliated him in the presence of his colleagues by giving him the least money to trade with. He was going to do absolutely nothing with the $1000 given to him. If the Master didn’t trust his ability to trade, then he shouldn’t expect any further gains from him.

We find the response of the Business Owner to Mr. Operations on his return in Mathew 25:

“…. ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.”

Mr. Operations was right; his Master didn’t trust him to deliver. His initial explanation on the criteria for distributing the resources was only a cover up. Mr. Business Owner obviously see him as wicked {selfish} and lazy. He was of little or no benefit to him personally or to organizational growth. The only reason operations were still great was because he weighed in most times. Giving him one talent was simply an act of generosity, he would have gotten nothing.

Interestingly, they had made clever judgment about each other .. well, to a great extent 🙂 Business Owner was profit-oriented and result-driven, Mr. Operations was seen as selfish but didn’t know it}.

Jesus gave the Parable of the Talents to teach on faithfulness to the things of God. Profitability of the Kingdom of God is about making disciples of all men (Matthew 28:19). If the One-Talent Servant knew the overall organization goal and focused on it, he would (1) Continue to work towards achievement of the overall organizational goal irrespective of his perception about his Master’s feelings towards him. (2) He would have become more self-aware of how his Master saw him and seize the little opportunity given to improve himself or set things right.

He missed both.

Jesus never gave a condemning parable without admonition on the way to repentance 🙂

Let’s stay faithful and committed to the things of God. We will reap where we sow if we do not faint. And let us stay relevant in the vineyard in which we’re planted, always being reminded of 1 Corinthians 12: 20

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” NKJV.

Ever felt like people just don’t like you and you don’t know why?

A few years ago, one of the Directors I worked with, called me to advice that I needed to spend a lot of time praying for myself as he perceived that so many people didn’t like me so much.

That is a prayer that never happened.

If somebody that is supposed to report to you, asks you to help him write and submit his team report (to yourself) simply because you both once worked together on the same level, hatred won’t be far when you say no.

If you get into a new position/role and decide to do things the right way, not the usual way, it is futile trying to pray to be loved, prepare to be hated (at least initially, until they can feel and see the love of Christ in you).

John 15: 18-19 isn’t a new scripture to me but as I read it again this time,  I was shocked at how much hatred Jesus experienced while on earth.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”                            John 15:18‭-‬19 NKJV

And I ask why?

Why hate a man who came to die for your sins?

Because when you stand out from the crowd, you unknowingly arrogate to yourself some level of superiority.

People hate that!

And as we see in John 7:7, you cannot expect to be loved by a group you’ve clearly dissociated yourself from. So if you choose integrity over mediocrity, it’s likely that a lot of hatred might be waiting for you. The only reason the world hated Jesus according to John 7:7 is because Jesus testified of its evil works.

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.“                         John 7:7 NKJV.

I know there are a lot of ‘Pharisees and Sadducees‘ in Christianity today, people who preach and teach about a lifestyle that is alien to them, living different from what they admonish others to do, but Jesus was nothing like that.  If Jesus saw evil in the world’s way of doing things, then He must have adjudged Himself holy (not a part of this evil).

People don’t want a lot of ‘holier than thou‘ attitude around them. Not even when you’re a Jesus! (Shepherd, Saviour, God-Man).  Naaa

I had a colleague once, we shared office room, who i’d summarize as ‘being unsteady’. Everything anybody did was fine, as long as it bore no personal negative implication. Now, that may not be a bad thing if you want to avoid trouble sometimes, but ‘hello!’ not as a lifestyle. There are times to just rock the boat.  Personally, I am uncomfortable seeking counsel or advice from someone who’s ‘unsteady in his ways’ and that is because, I won’t be sure when you’re saying the truth. I’d rather learn to correct ‘in love’ than not correct at all for fear of losing friendship.

One of the things I’ve learnt walking with God, is that you don’t have to do anything bad or terrible to be hated, sometimes, people are fighting their own demons. Jealousy, strife and envy always usher in hatred and most times (not all the time), you have little or no control over how people feel.

So I don’t pray to be loved by anyone (except by my husband, and that He’d love God too), but in wisdom I’ve learnt to show God’s love to all (haters and lovers), even more towards haters, so that maybe the love of God exuding from me may cancel out their hatred and draw them towards God. 🙂    I constantly pray, that my words and actions would always convey the love of Christ in me.

Giving back hatred is never an option. Jesus still loved and died for  a world that hated him deeply without a cause.

John 7:1-9 provides an intriguing and exciting expository on Jesus’ family life and how much this affected His ministry-if at all. So if you have ever wondered what kind of family relationship Jesus had, look no further, John 7:1-9 got it.

A strong family support system is invaluable in the successful execution of a big project.  When Jesus left Heaven to come save humanity on earth, He embarked on a major project.

As someone who blogs on the Bible, I get all sorts of feedback. Most are positive and encouraging, a few critic my write-ups and it’s always nice to receive these, but there are a few that I prefer to categorize as distracting.  Like the feedback Jesus got from His siblings….

John 7:1-9 reads;

“After this, Jesus traveled around the country of Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. It was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters. So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him. Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come, but any time is right for you to go. The world cannot hate you. But the world hates me, because I tell the people in the world that they do evil things. So you go to the festival. I will not go now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” John 7:1‭-‬9 ERV

Some Jewish leaders often frowned at Christ’s confidence and skill (expertise) with teaching the Word of God, which many times was at variance with regular Jewish teachings and interpretations. Some other person’s however, did more than frown.  For instance, Herod wouldn’t stop looking out for ‘The King of the Jews’ (an obvious threat to his throne), to quietly eliminate him.

If you ask me, it’s probably ‘okay’ to think about hatred towards Jesus coming from Herod and some selfish Jewish hypocrites, but not from Jesus’ own brothers!

According to John 7:1, Jesus had decided it was best to keep away from Judea. He knew he’d be killed there and it just wasn’t the right time.  Needless testing God’s ability to protect Him by walking into an obvious trap, which was what attending the  upcoming Feast of Tabernacles (FoTs) would mean. But His brothers wouldn’t let Him be….

“So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” John 7:2-4 ERV 

As harmless as Jesus’ brothers’ proposition may seem, they meant nothing of the words they spewed. If anything, they were being sarcastic, clearly ridiculing Jesus’ ministry.  In fact, they didn’t want Jesus anywhere around them, His presence seemed a threat.

They were taunting Jesus; mockingly informing him that ‘his miracles’ were at best, only seen in Galilee. They were saying Jesus is not widely known and he’s not making impact (verses 2-4). He is not popular. The world isn’t feeling what he’s feeling. He’s in his own cocoon!

Yes the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand, but was it their place to impress it on Jesus to attend? Did they understand that Judea could mean death for Jesus? Were they intentionally pushing him into danger? Or was this Satan at work again?

We are told, explicitly, in John 7: 5 that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in His ministry……

“Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him” 

Why is this so? Could they not see His miracles?

My thoughts….

They may have been struggling with some inferiority complex.

It would be much safer if Jesus would simply remain their big brother and nothing special or supernaturally gifted. Being supernaturally gifted would mean Jesus was different and maybe superior.  Isn’t this the same Jesus they grew up with, ate with, played with, bathed with, etc?  Familiarity!

Reminds me of Jacob’s 12 sons and how they sold off Joseph out of hatred.

As a Christian, sometimes, people abhor your presence. They make it very clear that they don’t like you. And if you care to check, you wouldn’t find explanations for their stance. In this kind of scenario, it may be safe to keep your distance, but should you give back hate?

Last night, an older friend of mine called, sounding really sad. Some young folks have spread negative tales about her and as a Christian, these were troubling. This is my response; ‘This may be an opportunity to re-evaluate oneself or somehow, Satan is uncomfortable‘.

Earlier today, another older woman forwarded a post to me on social media which read: “Life is short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t“.  I immediately forwarded Matthew 5:44 to her and I knew I needed to tidy this blog-post and share (been on it for weeks!).

Jesus tells us as Christians, to expect to be hated by the world and that is not difficult to understand. Do not expect to be accepted by the world if you are a constant reminder of its evil works.

But hey! that’s the WORLD.  What happens when you feel hatred from within the family? I mean God’s family….from Believers. How should you react?

Jesus’ brothers were not Believers right, but they were family. So how did Jesus handle them? How did He handle treacherous Judas?

Jesus died for one and all. He loved everyone the same. It is unlikely that Jesus would let His brothers in on all His thoughts and plans (except they were His disciples), but He didn’t hate them, neither did He write them off completely.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate  you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven, for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Matthew 5:44 NKJV

So when you feel hated,  Love.  When you feel used unfairly, Love. When you feel persecuted, Love.  When the world mocks you, Love. When brethren ‘laugh’ at your calling, Love.

Be like Jehovah your Father, who does not discriminate between evil and good people.

Be wise, realize that it is important to understand people’s mindset before you can successfully help them.  LOVE.

Be humble, remember that he that must win a soul must be wise.

My love ALWAYs

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