Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Revelation 20:12-13,15 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done…. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – NIV

There is coming a day after this life, when we shall all appear before God’s judgement seat. Every human being who ever lived from creation to that time, and their different statuses, great and small alike, will be there. All the dead will rise up to face judgment, regardless of where they died – land or sea. None will miss, whether they believed in God or not. Life does not end on earth at the point of death.

We also note that there are books on which everyone’s life record of the things done in the present life is contained. Everything we do while here on earth;  why we  do it, how we do it, in secret or in the open, counts and is captured in the books except what was repented of and forgiven. To us, they may pass as simple insignificant episodes of life. But God takes it seriously. Those records form the basis of judgement on that day and we cannot deny them, because they will be a true reflection of our life’s journey on earth, whether to the glory of our Creator or not. 

Then the bible talks of a book of life. And whoever was not found in that book was cast into hell, the lake of fire. It should be everyone’s concern to seek to be included in that book. And this happens when we individually make conscious decisions to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It’s only while in Jesus, the Mediator between man and God, and abiding in Him, that we have the blessed assurance of our names being in that book. Don’t wait until it’s too late! You can make that decision NOW by accepting Him as Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 1:5-7 Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions. But if we live in the light — just as he is in the light — then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.” – GNB

John compares living in the light and darkness. Light represents truth, honesty and right. God being light, is the epitome of truth and transparency at it’s best. Darkness represents lies, dishonesty and thus sin. Whoever lives in darkness is living by lies, dishonesty and in sin. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. There is no sin in God.

Just as light and darkness cannot live together, so lies and truth cannot fellowship. Yet John notes that there are those who claim to be in the light (God) and yet live in darkness (lies). He says we are lying if we do so. This lie comes about when we refuse to acknowledge sin by denying, ignoring, downplaying and not confessing it. This hinders fellowship with God and with one another. Whatever fellowship we hold with one another in this way is hypocrisy!

So many are living in pretense by not dealing with sin through confession to God and to each other. Genuine fellowship can only happen in the light. As long as hidden evil motives and concealed sin reigns in the heart, John says we lie both with our words and actions. We claim to live in the light yet walking in darkness! Let the Holy Spirit search the genuineness of our hearts before God. Let’s leave darkness and truly walk in the light with God. He calls us to walk in the light for genuine fellowship.

1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” – NIV

The Laodicean church had settled and arrived. They felt they had all they needed. But when the Lord looked at them, they were lukewarm, in a pitiful and wrecked state. Out of love and desire to see them become what He wanted them to be, Jesus rebuked them for their complacence. He let them know it was out of love and expected them to respond through repentance.

No rebuke and discipline is pleasant. It may discourage, strip of confidence or cause pain temporarily. But it is for an ultimate good. Whoever positively receives discipline, correction and rebukes always becomes better. Those who, out of pride and hypocrisy reject well meaning discipline and continue in their ways, eventually destroy themselves. We all make mistakes one way or another.It takes humility and a focused mind to graciously accept corrective discipline.

God disciplines His own children as well. As it happened to the church in Laodicea, sometimes we stray, settle for what He didn’t intend for us, get entangled with worldly affairs, slacken in our walk with Him, and so on. Out of love, God rebukes and disciplines to correct us. And as He does, He has our best interests in mind, to make us the best He wants us to be. So take it in good faith and repent. He is not punishing, but correcting us.

Hebrews 12:6,7,11 “…because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?… No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Shalom. Peaceful weekend

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:9-11 “Those who say that they are in the light, yet hate their brothers and sisters, are in the darkness to this very hour. Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and so there is nothing in them that will cause someone else to sin. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness; they walk in it and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.” – GNB

John continues to compare light and darkness. He now gives a clear sign to show what what walking in love or darkness is: love and hatred. Those in Christ should be characterized by love in all they do, think or say. Because Jesus is the light of the world, those in Him and submitted to His Lordship, must be characterized by love. To whom is this love directed? To their brothers and sisters, to people.

Some say they love God but hate their brothers and sisters. To them, John says they are still in darkness upto now. If Satan is behind the darkness, and is the source of hatred, those who hate others are still in the grip of Satan even if they claim to be in Christ. Those who hate are still blind and walk about in darkness, not knowing where they are going. As love is the true mark of light, hate is the true mark of darkness.

John adds that those who love and are walking in the light have nothing in them that stumbles others to sin. Their lives are a source of inspiration and a blessing, not a stumbling block hindering the growth of others. They do good wherever they are as Jesus went everywhere blessing those He came by and who encountered Him (Acts 10:38). What signs do you manifest; of light or darkness? Everyone in Christ is (expected to be) the light of the world just as Christ is the light of the world. Avoid the deception of thinking you are in the light and yet living in darkness through hatred. Let love prevail.

1 John 4:11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Acts 17:30-31 “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” – NIV

Paul was in Athens. As he preached the good news, he brought to their attention a day God has set to judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed, Jesus Christ. He further noted that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the undeniable proof of this fact. Jesus Himself had earlier stated that the Father had entrusted all judgment to Him (John 5:22).

All mankind has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and standard. Sin must be judged. But God in His great mercy and love, so loved the world of lost sinners, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in Him will not perish. Jesus bore the punishment for our sin. The basis of God’s judgment for man, will primarily be on what we did with the Son He sent to save us; whether we accepted Him as Lord and Savior to reconcile as with God, or we rejected Him and continued in our wicked ways. The second line of judgment will be what we did for His glory, and so be rewarded accordingly.

The very Person softly and tenderly calling us to Himself now, is going to be the Judge later. Today He is the sweet gentle Savior. On the judgment throne, He will be the Lion of Judah, the Judge from Whom people will want to flee! While there is still time and opportunity to make peace with the Judge of the universe, do it now, by repentance from sin, believing in Him as Lord and Savior and serving Him. He is just a short prayer away. You can invite Jesus now into your life. Make prior peace with the Judge before it’s too late!

John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Numbers 9:17-19 “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out.” – NIV

The Israelites were in the desert of Sinai. The tent of meeting and worship had been set up. And the sign of God’s presence in it was the cloud which settled above the tent. At night, it was like a fire. The cloud was their guide to move or remain. When it moved, it meant God was telling them to move. When it settled, they were to settle. The cloud represented God’s command.

God operates in seasons and times. There is a time to settle, and a time to move on towards what He has destined for us. This happens through change. The Israelites needed to watch the clouds to notice what God wanted them to do. If they continued to settle yet they were expected to move, they would miss out on what God had. Likewise, if they moved ahead when God wanted them settled, they would miss out. It was important to keep in step with God’s move for maximum benefit and blessings.

God now speaks and leads us in various ways, not the physical cloud. But the principle is the same; be sensitive and discerning enough to move when God expects you to move, and settle when He expects you to settle. What do you feel God leading you to do this season? Respond and move with Him. Whenever and wherever He leads, let’s obediently and faithfully follow. He means well and has our best interests in heart. Trust Him.

John 10:3-4 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”_ – NIV The church in Sardis was one of the seven churches in Asia Minor. Jesus had a message for each church, according to what they had done, how they did it, how He rated their works and the quality of their relationship with Him. Nothing escaped the all seeing eye of God, even what would pass for minor and ignorable sins in man’s standard of judgement. What He told these churches is true for the church to date. He knows all our deeds and true state before Him. He desires to perfect us.The church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive and well in the faith, according to those who watched them. And they had settled for this, and happy. But God saw a dead church! How ironic this is! When you think as everyone else does, that you are alive, and yet dead. Herein is the timeless lesson, that our opinion of ourselves or others, could be worlds apart from Gods view of us. He told Isaiah that His ways are not our ways, neither our thoughts His thoughts. These two are as far apart as the heavens is from the earth, until our lives are fully aligned with His will. We can only trust our own opinions of ourselves and others, if weighed against the eternal truth of His word. Only His report can we believe, because it doesn’t lie about our true state before Him. He is the searcher of the secrets, motives and intends of every man’s heart. And the heart can be falsely convinced and established on other things other than God. On our own, we could fall into self deception. Don’t settle for, nor seek to please men, but rather to obtain a good report from God. What do you or others say about you? Would God say the same?_Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Luke 22:41-42 “He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”NIV

Well knowing the amount of pain and suffering that lay ahead of Him, and being human with feelings, Jesus was so overwhelmed emotionally. He had earlier expressed the weight of the burden to the disciples saying, “… My soul is overwhelmed  with sorrow to the point if death. Stay here and keep watch with me”(Matt 26:38). His disciples unfortunately failed. He was in such agony that He did not only sweat in prayer in that cold night, but His sweat even turned to drops of blood!(Luke 22:44). Such was the untold intensity!

One part of Him felt it was too much to bear that pain and wished it could be taken away. He even said He had power to call for more than 12 legions of angels to come to His rescue, but didn’t. Yet He knew the will of the Father was for Him to go through it to accomplish the purpose of saving man. So, Jesus surrendered His will to that of the Father — all for our salvation. He was faithful to His Father to death!

The accomplishment of our God given purpose in this life will many times require that we surrender our human will and take on God’s. It takes commitment, loyalty to do it. Jesus urged us to be faitful even to death, if we are to recieve the crown of life (Rev 2:10). He is telling us to do what He Himself did. This may not be easy on our own, but He supplies the grace to do it.
 
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:3-6 “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” – NIV

Many people confess knowing God even if they don’t believe in Him, let alone choosing to obey Him. Even those who believe in Him struggle with obedience especially where God’s commands contradict their desires. John clarifies what knowing God is, and ties it to obedience to His commands. He uses practical situations of what people normally say and seeks to clarify to such claimers what the truth is, that you can only say you know God personally if you are living in obedience to Him.

John further links knowing God with love for Him. One cannot obey God from their hearts if they don’t truly love Him. This knowledge of God comes through personal relationship with Him. That is how He reveals Himself to those who live in love and obedience to Him. Anything else apart from this is living a life of a lie.

Let’s examine ourselves. Do our confessions of knowing God match with our obedience to Him? This is a choice we make daily amidst the many things that seek to divert and make us compromise our relationship with God. And what God asks us to do in obedience to Him, is not too difficult to do. Even when we find it hard in our human abilities, He readily gives us strength to obey His commands. He needs our willing commitment.

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

1 John 5:3 “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Romans 2:4-5 “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” – NIV

Paul had in no uncertain terms expressed God’s anger towards those who deliberately reject and pervert the gospel, given themselves to gross evil despite being fully aware about the truth, and were judging others and yet practicing the same things. He let them know it was God’s unprecedented kindness, tolerance and patience which had sustained them before His judgement fell. God was patient, giving them time to repent and change their ways.

But they instead showed contempt for this grace of God by remaining sturbon and unrepentant. Certain judgement awaited them. When God seems quiet as men continue in evil, despise His kindness and patience, and doesn’t seem to react to their hardness of heart, it may be taken for weakness. But in His mercy and grace, God is instead giving people time to realise their fallennes, repent of their wicked ways and turn to Him.

May we not be tempted to take God’s patience, grace and kindness for granted and assume He has ignored our disobedience. Remember Samson! Let’s heed His loving correction and restoration as He brings us back to righteousness and holiness. When we stumble, allow Him raise us back to our feet. He is a gracious compassionate God, not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance and be saved.

Revelation 2:21-22 “I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Shalom children of God.