Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – NIV

God is the creator of time and He has put in place a time for everything that needs to be done in this world. Peter was addressing the elders and the youth, urging them all to be submissive to one another in humility. The youth may be tempted to run ahead of their God appointed time for lifting. The elders may be a hindrance to the rising of the youth. He then advises that we cast our cares upon God because He cares.

These are some of the things that make people run ahead of God’s time. Ambition is good, but can drive one to go ahead of God’s timing. Anxiety over things not working out as we would expect, God delaying or seeming to fail to answer our prayers drives people to take matters in their own hands to find solutions. Yet there is a due time for whatever God purposed to happen. Discerning that due time is key. And when it comes, things will flow. He makes everything beautiful in it’s time.

Its God’s mighty hand that lifts us up. Nothing and none can stand against it. Our part is to humble ourselves under that hand. It may not be easy or comfortable as this hand does its work to mold and shape us into what God desires us to be. The lifting comes only after the hand has done its work satisfactorily. Will you corporate with God’s hand working on you?

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Shalom children of God

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

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” – NIV

Paul uses the example of athletes who undergo strict discipline in training to win the prize in a game. Such training restricts the body from some of its leisurely desires, things that make the body disciplined to a particular cause. Excelling and winning a prize is an outcome of alot of hard work for a long time behind the scenes. The public victory is only the climax. That’s true for spiritual success as well.

Relating this to spiritual disciplines, Paul states how he beats his body in order to win the prize for his service in the gospel. The body and its desires can be a source of downfall in ministry. So many have gone down the drain, fallen from the heights and eventually been disqualified for the prize because they could not resist the drives of the body. The uncontrolled lusts of the flesh, of the eyes, the quest for fame, coupled with the cares of this life, led them off track.

The Christian life requires self discipline in devotion. That is hard work. We have to learn to say no to bodily desires contrary to God’s will for us. We have to learn obedience, humility and living in holiness to God despite the evil around us. Those who will recieve the ‘weldone good and faithful servant’ reception must, of necessity, be overcomers. And overcomers are fighters, including disciplining their own bodies and bringing them under subjection lest they be disqualified for the prize.

Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Shalom children of God.

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

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.