Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."_ - NIV 

When man fell from God’s Glory, he lost eternal life. Sin entered the human race, and with it death. Death was not in God’s original plan. As part of restoring God’s original intention for man, Jesus took the place of man the sinner, died so that man should not die again. This eternally significant transaction was completed on the cross and sealed when Jesus rose again, having defeated and disarmed the devil forever. He took the keys of death and hades (Rev 1:18).

Death is separation. It comes in three forms: spiritual death (for those who have not recieved Jesus and be born again), physical death (when our souls and spirits leave the body) and eternal/second death (forever separated from God in hell). Those who recieve Jesus are saved from spiritual death and the second death. Those who reject Him suffer all the three, now and later into eternity. You can have life by choosing Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Eternal life is the God kind of life. It’s life as God originally intended for man before the fall. It’s the fullness of life(covering every aspect of life) that Jesus said He came to give us (John 10:10). And whosoever believes in Him has crossed from death to life(John 5:24). Eternal life begins at that moment and goes on into eternity in heaven. This life is now available for ALL whosoever believe in Him. I earnestly invite anyone who has not recieved Jesus into their lives to do so now!_

Romans 6:22-23 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."_

Shalom children of God. 

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Revelation 1:18 "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."_ - NIV 

Death is the number one cause of fear to humanity regardless of status. Men have done all they can through technological and medical advancement to reduce, slow or avoid it, but they have failed. Jesus here makes a statement that sets Him apart as Lord from any religious, political, social or revolutionary leader in the history of the world. He was dead, but now alive forever and ever, never to die again. He conquered and has power over death. This is what gives credibility to His claims as the Savior, Lord of lords and King of kings like no other.

Everyone wants to follow a leader they believe is authentic, powerful enough to withstand the forces that resist them and to deliver them to where they desire. That gives followers security. Powerful men, promising all sorts of things to their followers, have come and gone. Some of their followers have been left stranded. When Jesus mentioned these to His disciples, He meant to give them assurance that what and Whom they had believed is not shaky. It was real and would stand the test of all time to eternity. It will never be challenged by any other.

Friends, Jesus is alive. He is forever victorious over the devil and his demons and schemes, over death and the fears of the after life. His  victory is victory for those who put their trust in Him. He is not only with us in the journey of life, but lives in us as well. Victory is certain and is ours in His name. Our Lord triumphantly rose and is gloriously alive. Walk with your head high. Hallelujah!_

Romans 8:37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."_

Shalom children of God. 

Happy Easter

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Peter 1:3-5 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade..."_ NIV 

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the sole reason for authenticity of the Christian faith. No other political or religious human leader in history made and fulfilled their claims like Jesus did. This sets Him apart as truly God, the Saviour and Lord. It gives us a strong basis for the gospel we have believed and preach. It is not a hoax. Even Satan can’t deny it, but only thrives by deception. Peter says Jesus resurrection gives us a LIVING hope.

Every human being has hope in something or someone. But some hopes fail. Hope in the resurrected Jesus is sure hope. It means whatever else He promised He can do. We are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ with a promise of an inheritance kept in heaven for us who believe. We can be sure of this hope. It will never fade, spoil or perish. It is a blessed assurance we can rely on, a hope that will not disappoint.

Paul said if there is no resurrection, then our hope of eternal life is shattered. Even the gospel we preach and our faith is useless. We would rather eat and drink because it all ends here in this broken evil world when we die. So the resurrection is the heart of our faith. Praise be to God indeed that we have been born into a living hope. Rejoice exceedingly that you have in you Jesus Who died and rose again, conquered death and gave us life eternal. We too shall rise up with Him. Hallelujah!_

1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 19 "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."_

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Mark 5:15-17 "When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region."_ - NIV

Revelation 3:20  "Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they will eat with me."_

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Joshua 22:22-23 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account."_ - NIV 

Joshua had settled all the tribes in their respective allotments of the land. The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh had their part east of Jordan. But they had been asked to help the rest of their brothers settle. This was accomplished and they were returning home. At a place called Geliloth near Jordan River, they set up a huge altar. Their purpose was that in the years to come, it would remind their brothers that they belong to each other and that they serve the same God.

When the rest heard of it, they thought they had already departed from God and had set up an altar to worship idols so soon. They were angry and set out to go and attack them. On enquiring from them, the scriptures above record part of their answer. It turned out they had such a noble idea, but their brothers mistook it for an evil intention. They were happy to learn that they meant well. And a large scale war nearly broke out!

Such occurrences happen often as we relate with people. We do certain things with a very clear and honest attitude and with best intentions, but those who hear about, or watch us do it, interpret it in the opposite and develop negative thoughts about us. Unless clarity is sought in good faith, these thoughts may graduate into rumours, fights, wrong decisions, destroyed relationships and a build up of many other evils. May God help us avoid judging and concluding before seeking clarity. Its important to always seek to understand why people do things the way they do before drawing conclusions. _

1 Corinthians 4:5 "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God."_

Shalom children of God

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Matthew 25:15,19 "To one he gave five talents, and to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to  his ability. Then he went on his journey…  After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them." - NIV

It was one of Jesus’ last parables about accountability. God has endowed each one of us with talents and gifts according to our abolities. We are all gifted differently. Some of us can do much more than others. Some are more prominent than others. But all are important. Whatever we are or have, was given to us by our Creator. We are expected to use them to serve others and God, that is, to trade with our talents.

The Master is coming back and will ask for accountability on how we used them. We need to live with the reality that we shall account for our lives one day to our Maker. It will be a thorough life audit, how we used what God endowed us with, either to serve our selfish motives or to glorify Him. Some live as if they are in charge of their lives, talents, skills and abilities and they can use them whichever way they please. Whatever we have was given to us and we shall account for it one day.

Accountability is not usually easy, especially if things are not right. We may manipulate men, or cover up certain things on earthly accountability. But to the God to Whom we shall account, nothing escapes notice. He knows and sees every detail of all we do, including thoughts and hidden intentions. All that will be subject to judgement. Do self examination and if there be any ammends you need to make with your life, it had better be now while there is room to do so. Then turn to God in repentance and live for Him.

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."

Remember the day of accountability!

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." - NIV

Apostle Paul, now an old man, a prisoner  in Rome, writes to his son Timothy his last letter. He knew his life was ending, and more pleasantly that he had accomplished his God given task. He was ready to depart from this life. He had lived his later life entirely for the gospel. He went through much suffering and huge risks,  to do what he was called to do. The statement above is one of a satisfied spent out man, who fully released himself, reserving nothing to do his Master’s bidding. What a way to end one’s life! It’s more fulfilling than acquiring all the treasures of this life, and dying empty!

Friends, we have only one life with  plenty of options on how to live it. One could seek fame, wealth, to conquer the world, rewrite history and enter the list of heroes and halls of fame. These ambitions are not bad per se. But the greatest of it all is to do what we were created to do. Each one of us was created with a specific role to play in the world that no one else can fill except YOU. You are the only you in the world. And you have only one life to make your mark in shaping the world, however small or big. Life is too precious and brief to waste gambling in futilities!  And the years are fast fading away… Deeply think about this as you go about your daily routines.

 Nothing can be more  fulfilling than to come to the end of your life, well knowing you did what you were made to do. With such confidence, you can gladly look forward to a grand reception to your heavenly home and a victor’s crown as Paul did. Do not spend your short life on things you were never meant to do, driven by peer pressure, public opinion and to only gain the pleasures of this life. Some will one day wake up to the reality of wasted lives when it’s too late to mend ways and reverse time! I pray you will not be one of them!

Acts 20.24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Shalom children of God. 

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo (1/5/2022)

Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead." - NIV

The offerings of Abel by faith and in honour of God lives on and still speaks to us even in his death. It serves as a good example of the nature and attitude of our offerings to God to date. Great and heroic men and women in the Bible and in the contemporary world who made significant achievements in history remain speaking through their achievements long after they are gone. Some were good, others were terrible. Their impact lives on. So will yours.

We are not here forever. We shall move on at some point to another level or out of this life. Everyone of us in the path of life leaves behind footprints that those who come after will either choose to follow or ignore, depending on how we impacted them. What footprints do you leave behind wherever you have been? Are they inspiring others for the better or would they wish to forget and move on? How will you leave the world, better or worse? Will generations that follow be glad you lived or will they wish you never existed?

One doesn’t need to be a prominent public figure to leave a legacy. Each one of us in our small areas and small ways can make a difference. The best impact we can make is to live life in honour of God, see and treat people as God would, inspire and help them become the best they were created to be. That is investment in people first, using things. May you purposefully live your life in such a way that it positively impacts others long after you transitioned from your current position to another, or from this life into the next as Paul did.

1 Corinthians 11:1 "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Mark 10:28-30 "Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." - NIV

Change can be very costly. To Jesus’ disciples, it cost everything; careers, families, personal comfort, and property to follow Jesus. This was very drastic change. And Peter raises it with Jesus who acknowledged and promised they would be rewarded, in this life and in the one to come. The point of forsaking all was that their primary allegiance was now to Jesus who would help them live life in honour of God in careers, family, personal life and managing wealth and property.

In following God, we shall have to make some changes from our old ways of life. Every change God initiates in us is for our good. There is always something new and better than what we already know or have. We benefit from it now or later in this life, and some on to the other side of eternity.

When all has been said and done, and you have come to the goal of the change process you or God wanted you to attain, you will discover it was worth it. It was worth the pain, discomfort, the things you forsook or endured, the despise and rejection. Then you can enjoy the fruit of your obedience to Him and enter the rest He has prepared for you.

Revelation 2:7 "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

Shalom children of God