Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

James 3:13,17-18 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom… But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." - NIV

James in his comparison of Godly and worldly wisdom, gives characteristics of the God kind of wisdom. It includes living a good life in humility. Wisdom from God is pure, with no hidden ill intentions as drawn from God Whose heart is pure. It is also peace-loving, seeking peace and not chaos in whatever the person does.

This wisdom is considerate, feeling for others. It is also submissive, respecting and appreciating the value in others. In bearing with the failings of others, wisdom makes people show mercy to others. Jesus said the merciful are happy people, and they will be shown mercy too. Wisdom makes a person produce and be filled with good fruit. People will enjoy your company.

God’s wisdom is impartial and sincere in dealing with others. These are becoming rare traits among people. Only God enables us treat others without favouritism and in sincerity of heart without compromising with evil. All who have God’s kind of wisdom, can be identified by these characteristics. Are you wise from God’s or worldly perspective?

Proverbs 3:13-14 "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Galatians 5:13 "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love."- NIV

Paul’s letter to the Galatians primarily addressed conflict between the gospel and the law to recieve salvation and attain right standing with God. He taught that in Christ, one has been freed from the numerous requirements of the law to be righteous. But lest that new found freedom is abused, he cautioned that the purpose of the freedom was to serve others and not indulge the flesh.

Freedom is a nice word and state to be. People have misunderstood it to mean doing anything one likes without restrain. Freedom has its boundaries as well. In Christ, we are saved and set free to serve others in humility and love. All God’s law is summarized in love, for God and others.

Unrestrained freedom is dangerous. Society needs guiding rules and regulations to properly manage freedom. All the weird things people do in the name of freedom become destructive to themselves and others. The flesh has its evil desires contrary to God. If given liberty under demonic influence, it instead leads away from God. Enjoy your freedom in Christ as you serve God and others in humility and love.

1 Peter 2:16 "Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Jeremiah 1:4-5 "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nation's." - NIV

Among some of the most important questions in life every human being should ask is, ‘why was I created?’ Why do I exist?’ It’s noteworthy that we are no accidents in this world. We have a Creator God, Who must have had a definite reason for creating us. God told Jeremiah he was made for a specific role even before he came to existence. And so is each of us.

We can only understand the purpose of anything from the mind of its maker. That’s why we have operating manuals for any new item to guide on its best way to use and maximize its benefits. Looking elsewhere for alternative opinions is misleading. Likewise, for anyone of us to find our purpose of existence so as to live meaningfully, we must, of necessity, get back to our Creator.

Life outside God its Maker is a gamble. We may try to fill it up with the needs and wants of life, but these can never define us. The more we acquire, the more we want and the more empty we feel. The earlier we go beyond these things to understand our Creator’s purpose for our lives, the quicker the life puzzle fits in. And that’s of paramount importance to know.

Whatever else we acquire in this life are simply to enable us become what we were made for. They are not an end in themselves. If our only focus is on these things, we miss the mark and we lose out on our God given purpose. There is much more to our lives than what this world and other sources may tell us. Seek God’s purpose for your life. Consult the manual He gave us, His word. Therein is truth for real, meaningful and maximum living.

Psalms 139:16 "… All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

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 for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…"

It had been a richly lived life of dedicated service to his Lord. Paul was a classic example of what it means to be totally sold out to a cause, the cause of the Lord. As an old man in chains for the gospel, he knew his time of death was close, and was ready for it. His readiness for departure is contained in the statement; “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

We can only be ready to sign out when we have done what we were assigned to do. Everyone is born to accomplish particular tasks in life. There is a race marked out for each one of us. There are battles to fight to keep the faith till the end. Some derail, others get distracted, lose the faith. Amidst extremes of life trials, Paul ran his race faithfully. The Lord Jesus too faithfully ran the race, fought the good fight and kept the faith. We have the same calling.

All life is a preparation for death and the after life. How we live affects how we end. Everything we do prepares us in a good or bad way for what lies ahead of us. Those who will be well received and rejoice for eternity, are those who choose to live their lives for their Creator. Those who prepare badly are investing their lives in the temporary pleasures of sin. How are you personally preparing? I pray you live with awareness that one day we shall depart from this life and face our Creator!

John 17:4 "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." - NIV

We live in a troubled world. So much evil goes on bringing alot of harm, destruction, restlessness and uncertainty. All the efforts towards a peaceful world don’t seem to yield much fruit as they are soon broken and conflicts continue. Wars and crime continue leaving millions displaced, destitute and dead. Economies are struggling, millions are jobless. Is it possible to have peace in such times?

Isaiah declares that God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfastly fixed on Him. The basis of the steadfastness is trust in God. As long as we trust the efforts of men to bring peace to the world, we shall be disappointed because they will fail. Man is limited. Amidst the turmoils, and troubles of this world, we can have peace that comes from our trust in God.

Trusting God is a choice to look beyond the present situation, to a God Who is greater than these things, and is in charge. In response to our faith in Him, He holds, protects and sustains us. We are then safe and secure in His mighty hand from the storms of life. We can rest on the blessed assurance that He is our defender and hiding place.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

John14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 119:130 "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." - NIV
Psalms 119:130 "The explanation of your teachings gives light  and brings wisdom to the ignorant." - GNB

To some people, the Bible is a difficult outdated book out of touch with present realities. This is far from the truth. The word of God is living and relevant across all ages. All other sources of knowledge will require updating to merge the times. But God’s word is relevant and speaks to all times, all situations and all generations.

The psalmist in the longest chapter in the Bible, focused on the benefits of the word of God and his own commitment to it. In the verse above, he gives the secret to making the most of God’s word: revelation. It is through understanding that comes from revelation of God’s word that we gain enlightenment and wisdom for living.

Whenever we read it, let our prayer always be that the Holy Spirit unfolds the wisdom from God’s word and enable us understand and build our faith, and to know God better. Paul prayed so for the Ephesians. Short of this, the Bible will be very boring and seemingly a waste of time to read it. And yet to those who read with revelation, it is a treasure beyond measure!

Ephesians 1:16-18 "… I remember you in my prayers and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him. I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people…"

Shalom children of God.