Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Familiarisation and Contempt of God!

Malachi 1:6-7 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible.” – NIV

Prophet Malachi was rebuking the unprecedented levels of dishonor that the people had shown to God. God used day to day examples of a son honouring the father and a servant honouring his master. But to God Almighty who deserved all the honour from His people, even the priests had led the way in disrespecting Him. And God asks, ‘Where is the honour due to me as your God and Master?’ This contempt of God manifested through defiling the altar with animals not worth for sacrifice; the blind and lame.

It has been said familiarisation breeds contempt. To familiarise someone is to take them unseriously, despise them, ignore them, disobey with ease and have no priority for them. This happens when God’s people seem to treat God like their equal, dont take His commands seriously, disobey and ignore Him, don’t tremble at His words and take His corrections, rebukes and warnings lightly. There is no reverent fear of God in their hearts any more. Like Samson, they engage in willful sin and think God will always be there for them despite their stubbornness! (Judges 16:20).

Even today, some of those who profess God’s name show utmost disrespect to His holy name without remorse! Some treat God like their servant whom they can just order around to do whatever they want Him to do! Even with full knowledge of God’s word, will and instruction, they easily disobey to defend and protect their egos and selfish interests. They steal, murder, hate, abuse and pull others down, use the altar to manipulate and destroy others, even while calling on the name of God! May God heal us from this! While there is opportunity, let’s repent and return to God!

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

Jeremiah 5:22-23 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;  they may roar, but they cannot cross it. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.”

Shalom children of God.

By pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psa 27:13-14 “[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”_ – KJV This psalm of David partly expresses what we go through in life and how thoughts of quiting are real. David says that he had reached the end of himself, lost strength and hope of living. But what kept him going was that there was still the goodness of God he would experience despite raging battles from his enemies. He now encourages others to wait in hope on the Lord for strength. It takes courage to keep going even when all seems hopeless and death appears real. Hope is the expectation of something good or better ahead. It implies a troublesome present state. In whom and in what things we place our hope matters alot. Sometimes what we hope in to make our lives better fails us. The Bible teaches that anything else we place our hope and faith in apart from God, may fail. Even well meaning people who truly care about us may fail because they are limited. It is only hope in God that we can call a living hope since it will not fail. It is sure.Because of the many battles and challenges of life, many have lost hope and resigned themselves to whatever happens. I encourage that you look to God Who never fails those who trust in Him. Like David, believe to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. With God, there is still light at the end of a current dark tunnel. You can still rise up again, wounded and battered as you may be. You can still smile again. You can still have joy and peace again. It’s well with you in God. _Psalm 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those  who are treacherous without cause.”__1 Peter 1:3-4 “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. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

I know and have these things…

Revelation 3:15-17 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” – NIV

They felt they had arrived. They told themselves that they were now rich and wealthy and didn’t need anything anymore. They lost their thirst and hunger after God and saw no need to seek Him. But in God’s eyes, they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked! Because of that, the church in Laodicea became detestably lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, to their Master who would best spit them out unless they repented of this attitude. They developed the attitude of the rich young fool in Jesus’ parable who thought material wealth was everything (Luke 12:18-21).

A clear sign that one is retrogressing rather than progress is to think they now know and have it all and despise or refuse to learn. They criticise others, seeing how he is better than them, and settle for what they already have and in the process, lose even the little they had got. Their pride blinds them to anything new God is doing, ideally cutting them off a living relationship with God. They dwell on, and boast about their past glory and achievements with no new experiences with God. Now blind!

How often the experienced, older, knowledgeable, famous fall into this trap! Escape comes from the realisation that no one knows everything alone. God is ever doing new and better things. We can never exhaust His vast treasures, however great revelations you have so far acquired. Acknowledging this in humility always keeps us at the feet of Jesus, going deeper as we learn from Him Who is meek and lowly in heart. It also gives the right attitude of love and respect, never despising others. May God help us!

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

John 8:10-11 “Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”_ – NIV She had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees and teachers of the law paraded her in public, and everyone was eager to punish her by stoning to death according to the law. They sought to use this incident to hear what would say and thereby trap Him. After Jesus asked anyone without sin to throw the first stone, they all departed, one by one till the woman was left alone. The very people condemning and eager to stone her, now couldn’t. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you, but leave your life of sin. Such refreshing words from the Lord!One can only imagine the shame, fear and hopelessness of this woman. Everyone looked at her jeering, laughing. She deserved to die. A sinner. But the very people eager to stone her to death were as guilty of hidden sin, including the pharisees and teachers of the same law they wanted to use to kill her. Convicted of their own sin, they left. This is the hypocrisy of our world; condemning others when guilty yourself. Just because their sins were not open like this woman, didn’t make them faultless. Neither is this a justification to cover up sin or to reject correction when you are wrong.Love covers a multitude of sin. The woman was an adulterer. Jesus didn’t ignore that. That’s why He told her to forsake sin. Let love prevail even as we correct and seek to restore people who have sinned. To those who feel ashamed, wounded, despised, rejected and condemned by others because of the wrongs they did, if you are genuinely repentant before God who searches and knows your heart, Jesus’ words of assurance come to you too, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin.” Be healed from self condemnation. Go in peace with your head raised high. God forgives and loves you._Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Back to the vomit!

2 Peter 2:20-22 “If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in a worse state at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them. What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true: “A dog goes back to what it has vomited” and “A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud.” – GNB

Being in Christ makes one escape the corruption of the world, all its evils and ways. But Peter addressed false teachers who had had known the Lord, but turned back from Him and were in a more dangerous state than they were before they came to Christ. They went back to their former ways as a dog goes back to its vomit or a washed pig going back to wallow in the mud.

As Jesus pointed out, whoever turns from God gets more demons than they had before, making their state worse than it was (Matt 12:43-45). All this is brought about by the decisions people make to continue in the Lord or not. God has made every provision for us to stand in the faith and not fall away regardless of the magnitude of the trials we face. To give in and be lured back into the world is a choice. God’s grace is sufficient to sustain even in most painful situations of life.

Choose to remain in the Lord and not go back to the detestable wicked ways of the world. Paul stated that nothing in all creation shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ(Rom 8:38-39). Should you fall victim, return to the Lord. He promised to forgive and heal our backsliding. He committed not to lose any who are in Him. He prayed and continues to interceed for us to stand. We can stand till the end.

Hebrews 10:38-39 “My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back,  I will not be pleased with him.” We are not people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith and are saved.”

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.