Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - NIV

People do what they do for various reasons: to impress others, to satisfy their ego and enhance their pride and fame, to revenge, to meet needs and wants, to please God, to escape being caught by the law, and so on. If you are walking in integrity, you will do what is right because it’s the right thing to do and refuse to do wrong because it is wrong. This will be regardless of whom you are doing it for, whether others see it or not.

Jesus taught that we should just let our light shine to whomsoever. Light doesn’t segregate. It shines to the evil and righteous, to the poor and rich, to friends and enemies alike. And that is the heart of God. He gives light and rain, and does good to all without favouritism, even to those who have rejected and curse Him. He loves all because that’s the right thing to do and inline with His nature.

What drives your actions? Why do you do what you do to the people you do them to? Let’s follow the footsteps of our Lord as He commanded us to love with His kind of love and to do good to all. If all people were driven by the golden rule to do to others what they wish done to them, the world would be totally different for the better. It begins with you and me as individuals. Do right right because it’s right to whoever deserves it. God recognizes it.

Matthew 5:44-45 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Corinthians 4:2 "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." - NIV

A steward holds things in trust on behalf of another. We are stewards of the life, gifts and talents that we hold. Whatever we have — life, material and non material thing — were given to us in trust by God or others. Understanding that we are stewards of everything in our possession should have a huge bearing in fostering a lifestyle of integrity. It makes us ask, ‘How am I required to use them?’ It isn’t wise to squander or divert what we know is not your own. Paul said a steward must prove faithful.

A steward has the responsibility to take care of, manage and eventually provide accountability to show whether he did a good job or not. Jesus gave a parable to show that God will demand accountability from us for the talents He gave us (Matt 25:14-30). Paul stated that we shall all give an account individually to God (Rom 14:12). There are also human systems, laws and regulations meant to foster accountability. Some forge their way to escape human audits, but not with God.

With this in mind, one will endeavour to be found faithful. Not only do we account to God, but to human authorities who trusted and put us into the positions and responsibilities we hold to properly manage the things in our care. When people forget or ignore stewardship, they become unfaithful and do all sorts of evil as driven by selfish and greedy motives. This explains all the messes and corruption scandals we see. Remember you are a steward! Be found faithful.

Matthew 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Numbers 23:19 "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" - NIV

Balaam was under intense pressure to curse Israel and so recieve his reward from Balak. Even after knowing God’s word and will for Israel, he tried to hear God again, thinking perhaps He had changed His mind and would give a different message. Then the Lord’s word came to him as recorded in the opening scripture. One quality about God is that He does not change like shifting shadows. He means what He says, and says what He means. He doesn’t lie, nor backtrack from His commitments and promises. That is integrity.

Integrity simply means honesty, complete or whole. This means no grey areas, unclear character or unreliability. That is what God’s nature is. He can completely be relied upon to do what He has said and taken according to His word. As long as He said it and committed Himself, one can count on it as done. Man, without God, is corrupted and unreliable. They may speak and not fulfill, commit and fail to complete. Not so with God.

We are called to reflect the nature of God as His followers. He created us in His image, to be and live like Him. The redemption story is one of getting back to what we were created to be; like God. Everyone in Christ is to be like Him. He calls us to a life of integrity, to be men and women of our word just as God is consistent and faithful to His. The grace of God is sufficient with our corporation, for everyone to live a life of integrity. It’s unfortunate that even those who believe in Him are as unreliable as those who don’t!

Matthew 5:37 "All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Genesis 39:9-10 "No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her." - NIV

Joseph was under so much temptation to sleep with portiphar’s wife. This went on day by day until she grabbed him to forcefully sleep with her. It was possible to have yielded to it in one of those moments and probably escape human notice as many do in their secret lives. But Joseph held on to his principles. The scripture above shows the main reason Joseph resisted this temptation all this time.

It was his fear of God that held Joseph in integrity. He didn’t reject her moves because he wasn’t man enough with sensual feelings to be attracted to a woman, nor because he feared his boss catching him. He feared God. And this is the heart of integrity; the fear of God who sees and knows it all whether anyone sees or not, and driven by a passion to please Him. He held on to this principle.

Many deep in their hearts are burning to do wrong, but are restrained because they might be caught and face the law or fear embarrassment. That’s not a good enough reason to maintain your integrity because the corrupt seed is still lingering within. At the earliest opportunity, it will overpower you and you fall into doing wrong. May the fear of God be the foundation of your life’s principles. Like Joseph and other examples of people of integrity, you will withstand persistent temptation to do evil and walk in integrity of heart.

Acts 13:22 "After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’"

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - NIV

Most people are conversant with the statement in Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.” There is truly nothing impossible with God Almighty. He can do the impossible beyond what man can think or imagine. True that as it is, it’s important to know there are things which are impossible for God to do.

James notes that every good and perfect gift comes from God the Father Who does not change like shifting shadows. God is forever true to Who He is, what He has promised and committed Himself to do. He does not change, nor can He be manipulated to do anything contrary to His nature. God will never lie, change, nor sin in any way. If He did, that would make Him unreliable and put the credibility of His word to question. Thank God, that will never happen!

Some use God’s name in desires and interests contrary to God’s nature. Not everything people do in God’s name is from Him, in His will or allowed by Him. Others, because they desperately want certain things in certain ways, plead with God to favor them. God is powerful to do anything, but principled enough not to go against His nature and word to favor you. Let’s know Him and flow with His ways and nature. He is obliged to only do what’s in His word, will and character.

Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed."

Numbers 23:19 "God is not human, that he should lie,  not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"
Titus 1:2 "…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…"

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - NIV

God strongly spoke to remind Israel about His unlimited power over humanity and His incomparability with idols or anything in all creation. Then He comes to the point of His support for those who trust in Him. God never gets tired or weary, is unlimited and Almighty.

As mortal beings, we get tired and wear out. We are weak and fail in many things because we are limited. But God promises to give us strength in life’s weak moments. Youths are the epitome of human strength. They have all the energy and vigor to do whatever they wish. But being human, they still get tired, wear out, stumble and fall. This equally represents the things we are good, experienced and skilled at. A time comes that we fail even in the things we do best.

Human abilities at their best can fail. That’s when we need external support from the One who never gets tired or weary. We get are tired and burn out. But as we trust and submit to God, He renews our strength like the old eagles which renew themselves and come back fresh and strong. It’s only then we can steadfastly move on with the Lord, year in year out, without quiting. Let’s learn to hope in God. So did the psalmist write;

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:26)

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Luke 12:5 "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." - NIV

Throughout the Bible, the fear of God is commanded. Jesus in the verse above reiterates the same. There are different kinds of fear. One is a dreadful, terrorizing, paralyzing fear caused by fear of harm or punishment. The other is reverential, empowering fear out of deep respect and loyalty. Our fear of God should reverential fear, loving what He loves and hating what He hates.

The fear of God makes us shun evil and pursue holiness. It makes us voluntarily yield to God out of a willing submissive heart. Peter calls it living in ‘reverent fear’ (1Peter 1:17). God always makes a plea for people to choose for themselves to follow Him, not out of compulsive threatening fear, but drawn by love. Satan’s method, on the hand, is to impose threatening dreadful paralyzing fear. The fear of God liberates. Satans fear enslaves.

However, lest people take His kindness for granted, God also warns of the consequences of the choices we make without fearing Him, but still leaves us to choose. Scripture is full of such warnings. That’s whyJesus warned His listeners on whom to fear, for the reason that He has power to cause both physical and eternal death in hell. Choose to fear God.

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil…"
Exodus 20:20, "Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Isaiah 48:1 "Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the LORD and invoke the God of Israel-- but not in truth or righteousness--" - NIV

Whenever people are inaugurated into certain positions of responsibility and leadership, or become witnesses, they are made to swear or take oaths. The symbol of their swearing is their object of faith or worship according to their religion. Christians use the Bible and invoke God’s name. Such swearing is a commitment to undertake their duties seriously, to tell only the truth and to execute only what is just and right under God’s watchful eye.

Unfortunately, many swear and invoke God’s name, but are not committed to doing what is right and pleases God. The people who vow to protect and defend truth, justice and righteousness are the very ones who use their positions of power and authority to commit injustice, steal, kill, oppress, divert public resources for themselves, abuse their offices, betray the people they are leading and commit all sorts of evil they vowed before God not to do. It shows they didn’t mean what they vowed or took their oaths lightly!

That’s how Israel was. They took their vows in God’s name as routine, but were not actually committed to truth and righteousness. Many, called by God’s name today, are unashamedly part of the evils of society yet they made a pledge to bring glory to God! That’s how we lose our saltiness and light to the world. When you make any commitment in God’s name, fulfill it in truth, justice and righteousness. Otherwise, you take His name in vain, bring it to shame, and become liar!

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it."

Shalom children of God.

Meditative reflection of Psalm 23

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
(I acknowledge the LORD God Almighty, as my Shepherd and purposefully take refuge in Him. The love, care, protection, provision and presence of my Shepherd God, is enough for me. I need nothing more, for in Him dwells all the riches to meet my every need as His sheep)

Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
(He meets my every need, as a sheep would have its fill of lush green pastures and cool fresh waters. He settles my mind, as He leads me in quiet peace, hemed around from every side in His protective presence, free from harm)

Psalm 23:3
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
(Even if I stray from His ways, and waves of trouble destabilize my soul, He restores me to peaceful rest in Himself and then guides me in paths of righteousness to follow. He does this for His name’s sake. He has my best interests in mind)

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
(There may be times of extreme life trials in which hope of living seems to fade and death is so close. Even in that point I shall not fear. Your assured presence will not fail and leave me to die in the hand of the enemy. The shepherd’s rod and staff in your hand, for correction, protection and safety, gives me confidence of your unfailing protection)

Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
(As if to confound my enemies and those who seek my demise more, in their full sight, you set a feast of celebration and victory for me. The enemy only helplessly watches my victory celebration, completely defeated. My head is anointed, in preparation for your service, and your bountiful blessings I can’t fully contain as they flow over)

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(Is this victory, favor, love and goodness of God for me temporary? No. But for as long as I live in Him. For this reason, I purpose to dwell in His secure comforting presence, out of the reach of the enemy, from where I was hewn and truly belong, forever).

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 121:7-8 "The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both know and forever." - NLT

The psalmist observed that God who protects us is maker of heaven and earth, and does not slumber nor sleep. He is committed and ever present with us day and night. Therefore, the fears of day or night, and all harm, will not touch us in our coming in and going out. How wonderful! Nothing of what scares and threatens us was left to chance. He Who watches over our lives does so both now and forever!

Everyone has fears and needs security from harm as a basic human need. We do many things in life to be safe and secure. But we shouldn’t entirely rely on them and ignore God. The best of human efforts have limits. But ultimately our protection in all ways comes from God Who knows it all, sees it all, is present in all situations and has our best interests in all things.

Sometimes it may appear like God failed to protect us. But we have no idea what happens behind the scenes, the things that could have gone worse. He never disappoints, leaves nor forsakes His own, those who put their trust in Him. That’s His commitment. He never fails to fulfill it.

APsalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain."

Psalm 91:1,14-15 "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty… “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him."

Shalom children of God.