Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Goodbye Polio
As Nigeria is happy that the World Health Organisation has removed her from the list of polio spreading countries, thanks to the concerted efforts of everyone, remember that giving your child the vaccine at the right time is still important. Take good care of your babies so that their future can thank you for not crippling them in the lower limbs!
God's time
Just thought of sharing this with us. As you pray, don't lose your patience. God is never too late. He is beautiful for situations. This I know for sure! October is almost here! Await with joy and gladness
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
It's Just a Shadow!
There are many silly and funny things we did as children. When
you recall, it turns out to be a great memory. One of such things that I did
was to play with my shadow. Once you are able to locate your shadow, it either
becomes something you try to run faster than or something you try to be taller
than. I think I even tried standing on my shadow and making it stand straight
when it appeared bent. Oh my childhood!
Psalm 23 is a very popular psalm read almost everywhere and
at all times. I think someone once said Psalm 23 over a meal we were about to
eat. I must have opened my eyes slightly to peep at the person and ask myself
silently, ‘Really? What happened to ‘Bless this food Oh Lord for Christ’s sake,
amen!?”
Back to the Psalmist who in verse 4 of the popular Psalm
said,
“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”
Recall that he did not say the valley of death itself. He said
even if it is valley of the SHADOW of death, how much more death itself. He had
nothing to fear because shadows are but temporal. If God can take care of the
shadow, then He can take care of that situation creating the shadow. So whether
we are crawling, walking, running or flying through the valley, He is right by
our side; giving us all the comfort we need.
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2)
Be still dear friend and know that He is God!
Monday, 28 September 2015
Should I Give My Tithe?
A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with an elderly
man who seemed to think that his tithe should be given/ paid to the poor and
needy rather than paying it at the church. Not quite long after that
conversation, I also met a young dude who was of the same opinion.
Their argument? Why give it to the church that is rich
already when you can give it to the poor who is in need of it? Why give it to
the church that has a rich or well to do man of God when you can give it to
someone who will happily and whole heartedly pray for you? Isn’t that like
pouring a bucket full of water into an ocean?
Well, I was almost tempted to agree with them but I
remembered the standard for our lives was God’s word so off I went to consult
the Almighty Standard. I was made to understand that the WHOLE TITHE is to be
brought into the storehouse/ temple (Good News Translation) so that there will
be plenty of food there (Malachi 3:10).
Now, if the store house is the needy, and plenty of food
happens to be there, how do you eat of it? Besides, I’m of the opinion that the
storehouse is the place where you worship. When you give your tithe to your
place of worship, you benefit from it one way or the other. Whether the church
uses the money for missions or the money is used to fuel the generator that
makes the fan you enjoy during service work.
When you give to the needy, that is charity. Almsgiving and
not tithe. If you do not know what the needy is doing with your ‘tithe’, why
bother what the church will use your tithe for?
If you have not been giving your tithe before, endeavor to
do that. If 90% is not enough for you, then 10% won’t be. Give it and let God
wow you. It’s never a regrettable action.
Ciao mi amor!
Missed it!
There ought to have been an eclipse of the moon early this
morning while I was snoozing. Well, turned out that I missed it or did not see
it here in Nigeria. I guess it was same for many as my antenna ears gathered
that I was not the only one who missed it or rather did not see it.
The story is however different in other parts of the world
as pictures of the super blood moon has been trending all over the social
media. If you haven’t seen it, see it now…
As seen in Cape Town, South Africa (Photo credit: Twitter)
As seen over Mt. Shasta in Northern California (Photo credit: twitter user @UGallery)
As seen reported by Indiana DNR photographer John Maxwell (outdoorindiana.org)
Sunday, 27 September 2015
THE ECLIPSE I AWAIT
So tonight, we will be experiencing the lunar eclipse. For those
of you that have watched many vampire movies, this is the blood moon time. And if
you believe in vampires, well, good luck. In Madea's voice: They are gonna get you! Just kidding.
It’s going to be happening
in the middle of the night so if you are an early to bed type, you won’t get to
see it but if you are the ‘kerosene’ type that goes to bed late, congrats. Your
kerosene nature is beneficial after all.
According to
scientists, it might be happening between 1:00am and 6:00 am (Nigerian time o).
I do hope to see it. Do you?
THE POPE ALSO
This last week, the Pope visited the United States of
America and it was massive. He was said to have impacted and addressed many, from
the congressmen to the over a thousand people he held mass with. I particularly
watched the part where he asked people to pray for him also.
Well, the Pope is not the only minister or servant of God
who asked to be prayed for. Apostle Paul also wrote in the third chapter of his
second letter to the Thessalonians asking them to pray for him and his co-
workers in the vineyard so that God’s word may speed ahead and be honoured.
You may not be able to go into the thick forests and
interior villages to reach out to people but you can pray for those who do so. That
way, you are partnering with the missionaries on the field. You need to pray
for those God uses to speak to you and bless your life. It could be your Sunday
school teacher, departmental head, pastor or even your folks and close pals. By
strength shall no man prevail. We all need prayers. And it always feels good
knowing that someone is praying for you. Don’t wait till they are gone before
you pray for them.
Friday, 25 September 2015
DID YOU KNOW?
The oldest competitive sprinter also known as ‘Golden Bolt’
who set the new record, or better put, broke his record, is Hidekichi Miyazaki,
a Japanese aged 105 years. He completed the 100 meter sprint in 42.22 seconds
at the Kyoto Masters on Wednesday. Amazing right? Some of us cannot achieve
that feat at quarter his age. Exercise is good for the body. Take time to work out
Photo credit: CNN
Magnificent voice
Ring! Ring!! She picks up the phone. “Hello! Good morning”,
she said. The caller responded in like manner. “Ah! Yinka! How are you doing?”,
she asked. Yinka, amazed that his friend was quick to recognize his voice,
asked her, “How did you know I was the one?” Then she responded, “I know your
voice”.
I have a friend whose voice is close to the masculine line.
It’s so close that when she speaks in the female hostel of our school, the
ladies would quickly wrap up thinking there was a man in the hostel at the time
that was not the visiting hour.
The Psalmist in Psalm 29 also recognized that God’s voice is
powerful and magnificent and he was quick to tell us that God’s voice is over
the waters, powerful and majestic. The voice breaks the cedars, strikes with
flashes of lightning, shakes the desert, twists the oaks and strips the forest
bare. Wow! Stripping a forest bare?? Awesome!
What a better understanding. Got any problem? Let Him speak. When we ask God to speak into
any situation, we know that He will shake the situation up, break its bars,
twist its oak and strip it bare. How great is our God.
Everything God does is
marked with simplicity and power- Tertullian
Thursday, 24 September 2015
I guess this is the English version of the Yoruba proverb that literally says that you face the one from whom you want to make a purchase and ignore the noise in the market. @maxlucado_daily also knows that. Mind you, the Yoruba people are majorly people from the South Western part of Nigeria, West Africa.
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
The door
Once upon a door, it was opened by everybody and anybody. When
some knocked, they waited for the usual ‘yes, who is there?’ response before
attempting to open while others would just knock and before you could open your
mouth to query who was knocking, the door was opened. Then came the new door that knocked out the
old.
This new door can only be opened from the inside. You can
open from the outside only if you have the key. Now, whenever anyone knocks, he
or she has no choice other than to wait for a response from someone inside. This
door comes with a benefit. If you do not want to see the person after looking
into the lens on the door, you simply turn around and the person assumes there is
nobody at home.
We all have doors to our lives. Some wait for you to open up
before coming into your life while others just come in all the same. But, there
is someone who simply waits for you to open up when He knocks. He says, ‘Behold,
I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he
[will eat] with Me. (Revelations 3: 20).
You won’t lose anything by opening to Him. You will
experience joy unspeakable and peace beyond explanation. Do not peep through
the hole and turn back to your old self. Open to a new chapter.
If you are yet to receive Christ Jesus as Lord and would
love to, just say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the provision of
salvation. Thank you for your blood. I open up to you my life. Be my master and
my Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Bless you.
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Oluwa2big: WORRY LESSignitechurch.comA look at the creatio...
Oluwa2big: WORRY LESS
ignitechurch.com
A look at the creatio...: if you can grow taller by worrying, worry. if you can't, then leave it in God's hands. He's got it! ;-)
ignitechurch.com
A look at the creatio...: if you can grow taller by worrying, worry. if you can't, then leave it in God's hands. He's got it! ;-)
WORRY LESS
ignitechurch.com
A look at the creation story makes me see how special you and I are to God. When God created most things, the Bible states that ‘God saw that it was good’ (Genesis 1: 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). However, it was after He created man He looked at everything and at this point, the Bible states ‘it was VERY good’ (Genesis 1:31 KJV). As a matter of fact, ‘it was SO good, SO VERY GOOD! (Genesis 1:31 The Message Bible)
Why was it after He made man that everything became very
good? He made us in His image, skillfully crafting us like the Master Artist
that He is.
This knowledge therefore makes me believe that He who saw
the ‘so very good’ in me has great plans for me. Therefore, I can’t be found
worrying about my life. For I know the thoughts He has for me are good (Jeremiah
29:11). So I cast all my cares upon Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7) and I
know that I am in safe hands. So are you.
Monday, 21 September 2015
VOICE OF TRUTH
photo credit: twitter.com
We face different situations daily. In some situations, we are faced with the “I-can’t” man telling us it’s impossible for us to accomplish a particular feat. Guess what? That is Mr. Fact knocking your brains out.
Good news is, Mr. Truth comes to the rescue. He reminds us
that when the situation says we can’t, we have The One who is able to do
exceedingly and abundantly, above what we could ever ask or think. Mr. Fact is
always screaming for you to notice him. He tells you just what you can see. On
the other hand, Mr. Truth calmly and reassuringly calms your fears.
I will be sharing the lyrics to the song, Voice of Truth by
Casting Crowns. It was one of the soundtracks to the 2006 movie ‘Facing the
Giants’. It’s a true picture of the Voice of Truth. Hope it changes your
mindset. Enjoy…
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win! '
"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
I will choose to listen and believe
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win! '
"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
I will choose to listen and believe
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
Henceforth, when your Mr. Fact voice tells
you stuffs like you are weak, tell him the voice of truth says you are strong.
Speak life from now on.
Much love mi amor!
Thursday, 17 September 2015
HIS SIGNATURE
When I was a new entrant at my secondary school (high
school), the need to have a signature dawned on me. So I came up with almost
everything and anything I could formulate. Finally, I settled for one. And it
had to be consistent. Oh what a tough time I had! You probably have experienced
same too.
There’s a better signature all around us. Day in day out,
they tell of God’s amazing wonder! The beautiful sky that sometimes appears to
be moving, the vast ocean, land and sea creatures and other sceneries. So amazing!
I had the opportunity
of visiting a water fall in Kutiang Village, Obudu Local Government of Cross
River state, Nigeria. It felt great feeling the great rush of the water (my
first time at a water fall ;-) ). Truly, it was God’s signature. I’m trying so
hard to explain His signature but hard as I try, I’m short of words! Wait! I
think I found a better way to explain it…
When I view and consider your heavens, the work of your
fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained and
established,
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man
that You care for him?
O Lord. Our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is
Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8: 3,4,9)
So vast is His signature. They praise God always. I am His
signature. And so are you.
Got a beautiful picture or image depicting God’s signature?
Please share with me here or on my Facebook page facebook.com/oluwatobi.omotosho with the hash
tag #HisSignature.
Would love to hear from you.
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
The visiting hour
Some of us are familiar with visiting hours in the hospital setting while some of us are not. I have seen hospital sign boards informing the general public of their visiting hours and of course,the visiting hour does not last long. It usually is not more than an hour in a day but the generous ones can extend it to two hours.
I guess there are other instituitions that have visiting hours if not a visiting day (like I used to have while in secondary school or what some would call high school). In these instituitions, as well as the hospital, any visit aside the stipulated hour was not permitted or encouraged.
Thankfully, we have a Father who doesn’t give us a visiting day or hour. We can call upon Him anytime and He will answer. He is never angry wether we call Him in the middle of the night or at the break of dawn. Unlike me. I really don’t attend to midnight phone calls. It either has to be scheduled or it is an emergency, a matter of life and death. He is ever ready to hear us and listen. He hears when we call. What an amazing Father.
Unfortunately,while He has not given us the ‘visiting hour’ or ‘visiting day’,humans have decided to give Him one. Some of us only meet Him on Sundays. Like “Hey God! It’s good to see you and hear you today. See you next week.” While some of us just make our visiting hour when we have the time to. And it’s probably just two minutes or so. Some people’s visiting hour is when they are in urgent need of something or when in a dilemma.
I want to encourage us to relate with Him better. Visit Him often. Create a journal.His loving arms are always open wide. You’ll discover that you have been limiting yourself all the while. Or should I say cheating yourself?
Experience Him more.
Much love. Ciao.
Some of us are familiar with visiting hours in the hospital setting while some of us are not. I have seen hospital sign boards informing the general public of their visiting hours and of course,the visiting hour does not last long. It usually is not more than an hour in a day but the generous ones can extend it to two hours.
I guess there are other instituitions that have visiting hours if not a visiting day (like I used to have while in secondary school or what some would call high school). In these instituitions, as well as the hospital, any visit aside the stipulated hour was not permitted or encouraged.
Thankfully, we have a Father who doesn’t give us a visiting day or hour. We can call upon Him anytime and He will answer. He is never angry wether we call Him in the middle of the night or at the break of dawn. Unlike me. I really don’t attend to midnight phone calls. It either has to be scheduled or it is an emergency, a matter of life and death. He is ever ready to hear us and listen. He hears when we call. What an amazing Father.
Unfortunately,while He has not given us the ‘visiting hour’ or ‘visiting day’,humans have decided to give Him one. Some of us only meet Him on Sundays. Like “Hey God! It’s good to see you and hear you today. See you next week.” While some of us just make our visiting hour when we have the time to. And it’s probably just two minutes or so. Some people’s visiting hour is when they are in urgent need of something or when in a dilemma.
I want to encourage us to relate with Him better. Visit Him often. Create a journal.His loving arms are always open wide. You’ll discover that you have been limiting yourself all the while. Or should I say cheating yourself?
Experience Him more.
Much love. Ciao.
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Small but MIGHTY
When we hear people say “small but mighty”, so many things
come to mind. We either think of short 'vertically challenged' people doing big
tasks or things that look small but when examined, weigh beyond what the eyes
have judged.
The small but mighty creatures I am writing about are the
ants. In the sixth chapter of the book of Proverbs, the sixth verse says:
“You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it
teach you a thing or two.”
(The Message Bible).
I regard no one as a
lazy fool though, but let us examine some interesting facts about the ants as
the Bible has instructed and learn a thing or two, or even more from them.
FACT AND LESSON 1:
WHEN ANTS FIGHT, IT IS
USUALLY TO THE DEATH
This simply means that when an enemy attacks their colony,
they fight to keep the enemy away until the enemy dies. Then and only then are
they at peace.
The lesson to draw
from here is to never give up when the challenges of life stare us in the face.
No matter how terrible and difficult it is, we shall overcome for we are more
than conquerors through Him (God) that loved us (Romans 8:37) and though we be
troubled on every side, we are not distressed (2 Corinthians 4:8).
FACT AND LESSON 2
ANTS HAVE TWO STOMACHS IN THEIR
ABDOMEN!
I bet you did
not know this. One of the stomachs holds food for itself while the other
stomach (the social stomach) holds food to be shared with others.
Ours might
not necessarily be a stomach, but we should and can at least have a heart that
remembers the need of other people around us. Something to share with others.
You will be surprised by the level of joy you will derive from meeting the needs
of people around you especially when it happens in the nick of time. It may be
financially, morally, spiritually, academically or even concerning issues
pertaining to relationship (say in the form of a word of advice).
You just
might be making someone’s day. So whenever we wake up each day, let us remember
that someone somewhere needs us just as we need someone. No man can be Island.
After all, there is love in sharing.
FACT AND LESSON 3
WHENEVER AN ANT FINDS A SOURCE OF
FOOD, IT LEAVES A TRAIL OF SCENT FOR THE OTHER ANTS TO FIND THE FOOD.
The lesson there is somewhat similar to that of lesson 2. I
picture these creatures as not being selfish. They find food in a place and
before you know it, they are all over the place. They do not hide that which
they have been blessed with. Rather, they go back to alert the others.
Some humans are not like this. They would rather clear the
whole table than leave some crumbs for those who do not have. This should not
be so. Let us endeavor to teach others the good principles which made us
successful in life rather than ensuring that nobody amounts to the good we have
become. Leave a trail for others to be blessed.
This is similar to what Boaz commanded his workers so that
Ruth could have some things to take home (Ruth 2:15-16). This will reduce
joblessness and unemployment in a way.
FACT AND LESSON 4
DIVISION OF LABOUR AND TEAM WORK
These small but mighty creatures get a lot of things done by
ensuring that each one works in different areas, such as being a soldier, a
worker or a queen.
I look at some people and see that because they want to be
noticed as being hard hardworking, they would not allow other people do other
things. They would not delegate duties. It should be known that one of the
factors that disturb our health is stress. Give those around you a sense of
responsibility and belonging and let them know that the success or downfall of
that responsibility lies in their hands.
If we do this, a lot is covered and our leisure will be
pleasurable.
FACT AND LESSON 5
“HEY BUDDY! HOW IS IT
GOING WITH YOU?”
I observed that as the ants move along the wall, even in their
busy schedule, they stop by each other for a few seconds and move on. I suggest
you stop by anywhere you find them moving in their lines and observe them too. Those coming
stop by those going for a few seconds and the journey continues. I do not know
what goes on in those few seconds but I believe the scenario might be that of
checking up on each other.
It’s funny that a friend whom you haven’t called for ages
calls you and the next thing you say is “Ahn ahn! All these days, you did not
even remember me, call me or even send a simple text.” Why did you not call or
send a text to him or her finding out why you have been forgotten?
Lesson is, no matter how busy your schedule is, remember to
say hello to your friends and ask how it has been going with them. Some people
die on the inside because nobody seems to care for them. Make out time to hear
from long lost relatives and let them be happy that it is not only when you
need something that you remember they exist.
LOOK AT AN ANT AND LET
IT TEACH YOU!
Know any other thing we could learn from the ants? Will be pleased to hear from you... Ciao
Know any other thing we could learn from the ants? Will be pleased to hear from you... Ciao
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