THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 16 – Monday, 16th April, 2018
(Matt.22:36-40, Ps.90:12)
Welcome to this edition of The Message Now. Pray the following prayers with spiritual zest and vigour.
LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT (Part 2)
Verse 39 of the first text in today’s edition of The message Now reads: ‘and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’.
Ever wonder why the Lord admonished us to love our neighbours as ourselves? Would the Lord have been wrong if He raised the bars as high as saying: ‘love your neighbor more than yourself’?
Perhaps one answer is to say that the Lord will not demand from man that which exceeds the limit of man’s ability. Wouldn’t such a conclusion be right? Undoubtedly so.
Perhaps again, another answer is to say that fair balance especially in interpersonal relationships is the fulcrum for equality and the promoter of long lasting friendship. Very true.
After all, the Lord respects principles a great deal. One such principle in this connection is the instructive will of the Lord in Matthew chapter 7 verse 12. This principle reads: ‘whatsoever ye shall have men do unto you, do ye likewise unto them’.
It is an equilibrium principle expressing the ideals of reciprocity. But as I have argued elsewhere and still maintain even here: Scriptures are the only panacea for judging and explaining other Scriptures.
Besides, One Scripture contains multiplicity of interpretations depending on the context. It is as the matter of a coin. It cannot be judged by only one side because it possesses two.
Therefore, when the Lord says: ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’, apart from loving our neighbor, the Lord equally means more than the obvious. Since the one who is to love another must be first a lover of himself, then the Lord is subtly saying to love one’s neighbor, one must foremostly have a personal experience of the love of oneself.
For how can one emit what he/she does not contain first from within him/her. The Lord cannot give an instruction without a purpose for that instruction to achieve. After all, Hear what the Apostle John says in John chapter 2 verses 23-25.
These three verses read as follows:
’23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because He knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man’.
If Christ Jesus the only true Lord knows all men and what is contained in them, then He equally knows the psychological, spiritual, material, financial and all round problems of man.
I conclude therefore that the greatest problem of man and indeed the greatest trigger of man’s problem is the absence of love in man. Why? Man doesn’t love himself/herself therefore, man cannot forgive himself/herself of his/her sin which God has long forgotten.
Man contains no love for himself/herself on the inside therefore, man cannot let go of the past. Man is empty of every iota of love for himself/herself therefore, man is constantly unhappy.
Man! Can you listen for once. Your Lord believes in you more than you believe in yourself. Your Lord knows that you can surmount that mountain holding you back. Your Lord is weeping because you think the reason for your suffering and struggle is the sin of many years back.
Man! Why not forsake chasing after shadows and embrace the light of reality? ‘Yesterday is gone; and tomorrow may never be [yours]’. So, why not embrace today and enjoy it?
Man! You don’t contain love in you because you are yet to allow Love to possess you. Hear now. Love is crying out, knocking at the door of your heart to come in and stay, to sup, to counsel/guide, to abide, to write-off your debts, to take over your liabilities and even add more to your already God-given asset, never to take away from your assets.
Love is knocking, standing outside and desiring to negotiate with your heart so as to perform that spiritual transaction that will effect an eternal merger between you and His Father who is the Possessor of heaven and earth.
Would you allow Him come in? Stop being sorrowful.Forget your pains. Hear my experience and learn today. It was back at the University of Aberdeen. I had met a young white lady who appeared so kind.
As the months drew along, certain events began to unfold. In the end, she hurt me so badly. And, I struggled to forgive this young lady for years. One day at about the month of April in 2010, this young lady met me at a public gathering and greeted me.
Because of the heavy burden, anger and pain in me, I failed to answer her. Was that not embarrassing for that young lady. Was that a sign of one who had love in his heart and who should extend the same love to his neighbor?
How would I have felt if another treated me that way? To make matters worse, that public gathering was a Christian gathering. But thank God, the Lord caught up with me right inside that gathering.
I suppose as we waited for the Man of God and indeed for the programme to commence, I lowered my head in prayer. At about that time, the clear vision of God fell down upon my open face. There in the vision, Apostle WF Kumuyi appeared to me with just one sentence in his mouth: ‘I forgive and I forget’.
If despite what this Man of God has undergone in life and in Ministry is anything to go by, then what was mine. Was this not the man whose uncle asked to wash his face with pepper-laden water during his days as a student?
Was this not the man who was walked out from the pulpit in one of Deeper Life Church branches in the US? Again what is mine own little hurt? The problem I had at the time was simple: love was not in me so I could not extend it to that young white lady.
Beloved, love yourself. Make the best out of every situation you find yourself. Sleep well. Stop thinking and stop pitying yourself. Enjoy that marriage. Push away the thought of regret telling you that you wished you had married someone else. Someone else without their problems!!!
Thinking too much, being sorrowful and being unhappy will run down your age too fast. Do you want to look like your grandma who is now at 90 whilst you are yet in your 20s, 30s and 40s?
Your smile alone brightens the heart and face of the Almighty. Understand dearly beloved that love of oneself (not selfishly) is the foundation of personal, innate happiness which in turn lights up the environment and people around one. The senseless thought that says ‘I wish I am beautiful, I wish I am more handsome, is a question of no love for oneself.
Appreciate your God-given features, virtues and talents. My dear sister, do you know that you are the most beautiful lady that any good man can ever get? He who doesn’t appreciate God’s unparalleled handwork in you doesn’t merit to have you.
So, enjoy your years and few months of singleness in the love of God and in the appreciation to God for who you are. Don’t you know singleness will soon be over? Failure to love oneself and appreciate who one is turns on that satanic gear of inferiority complex.
IN THE END, THERE IS NONE ON THE EARTH LIKE YOU AND NO ONE CAN PLAY YOUR ROLE BETTER. KNOW IT TODAY, EMBRACE THE KNOWLEDGE AND WORK & WALK WITH IT.
Question and Answer Session:
Question: On whom, when and where was the first CS operation performed?
Answer: The first caesarean operation was performed on the mother of Julius Caesar during his delivery in the ancient city of Rome at the start of the Common Era (c)100(e) B.C. This same Julius Caesar later became the Roman Emperor from 46-44 B.C.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Counselling, Prayers and Appointments: Please contact contactus@
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ALTAR CALL:
Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Ps.54 in closing and pray more).
HYMN: Take Your Burden To The Lord
PRAY NOW:
Stay strong and keep loving yourself and others.
Pastor Mike
