Thought for the week

Someone once said that “Christianity is not a religion but a way of life”. I presume this statement was born out of, for example, what happened in Acts 11:26 when, as a result of the characters and attitudes which the disciples of Jesus Christ exhibited and displayed in Antioch, to…

Many years ago, a very senior cleric who was also a lecturer in a theological institution, on a lighter mood, but seriously speaking asked his students a simple but logical question: ‘When anyone is about to embark on a journey, which of these prayers is most appropriate and why?’ a.O…

One thing that baffles the expatriate investor in Nigeria is why most Nigerians do not find fulfillment in their country. The Germans, English, Americans, Asians, all have good stories to tell. An expatriate in his sixties is proud to say that not only was he born in Nigeria, his mother…

“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the…

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”   (Isaiah 9: 3) Nigeria, by every stretch of the imagination, is a potentially great nation. Blessed with many geographical regions, the country is capable of…

“If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; then the swollen…

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.’  (John 1: 19 & 20 [NKJV]). The word celebrity is a common thing in our…

“Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”  (Matthew 24: 44). May I welcome you to the beginning of the Christian year called  Advent.  It is the new year of the Christian Calendar.  In ordinary language, Advent means…

“And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour…

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thess 5:1-2). A young man was caught in the act of loosening, with the…

At the graduation ceremony of any typical Nigerian university, the Dean of the respective Faculty presents the graduating students to the Chancellor as those who had been adjudged worthy both by learning and character to receive the degree of the university. The obvious implication is that one could attain an…

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (I John 5:14) Prayer…

Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6). To please God, each of us must live by faith in Christ. Abel, Enoch, Noah had faith in God and He testified of them that they pleased Him. In Abel, we learn the commencement of the life of faith;…

‘Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances and his statutes. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them and when your herds and flocks have multiplied and all that you have…

“Do not make idols  ... in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God... If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains .... You will eat your fill and live securely in your own…

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father.…

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not…

For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3 The tides of life are most times very challenging, especially with Satan…

“If anyone says, “I love God.”  yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” I…

Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.  So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.  (Deuteronomy…

“I give you a commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this every one will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34 & 35).  During the first Century, followers…