SATURDAY - 20TH APRIL, 2024
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Olusola ADEJUMO
THE CHURCH AND THE ESSENCE OF LIFE - The Essence & Value Of Life Series 004
Read Judges 15:4-7
Judges 15:4, KJV
"And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails."
The church has a responsibility - to be the pillar and ground of the truth (I Tim. 3:15). The church is meant to be school. If people don't know the truth but ever made it to the church or contact a Christian, they ought know the truth and be freed by having learnt how life should be lived. Ask yourself, "how should life be lived? On what should life be spent?" Then, pursue same once you find answers. However, when the purpose of a thing is not known, it is often abused or misused as over time proven by individuals. The church could become a warehouse if we don't take heed. In many places, that's what the church is. It's like a mortuary bearing and housing many dead people who come to church for other reasons. The church has stopped spreading the kingdom and His righteousness actively and that's because the members are not taught how to do so wherever they go. Nowadays, we have come to comfort and we are consoled. We are grateful our world is civilized with modern gadgets. We thought that's the progress. That's not the kind of progress God is looking for solely (though we should be comfortable). As far as God is concerned, envy, jealousy, bitterness, strife, murder, selfishness etc still pervade the world. Even if we're boasting of modernity, yet these ancient spirits are still following, ruling and breathing through men. As such, we can't come to perpetual tranquility in our world.
In today's reading, Samson in his revenge cycle against the Philistines acquire foxes in a good number, tied them together in pairs, lit and fasten a torch to each pair and releases them into the farms of the Philistines. How he did it, I don't know but the principle and process could be duplicated by the church and responsible individuals. The church is meant to learn from Samson. We are not to trap people in our pews and never release them to have impacts in their world or fulfill the intents in the heart of God for each of them. We don't manifest in church; we manifest without. It's because this has not been well taught that's making every church goer and member seek crazily how to become a pastor. Everybody is now rushing and grappling for the mic which is unavailable and scanty when there are many mountains to conquer outside there in Sports, Arts/Entertainment, Education, Business, Politics etc. But everyone want to mount the podium because the pastor has become their only star and hero. Aspiration has therefore died in them. Yet, some of these people could become inventors, scientists, mighty business tycoons and great sportsmen if they'll be told that the earnest expectation of the creature waits for their manifestation where God has ordained it (which will be mostly not inside the church). Whosoever you become that's not influencing your world or giving you a platform to doing so should be reconsidered. Imagine a Christian becoming a model or Miss World and she were asked to talk. She could use that opportunity to spread the kingdom values and beliefs without needing to quote even one Bible verse. All she needs is to invade and infiltrate them with the gospel without their knowing what they are hearing or believing. She could address the people there that she's still a virgin, not addicted to drugs, obedient to parents, hardworking and virtuous. The youths will likely believe in such a national or international figure than wanting to believe someone who's saying it who has no work to back it up or whom they don't see as heroic enough to convince them.
People are meant to be trained on and about their callings in church but released to have impact on their world in that area. Pastors should stop housing people in churches for long hours that doesn't add necessarily to the fulfilment of people's destinies and spread of the kingdom. Just like the foxes bring untold destruction to the farms they contacted, so should a Christian have effect and impact in his or her world so much more that people would ask like the Philistines did, "who did this?" But since our impact is not being felt, nobody ever asks who did this? Everything just remain normal and so no persecution follows us for having lived the kingdom and God's righteousness. Many Christians are not taking heed any longer to how they live and that's because that consciousness on seeking the kingdom isn't in them. Christians could be one of the careless people living in the modern secular world. They're easily convinced to become a free thinker and spare anyone to act according to his choices without affirming what their revelation of life should be as revealed by the author of life in the Bible. If all that ministers care for is to have such huge members that they could milk or fleece and not such that they'll coach on what is the essence and value of life, then the church is a failure. Often time, you'll see many churches slide into the pursuit of "all these things" that should have been added to them if they sought God's kingdom and His righteousness. So, no advancement of the kingdom in the work places. No advancement of God's righteousness - values, beliefs, practices and lifestyle. This way, our world remains unchanged and unimpacted. However, we should come off it. Our foxes should be well trained by our ministers and told their purposes of release to the outside world. We are meant to become the conscience of the world and the light by which they live. We are meant to become the standard by which they judge themselves even in the absence of their knowledge of the Bible. Your going to church is for such equipping. It is not to keep you in church and only make you attend church services and contribute to the church's statistics and offering bag. No! There's a cause for your being caught and subsequently sent to go into all the world! It's to carry the torch (God's kingdom and righteousness) with you. To go into your world and destroy the works of the devil. You're that ambassador of Christ.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be an effective Christian and ambassador. Prominence: national and international influences are mine and I shall have this platform for you.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Joshua 19:1-20:9, Luke 19:28-48, Psalm 88:1-18, Proverbs 13:12-14
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