The Cares of This Life, a Vanity

The Cares of This Life, a Vanity

Text: Matthew 13:22

‘He that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the Word that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he became unfruitful’.

It is more important to have more of Christ in you than to have more of riches. When a man dies, his money remains in the banks. But when he was alive, he seems not to have enough to spend, always looking for more. Yet when he is gone, there is a lot of money not spent left for others to spend.

In a modern mobile phone, there are many functions but many are useless to the owner. For example, my phone has the following features:

Phone book, Camcorder, Alarm, Call Log, Palm Chat, Torch light, Messages, T-zone, Opera Mini, Media Player, Calculator, Image Viewer, Settings, Calendar, File Manager, Blue Tooth, World Clock, Profiles, Sound Recorder, Java, EBook Reader, Facebook, Email, Browser, Movie, FM Radio, Gmail, Currency Converter, Tasks, Notes, Connectivity, Phone Sync, Synchronization, Sim Tool Kit, Sim Manager, Web Link and Holy Bible – 37 functions in all.

I admire my phone and its features but do not understand what most of them are there for and in fact not really interested in them. I use mainly 10 of the functions because my major interest is to make and receive calls, send texts and read emails. The other 27 functions are useless to me.

In a mansion, about 80% of the space are not usually occupied or put to use. In a car, about 70% of the facilities in it are not utilized. Also in a wardrobe, about 70% of the clothing is not worn for months.  A whole life time of work and earnings that leaves the greater part behind for others to spend is a vanity. Vanity on vanity! All is vanity, vanities (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

 Proverbs 23:4 says, ‘ Labour not to be rich, cease from thine own wisdom.’ Do not spend your whole one lifetime pursuing the riches of the world because riches are temporal that will pass away. It is the wisdom of men to spend their life on issues that are ephemeral in nature at the expense of issues that have eternal values.

 

It is the wisdom of God for you to rather invest your time on issues that have eternal values, which benefit your eternal soul that was created not to die and cannot die but lives on forever. The activities include:

Striving to be among the few that will reach a heaven that is meant for a few (Luke 13:24)

Striving to win the lost for Christ (Philippians 2:16)

Striving to support the weak (Acts 20:35)

Striving to be accepted of God (2 Corinthians 5:9)

Striving to conform to the image of Jesus Christ through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

We have 24 hours in a day. An average man spends 8 hours sleeping and another 8 hours is utilized making a living for the perishing body. How many hours do we have left to attend to activities that determine our eternal destination?  Life is too short; therefore make the best use of the remaining hours as an investment to benefit your life on earth and your eternal soul.

Ayodele Adegbulugbe

Email: ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com

Phone: +2348035978352

Are You Involved?

Are You Involved?

There is more to church than coming in, warming the bench, clapping, singing and going home after the service. Your first real need is the salvation of your soul which Jesus Christ has paid for with His Blood (Romans 10:9-10). Are you genuinely saved? Or are you a mere church attendant?

You are a sinner, born in sin but while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for you on the Cross at Calvary. He sacrificed His life to save you from your sins and to reconcile you to God the Father. The sin in the Garden of Eden broke the fellowship between God and Man, which the death and resurrection of Jesus has restored.

Therefore, you are expected to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior, walking with Him in holiness and righteousness (Hebrews 12:14) (1 Peter 1:16). Without accepting the risen Christ and walking with Him in holiness, you are not a true member of His body though you may be a church member (John 15:4-5).

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior and have become a true member of the Body of Christ (Matthew 7:21), then your second real need is to become involved in the work in the church. Every member in the Body of Christ has a calling to serve: to become involved in the work in the vineyard.

 1 Corinthians 12: 27-28 says:

‘Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.’

The scripture above lists the ministry of helps as one of the ministries that God created. This ministry speaks of those who help in the church. The ministry of helps occurred throughout the Bible. For example, Aaron was appointed as a helper to Moses. Priscilla and Acquilla were helpers to Paul (Romans 16:3). In what areas can you be of help in the church? God has placed an army of helpers in His church to support the pastorate. 

I Chronicles 22:15 says:

‘Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for all manner of work.’

You may be one of them that the 1 Chronicles 22:15 is referring to, yet unaware and coming to church to warm the benches. You should look for something to do in the church and do it sincerely, working for God and not for men. Your love for God must be real and you have no real love for Him if you profess your love in words but not in action. 

God is looking for real people. It is mandatory that you locate your place in the body of Christ and work in it. There are many workers groups in the church. Find your place in any of them and work in it. There is joy and reward in walking with, and working for the Lord. All manner of work in the ministry of helps include the menial and stressing activities in the church which many Christians look down upon.

The activities in the ministry of helps are many and may include:

     1) Releasing your residence for house fellowship

     2)  Become a house leader to oversee a house fellowship     
 3) Join the visitation team to visit new and old members to encourage them in the Lord     
4) Joining an intercessory prayer group

5)      Involvement in church sanitation

6)      Join a support group to contribute funds for church projects and maintenance

7)      Finance gospel activities e.g. film evangelism, tracts etc.

8)      Become an evangelist and do the work of an evangelist(Mark 16:15)(2 Timothy 4:5)

9)      Become an active member of a house fellowship

10)   Others

   

        Find your place in the Body of Christ. Do not be a bench warmer anymore. Become involved today! 

Ayodele Adegbulugbe

www.xtianrace.blogspot.com

www.relationship4growth.blogspot.com

Email: ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com

Phone:+2348035978352

Are You a Candle or a Star?

Are You a Star or a Candle?

In the church, there are stars and candles which God uses to illuminate the world. The stars are usually the big names in the ministry while the candles are the church members that are often not recognized. The stars are usually few while the candles are many. The stars shine at a time while the candles shine all the time. During storms, the stars cannot be seen but the candles glow during storms. Where you see a star, the candles gather around it, but the star receives all the praise most of the time.

God is not interested in your status, big names or high sounding titles in the church or ministry. He is interested in the service that you render and no service is little or menial in the Body of Christ. As far as God is concerned, the cleaner who is diligent and faithful in his service will be rated and rewarded better than a pulpit pastor who is not diligent and not faithful to God in his duties. God rewards those who seek Him diligently.

In 1 Samuel 13 & 14, is the account of King Saul, his son Jonathan and Jonathan’s armour bearer in a battle with the Philistines. In the story, King Saul and Jonathan were the stars while the armour bearer was the candle. King Saul, a tested warrior and a star had backslid and was fearful but his son Jonathan took the military challenge by faith (1 Samuel 13:6-7) (1 Samuel 14:6).

But Jonathan’s armour bearer, who was a candle, was also a man of faith. He said to his master, ‘do all that is in thine heart, turn thee: behold, I am with thee according to thy heart (1 Samuel 14:7).’ He was willing to follow his master, Jonathan in any venture. Are you willing to support your church pastor or group leader in any venture?

In the Israelite army of those days, there were few swords. In fact, only King Saul and Jonathan had swords for battle (1 Samuel 13:22). Your pastor or leader is like Jonathan carrying a sword. The church members are the armour bearers supporting the pastorate or group leaders. To have co-workers in the vineyard who can say, ‘I am with you as long as you are in God’s will’ is great relief in times of stress and crisis.

Are you still supporting your Jonathan or have you turned back from following him? Or have you joined those who backbite, who write petitions and lead satanic inspired conspiracies to pull down and discredit their Jonathan? It is important to always support your Jonathan who knows how to go into the battle.

God used only 2 persons –Jonathan and the armour bearer – to defeat and scatter a better equipped Philistine army (1 Samuel 14:6-16). This story shows that God uses both stars and candles for His glory. It is not only the Jonathans (stars) that can use the sword to kill. The armour bearer also participated in the slaughter of the Philistines, using the second sword which King Saul was too fearful to use (1 Samuel 14:13). If you are a star but unwilling to use your sword, God can transfer it to a candle. If you fail to use your gifts and talents for God, He may transfer them to others.

Whether you are a star or a candle in the church, do not be ashamed or fearful to be known as a servant of the Most High God. As stars and candles, we are servants in the vineyard. God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love if you are diligent and faithful in service. God needs you in His Vineyard today. Become involved and stop being a bench warmer. 

More importantly, he needs your eternal soul in his kingdom? Are you saved? If Christ returns now, are you fit for admission into heaven?

Ayodele Adegbulugbe

www.xtianrace.blogspot.com

www.relationship4growth.blogspot.com

email: ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com

Phone: 2348035978352

Christian titles:

Riches: A Blessing or a Snare?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFRAN9K

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GFRAN9K

Solutions to Sexual Abuses in Marriage

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GS4SVZI

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GS4SVZI

Forsake Foolish Attitudes

Forsake Foolish Attitudes

 Text: Proverbs 9:6

‘’forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding’’

 It is a foolish attitude to continue to remain an enemy of God after hearing this message.

Proverbs 14:12 says that there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is death. There are many things men do in their own wisdom but which are foolish in the sight of God and damnable in Hell.

It is a foolish attitude for you to live on earth as a king, acquiring the world but ending up in hell as a slave for all eternity. It is a foolish attitude to continue to enjoy the pleasures of sin which is for a season but end up in eternal destruction and everlasting suffering.

To live eternally with Christ, you must forsake the world; forsake the love of the world because loving the world makes you an enemy of God (1 John 2:15-16). It is impossible to love the world and love God and claim to be a saint. You must choose one and stick to one (Matthew 6:24).

It is a foolish attitude to be seeking first the things of the world ahead of seeking the kingdom of God and its righteousness. The things of the world are temporal, ephemeral and mundane having no eternal values. It is a foolish attitude to live your one and only life on earth as if life ends on earth when the Bible says that there is judgment and another life after death.

Are you living as if no God exists, without regard for judgment and for the eternal destination of your soul? If you are, it is a foolish attitude that leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:25)

 

Remember the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. He focused his whole life acquiring the riches of the world at the expense of his eternity. He was rich in the world while being poor before God. And when he thought he had many more years to spend in pleasures, God called his soul home for judgment. For the bible to label him a rich fool certainly means that he did not enter into eternal life.

 To go in the way of understanding and live eternally, you should start focusing your attention on those things that are above and are eternal, not on the things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). Focus your attention on Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and Life because in Him alone is eternal life (Acts 4:12).

 

To reject Jesus Christ and the salvation he offers you are acts of foolishness. You may be a Christian having accepted Jesus in the past but living in ways & manners that indicate a rejection of Christ is an act of foolishness. To trust in a grace that excuses sin and allows you to do the very things that are forbidden both under the law and under grace is foolishness.

It is wisdom to start giving consideration to how your life will end; where your soul is going (Psalm 39:4-5). 

Have you examined your life? How are you standing now? 

If the rapture should occur now or death should come, are you qualified for eternity with Christ?

The greatest error is for a man to continue to postpone the day of his salvation which is now!

Ayodele Adegbulugbe

www.xtianrace.blogspot.com

www.relationship4growth.blogspot.com

Phone: +2348035978352

Email:ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com