Retirement (the Series): Finding True Rest

February 27, 2020February 23, 2020Leave a comment

In the last edition, we noticed that the caliber of people who do the rat race are the labourers, the ‘ordinary’ people. We also saw God’s unique Kingdom Dominion plan, played out in the lives of the Levites, priests and prophets, and how it played out in the life of Kings David, through whom the second Adam was to come.

Fast forward to today, a new breed is on the scene, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, recreated after the image and likeness of Christ, born not of blood or the will of a parent but of God. A people whose destinies were sealed before their birth – A kingdom of KINGS and PRIESTS!

So they as kings adequately describe God when He is called King of kings! And just like the kings of Israel, the believer is born a king and is called a priest unto God. As we know, Kings don’t retire, prophets don’t quit, so we as believers are called to forever minister to God as the High priest and to forever have dominion over our world as the kings did, enforcing the rule and reign of Christ in our world today.

What does this all mean? It means simply that as a believer you have been called as a king and as a priest, with the Ministry of the word and prayer. You’re a minister! You’re called and anointed, and there’s no leave, no vacation, no retirement from the Christian life, it’s an all-day everyday life. We never stop praying, we never stop studying, we never stop giving, we never stop loving, we never stop sharing the good news, we never stop shinning the light. This is ministry, declaring and demonstrating Jesus to all our world. From this, we never retire.

Be careful not to worship Mammon, magnifying money and what it can buy over the press for alignment. Be violent about alignment because only the violent will take the Kingdom by force. It is even risky to be lazy about alignment. It might mean missing the wedding feast, honestly speaking. I’d find time to write about this.

Do not worry about how you’ll get your needs. Jesus says that the Father knows how important they are. By the way, money is but a decorative accessory. It’s not the main outfit. Solomon said this as well:

Proverbs 14 vs 24.

The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.

God called the man in the Luke 12 passage a fool. A fool says in his heart that there’s no God. In other words, a fool is that man who takes his cares into his hands because he doesn’t really believe that God lives to fulfill his word. A fool is faithless. This man in Luke pursued “the American dream” as most do, until he retired (won the rat race). He felt that he finally had time to relax and take life easy, enjoying family and making seeking God. God condemned him for putting the cart before the horse.

What am I saying? The order of life is not retirement followed by God and family. It is Word plus prayer all the way. Retirement is a by-product. I am imagining you say, how about I pursue God and my retirement alongside each other. I know you like to multitask but maybe you should study Luke 8:14. So my answer would be, cares choke the word of alignment when they are left in the same place.

My final words: don’t even let things that are supposed to be God’s business become cares for you. Be careful about that. Learn to let God worry about funding his business. You can’t love God’s projects more than God himself. If you find yourself panicking about funding your ministry then it might mean that you want to look good before people as an achiever or that you are secretly hoping that you can earn a living from ministry. It would mean that cares are creeping up on you. And that wouldn’t be healthy for the word of alignment in your heart.

Shalom.

Williams Udousoro,

Favour Omeje;

Requiem for the Disarmed Forces

February 27, 2020February 27, 2020Leave a comment

I have always admired soldiers
Just like I have always ignored Valentine’s Day
But on the day, I make a statement.

Not because my silence isn’t sweetin me
Not because I am obligated to speak.

I have always admired soldiers,
as their sacrifices vary
from patriotism to sheer employment
from investment to raw adventure

I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because I am Igbo
a tribe that has forgiven genocide and discrimination.
I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because I am Nigerian
a country that has forgiven military dictatorships and coups.

I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because my friend Eric is a soldier,
a man that shares history, hopes and happiness with me.

I remember soldiers,
the fallen and the standing,
especially because guard-room is real,
and no reward is enough for the soldier;
Except for Freedom and the heat of battle.

From God is true freedom…
but when it comes to battle,
Arise, Oh compatriots…

The Niel
©2020

What Faith Sees

February 26, 2020February 27, 2020Leave a comment

What Faith Sees
Faith sees beyond the eyes of beings
that force a flight
through all clouds of sense
that brings evidence
Faith sees unseen things
Hidden from all mortal eyes
And brings to fullness
The good tidings

Faith sees a conviction power from heaven
That holds unto the promise God has given
As His everlasting love encircles us as we run
By His grace to strengthen, guide as we go

Faith sees a conquering power
Strong in might from weakness
Securely fixed in Christ alone
For the victory he won.
Faith sees the cross
As a melting soul repents
Of sin, as he admits his dross
And all is forgiven.

Davidgospel
© 2020

Lasisi gaping sticker

February 25, 2020February 27, 20201 Comment

When I’m dead and my tombstone is among the press,
More than fame, did I hug the pressed?
More than religion, did I know deep rest
Or just live with my mouth open…
Never having enough?

Will they say I was circular, just because I circulated?
Will they call me gospel, because I mostly showed up in church clothes?
More than famzing, did I have a family?
More than pain, did I bring relief…
or was pointing fingers the point of my hands?

The Niel
©2020

STRANGE AS A SUN

February 23, 2020February 23, 2020Leave a comment

Nothing so strange as a Sun filled night.
Nothing more real as a Son filled darkness.
Such peace, when our fingers intertwine.

Nothing so strange as darkness posing as light
Nothing more surreal as a blue sky when heartbroken
Such madness, when our wits are feeble

Nothing so sweet as freedom
Nothing more special as owning nothing
Such wisdom, emblazoned in knowing you own nothing

St Davnique
Symolean
© 2020

Quench the Sun

February 22, 2020February 23, 2020Leave a comment

Let’s quench the sun
Let’s build up so high we touch God
Let’s give our ambition unlimited freedom

Let’s watch ourselves fail
Let our tongues wail
Let’s watch our unity break

Babel was always doomed
We never thought it through
Without God failure is what we do

Lets set the sun ablaze
Lets burn up the skies
Lets choke the heavens with smoke
Lets kill the Light

Let Light be dead
That sin may reign
That Day be dead
And Night be Lord

Let earth again be void
Formless and dark
Lets make a world
Without a God

So says the fool
In her own heart.

Godswill Ezeonyeka
Kator Steven
© 2020

Retirement (the Series): A Better Way

February 21, 2020February 23, 2020Leave a comment

Before we get into today’s message, let’s chew on the last cud for a bit:

The whole idea of retirement defeats the heart of who we are and what we do before God.

In ancient Israel, there lay a variety of professions: Shepherds, blacksmiths, wine pressers, soldiers, maidservants, embroiders, carpenters, etc. As long as humans had needs, anyone with a bit of natural talent and a determined hard working spirit could take up one of those professions and be great at it.

However, there was an exception to this rule of work, a particular kind of role one couldn’t choose, one could only be born or called there: the office of the King & the office of the High priest/Prophet.

These vocations were especially important; God literally handpicked people a number of times for these positions. They share many commonalities, the oddest one being that none of them ever retired. They literally went to their graves as kings, priests, and prophets. A new king was installed after the previous king had passed on, a new high priest came on the scene after the death of the previous high priest, a prophet was still a prophet into his old age (the dry bones of one such prophet even brought back to life a corpse).

Like wine they became sweeter in their old age, time was given to make the prophet even more prophetic, the great king even greater, the serving high priest to serve, even more, this was a general function, though some abused it.

Would you like to know why these people retire or work to retire somehow? Good; because they are labourers and labour isn’t funny. There’s another reason: they have been worn out by the noise of the labour market. And would you have me tell you what the labour market is? It is the rat race. Priests/Prophets and Kings need not retire because they don’t play by the same rules on which regular people play.

If we take a peek into the life of priests, we see how God designed the rules by which they played: They didn’t have to keep jobs because every single thing that was brought to the house of God was theirs to keep. The meat of God’s house was primarily for them. They didn’t leave where ordinary people lived; they lived in the God Reserved Area of the land. They wore a special kind of cloth, beautiful not being word enough for it.

Don’t you find these priests a perfect representation of the birds that don’t sow, don’t reap and never gather into barns? From the details of the Aaronic priestly dressing in Exodus 39, you would immediately be reminded of the flowers of the field which don’t toil and don’t spin. In the same vein, Prophets such as Elijah and Elisha received provisions from God in ways too wonderful to behold.

On the other hand, if we look into the life of Kings especially David from whom Christ was to be revealed, we see something interesting: priesthood, kingship, prophecy all revealed. David went into the temple and fed himself food meant for priests, priesthood; he made deep utterances by the Spirit of God of the Christ, prophecy and he ruled his kingdom as a great king, kingship.

Do you see why jobs like these cannot be retired from? They’re a lifetime thing. You can’t retire because that would mean dying, right?

I hope you enjoyed all that we have shared on retirement. The final installment in this series will be rolling out next week.

Shalom.

SO

February 20, 2020February 23, 2020Leave a comment

So if I
Let it fly
My flesh on floating wind
Stripped of skin that covered naked me
Bared for more than all to see
Will you see light?

I know it’s easier to cover up our crimes of Adam’s curse
Designers help our course
As we pass in flying colours and different skins
Cotton, nylon, wool and silk
Maybe it’s time be tore protection
Stop
Hiding behind all that our money can or cannot buy

Come unclad
And for once be accused of nudity

For I know you can tell
From how uptight a man walks

And how assured a man talks

With whom he had laid

For I’m yet to see a man covered with flesh
Smeared with the husky smell of lover, God

For as much as one man loves to cover up before another
No man feels the need to cover up before their lover

Strip!