Tag: forgive as you want to be forgiven

An Onesimus In Us!

In reading Philemon, I realized that we all have an Onesimus in our lives. And we are an Onesimus to some people too! How you may ask? We do not own slaves anymore! This is modern times! Absolutely!

An Onesimus is someone that have stolen something from us! They may have stolen ideals, money, or precious moments from us.

They may have stolen a piece of our trust in people, system, or relationships due to betrayal. They may have stolen our self esteem by emotional, and psychological abuse.

An Onesimus is someone that has chipped away some of our social perception by spreading untruth, gossips, bad-mouthing us or speaking ill of us in our community.

As Paul appealed to Philemon, we must forgive such. Perhaps the reason they were separated from us for a little while was that we might have them forever as brethren, said Paul in verse 15.

Friends, the truth is that we hold grudges against all that have stolen from us. There’s a part that thinks we have forgiven but then, when we remember the action, the pain they have caused us, we realize we still hurt.

The people that we have helped in the past, been a friend to, a confidant, been close to, housed, been kind to, intimate with, when they turn their backs to us, and stab us in the back, it hurts!

Apostle Paul says we should forgive this debt, debt of apologies and restitution that we may never get. This is for our own good. They may have met Paul, Christ Jesus and are on the narrow path while we are still slugging with us the pain they caused us!

Jesus Christ also thought us in the Lord’s prayer to forgive so we can be forgiven Matthew 6:9-15.

This season, I implore us to make up our minds and ask God for grace to forgive all debt so all ours will be forgiven too!

We need clean slate to run this race! May we all find it in our hearts to forgive and receive forgiveness in Jesus mighty name Amen.

Shalom! Shalom!

Just Own Up!

As a parent or guardian of young people, you must learn to own up for your mistakes so your wards can learn from you that owning up for wrongs done is not a sign of weakness, but of tremendous courage, strength, humility and truthfulness!

Accepting our fault does not come easy from time immemorial! Adam had to blame Eve for eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3 instead of owning up for his own short coming.

We see this play out in all sort of relationship! Pride has blinded many to the point of not seeing the log in our own eyes and seeing those of others with magnifying glasses! Examine yourself!

Naturally, we have inflated ego, and accepting we have done something wrong is like been stripped and whipped! We will dance around this and point fingers and all sort of acrobatics!

Just own up!

This inability to simply say “I am sorry”, have broken many homes, severe families, and caused unnecessary heart aches! It’s a sore thumb we most often are willing to play ping pong with, ofcourse with a touch of super strength Tylenol every now and then!

To be continued!

Shalom! Shalom! Shalom!

Love Conquers All Ills!!!

Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

img_20161219_074243Friends, do you want to be loved? Then love another, give love! Love in this context is the agape kind of love, the love of Jehovah. You want to be understood, then understand another. You need a friend, be a friend! Do you want to shine like the stars of heaven? Then do not attempt to quench the light of another. You see love, iron sharpens iron! God has made humanity in such a way that we are interdependent! No single person can thrive and be effective in all areas of life without the input of another at every stage, phase of life.

We need each others love and understanding. We all crave to be understood for we all are a complicated work of art, woven majestically by the hand that is not of mortals. His ways are far beyond our ways.He has a plan for us and has apportioned each and everyone of us to specific tasks, scene, and phase and these overlaps. Absolutely!! God makes it so much that we are not self sufficient even though we act so, we are not!!!  God controls everything for He is sovereign and only when we realize this can we begin to function effectively with greater impact in that which has been apportioned to us.

The engine which drives us to the fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose friends, it also happens to be the greatest commandment is love! Love for God, love for self, and love for one another – Matthew 22:36-40. Love stops evil in its track ‘cos you will think twice if you would like to receive what you were about to met out/give. If we all think with the heart of love always, we would definitely act and react differently. 

Friends, will you begin to see also with the eyes of love? Then sow seeds that will yield love in your hearts. Watch your thoughts and you would begin to think differently, see differently, and act differently. Even as the scriptures admonish us in  Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Lord we thank you for loving us. May the light of your love continue to penetrate the recess of our heart until every and any form of darkness dissipate from our hearts. May we become truly an embodiment of your love, blessed to be a blessing, a conduit of the light of your countenance to all on our path to fulfilling destiny in Christ Jesus mighty name. Let the light of your love fall upon every heart and the words of life take root downward and bear fruit upwards in every heart. Amen.

Shalom! Shalom! Shalom!