A popular Yoruba song (based on a faulty translation of Isaiah 33:1) says:
"Abanijẹ́ ènìyàn tó ń bà'yàn jẹ́ kiri,
Lọ́jọ́ to bá dẹ́kun àtibanijẹ́
La ó bà ọ́ jẹ́ o".
(i.e. O destroyer, the day you stop destroying others,you will be destroyed)
This can dissuade sinners from repentance and make them continue in
sin to evade nemesis.
What does the rest of the Bible say? Consider these examples.
* "If someone wicked turns away from all his sins and keeps my
statutes and does what is just and righteous,he will surely keep
living. He will not die. None of the sins he had committed will be
held against him. He will keep living for doing what is righteous"
(Ezekiel 18:21,22)
* "Joy arises among the angels of heaven over one sinner who repents"
(Luke 15:10)
*" Repent,therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted
out,so that seasons of refreshing may come from the Lord himself"
(Acts 3:19)
*"Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the
Kingdom of God. Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual
sins,idol worshippers,adulterers,male
prostitutes,homosexuals,thieves,greedy people,drunkards,abusers and
swindlers shall not have a share in the kingdom of God. And yet that
is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean,sanctified
and declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and with
the spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
The above faulty rendition of Isaiah 33:1 in some Bible versions must
have arose from a poor understanding of the Biblical languages. The
Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew before being
translated to Greek,then Latin,...,English,etc. Before you can
translate correctly from one language to another,you must understand
both languages perfectly.
Isaiah 33:1 is properly translated as, "O destroyer, when you finish
destroying others,you will be destroyed".
Thursday, 21 September 2017
Sunday, 11 June 2017
The borrower is the slave of the lender (Proverbs 22:7)
Most of us use mobile phones and recharge them or borrow credit once
in a while. These mobile networks have a lot to teach us about the
evils of borrowing. Let me use Glo and Airtel as examples.
When you borrow N100 credit from Glo,you will be given only N85. That
is, N15 is charged as interest . If you use *323*pin# to load N100
credit, you will get an empty main balance plus N400 bonus, but Glo
will not deduct your debt from the bonus. It will wait for you to dial
*123*pin# (getting N100 instead of N400 ) before clearing your debt.
In short, you have lost N315 extra (N15 interest + N300 from bonus)
because you borrowed N100 from Glo.
The same applies to Airtel. Dialing *555*pin# gives you 6 times
your recharge as bonus, but Airtel will not deduct your N100 debt from
the N600 bonus. It will wait for you to dial *126*pin# (getting N100
instead of N600) . Mind you, you were given only N90 out of the N100
you borrowed. Therefore, the ripoff = N10 interest + N500 from bonus =
N510.
You can continue getting bonuses without paying your debt, but you
won't be allowed to borrow when you are in an emergency. It may be
months later, when you have forgotten the debt .
Let us try to avoid borrowing as much as we can. May God help us.
in a while. These mobile networks have a lot to teach us about the
evils of borrowing. Let me use Glo and Airtel as examples.
When you borrow N100 credit from Glo,you will be given only N85. That
is, N15 is charged as interest . If you use *323*pin# to load N100
credit, you will get an empty main balance plus N400 bonus, but Glo
will not deduct your debt from the bonus. It will wait for you to dial
*123*pin# (getting N100 instead of N400 ) before clearing your debt.
In short, you have lost N315 extra (N15 interest + N300 from bonus)
because you borrowed N100 from Glo.
The same applies to Airtel. Dialing *555*pin# gives you 6 times
your recharge as bonus, but Airtel will not deduct your N100 debt from
the N600 bonus. It will wait for you to dial *126*pin# (getting N100
instead of N600) . Mind you, you were given only N90 out of the N100
you borrowed. Therefore, the ripoff = N10 interest + N500 from bonus =
N510.
You can continue getting bonuses without paying your debt, but you
won't be allowed to borrow when you are in an emergency. It may be
months later, when you have forgotten the debt .
Let us try to avoid borrowing as much as we can. May God help us.
Monday, 15 May 2017
The bus stop doesn’t matter; your relationship with the driver does .
A boy stood on a sidewalk waiting for a bus.
A man walking by spotted the boy and gave him some gentle advice.
"Son," he said, "if you're waiting for the bus ,you need to move to
the street corner. That's where the bus stops for passengers."
"It's OK," said the boy. "I'll just wait right here and the bus will
stop for me."
The man repeated his advice, but the boy never moved.
Just then, the bus appeared.
Amazingly, the bus pulled over to where the boy stood and he hopped in.
The man on the sidewalk stood speechless.
The boy turned around in the doorway and said,
"Mister, I knew the bus would stop here, because the bus driver is my dad!"
When you've got a relationship with the bus driver, you don't need a bus stop.
If you've given your heart to the King of Kings, you're in a royal
family of unspeakable proportions.
Today I would like to remind you that when you know the Driver of your
life you can take the bus of life anywhere.
He will stop and pick you up where people think it is not possible.
Some are thinking that you are not in the right frame of mind, or the
right position or the right career to succeed but this will change
when the success giver is your father and friend.
Whether you are unemployed, broke, single or married, or childless or
divorced, or widowed.
What matters is that you know Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above what we can think or even imagine.
However, the BIG question is :
"Is the Driver your Father?"
"Are you still His child? You can only get that privilege if He is your Father.
He can bypass protocols because you are His child.
He has done it before.
He can do it AGAIN and AGAIN.
And guess what?
It does not matter what anybody feels or thinks.
Enjoy the ride with your Father.
A man walking by spotted the boy and gave him some gentle advice.
"Son," he said, "if you're waiting for the bus ,you need to move to
the street corner. That's where the bus stops for passengers."
"It's OK," said the boy. "I'll just wait right here and the bus will
stop for me."
The man repeated his advice, but the boy never moved.
Just then, the bus appeared.
Amazingly, the bus pulled over to where the boy stood and he hopped in.
The man on the sidewalk stood speechless.
The boy turned around in the doorway and said,
"Mister, I knew the bus would stop here, because the bus driver is my dad!"
When you've got a relationship with the bus driver, you don't need a bus stop.
If you've given your heart to the King of Kings, you're in a royal
family of unspeakable proportions.
Today I would like to remind you that when you know the Driver of your
life you can take the bus of life anywhere.
He will stop and pick you up where people think it is not possible.
Some are thinking that you are not in the right frame of mind, or the
right position or the right career to succeed but this will change
when the success giver is your father and friend.
Whether you are unemployed, broke, single or married, or childless or
divorced, or widowed.
What matters is that you know Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above what we can think or even imagine.
However, the BIG question is :
"Is the Driver your Father?"
"Are you still His child? You can only get that privilege if He is your Father.
He can bypass protocols because you are His child.
He has done it before.
He can do it AGAIN and AGAIN.
And guess what?
It does not matter what anybody feels or thinks.
Enjoy the ride with your Father.
Saturday, 15 April 2017
Beware of the spirit of rebellion
Why are some people naturally stubborn against God's will?
1. Adam and Eve ate the only fruit forbidden by God in the Garden of Eden.
2. God forbids incest ,bestiality and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:
6-23 & 20:10-21 ; Romans 1:26,27 ; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 & 6 :9-11). You
are free to marry from any tribe, race, etc as long as the person is
an unrelated member of the opposite sex (Acts 10:34,35),unlike the
ancient Israelites who were forbidden from marrying people of other
nations. Still, some people go for the forbidden types of sex and
marriage. Why?
3. Only human meat is forbidden by God (Genesis 9 :1-7 ).You can eat
any other type of meat? Why disobey?
If you are "inquisitive by nature", why don't you :
1. dip your hand into acid to be sure that it is corrosive?
2.taste your own urine and faeces?
Some people are so rebellious in nature that they will do thing they
don't normally do once it is forbidden. What moral right have they to
condemn Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit?
1. Adam and Eve ate the only fruit forbidden by God in the Garden of Eden.
2. God forbids incest ,bestiality and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:
6-23 & 20:10-21 ; Romans 1:26,27 ; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 & 6 :9-11). You
are free to marry from any tribe, race, etc as long as the person is
an unrelated member of the opposite sex (Acts 10:34,35),unlike the
ancient Israelites who were forbidden from marrying people of other
nations. Still, some people go for the forbidden types of sex and
marriage. Why?
3. Only human meat is forbidden by God (Genesis 9 :1-7 ).You can eat
any other type of meat? Why disobey?
If you are "inquisitive by nature", why don't you :
1. dip your hand into acid to be sure that it is corrosive?
2.taste your own urine and faeces?
Some people are so rebellious in nature that they will do thing they
don't normally do once it is forbidden. What moral right have they to
condemn Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit?
Thursday, 13 April 2017
If you get what you want, will you want what you get?
According to Greek mythology, Midas was a king who lived in Phrygia in
the eighth century B.C. He was very wealthy and had more gold than
anyone else in the world. He stored the yellow coins and bars in huge
vaults underneath his palace and spent many hours each day handling
and counting his treasure.
But no matter how much gold Midas collected and put into his vaults,
it was not enough. He always wanted more, and he spent much of his
time dreaming about how to obtain still more gold.
One day a being dressed in white appeared to Midas and granted him a
wish. The king instantly
wished for the "golden touch"—that everything he touched would turn to gold.
The next morning when Midas woke up, he found that his plain linen
bedcovers had been transformed into finely spun gold! He gasped with
astonishment and jumped out of bed. Then he touched the bedpost, and
it turned to gold. "It's true," he cried. "I have the golden touch!"
He rushed through the palace, brushing against walls and furniture
along the way, all of which turned to gold at his touch.
Out in the garden, he went from bush to bush, touching roses and other
flowers, smiling as they turned to gold.
But the Midas myth doesn't end here with everyone living happily ever after.
Finally, tiring from the excitement of touching various items and
seeing them turn into gold, Midas sat down to read while he waited for
breakfast. But the book he picked up immediately turned to gold. Then
when he tried to eat a peach, a spoonful of porridge, and a piece of
bread, they each turned into hard golden lumps! Even the water in his
cup turned to gold.
The king grew alarmed. "If even my food turns to gold, how will I ever
eat again?" he worried. Just then, Midas' only daughter, Aurelia, came
into the room. She ran to her father, threw her arms around him, and
kissed him. Much to Midas' horror, she grew strangely still and turned
from a loving, laughing little girl into a golden statue.
The king howled in anguish, overcome by the horror of what was
happening before his very eyes. He had gotten what be asked for, but
he suddenly realized he didn't want what he was getting.
The being dressed in white suddenly reappeared and asked, "Well, King
Midas, are you not the happiest of men?"
"Oh, no," moaned the king, "I am the most miserable of all creatures."
"What? Did I not grant your wish for the golden touch?"
"Yes, but it is a curse to me now," Midas wept. "All that I truly
loved is now lost to me."
"Do you mean to say that you would prefer a crust of bread or a cup of
water to the gift of the golden touch?" asked the glowing white being.
"Oh, yes!" Midas exclaimed. "I would give up all the gold in the world
if only my daughter was restored to me."
According to the myth, the being dressed in white told Midas to go
bathe in a certain spring of water that would wash
away his golden touch. He was also to bring back some of the water to
sprinkle on his daughter and any other objects he wished to change
back to their original form.
So the legendary King Midas gladly gave up his golden touch and
rejoiced in the restoration of the simple things of life—
family, food, and natural beauty. Midas realized that these are the
things that have greater value than gold.
The truth is, we do not live in a fairy-tale world. There is no Midas
touch or magical formula for material success. But there are
opportunities for those who are willing to be diligent and faithful in
the work of their mind and hands.
Proverbs 27:20 says: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but
he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent".
the eighth century B.C. He was very wealthy and had more gold than
anyone else in the world. He stored the yellow coins and bars in huge
vaults underneath his palace and spent many hours each day handling
and counting his treasure.
But no matter how much gold Midas collected and put into his vaults,
it was not enough. He always wanted more, and he spent much of his
time dreaming about how to obtain still more gold.
One day a being dressed in white appeared to Midas and granted him a
wish. The king instantly
wished for the "golden touch"—that everything he touched would turn to gold.
The next morning when Midas woke up, he found that his plain linen
bedcovers had been transformed into finely spun gold! He gasped with
astonishment and jumped out of bed. Then he touched the bedpost, and
it turned to gold. "It's true," he cried. "I have the golden touch!"
He rushed through the palace, brushing against walls and furniture
along the way, all of which turned to gold at his touch.
Out in the garden, he went from bush to bush, touching roses and other
flowers, smiling as they turned to gold.
But the Midas myth doesn't end here with everyone living happily ever after.
Finally, tiring from the excitement of touching various items and
seeing them turn into gold, Midas sat down to read while he waited for
breakfast. But the book he picked up immediately turned to gold. Then
when he tried to eat a peach, a spoonful of porridge, and a piece of
bread, they each turned into hard golden lumps! Even the water in his
cup turned to gold.
The king grew alarmed. "If even my food turns to gold, how will I ever
eat again?" he worried. Just then, Midas' only daughter, Aurelia, came
into the room. She ran to her father, threw her arms around him, and
kissed him. Much to Midas' horror, she grew strangely still and turned
from a loving, laughing little girl into a golden statue.
The king howled in anguish, overcome by the horror of what was
happening before his very eyes. He had gotten what be asked for, but
he suddenly realized he didn't want what he was getting.
The being dressed in white suddenly reappeared and asked, "Well, King
Midas, are you not the happiest of men?"
"Oh, no," moaned the king, "I am the most miserable of all creatures."
"What? Did I not grant your wish for the golden touch?"
"Yes, but it is a curse to me now," Midas wept. "All that I truly
loved is now lost to me."
"Do you mean to say that you would prefer a crust of bread or a cup of
water to the gift of the golden touch?" asked the glowing white being.
"Oh, yes!" Midas exclaimed. "I would give up all the gold in the world
if only my daughter was restored to me."
According to the myth, the being dressed in white told Midas to go
bathe in a certain spring of water that would wash
away his golden touch. He was also to bring back some of the water to
sprinkle on his daughter and any other objects he wished to change
back to their original form.
So the legendary King Midas gladly gave up his golden touch and
rejoiced in the restoration of the simple things of life—
family, food, and natural beauty. Midas realized that these are the
things that have greater value than gold.
The truth is, we do not live in a fairy-tale world. There is no Midas
touch or magical formula for material success. But there are
opportunities for those who are willing to be diligent and faithful in
the work of their mind and hands.
Proverbs 27:20 says: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but
he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent".