Daily Devotionals

Your world would be a much different place if Christians operated as the salt and light of their world. You are a vehicle for the grace of God to shine into the dark world around you. You should develop a mindset that without you, your world will be dark. With such a rich spiritual heritage. Christians should not be charity cases. Begging for daily bread. There are no limits to what’s possible when you lead with faith, love and work ethic. The world is lost, and battling failure, disease and poverty. Because Christians have not operated at their full potential.

You have what it takes to be a mover and shaker of the world. Equipped with the fruit of the Spirit. You can develop economic might, and wield influence over your world. Judges 6:14 (ESV), “And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” The Lord calls you today, just as he called Gideon. Go forth, in this might of yours and save your world. You have access to the grace of God. There is the love, wisdom and power of God to assist you. What could go wrong?

Christians that ought to be shaking the world for God, are busy begging for money. They have not put their talent to good use. Their spiritual gifts have not been fanned into flames. They are not solving any problem in society. There is no value being created. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. If you do not grow into what the might of the Lord has made available. You will struggle to operate as the salt and light of your world. You require economic might to hold territory for God. Go in this might of yours, and task your spirit about how you can begin your work.

You do not have to choose between faith and reason. It can be both. It has to be both. We recall that Joshua 1:8 commands us to meditate on “this book of the law”. Meditation means to think deeply about something. It is a charge to think about the book of the law, and to consider how one might live a life that is in agreement with it. Philippians 4:8 (NIV) says, “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”. The Christian faith does not remove the need for reason and thinking. It rather invites us to think from a place of faith.

According to 2 Peter 1:4-8, it is never enough to have faith. Certain things must be added to your faith, including knowledge. Knowledge is the raw material you need for productive thinking. Knowledge is the fuel for your creativity. We think about scientists today as people governed by logic and reason. But the first scientists were people inspired by the Holy Spirit to seek knowledge of how things work in nature. Many scientists who are thought to be atheists have been misunderstood. They are not atheists in the sense that they deny God, but they made the critical decision to seek knowledge and then think.

Faith-based thinking is the most productive mode of thought. The Christian faith is not ignorant. It is an intelligent tradition. Everything of faith will be reasoned out at some point. You need a leap of faith for the initial believing. And as you believe, words will come. You will receive enough knowledge that you will then have to think through, for the word to be performed. You require faith to accept the initial word of God. In the passing of time, you will have to reason, “how shall these things be?” Then the Holy Spirit will overshadow you, leading to every truth. You will have to think, meditate, and then move towards your goal.

The time is right to debunk the mindset that the only way to serve God is by running a non-profit organization. The idea that the work of God is restricted to the four walls of the church. If for some reason you didn’t work in a church. You had to find something non-profit to do. This mindset is dangerous. It makes it look like God has an issue with his children that do things for profit. People on the Lord’s side did things they made money from in the Bible. For example, Joseph didn’t give away the food he stored. He sold it. You can build a for-profit business around your mission.

The truth is bitter. But, someone can run a church as a personal shop. A venture never commissioned by heaven. In the words of Jesus, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22‭-‬23 ESV). We see here that working in church does not mean you’re doing God’s work. You can build a school, charge the highest prices, and still be doing the Lord’s work. Offering quality education is expensive and time intensive. You had to charge higher prices, so that you deliver value.

For these reasons, it is hard to disagree with St. Augustine. For he opined that “love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.” So, if we can establish that you love God. You are free to do whatever you like. Even if it’s to build a for-profit business that is making billions of dollars every minute. Think about it and see; for-profit social media platforms have done more to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ than many non-profit organizations. You can do a lot of good if you build a for-profit business.

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Therefore, focus on what God is giving you; abundant life. And let us agree that you don’t have any business with death. Do not join the camp of those who do not make multi-decade plans because “nobody knows tomorrow”. This is a complete waste of time. “What if you die tomorrow?” is best answered by “what if you don’t die tomorrow?” Focusing on death is a waste of your time. Death is not a fruit of the Spirit. Trust that God will keep you alive for as long as you need to do your work.

The Bible does not teach us to sit around waiting for death. We should be out and about, carrying out the works of the one who sent Jesus. God is not interested in your death. You were not created by God to die. Heaven will not rejoice or be fulfilled as a result of your death. Stop being indifferent to death. And do not be afraid of death. Jesus already defeated death. Focus on the abundant life Jesus promised you. And consider how much work you can do in service of God. Make a list of things you have to do before you can be permitted to talk about dying.

Jesus said that he came to give you an abundant life. If you have faith that you have received an abundant life, you should no longer be worried about sickness, poverty and death. You need to become more proactive with regards to your life. You need to decide when you want to die. And the exact things you would have accomplished by that time. There is enough time to do the things God has placed in your heart to do. As long as you have things to do. You can live for as long as you need to. Keep your focus on living an abundant life. Let your daily living reflect your commitment to God.

Here’s a perfectly reasonable question for your consideration: why are you breathing? Why should God make a commitment to keep you alive? You have to move out of the mundane to the place of purpose. Regardless of your age right now. Understand that you are in a race against time. Let us recall the words of Jesus. Luke 13:31‭-‬32 (ESV) says, “At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.” Let us take a cue from Jesus. You should make a list of things you want to do before you can die.

There is no meaning to life outside of a purpose. Where is the virtue or glory in living day-to-day, paying bills, and waiting to die? Can you explain in 100 words, the tell-tale signs that your destiny has been fulfilled? And are you working towards that future with every single breathe you take? Jesus beckons to us in John 9:4 (ESV) “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Our purpose on earth revolves around doing the works of God. You should make a list of the works of God you will do before you will contemplate your mortality and death.

George Whitefield, one of the most well-known religious figure of the eighteenth century wrote, “Fear not your weak body; we are immortal till our work is done.” You have enough time to do as much as you want to do for God. If you require three hundred years of breathing to complete your good works. Consider yourself immortal for those three hundred years. Death comes your way the day you are done. Dearly beloved, today is a great day to create or review your list. Your list of things you must accomplish for God before you die. Good works you will perform in religion, culture, economy or governance.

Your mission requires you to be creative. Creativity gives you what you need to keep going against all odds. Creativity is coming up with new ideas that are useful. Useful ideas that help us to solve problems. It is important for you to understand that creativity is productive. This makes it distinct from imagination. Your imaginations are not always productive, and there is always a chance that your imaginations will go wild. You have to focus your creative power on the results you want, and move towards it. This will help you avoid the trap of “vain imaginations”.

A lot of creative people have very little to show for all their talent. They focus on things that do not have any utility. This wastes valuable time and energy. It is important to acknowledge that the utility of a new idea may not be obvious right away. But, if your heart is in the right place, you will birth ideas that align with your goals. You must get clear on the exact results you want. It is this clarity that governs your talent. And helps you channel all your spiritual and mental faculties towards a definite goal.

Focus on your output. When you have a definite goal. It becomes easy to determine what needs to be done. Then you can brainstorm around how you want to increase your output. Creativity helps you do much more with fewer resources. And your mission will require you to do that more often than you would like. Take a cue from Thomas Edison, one of the most productive geniuses of all times. He promised to turn out “a minor invention every 10 days and a big thing every six months or so.” When you define your output this way, you will focus enough to produce something your world would find useful.

It almost seems archaic to discuss the need for marriage before having children these days. There is a growing trend of people who aspire to become single parents. People that feel they can just go out there and get a child. Similar to how one would obtain a dog or a cat as a pet. There is no regard for God and his precepts. It is only a fool that says in their heart, “there is no God.” They lead a corrupted life that breeds more problems in society. Children need both parents in order to grow, and be nurtured into productive members of society.

It is time to take a hard stand against the “baby mama”, and “baby daddy”. These are corrupt knockoffs of the divine office of the wife, and husband respectively. There is a big problem when young people do not aspire towards marriage, and then sex, and then the children. A society that permits and normalizes sex without any need for taking responsibility is in a decline and soon collapses on itself. The Bible is clear about how both parents need to shape a child. The Book of Proverbs talks about wisdom from both parents that should be passed on to children.

We need to remind everyone that children are a gift from God. Children are not property. They are not a commodity. And the natural environment for children is within the confines of a marriage. Women are quick to point to infidelity and domestic abuse as justification for wanting to go it alone. “I want to be a mother, who says I have to be a wife as well?” Well, a child is not a pet dog or doll. Psalms 127:3 (ESV) says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” Domestic abuse and infidelity are problems to be solved. But we must never compromise on Bible standards. We will regret it.

Have you tried to engage the world and had to pull back because it threatened your faith? This is an issue we must discuss. There is this sentiment that nobody stays good in this world. That you will become corrupt over time and succumb to the lust and greed of the world. We already see Christian businessmen who have adopted the idea that “greed is good”. Just like their non-Christian colleagues on the marketplace. However, if you are of God, you have overcome the world: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. The influence of God within you should be stronger than the corrupting influence of the world out there.

We know that people have achieved success in the world without sacrificing their faith. Their faith in God empowered them to go on against all odds. We have the valiant Daniel as a hero of faith to emulate. There is nothing you will face out there that others have not faced. Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV). Facing trials and tribulations are a part of the Christian faith. It will not be easy, but you have the victory already in Christ.

As a Watchman tasked with steering us towards where God wants, you cannot avoid tribulation. You have to be ready in your mind to face opposition. With an assurance that Jesus has already overcome the world. Your faith in God can deliver you from the burning furnace. There is no doubt in God’s ability to save and deliver your world to you. But you need to work on yourself. Being a Christian is not all fun and games. You must be ready to grow a deep faith and complete dependence on God. You cannot succeed in the world without growing in faith.

Dearly beloved, it is important to remind you that the way to glorify your father in heaven is through your good works. As it is written, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” It does not matter how many days of prayer and fasting you observe. It does not matter if you speak the language of angels and demons. What counts are your good works. Things that are of benefit to your world. Things that people can see, and then glorify your father in heaven.

The Japan national football team and their fans have a reputation for cleaning the stadium after their matches. This is a very interesting character that has prompted people to take an interest in the Japanese culture and religion. What are their religious leaders teaching them? What is influencing them in this way? Al Jazeera decided to investigate and spoke with several Japanese fans about why they exhibit this admirable trait. Following Japan’s victory over Germany at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, one supporter stated: “Our hearts are clean, so the stands must be clean.” Another person stated: “What we’re taught is that leaving things cleaner than the way you found it is atarimae. And that we should always express gratitude.” Atarimae roughly translates as “stating the obvious,” which is correct in the sense that if you see trash, it should be picked up.

It is time to avoid vapid sloganeering. Empty words that offer nothing stimulating or challenging. Words that do not show any intelligence. Things like “I am a tithe paying believer”, “I am a firebrand Christian”. It is your good works that should make your faith attractive. Apostle Paul wrote, “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:10-12 ESV). There is a way your day-to-day life can make the gospel attractive. Making people want to copy your productive culture. If your good works cannot do the talking, you are wrong.

The Universe operates on principles. These principles are no “respecter of persons”. If you do the right thing, you get the result. The problem is when people prefer to tell lies and throw tantrums when things don’t go their way. You must understand that you cannot bully the truth into submission. You need to know the true nature of things. The truth empowers you by revealing the real nature of things. When you work with that, you get results. You cannot build an economy on lies. It can never work. An economy is a reflection of the productivity of the people. Lies and falsehood reduces the productivity of people. They will never get anything done.

Political actors usually find themselves in situations that demand that they compromise on the objective truth. They distort the true state of society and the economy. Passing legislation that fails to reflect the real condition of issues. All these politicking do more to harm the economy in the long run. One must find that delicate balance between political truths, and the kind of objective truths that people need to succeed. For many years, a country like Nigeria has had her politicians declare that their country is rich. But, the government is corrupt. The idea that if a “good government” can be voted into power, all their problems will disappear. Except that this is not true. Nigeria is by most measures a poor country. And it will take a lot of work for her economy to improve. This is a truth politicians would rather ignore.

You can’t be productive unless you work with the truth. You must be truthful with yourself about your assumptions. Your fears and hopes should be clear to you as well. If your business is dying due to some assumptions you made. Being open about it will serve you better. You cannot build your business on lies. It won’t work. As a watchman tasked with steering us towards a better future. Your greatest ally is the truth; objective truths. You have to ignore political truths that change or become irrelevant in the passing of time.