DIARY OF A CHRISTIAN GIRL

Dear Diary,

so i read a post about a dude ranting about nowadays pastors and their posh lives. The statement: "Jesus did not live a luxurious life" got me pondering but i came to the simple conclusion: Jesus LIVED TO DIE so why would he want to live briefly in luxury? He was fully aware of his purpose which was TO DIE FOR THE SALVATION OF MANKIND. He was also very aware that he could easily become distracted from this purpose.

Jesus could have got married and have children. I am sure God wont have held that against Him. He could have lived in a big fancy house with loads of camels and whatever kind of transportation was in vogue at that time. He could have a room stashed with a lot of gold, silver or coins with Caesar's face on them.

But He didn't want them. Why? Its not because its sinful to have all these things. He didn't want them because He didn't need them to accomplish His purpose on Earth. If He had gotten married then he probably would have been distracted by his wife and kids. He wont have had the liberty to preach some sensitive messages.

Below is a scenario of a married man who had a purpose to die for mankind

MAN: 'I am going to the Father... you will see me no longer... I will send...."

WIFE: "Honey, where are you going? Which father do you mean? Is your father not Joseph that lives 5 blocks away? You want to run away and abandon me with these children? *sobs*

MAN: 'The son of man will die and after three days.....

WIFE: " AH..... i am finished. Honey, why are you talking like this? The devil is at work! oh ah...*sobs* you will not die but live to testify to the glory of God.. you hear me? i say you will not die oooo. you cant die. i will not be a widow and my children will not be fatherless. i reject it!

MAN: 'Get thee behind me, Satan!

WIFE: 'honey, me, satan? *loud wails* the devil has entered into my house....:


the next thing she would start carrying a long face and the Brethren would be why the face of the Pastor's wife is looking like the stones of galilee?

Brethren: "Madam, hope there is no problem:
Wife: "Brethren, thank God you asked. your master is talking about divorcing me. please call all the brethren lets pray and fast for 40 days. Our pastor needs prayers...."

Then his kids would bring their own wahala...

KID 1: "daddy why is mommy crying? are you truly leaving us? is the 'comforter' going to be our new daddy? Is your father not grandpa? daddy, why cant we go with you to meet this your father? daddy, we promise to be good children to you from now on. we will eat our vegetables, we will do our homework, we will go with you to the synagogue. daddy, please don't abandon us.. please daddy we love you. please don't dieeeeeeee...*wails*


You now see why these things could be distracting....

Or If He had so much gold and cattle and camels and other stuff... then when he talks about his death, people like Judas would be thinking of tricking him into signing power of attorney before sending the pharisees assassins to wipe out his entire family... or the disciples who were still young in Faith would start fighting with his family for properties... Then the congregation would see him as someone far from their reach who couldn't possibly understand their plight and so the message of salvation would not easily enter into their hearts.


Jesus was over aware of these things so much that He didnt even give room for His Mother and siblings to distract Him from His Divine purpose.(Matthew 12:46-50)
(His Father probably understood Jesus' better than the rest of the family because we didn't read about about him)


If i had a brother that could turn water to wine....

Me: " Bros, how long shall we tarry in the wilderness.. Let us go yonder to Jerusalem and open a wine factory. Maybe your purpose in Life is to be a wine produce"

...OR Cause fish to vomit money

"Bros, you mean you can make fish produce money and we are dulling here, please carry your nets, lets go to the river side."

And i could be very persuasive....

These things could easily lead any man astray....

Jesus knew all He needed was His Faith in God. He Knew His Father and believed that He would do that which He said He would do.


So Jesus went, all the way to Calvary, with nothing but His Faith in God and that was all He needed to save Mankind. And did He succeed?


He Did!!!!


On the matter of Men of God living Luxurious lives, who are we to judge them? We all have specific purposes in life. If they have 1 trillion dollars or 1000 jets, its probably because they need these things to accomplish their purpose on Earth. Its left to ensure that they are not distracted from their purposes.

What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Its not a sin to gain the whole world but when you lose your soul in the process that is what makes you a total loser.

Its important to know your purpose and know what actually you need to accomplish it. Leave what you do not need to the people who actually need them.

BE A WINNER LIKE Jesus!

SPIRITUAL TREK

dear diary,

sometimes in life, i am on fire for God. i could relate with Jeremiah when he was exhausted with all the insults and reproach he had to pass through for the sake of God's Word but yet he was vein deep with the things of God.
"but if i say i will not mention Him or speak any more in His name, His Word is in my heart like a fire shut up in my veins. I am weary of holding it in. Indeed, i cannot" (Jeremiah 20:9)
i can totally relate with Uncle Jer here. when this happens, it feels like some supernatural forces attend to me because the zeal is present effortlessly.
However other times, the zeal requires extra effort. that's when i find it very difficult to engage in spiritual exercises most especially praying. i literally lose my ability to pray. its feels like a physical gift: For instance, when you gives you a car and you just drive to your destinations, then the car is taken away from you so you have to trek to your destinations.

sometimes i dont even notice the trek until things do not turn out the way i expected then when its time to pray that i realise that i have started trekking. After several days of faux prayers then i would start my emotional blackmail :

'My God, am i the worst sinner in the world? What have i done that you cannot forgive me.....'


a few tears here and there and then things would start opening up gradually but not as they did in the past.

i thought i was God's Beloved and He couldnt stand my tears but this was a wrong assumption which led me astray for years.

God is loving but not sentimental. He responds only to obedience.

He responds to sinners only when they obediently go to Him.
Isaiah 1:18
"come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be wool"

He responds to the needy (any kind of need, be it physical, material, spiritual mental etc) when they obediently ask in faith.
Ask: Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it shall be given; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened"

Faith: Philipians 4:19
"But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

My assumption that i only needed to emotionally blackmail God and i would get what i need was indeed an act of faith and God patiently 9probably humorously) responded to that till i receive insight.

Now when i fall short and start 'trekking', i simply ask God for forgiveness.
" My Father, You are a good Father. i know i am a sinner. I am sorry for ...... Give me grace to sustain my salvation in Christ Jesus....'

then in obedience to Matthew 11:28
"come unto me all you that are heavy laden and i will give you rest"

How does one 'go' to Jesus? It is simple: acknowledge Him as the only one that can save you from the power of sin and lead you to the Almighty God. You cannot access God all by yourself. God is omnipotent but He is only accessible through Jesus. There is no other way. Believe in Jesus and you have access to rest.

Some may say "i believe in Jesus but i am still troubled"

Initially, John the Baptist and Apostle Paul both believed that Jesus was (still is) the son of God but the difference between John and Paul was that when John got locked up, he couldn't sustain his faith in Jesus. He needed extra assurance so he sent his disciples to go and ask Jesus if he was the Messiah (Matthew 11:2). This was the same John that God gave a sign to identify the Christ ( John 1:29-34)
On the other hand, despite the several trials, Apostle Paul was unwavering in his belief that Jesus is the Christ

When Faith fails, you start trekking spiritually. Trekking is no fun at all. Guard your faith!

LOOK FOR WAYS TO SERVE OTHERS

Look for Ways to Serve Others

'Share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.' Hebrews 13:16 NIV

When Ronald Reagan was governor of California, he sometimes slipped out of his office early, telling his administrator Michael Deaver, ‘I’ve a few errands to run.’ Deaver became curious, so he leafed through the ‘to-read’ file on the governor’s desk. On top was a wrinkled letter from a man stationed in Vietnam. The soldier had written to Reagan telling him about his life in Southeast Asia, and how much he missed his wife. That particular day was their wedding anniversary and he wanted her to know how much he loved her and longed to be with her. Although he had already sent her a card, he asked the governor if he’d make a phone call to make sure she was ok and pass on his love in case she didn’t receive the card. The next day Deaver discovered Reagan had done much more than the soldier requested. He’d picked up a dozen red roses and delivered them to the man’s wife. Dale Rowlee, the governor’s driver, told Deaver that Reagan approached the woman with an extremely humble attitude, and offered the flowers on behalf of a loving husband stationed in a jungle hell on the other side of the world. Then he spent over an hour with her, drinking coffee and talking about her family. Reagan’s humility may, in fact, have been one of the secrets to his enduring popularity. Somebody said, ‘To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals, courtesy; to inferiors, nobility.’ It’s not big deeds, but small acts of kindness that make us great as God counts greatness. ‘With such sacrifices God is pleased.’ (Hebrews 13:16 NIV)

SoulFood: Isa 45-48, John 8:1-11, Ps 30, Pro 28:25-28