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As she walked by the river side, she asked her mum “mummy where does this river end” she said in her native dialect. The mum said it was endless as it flows to the ocean. The little girl then asked again “will it ever get dry”, this was a question the mother wasn’t happy to answer as the village had earlier suffered from lack of water for almost half a decade, and it was a very gory experience that will be told for generations to come. She looked at her daughter with tears almost running down her checks and said “we’ll talk about it when we get home” they then fulfilled the reason they came there and headed back home.
As they headed home the little girl spotted her classmate in the local primary school and they both exchanged pleasantries mother to mother and child to child, and of course, ever seen two young primary students see each other and not play, even in the short time they were together they had a lot of fun. The twist here is when the mother saw the both of them, as the classmate was a boy, she remembered one of the people she lost during the season of drought they had in the village. I guess you may also be pleased to know the girl of this story's father is dead.
They finally got home after walking for hours, funny enough the little girl had no complaints. By this time the little girl had definitely forgotten the question she asked by the river, right? I guess that is what you may have thought as it’s just a little girl. Actually, she didn’t, she reminded her mother about the question she asked, and the mother wasn’t even surprised as she knew she was an exceptional one.
The mother then said, “the river can dry up if there is something or someone blocking or stopping the flow from the ocean to the river” and the little girl accepted the mother’s answer, and also said “thank you mummy” and went on to do her chores. What is that thing that can be blocking that river of Love from you, Because God’s love is just like that ocean, it’s deep, wide and endless. But as we cannot contain all of God’s love, just the same way if the whole ocean flowed out into that river, it won’t be a good day for that village.
Out of His ocean of Love, He gives us rivers, measures of His love we can contain and learn to appreciate, because sometimes His love may not be what we expect, He is truly a loving father, but he is also disciplined, holy and righteous. Back to the question, what do you think may be blocking His love from extending to you. It may seem as though you are not cut short from Him, maybe because you still see His common mercies like, sunshine, rainfall, waking up in morning among others, but remember even when a river is blocked few drops or lines of water may still flow into that river, which is just a fraction of what it should have.
But what really can block God’s powerful love for us, it may be that little sin you do. You may do it ask for forgiveness and God’s Ocean of love washes it away, but has it gotten to a time in your life where you now commit those sins and not ask God for forgiveness and then the little sin will be like stones or rocks little by little blocking the flow of God’s love to you, and then when it’s totally blocked and the person is totally cut off from God’s love, even His common mercies, that person has surely landed in Hell, by the things we think are little.
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Accept God’s love today, do away with that sin. So as not to hinder your blessings from God’s love. And you will never regret making that decision, when you see God’s favor opening a lot of doors you thought would remain shut.
'' But remember God’s love is not always what you expect, He is Holy, Disciplined and Righteous.''
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The one who gave it all
Our Lord Jesus Christ adopted the storytelling mode in his ministry to captivate and bring the listeners to see what he speaks about as what they see around them.
One of the popular parables of our Lord Jesus was that of the one who gave all that she had to God. The widow was helpless, had no one to take care of her, no work, nothing yet she brought all she had to God.
The story of this widow has opened our eyes to see that it is not about how much you give in church, it is not about how huge your offering is, it is not the amount of your tithe that matters, but the state of the heart that is giving it that matters.
Sometimes ago, there was a need to gather some amount of money in my church due to the ongoing church project. Families and individuals were expected to bring to the house of God their parts of the money. On the day of the gathering, I had nothing with me except four hundred naira. I felt I was going to give God more than that, but I was broke during the week, so I was left with four hundred naira only.
Quickly, I decided I was going to give God two hundred naira and keep the other half for the next day at work. This was settled in my mind until it was time to pay the money, I felt the need to drop all that I had for God. It was already a pain in my heart that I was going to give God four hundred naira, but I had no choice because that was all I had. That day, I gave all that I had, and I felt peace.
My case was like that of the widow. She gave all willingly and she felt peace all around her. Jesus said in the book this amazing woman story was told. He said, "of all that gave, she gave and was accepted plus her offering." This was a genuine sacrifice unto God.
Mark.12.41 - And He sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the crowd was casting money into the treasury. Many rich [people] were throwing in large sums.
Mark.12.42 - And a widow who was poverty-stricken came and put in two copper mites [the smallest of coins], which together make half of a cent.
Mark.12.43 - And He called His disciples [to Him] and said to them, Truly and surely, I tell you, this widow, [she who is] poverty-stricken, has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury.
Mark.12.44 - For they all threw in out of their abundance; but she, out of her deep poverty, has put in everything that she had - [even] all she had on which to live.
This is the kind sacrifice that God desires, not one of compulsion, but one of willingness.
Though poverty-stricken, the widow gave all that she possessed willingly without being compelled. Many times, Christians forget that God is not interested in our money, but rather he is interested in our willful offerings. Our willingness to give have been abolished by the thought that our pastors are the ones that would spend our money. This is a wrong notion. To live a life worthy of the kingdom of God, be ready to give willingly without being compelled. It is not how far, but how well.
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📌WHAT DOES GIVING HELPS ME TO GAIN?
When we give to God, we do ourselves favor. He said that he will not allow the termites to enter our place of storage when we give unto him. (Malachi 3:10-11).
🔸GIVING OPENS DOOR
Someone once said, if prayers and praises does not work, why don't you try giving unto God willingly. Most times, when we give, we open doors that has been shut.
Many people are enjoying the blessings of the sacrifices their parents have made.
🔸IT AIDS THE GOSPEL.
Giving willingly helps to develop the church, it enables the gospel to reach people as money and other things are used. One of the Baptist hymns says if you can't go, your money can go. This means that willful giving to God spreads the gospel.
Giving goes beyond money alone, it includes time, talents, gifts and service.
HOW DO I GIVE?
Giving is not until you have it recognized, be sure that these two are present every time you give.
1. Willingness
This is the first law of giving unto God. It must not be out of compulsion; it must be willing. Willingness is what a giver must possess. Don't be forced. Just like the widow, she gave willingly even though she was poor.
2. The state of your heart.
The state of your heart matters as the scriptures says as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. The state of your heart matters to God, not the state of your money. Your offering has no value when your heart is wrong.
The story of this widow shows how important giving to God is. It is not just for his good, but for our especially. God does not spend the money but be sure that you don't grumble when you give money to Him. Set your heart in alignment as you journey day by day with Him. He desires to see you align with Him.
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The Transformative Power of Love
Love can be undeserving, but being surrounded by the right people makes you deserving of their love. Love may not always be reciprocal; not everyone reciprocates the same tempo and energy of your love, and that's fine because some are probably not used to receiving love.
There was a time in my life when I misunderstood what love is. I thought that, before you can be loved, you ought to have certain things or be able to exchange them for other things. I found it weird and absurd to tell someone you love them, especially if it's with my fellow gender. Only for me to meet friends who love words of affirmation; they made love seem seamless and stress-free. I realized that love is actually not stressful; it's supposed to flow from your heart, whether the person is deserving of it or not, or whether it's reciprocated or not.
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It's also safe to say that love is sacrifice. It may sound like a cliché to give an illustration of how God sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, to die for sins He didn't commit. At the beginning of this year, I started my Bible study plan from the book of Genesis. Getting to the book of Exodus and Leviticus, I didn't know when I started thanking God for the salvation of my soul. With the present price of ram and cow, I tried calculating the amount of money my parents would spend on livestock to atone for our sins and theirs. Not leaving out the fact that God also loved the Israelites and was merciful to them.
When God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden, He clothed them. Sometimes, I just think of some things and say thank God I am not God; I would have actually killed a lot, including myself. The love of God cannot be fully explained; it can't be understood fully because it's just so unconditional. It can't be exchanged or compared to anything; it's not based on conditions. God loved me when I was yet a sinner, and He never stopped loving me till and after I gave my life to Christ.
It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son whose father's arms were always open during the time he went astray, and he never closed his arms until his son came to his senses and ran back home to his father's arms.
The love of God is merciful and never condemns nor judges. When I was in 300 level, I was one of the teachers for my fellowship's discipleship academy. My prayer life lagged at a point due to too many activities that I was engaged in. It started affecting me, and there was a day I was asked to take a class on prayer and Bible study. I was about to give an excuse from teaching, but the way the Holy Spirit gave me the go-ahead to teach, I was bold again to teach. It felt like the Holy Spirit was literally speaking through me; I was learning as I was teaching. I just got home that day and broke down in tears because I didn't think I deserved to teach, neither did I deserve to run back to God because I've been far from Him. I was shocked when I felt the Holy Spirit literally hugging me and making me understand that missing a day with my Father doesn't mean I should keep avoiding Him by not communicating with Him in prayers. I felt the love and warmth of God in a different way that day. I had to pen down how I felt in my journal the next day.
The love of God is peculiar to each and every one of us. To some, His love is merciful; to some, it is overwhelming and amazing. What's the definition of God's love to you?
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