ALL THAT GLITTER IS NOT GOLD

"There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever"- 2 Corinthians 4:18 (MSG)

In the Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare narrates the story of a father who left a will on how her daughter's hands should be given out in marriage. The will stipulates that all the suitors must choose correctly from one of three caskets to have her daughter's hand. The three caskets were labelled gold, silver and lead respectively. Whosoever picks the right casket, gets the beautiful bride's hand. The following inscription/slogan were boldly written on the caskets : The Gold Casket- "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire", The Silver Casket,-  "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves", The Lead Casket- "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath".

The first suitor, the Prince of Morocco, choose the gold casket, The second suitor, the Prince of Arragon choose the silver casket. They both rejected the lead casket because of the baseness of its material and the uninviting nature of its slogan, "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. The last suitor - Bassanio, carefully considered his choice, he eventually choose the lead casket and won the beautiful bride's hand.

Beloved, all that glitter is not gold. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:18). Don't let that fake gold and attractive materials of this world make you lose the hand of your beautiful bride in destiny. Stop acting foolishly like the Prince of Morocco and Arragon. Choose the casket of lead which is loaded with salvation, sanctification and all the fruits of the spirit so that you will be numbered among the Bassanio's of this generation. A word is enough for the wise. I hope you will choose wisely today.

May I urge you to please join me this beautiful Thursday morning to meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn below as we trust God to help us choose correctly at all times.  The hymn which is titled "Choose The Right" was composed by a missionary named Joseph L. Townsend.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

Choose the right when a choice is placed before you.
In the right the Holy Spirit guides;
And its light is forever shining o’er you,
When in the right your heart confides.

Refrain:
         Choose the right! Choose the right!
         Let wisdom mark the way before.
         In its light, choose the right!
         And God will bless you evermore.

Choose the right! Let no spirit of digression
Overcome you in the evil hour.
There’s the right and the wrong to ev’ry question;
Be safe thru inspiration’s pow’r.

Choose the right! There is peace in righteous doing.
Choose the right! There’s safety for the soul.
Choose the right in all labors you’re pursuing;
Let God and heaven be your goal.

May we receive grace to choose what will always please our wonderful bridegroom (Jesus Christ) so that we can reign with him forever. May God and Heaven be our goal in the race of life.

Good morning and do have a fruitful day.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE DEPOSITS OF LOVE

“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:16 (Amplified)

Few years ago, on the eve of valentine day while on my way home, I stopped by at a shopping mall to pick up a valentine gift for my wife. The shopping mall was gorgeously arranged and stocked with a lot of beautiful gifts, red hearts, chocolates, flowers, perfumes, greeting cards and all kinds of lovely gifts with the inscription: "You're beautiful and I love you." The gift I chose was really beautiful but the price was far above what I had planned for. As I considered the exorbitant price again, the blood of an Accountant in me started flowing with strong  justifications why a relatively cheaper gift would have been good for the occasion. I was about buying a cheaper gift when I remembered a statement below that I read in an article some years ago:

"Marriage is like a bank account. It is what you deposit into your bank account that you can withdraw. If you don't deposit love, peace and care into your marriage, you are not a candidate of a blissful home. There is no free love in marriage, You cannot love without giving and sacrificing" ( Unknown Author)

The depth of your love is a function of what you are willing  to give or sacrifice for others. Genuine and true love will make anyone to be ready to spend and be spent. That was what God demonstrated to us in John 3:16, for God so loved that he gave. God made it very clear that true love is actually not cheap. Love cost God the most expensive gift in the shopping mall of heaven. Love made God to pay for the sins of the whole world with the precious blood of his only begotten Son. That is the greatest deposit of Love in the Bank of the Universe. 

Beloved, love is all about giving and sacrificing. If you are married, then everyday should be Valentine's  day in your home. You  should always look out for opportunity to make some deposits of love in your marital bank account. You may never know when you will need to make withdrawal from those deposits in future. So, please go ahead and put a smile on the face of that special person in your life today. However, it's obvious that nobody can truly give if he/she has not experienced the touch of the giver himself. Yes,  It is not possible to love if you have not encountered the LOVE of God. 

"The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him". - 1 John 4:8-9 (Amplified)

It is therefore important that we reciprocate the ultimate deposit of God's love by giving Him the most expensive gift in the shopping mall of our life - which is our soul. On this Valentine's day, with or without those beautiful red hearts, chocolates, flowers or greeting cards, I urge you to please fall in love with the real and true LOVE (GOD). Tell the Saviour of your soul how much you love Him. Please make Jesus your Val today by starting a genuine love relationship with Him and you will enter an unending realm of glory and victory.

There is no better song that described the ultimate deposit of God's love to humanity like that old Christian hymn titled "Wonderful Story of Love". The hymn was composed by J.M Driver in 1892. May I urge you to please join me this morning to sing and meditate on the lyrics of the hymn below as we tell the whole world about this wonderful story of love.

WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE

Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain:
       Wonderful! Wonderful!
       Wonderful, wonderful story of love.

Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.

Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.

Happy Valentine's day. Good morning and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE LIFEBOAT AND THE CREW

"For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’”-Acts 13:47 (NIV).

In the early hour of April 15, 1912, the Titanic collided with an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic Ocean and about 70% of the people on board drowned on that fateful day. The number of survivors was low because the rescue operation was marred by series of human errors, oversights, lack of organisation and miscalculations of the crew. About 40% of the lifeboat seating capacity in the ship were not occupied. (The Human Factor, Sputniknews, 06/04/2012) 

Events unfolding in the world today clearly shows that the ship of this earth is finally approaching the last iceberg. We are about to witness the last event that will signal the end of age. Any moment from now, the ship of this earth will collide with the most destructive iceberg in the history of this world. Then, only the genuine children of God in the ship (earth) will be rescued through rapture from the imminent eternal destruction (Matthew 24:31). However, God is depending on His crew on board the ship to throw out the lifeboat so that many souls can be rescued from the looming danger.

Beloved, now is the season of rescue. Any moment from now, we shall be going to the eternal shore where no man will work again (John 9:4). Unfortunately, many people are still living carelessly like the crew on board the RMS Titanic. We are chasing shadows while many fellow passengers in the ship (our friends, neighbours, colleagues, family, congregations, etc) are drowning in the ocean of ungodliness, sin, homosexuality, cultism, etc. We are busy competing for juicy positions, fighting for recognition and clamouring for earthly gains while millions of souls are tumbling daily into the place of eternal torment. Is that not the same misplacement of priority, oversight, lack of organisation and human error that marred the rescue operation of the great unsinkable Titanic in 1912? The answer is simply "Yes". But God wants to wake up every sleeping, careless and inactive crew member in the ship to join the end time rescue operations. Heaven wants His faithful crew to throw out the lifeboat everyday, everywhere and at all times so that the end time rescue operations will be very great and bountiful. Heaven is depending on you and I for the great rescue operations (Acts 13:47, Isaiah 6:8). Hope you will not disappoint God? Are you a reliable crew? Can God depend on you to rescue those drowning souls in our world today? Will you be faithful enough to throw out the lifeboat everywhere you find yourself? Will you go for the Master? 

"And then I heard the voice of the Master: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” I spoke up, “I’ll go. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8 (MSG)

Friends, in case you are still a passenger without a lifeboat of salvation in this earthly ship, God wants you to join His kingdom crew today and begin to rescue drowning souls around you too. But you cannot give what you don't have. That is why it is very expedient that you surrender your life to Jesus Christ first. Yes, you must grasp the lifeboat and rescue yourself first before you can rescue others. Please do that today as nobody knows whether this arictle is the last lifeboat that God is sending to rescue you. So, I urge you to please repent  today and run into the ever waiting arms of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ today.

"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish".- Luke 13:3 (KJV)

The lyrics of an old time Christian hymn titled" THROW OUT THE LIFELINE" which was composed by a Baptist Evangelist- Rev'd. E. S. Ufford in 1888 speaks volume on the subject. May I urge you to please join all His Kingdom Crew by prayerfully throwing out the lifeboat to rescue every lost or drowning soul around you. The season of rescue will soon be over.  

THROW OUT THE LIFELINE

Throw out the lifeline across the dark wave;

There is a brother whom someone should save;

Somebody’s brother! O who then will dare

To throw out the lifeline, his peril to share?

Refrain

         Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!

          Someone is drifting away;

         Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!

          Someone is sinking today.

Throw out the lifeline with hand quick and strong:

Why do you tarry, why linger so long?

See! he is sinking; oh, hasten today

And out with the life boat! away, then away!

Throw out the lifeline to danger fraught men,

Sinking in anguish where you’ve never been;

Winds of temptation and billows of woe

Will soon hurl them out where the dark waters flow.

Soon will the season of rescue be o’er,

Soon will they drift to eternity’s shore;

Haste, then, my brother, no time for delay,

But throw out the lifeline and save them today.

This is the lifeline, oh, tempest tossed men;

Baffled by waves of temptation and sin;

Wild winds of passion, your strength cannot brave,

But Jesus is mighty, and Jesus can save.

Jesus is able! To you who are driv’n,

Farther and farther from God and from Heav’n;

Helpless and hopeless, o’erwhelmed by the wave;

We throw out the lifeline, ’tis Jesus can save.

This is the lifeline, oh, grasp it today!

See, you are recklessly drifting away;

Voices in warning, shout over the wave,

O grasp the strong lifeline, for Jesus can save.

My prayer is that God will use us mightily to rescue many drowning souls this weekend. And when the season of rescue is finally over, we shall be numbered among the faithful crew members in the voyage of life. We shall finish well and strong with our hands full of countless numbers of souls that the Holy Spirit had rescued from the drowning ship of this world through us.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE POWER OF CHOICE

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)

Everyone has the right to choose what he/she wants in life. But every choice comes with a consequence. The Bible is filled with many accounts of people who made wrong choices and how they suffered the consequences thereafter. For example, King Saul’s choice to disobey God's directives cost him his throne (1 Samuel 15:10-23). Judas’ choice to betray Jesus cost him his life and assigned place in Ministry (Matthew 27:3-6). Samson's choice to fall in love with Delilah cost him his eyes, power and anointing (Judges 16:19-31) . Esau was also a victim of wrong choices in life. He chose to reject the God of his father. Esau said "No" to God and " Yes" to the enemy of his soul - Satan. The scripture described Esau as a Godless man. And according to Hebrew 12:16-17, that single wrong choice ruined the destiny of Esau forever.

"..and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears".- Hebrews 12:16-17 (Amplified) 

Esau's ungodliness made him to make several wrong choices which hurt his parents, draw him further away from God and eventually truncated his destiny. He was a self-sufficient man who hates what God loves and loves what God hates. In order to satisfy his short-term appetite, Esau was willing to trade away God’s lifelong gift.  He loved to patronise the Hittites Ungodly Supermarkets and Warehouses without considering the implication of his action/choice. He returned home with two beautiful but ungodly strange ladies as permanent companions in destiny. This ungodly choice became the last straw that broke the camel's back. Esau missed the blessing and his plea and tears could not reverse the consequences of his ungodly choice. Yes, the law of choice must have its full course. It eventualy did and Esau wished he could turn back the hands of the clock, but it was already too late.

"When Esau was 40 years old, he married two Hittite women. One was Judith the daughter of Beeri. The other was Basemath the daughter of Elon. These marriages made Isaac and Rebekah very unhappy" - Genesis 26:34-35 (ERV)

Beloved, the power of choice is very potent and its law will always take its full course. According to Zig Ziglar, every choice you make has an end result. So, please be sincere with yourself. Are you ungodly and immoral like Esau? What do you think will be the end result of those ungodly choices you are making today?. What do you think will be the end result of turning your back on God like Esau? I can assure you that it may be very grievous as you stand the risk of spending eternity in Hell. Then, what are you waiting for?  Why not surrender your life to Jesus today. That is the greatest choice anyone can make in life. I made that choice several years ago and I have never regreted it. Today is your own day of salvation and am sure you will never regret making that choice too. May I remind you what Joshua told the children of Israel, “Choose this day whom you will serve!” (Joshua 24:15). The ball is now in your court and I hope you will choose wisely before it is too late. 

Please join me to meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn below which was composed by Margaret E. Barber. 

TO THE FOE MY WORD IS ALWAYS "NO"

To the foe my word is always, “No,”
  To the Father it is “Yes,”
That His plan and all His counsel
  Be accomplished with success;
When Thine orders I’m obeying,
  Grant me, Lord, authority
To fulfill Thy plan eternal
  Thru the Spirit’s power in me.

To the foe my word is always, “No,”
  To the Father it is, “Yes“;
’Tis my attitude eternal;
  May the Lord protect and bless,
Lest while walking in obedience
  Satan undermine the way;
When I’m list’ning to Thine orders,
  Grant me mercy, Lord, I pray.

To the foe my word is always, “No,”
  To the Father it is, “Yes“;
I completely would obey Him,
  Though deep suff’ring may oppress.
If the Lord will save and keep me,
  As I forward press with Him,
Then no trials shall prevent me,
  Nor will opposition grim.

My heart desire and prayer this beautiful Friday morning is that God will help us to keep standing until we see Him in glory. He will keep us safe and undefiled by Satan - the enemy of our soul as we choose to obey and do the Father's bidding. And may we finish well and strong in Jesus name. Amen.

On behalf of my Father in the Lord, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, I will like to invite you to the February 2018 Holy Ghost service of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God.  Date: Friday, February 2nd, 2018. Theme: Stronger than your enemies - 2. Venue: Redemption Camp,  Nigeria.  Time: 7 pm. Ministering: Our beloved Daddy G.O - Pastor E.A Adeboye & other anointed Ministers of God.

Happy new month and God bless you in Jesus name. Amen

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles please visit - http://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com
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