THE SINNER'S PENSION

"Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death.."- Romans 6:23 (MSG)

A pension is a retirement fund for an employee paid by the employer, employee, or both, with the employer usually covering the largest percentage of contributions made. When the employee retires, he/she is paid in an annuity calculated by the terms of the pension (Bankrate).

By default, life pays pension to every man upon retirement from this world. However, the type of pension payable to an individual is a function of his/her walk with God on earth. This implies that the pension payable to sinners cannot be the same as that payable to devoted believers and disciples of Christ. 

In Romans 6:23, God states categorically that the pension sinners will receive will be a very terrible one. The pension of sin is second death which is eternal separation from God. This pension automatically attracts great pain and untold eternal agony (Revelation 21:8). 

Satan is the Group Managing Director of the Sinner's Pension Fund. He is a wicked pension fund administrator and custodian who never defaults. He actually proved this point to everyone in Israel several years ago with the life of Absalom.

"They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes. During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King’s Valley,..." 2 Samuel 18:17-18 (NLT)

When Absalom retired, he received a terrible pension from his employer. His retirement (funeral service) was a very strange one. As soon as the service began, that wicked pension fund administrator suddenly showed up with Absalom's entitlements of shame and disgrace. So, instead of being laid to rest in honour beneath the shadows of a noble pile as a prince, his mangled body was hurled in dishonour into a pit in the forest and covered with stones hurriedly. Sin succeeded in organising a very shameful funeral service for him and his funeral orations were not pleasant at all. It was very obvious that Absalom himself was the one that dugged the grave of shame and designed the monument of everlasting pains where his body was eventually thrown into.

Unfortunately, many people in this generation are still working very hard for sin like Absalom. They think it is unwise to live a holy life, to be true hearted and God fearing. They passionately crave for and enjoyed the pleasure of sin without thinking about what the end will be. 

Friends, I hope you are not one of them. Hope you are not living daily without the end in view. Please don't ever forget that the pension of sin is sure and often very terrible. Sin never defaults. So, please be careful how you live so that you will not dig grave of death and everlasting sorrow for yourself like Absalom. More importantly, please make your way right with God today so that you will not end your journey on earth like Absalom. 

''I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done''- Eccl 8:10

One special hymn that summaries the pension of horror and agony that sinners will receive after leaving the world is titled "The Sinner's Burial'':

THE SINNER’S BURIAL By Horatius Bonar 1808–1889

 Wrapt in a Christless shroud,

He sleeps the Christless sleep;

Above him, the eternal cloud,

Beneath, the fiery deep.

 

Laid in a Christless tomb,

There, bound with felon-chain,

He waits the terrors of his doom,

The judgment and the pain.

 

O Christless shroud, how cold,

How dark, O Christless tomb!

O grief that never can grow old,

O endless, hopeless doom!

 

O Christless sleep, how sad!

What waking shalt thou know?

For thee no star, no dawning glad,

Only the lasting woe!

 

To rocks and hills in vain

Shall be the sinner’s call;

O day of wrath, and death and pain,

The lost soul’s funeral!

 

O Christless soul, awake,

Ere thy last sleep begin!

O Christ, the sleeper's slumbers break,

Burst thou the bands of sin!

May God deliver us from the wicked grip of sin and its evil pension fund administrator so that we will not end our journey on earth with pain and agony like Absalom in Jesus name, Amen. 

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit-

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

THE FLOATING WOOD AND CROCODILE

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" - John 3:3 & 7

A few days ago, while crossing the Third Mainland bridge, the logs of wood floating on the river caught my attention. The woods must have been cleverly arranged and joined together in a systematic order to be able to float on the river. The colour of the wood has gradually changed from reddish brown to black. While reflecting on that amazing sight, I remembered this African proverb below:-  

"No matter how long a log stays in the water, it does not become a crocodile"- (Congolese proverb)

One of the greatest challenge today is that many woods are now claiming to be crocodiles. But can a wood really become a crocodile by staying long in water? The answer is a capital "NO". The truth is, it does not matter how long a log of wood floats on water, it can never become a crocodile. Though, the colour of a wood may change to that of a crocodile but a wood will always remain a wood forever. 

In John 3:1-7, Jesus Christ corroborates this salient truth in his conversation with Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader. Jesus told him emphatically that being religious is not a prerequisite for making heaven. It is possible to be visible in church like a log of wood and yet one's name is not in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 21:27). Also, occupying a privileged position and obtaining high ordination status are not automatic tickets into the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, many people are floating like crocodiles in the church today with some of these credentials but they are not genuinely saved. They are ordinary floating wood pretending to be real crocodiles in the river of faith (Matthew 7:23). What a height of deception!

Beloved, are you a log of wood pretending to be a crocodile? No matter how long you have succeeded in deceiving everyone that you are a child of God, you cannot become one except you genuinely surrender to the Lord Jesus. The length of years you have been in church is inconsequential if you are not genuinely saved. The fact that your wood can float like a crocodile in water does not make you a crocodile. Your charisma, affluence, talents, etc cannot turn wood to crocodile in God's sight. Therefore, God is urging you to stop floating in the river of religion but run to Calvary for the power to become the sons of God (John 1:12). Please make that great decision today and you will never regret that you did.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" - John 1:12

"Ye Must Be Born Again" is the title of a special hymn that reiterates Christ's response to Nicodemus in John 3:1-7.

YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN By William T. Sleeper

 1. A ruler once came to Jesus by night

To ask Him the way of salvation and light;

The Master made answer in words true and plain,

"Ye must be born again."

 

Refrain:

"Ye must be born again,

Ye must be born again;

I verily, verily say unto thee,

Ye must be born again."

 

2. Ye children of men, attend to the word

So solemnly uttered by Jesus the Lord;

And let not this message to you be in vain,

"Ye must be born again." 

 

3. O ye who would enter that glorious rest,

And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest;

The life everlasting if ye would obtain,

"Ye must be born again." 

 

4. A dear one in heaven thy heart yearns to see,

At the beautiful gate may be watching for thee;

Then list to the note of this solemn refrain,

"Ye must be born again."

May God drive out the spirit of religion in His church and replace it with real hunger and thirst for genuine repentance/salvation in Jesus name, Amen.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit-

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

BEWARE OF THE COAL MINE

"Let your clothes be white all time, and let not oil be lacking on your head'' -Eccl 9:8

Several years ago, a woman dressed in daintily white gown went on excursion to a coal mine. Before stepping down into the mine, the woman asked an old miner whether she can wear her white dress into the mine. The old miner responded "Yes, madam, you may wear your white gown down there, but there is no assurance that you will return the same way you went in"

''Do not look for a person wearing white cloth where the palm-oil maker works'' is a Nigerian adage which means anyone that is clean must abstain from things that can defile. This adage corroborates the counsel of God in 2 Peter 2:11 and the old miner's comment above. One of the easiest way to make a shipwreck of one's destiny in life is by stepping into the coal mine of this world. There are many coal mines around us today that can easily stain our garments and truncate our journey to the city of gold (Heaven). The activities in those coal mines may even pass popular opinion poll on earth but in the light of eternity, they attract grave consequences.

The Bible records many instances of people who stepped into the coal mine with their daintily white apparel but they never returned the same way they went in. For example, Dinah wore her gorgeous white gown to fraternize with strange ladies and she returned polluted and defiled (Genesis 34:1-2). Samson got his white apparel of power and glory stained while sampling the laps of strange women in town. He went down into the valley of Sorek heavily anointed but returned drained and deformed (Judges 16:1-31). The prodigal son left his father's house dazzling but returned deflated and dejected (Luke 15:11-19). It is obvious that the repercussions for stepping into the coal mine of this world with ones white apparel has not been changed. According to Revelation 21:27, the punishment for defiling ones apparel is eternal separation from God. 

Beloved, in this polluted world, there are still few people who have not defiled their white apparels with the stains from the coal mine of this world (Rev 3:4-5). Friends, are you one of those few people in this generation? Or have you soiled your white apparel? Have you being patronizing the valley of Sorek like Samson? Have you been defiling your soul with stains from those questionable coal mines you love to visit? What are those coal mine activities that you indulge in? Is it betting, drugs, alcohol, pornography, masturbation or fornication/adultery? Please repent now and the power in the purifying blood of Jesus Christ will keep you spotless till you reach the golden shore.

One hymn that reiterates the need to live daily with the consciousness of reaching the golden shore with undefiled apparel is titled " Let Your Garments Be Always White".

 LET YOUR GARMENTS BE ALWAYS WHITE  by Emma F. Fisk

 Are your garments always spotless?

Are they washed in Jesus' blood?

Do they always keep the cleansing

Of the purifying flood?

Do they never show the soiling

Of your sins upon their white?

Will they always bear the searching

Of the Holy Spirit's light?

 

Chorus:

         Let your garment be spotless,

         Always pure and bright;

        Thro' the precious blood of Jesus

         Keep them ever clean and white.

 

Let no anger soil their beauty,

Let no bitterness remain;

O be sure no trace of envy

Leaves upon your robes a stain.

Let no love of worldly pleasure

Cast unholy shadows there,

Fully cleanse them from the mildews

Of anxiety and care.

 

O then ever keep your garments

Whiter than the driven snow,

Wear the royal robes of heaven

While you tarry here below;

That through yonder pearly portals

Joyful entrance you may win,

Clothes in raiment cleaned forever

From the fingerprints of sin.

May God help us never to defile our royal robes of honour and glory with the dirt from the coal mines of this world in Jesus name. Amen

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit-

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo

Instagram: @lawontaiwo

BLEEDING OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL

"When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners”- Mark 2:17 (ERV)

 On 16th May 1998, a young man was shot in the chest while playing basketball. Immediately, his friends carried him close to the entrance of a nearby hospital and they went inside to seek for help. The hospital staff refused to help on the grounds that it was against their policy to administer aid to those outside the hospital. Finally, a policeman got a wheel chair and wheeled the man into the hospital where he was attended to by the hospital staff.  Unfortunately, it was rather too late, as the man eventually died  about an hour later. (Culled from An Introduction to Healthcare Organizational Ethics, Robert T. Hall).

 The Church is God's hospital on earth and Christians are His chosen staff on duty (John 15:16, Mark 2:17). Many helpless souls are bleeding outside the church and they may eventually die if Christians remain insensitive to their plight. The death of sinners is a huge loss to Humanity and God detest it vehemently (Ezekiel 33:11, 2 Peter 3:9). This is the reason why the Saviour mandated Christians to be actively involved in the rescue operations for souls till He returns (Matthew 28:19-20). 

It is obvious that our churches are surrounded by people that desperately need to hear the Gospel, unfortunately, we are contented with sharing it only with those that manage to come inside the church. It is simply a case of "Souls are perishing outside while believers are amusing themselves in the church!" Like the hospital staff in the above story, we are simply giving flimsy excuses for neglecting our primary duty in the kingdom. This is quite pathetic!

Beloved, what excuse are you giving for not witnessing to lost souls? Don't you know that you will be held accountable for every bleeding soul that you refused to attend to or carry into the sick bay of faith (Ezekiel 33:6).

The chorus of this powerful hymn below re-echoes God's question in Isaiah 6:8 to believers in every generation:

PERISHING SOULS AT STAKE TODAY! By D.S. Warner (1885)

1. Perishing souls at stake today!

Says the banner of Christ unfurled;

Pleading in love for help to save

Blood-bought sinners all o’er the world.

 

Refrain:

      Perishing souls at stake, my brother,

      What is all this world beside?

      Perishing souls at stake, my brother,

      For whom the blessed Savior died;

      Perishing souls, perishing souls,

      Oh, who will help to save the lost?

 

2. Perishing souls at stake we see,

Yet the Savior has died for all;

Go and invite them earnestly,

Some will surely obey the call.

 

3. Perishing souls at stake today,

There’s a famine in all the land;

Many are dying for the bread

Freely given by Jesus’ hand.

 

4. Perishing souls at stake, go tell

What the Savior has done for you;

How He redeemed thy soul from hell,

And is able to save them, too. 

 

5. Perishing souls at stake we know,

Oh, do pity the sinner’s fate!

Brother and sister, will you go,

Give them warning before too late. 

 

6. Perishing souls at stake today,

Can you tarry for earthly dross?

Fly to the rescue, don’t delay,

Bring the needy to Jesus’ cross.

May God help us to be part of His dutiful and responsible staff in this generation. May He empower and use us mightily to rescue many bleeding souls around us from perishing in Jesus name, Amen.

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, I want to invite you to our Annual Youth Convention 2022. Date: 3rd to 7th October 2022. Theme: SHINE FORTH. Venue: Redemption City, Km 46 Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

Happy New month. Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit-

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo

Instagram: @lawontaiwo