Be productive with what you have

In "The parable of the talents" in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gave an illustration of a master who apportioned talents to three of his servants before embarking on a journey. Upon his return, he found that two of them had invested and made a profit on what he gave. The one that he gave five talents now had a total of ten, and the one he gave two talents had a total of four. The man was pleased with these two and blessed them. The third servant had received one talent and didn’t do anything with it; instead he buried it in the ground and presented it back to his master. The master chastised and punished him for this…verse 28-29 says "So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."  
As I spent some time meditating on this scripture, these are the lessons I learned from it:  

1. It is not how much you have that makes you successful, but it is WHAT YOU DO with what you have. The servant who received two talents and gained two more, was just as successful as the one who received five. I understood this from the fact that the master pronounced the same blessing on both of them. He said to them in verses 22 & 23 respectively, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." They both had a different number of talents, but were equally blessed in the end. The master was displeased with the servant who didn’t do anything with what was given Him. By so doing, he didn’t achieve success and also missed out on the master’s blessing.

2. When it comes to talents and gifts, it is not about how many things you're able to do. It is about being productive with them. The servant who got one talent may have felt he was at a disadvantage than his counterparts, so he decided to just bury it, rather than invest it. This was the wrong attitude to have. Even if you are gifted at one thing, make the best of it. Do the best you can with it.

3. God rewards us for our faithfulness in using what He gives us. Being faithful at something is about putting effort into it. The master here said he would make the first two servants faithful over much because they were faithful in the little they had. He rewarded them for their effort, their diligence.

4. I believe that God doesn't show favoritism/partiality when it comes to our talents. Because He loves us all, He puts gifts in us according to our ability to handle them. In the parable, one servant got five talents, the second got two but in the end, they were both commended in the same way by their master. In the eyes of God, someone who can sing and act is not better than someone who can only sing. Remember that He loves us all equally.
5. Letting your gift lie dormant (buried) in you, shows ingratitude to God. Ungratefulness closes the door for more blessings to enter your life. You bring glory to God when you put to use what he has placed in your hands. God promises to bless the work of our hands (see Deutoronomy 28:12). Don't be lazy with your talents. Put them to use, work with them (to glorify God)...and He will surely reward you!

Managing your time daily

We live in such a fast paced world. People have work deadlines to meet, business meetings to attend, daily errands to run among other things. Throw socializing in the mix and you’ll discover that most people are hardly able to keep up with all they have to do daily and even weekly too. Even if you’re not part of the working class population, you likely still have a number of duties to perform every day. Whether it involves household chores, school runs etc., and time would definitely be involved in all of these.

Many of us are unable to accomplish all that demands our attention and even have time for ourselves. Yet, it is quite pertinent that every person has some time every day, no matter how little, for rest and relaxation. The human body is like a machine, which can breakdown if it is overworked or stressed. You cannot function properly if your body is not well maintained.
However, because there are roughly about 18 hours in every day with which we can be active, one must learn how to employ time management skills in order to accomplish one’s tasks effectively.

The first thing I believe one needs to understand and accept is that our bodies must be in a healthy state to function properly. So before you start off your daily routines, be sure to have a proper meal at breakfast. Even if you’re one of those diet fanatics, breakfast is definitely a meal that shouldn’t be skipped. It is better to eat a small/light breakfast than not to have anything at all. This will help to rejuvenate your body and give you the boost of energy required to work.

Next thing I’d recommend is to have a daily to-do list. On here, you write down every task that needs to be done that day. You can make this list while you’re having your breakfast. But if you’re a busy mom for instance, and have early morning school-related errands to carry out, then write this list before bedtime the previous night. The list should be comprehensive and of course doable, not impossible. Be sure to also include very important phone calls that need to be made. The idea of writing a to-do list may sound so elementary to you, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget stuff. Even if you have a 9am-5pm job; you may still have other things to do.

The next thing to do would be to prioritize every item on that list, with the most important things at the top. This will give you a clear idea of which tasks to begin first. Again, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, everything that involves the kids’ school should come first, then stuff like cleaning, laundry and preparing lunch can come next. You can then list out-of-the-house tasks next, so that way you end up picking the kids from school before heading back home for the day. If you work a regular 9am to 5pm job, then you’re pretty much not free till after close of work. You can plan to make any important phone calls on the way home (if you ride the bus) or when you get home (if you drive yourself). Leave lengthy social activities and family leisure time for the weekends.

Once you’re done prioritizing, you can begin to do the tasks one after the other. Do them in as timely of a manner as possible, knowing that every minute counts. Parents should find ways to swap days when it comes to helping the kids with homework. Fathers shouldn’t throw that responsibility entirely to the mothers – they are your children too. Try and cultivate the habit of not doing anything tasking after dinner time. You can instead use this time to relax, watch television, read a book or maybe catch up with your pals on social media. Relaxation is very important for your mental well-being. However, remember not to keep very late nights if you have to wake up early the next morning. Every adult needs between 6-8hours of sleep every night in order to be well-rested.

I’m in no way saying that these are the only ways to properly manage your time every day, but I do believe they can be quite helpful. I use to-do lists and believe me; they make life a lot easier. Fortunately, most mobile phones have this app, so you can carry it with you everywhere. You can even set reminders in your phones if need be. I do this a lot as well!

I do hope you get to try out these methods in the hope of having more productive and stress-free days!

Welcome to your new life in Christ!

Did you recently give your life to Jesus Christ? By this i mean did you repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your life to be your personal Lord and Saviour? If your answer is yes, then you are now saved...you are born again. By this, i mean you are now a child of God, you have become the righteousness of God by your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Your feet are now set on the path that leads to eternal life as John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” I truly believe this is the most fulfilling decision that anyone could ever make in life. Knowing that you not only have received God's grace to live an abundant life on earth, but that you will reign with Jesus in heaven when this earthly life is over should evoke feelings of great joy in your heart.
I'd like to say that you've now officially become a Christian. In Christ, old things have passed away...you are a new creation as the word of God states in 2Corinthians 5:17. Nobody can hold your past against you! By reason of the shed blood of Jesus which cleansed you from all unrighteousness, you are a whole new person. You've been redeemed and reconciled to God. Praise God!

Having said all this, you should know that being born-again is not just about making heaven. It is also about having a personal relationship with God on earth. It’s about placing God first in your life. If you accepted Christ in the privacy of your own home perhaps after listening to a pastor preach on television, then you must find a good Bible believing church where you can hear the word of God taught regularly. Also, fellowshipping with other believers is a good way to sharpen your spiritual life...there's great power in numbers. You must also make out time everyday to have private sessions with God. Praying, worshiping and studying your Bible regularly on your own should never be overlooked. Know this, that because you have Jesus, you have direct access to God. You can pray to Him personally, in your own voice...in your own way. God has now become your father, and you can talk to Him just like you would your earthly father.

Cultivate the habit of meditating regularly on God's word. The more you do this, the more you'll begin to transform your way of thinking. God's word is there to guide and direct us in those moments of confusion. If you’ve not read much of the Bible, it may help to start with the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John where you can get a better understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus. What better way to understand what being a Christian entails, if not by reading the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Living a Christ-centered life may seem so tasking at this early stage of your journey, but His grace is there to help you through it. Don't forget the Holy Spirit...who is your helper, counselor and your teacher. Infact you should pray to receive the Holy Spirit into your heart as well, and you can call on Him anytime the need arises.

Welcome to your new life in Christ!

Words of wisdom...

I stumbled on these inspirational words of wisdom somewhere and thought to share them. Hope they'll mean something to you like they did to me.  

1. Believe while others are doubting
2. Plan while others are playing
3. Decide while others are delaying
4. Study while others are sleeping
5. Prepare while others are daydreaming
6. Begin while others are procrastinating
7. Work while others are wishing
8. Save while others are wasting
9. Listen while others are talking
10. Smile while others are frowning
11. Commend while others are criticizing
12. Persist while others are quitting.

Creation awaits your manifestat​ion

Yes, I believe that each and every human being on the face of this earth was born to be great! The reason I say this is because every person is created in the image (the likeness) of God and the life in us is from God. Therefore we each have a deposit of greatness in our being because God Himself is a great God. In other words, every human being has the potential to be successful and fulfilled. But if you are a believer, a true Christian who has accepted Jesus, then you've been set apart to achieve even greater things for God, for His glory. The scriptures say that “…the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits” Daniel 11:32. We can thus see that God does not expect those who know Him to be anything else but great. We even have examples of people in the Bible who were not just used by God for great accomplishments, but they excelled in what they did. The likes of Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Esther, Daniel, Paul were highly successful people.
However and quite sadly too, many Christians today have become content with a mediocre, average, and ordinary life even though they believe in and serve an extraordinary God. Many are under-achievers in life, and this is usually because of the decisions they make. Oftentimes, they place limits on themselves by their choices, while others decide what to do based on what people expect from them. Many believers are not living the abundant life that Jesus obtained for them through His death on the cross and resurrection. It almost seems as though it is more of the non-Christians who are doing extraordinary things on earth, pursuing their goals and living out their talents. This is disheartening as it is not God's plan for His own. 1Corinthians 2:9 states that "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." We see that God has a great plan for His children, and it is high time they begin to walk in accordance with this plan.
I believe that the first step to take towards this is to for one to transform his/her mind (way of thinking) by allowing it to conform to the word of God. Christians need to let their thoughts align with God’s word. Having a renewed/positive mind-set will then influence even the words you speak concerning yourself. Speak the word of God into your life positively. As a child of God, you have the mind of Christ so you need to learn to think like Him. Begin to see things from a heavenly perspective. Stop seeing yourself as an ordinary being. You're fearfully & wonderfully made. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation...the called of God. Do not limit yourself. In God, there are no limits...ALL things are possible with Him. Do not settle for less in life; stop lowering your standard of doing things. Instead, strive for the best and be excellent in all you're doing. Mediocrity is not God’s standard.

Secondly, do not allow the devil's tricks keep you from nurturing that seed of greatness which is in you. You are seated with Jesus in heavenly places, far above all the powers of the devil. Therefore he can only harm you if you allow him. Give the devil no foothold in your life; resist Him with the sword of the word, with your words and by your faith actions.
Remember that through Jesus, and by His grace, you can do all things. You were born to be great and all creation is eagerly waiting for your manifestation.

A special dedication to God

This is for you, my heavenly father
The one who can't be compared to any other.
O Lord, I cannot comprehend your greatness,
Neither can i grasp the depth of your loving kindness.
You are gracious to an undeserving me
Your mercy runs deeper than even the deep blue sea.
You framed me before you made the skies and the earth,
You thought of me before the birds were birthed.
You knew that i may choose not to follow you
Still you sent your only son,to atone for the bad things i would do.
What manner of love? What amazing love
Coming down from your throne above.
I cannot still understand it, My mind often tries to make sense of it.
I bless you my God for your grace towards me
For the salvation you gave when Jesus hung on a tree.
A thousand words, even the sweetest of song
Can never express how grateful i am that to you, i belong.
You are indeed my everything, and without you everything means nothing.
I vow to serve you all of my days
By your grace i will please you in all of my ways.
This is for you,my heavenly father
The one who can't be compared to any other.

Footnotes on worship

Below are just a handful of thoughts concerning worship that dropped in my spirit earlier on today. Hope it will make some difference in the way you begin to worship God from now on.


1. You can’t worship God with a heart full of pride, ingratitude and bitterness.
2. You can’t worship God when your mind is busy worrying about all the problems you have.
3. You can’t worship God when your spirit is not connected to His Spirit, for God is Spirit and must be worshiped in Spirit and in truth.
4. In order to worship God, you must first ask Him to help you put off every form of pride and bitterness.
5. In order to worship God, you must lay aside every burden, every worry, and every fear.
6. Worship is not about you, it is totally and completely about Him.
7. When you enter His presence, you must die to yourself, and tune your heart, your soul, your mind and your spirit to Him.
8. Worship, true worship is connecting to the heart of God, it is about appreciating God for who He is.
9. The same way you would tell the person you love how much he/she means to you, if you truly love God then you must pour out your love feelings for Him in worship.
10. Worship is very different from making requests to Him...when you worship, you don’t ask…you tell God who He is, and how much He means to you.  
11. When you worship, you can talk, sing, shout, you can even cry.  
12. Worship is total adoration of and for God.

Deciding Right

Each and every day of our lives, we are confronted with the job of having to make decisions about so many different things. Some decisions we have to make are pretty simple such as; deciding whether to get out of bed in the morning and whether or not to carry out our daily routines like going to work, business or  school.  These decisions are clear-cut because they really do not require any thought process. There are also situations we find ourselves in where we have to respond very quickly. For instance, if you’re crossing the street and you see a car suddenly come speeding towards you, you don’t need to think about whether to get off the road quickly so you don’t get hit. In fact in such dangerous situations, our natural response mechanism communicates to our brain that we need to flee. In other instances, a mother does not need to spend any time thinking of whether or not to pick up and try to pacify her crying infant; neither may a father need to ponder lengthily if he should take his son for soccer practice on weekends when he doesn’t have to work. These are responsibilities that come with the territory of being a parent.

However, there are other times we are faced with situations where making a decision becomes quite arduous. For instance someone who is not feeling fulfilled or deriving any form of job-satisfaction may be thinking of quitting his/her job in order to explore other possibilities far as a career is concerned.  Someone may also be thinking of moving to a new city, state or even country in search of greener pastures. People also have to make choices about relationships and marriage. In all these instances, decisions cannot be made at the drop of a hat. What makes decision making tasking in such situations is that there may not be any right or wrong choice. In such cases, the purpose for deciding is usually to take a step towards making one’s life better than it already is. In simple terms, the decision we take in such instances should affect us positively. This begs the question of: how does one make decisions in such seemingly ambiguous situations?

When having to decide about something that has no clear right or wrong choice, one must first take into account what the possible outcome of the decision could be. One has to examine what consequences (whether positive or negative) could result if a particular decision is made. For example, if one is considering quitting a job or moving to a new city, it would be sensible to weigh the pros and cons before actually taking the decision.
As Christians however, we should always remember that we are subject to the will and purpose of God for our lives. In other words, we cannot and should not live our lives outside of His plan/purpose for us. Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV) tells us that, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless, the Lord’s counsel – that will stand.”  Therefore before we even begin to even think towards a particular decision, we need to prayerfully inquire from God what His plan for our life is, and if the decision we want to make is in line with it. If we have already figured out what decision we want to take, we also need to be sure it is in line with God’s word. The Bible tells us that, “there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is a way of deceit,” (Proverbs 16:25 NKJV). As children of God, the last thing we want is to consciously take a decision that could lead us down a path of destruction. If we are confused on whether the decision we want to make is right or not, His word is always there to guide us and lead us to the right place. David put it so aptly in Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) “your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” God’s word brings light which gives direction where there is darkness.
When we are deciding on what to do, we should also allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be our guide, our helper and our counselor. Infact, what qualifies us to be called children of God is that we are Spirit-led (Romans 8:14). And the Spirit helps us in our moments of weakness (Romans 8:26a), when we are confused. It is therefore important for believers to stay in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
We can also help ourselves better decide what to do by seeking counsel from other people who can help us look at things from different perspectives. However, we should employ wisdom when doing so because not everyone may have our best interest at heart.
Having said all this, we should always bear in mind that we may not need to take too long in deciding what to do. Remember that time (and the world) is not going to stand still just so you can make up your mind on what you want to do. Also know that indecision is a decision in itself and could actually end up leading to regret much later in life. Finally, be assured that if you already made a decision that turned out to have some negative consequence, you can fully rely on the grace of God to help you out of it. As far as you are in Christ, He can turn any of your mistakes into something positive if you surrender it all to Him. Remember that “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 (NKJV).