Lilly's blog

Luke 15 is a chapter that strikes me and redefines my definition of love.  “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. ( vv 1 - 3 ) - NIV  Thinking about these parables especially of the lost sheep and coin in which there were remainders of 99 and 9 respectively, I felt that the characters in these parables were being greedy. Isn’t 99 and 9 more than just 1, aren’t they greedy to want an intact 100 and 10?  But then I realized the import of their actions. The woman and man in these parables were not greedy, No, they never were. They could just not afford to lose that one sheep or one coin. In fact, that one sheep and one coin meant as much to them as the 99 and the 9.  The man was probably worrying, “ How can this sheep be alone? How can he survive on his

Yaay, 2018 is almost over😃 God has been good to us, we are still breathing, meaning we are very much alive😅 Thank you Lord😂👐 So how has the year 2018 been? Recounting the year, months, weeks days: will you say it has been a good one😊? It has been more than you expected 😅? You could count more blessings than troubles, losses, hardships😋 ? That's great, I share in your joy, may 2019 be greater 👐 But maybe for you, you can't wait for it to end so you can start afresh in a new year😟. Maybe for you, you wished the year 2018 never happened because you lost more than you gained (i.e. the loved ones who died😢, the dreams and visions that never were, the plans and resolutions that couldn't fall through, the lost jobs, the relationships that got broken💔, the exams you failed or even the health you lost😡). Some of us might have also lost our faith along the way, couldn't grow spiritually as we desired to or even fell heavily into sin. Yeah, a lot was lo

 ‘ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones ’. – Proverbs 3:7-8 The Bible, aside spelling out the life accounts of patriarchs and prophets, the redemptive work of Christ for humanity and the dos and don’ts of our faith as does every manual, also makes bare many principles concerning attaining good physical, mental, and spiritual health. This is corroborated by The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia that says the laws Moses received from God, which make up the bulk of all health instructions in the Bible, contain remarkable rules pertaining to public health which concerns us even today, such as how to deal with infectious diseases, food and water hygiene and sewage disposal.  ‘ If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians

The ancient Israelites were narrowed as to what to eat by God because God wanted them consecrated for His purpose or perhaps, the animals in the blacklist have a way of life that does not portray cleanliness or holiness. From Leviticus 11:1-23, the ancient Israelites were supposed to eat only terrestrial animals that chew the cud and have completely divided hoofs, unlike camel, coney, hate and swine who do not satisfy this category. They were also supposed to eat only fish with fins and scales, eat a category of insects which include locusts and grasshoppers and eat from a category of birds. In this present generation, the Word of God makes us know that " food does not by any means draw us nearer to God, We will, in terms of our relationship with God, be no better if we eat it or any worse if we do not "(1 Cor 8:8). 1 Tim 4:4-5 also says that " Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is conse

Weary? Tired from the stressors of life? Tired of your sin and burdened with it? Jesus is still saying Come as He said over 2000 years ago. Come .  Come for rest. Come for a lighter burden and an easier yoke.  Come for relief from your oppression. Come .  Don't look elsewhere for rest, Come . Come to the only one in whom you can find true rest which comprises all dimensions of healing, love and peace. Come . Look, He didn't lie to us to make His offers so attractive. He still said there is another yoke carry.  His yoke. And guess what? This yoke and burden will not be bore by you alone, He will bear it with you. This weight will fall on bigger and stronger shoulders than yours, that is why they will be lighter and easier to carry. Hallelujah, He is our Yoke mate😀😀😀. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

Though Peter couldn't stay loyal to Christ during those three moments, how he wept bitterly when the rooster crowed and he remembered the sayings of the Lord, revealed that he really loved Jesus. Even for the fact that he was around during Jesus' trial further confirms his love for his Master, because it is not all friends who will be around when you are in trouble, some will leave you to battle with your problems alone. Comparing the aftermath of his and Judas' relationship with Jesus after they betrayed the Lord, is noteworthy. Peter came back to the Lord, he didn't give up because he had sinned, he lived on whilst Judas felt so sinful and ashamed that he committed suicide. When we hurt the Lord in one way or the other, let's remember Peter and not feel so ashamed to come back to Him, for He is Faithful and Just to forgive us when we ask Him to and He will also cleanse us of all our sins. Departing from His presence is never the best solution, rather, d

One of the reasons why the teachers of the law wanted Jesus to die was because: they were scared that the multitudes that followed Jesus would have been seen by the Romans as an act of rebellion to overthrow their government, which would have precipitated their wrath [Romans] and caused them to raid Israel, therefore it was better if for the sake of Israel, one man dies. - (John 11:49-50) Some were not really thinking about the raid of Israel, but about the fact that that they will lose their high positions should that happen. It was the love for their positions, the comfort and power that comes with it, that prevented them from clearly seeing that Jesus is actually the Messiah they were waiting for. Just because Jesus didn't come as they envisioned, they saw Him as a threat to their stability as a nation, hence a need to get rid of Him. Would they have spearheaded the plot to kill Jesus should He have been a relative to any of them?   Life is valuable. The sanctity o

The six-versed 23rd Psalm can be said to be the most widely known Psalm of the Bible, but can It be said to be widely understood? Lemme see if I can help contribute to It being understood. Here It goes: " The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want " In other words, because the Lord is leading Me, I shall not be in want. Because It is the Lord who is leading Me, I shall not lack anything because, He will make sure, as my Shepherd, to provide all that He deems best for me. " He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul " Our Lord gives us the best of everything, if only we will humble ourselves and follow His leading, we will be led to the best of everything we will need for physical and spiritual nourishment. " He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake " Our Shepherd whom we are following leads an exemplary life worthy of emulation, and if we follow Him, He wil

Ahab was more wicked than any other king of Israel, but when he repented in deep humility, God took notice and reduced his punishment. The same Lord who was merciful to Ahab wants to be merciful to you. No matter how evil you have been, it is never too late to humble yourself, turn to God and ask for forgiveness. ☆ An excerpt from the New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible ☆