Month: February 2021

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”” Matthew‬ ‭13:31-32‬ ‭

Glad to come your way again… I have read this Bible passage umpteen times, but for some reason, it hit different this time when I read it less than a week ago. It really got me thinking on a lot.

Today, I want to encourage anyone who is involved in starting an enterprise of any sorts. Bank your hope on this scripture!

This is Jesus preaching to the multitudes in parables about the kingdom of God. What is a parable? It is a story (fiction or non-fiction) for an illustration to bring home a spiritual truth. So parables can serve more as a coded message. What is the kingdom of God then? In the book of Mathew particularly, the kingdom of God could refer to God’s sovereign rule, God’s place, God’s presence or God’s system of governance. So depending on the context of Mathew, these are different shades of meaning.

So in this story, the kingdom of God here refers to God’s system of governance or how things are done. Jesus used this story to explain a concept about how things may start small and in-seemingly insignificant, but it grows to become something mighty.

In between the planting (starting) and the growth of an enterprise is the most important period or space. What you do in that time truly matters. The middle can at times be uncomfortable, but a great place of learning and stretching. Let us look at some few things we can do.

1. Focus- starting anything will test your level and intensity of focus. Beware of three things when starting an enterprise: a similar type that failed, a similar type that started around the same time and a similar type that has succeeded. All these three can serve as distraction if not taken care. The first one discourages you that it can’t be done. The second one puts you in competition and you will always be comparing notes at who is better, the third can make you feel inferior, thinking if this is here, why start a similar model of this kind? You have to focus on your vision and mission statement of your thing, and make it happen. At best, use those models as a learning aid, and keep on moving. Today is my hundredth blog post. There are many blogs out there with millions of readers that could distract me, but I am bent on focusing on this blog to make it the best it can be.

2. Consistency– you have to master the art of doing the same thing over and over again. In between planting and harvesting, one of the daily things the farmer has to master is the art of watering. The middle times really test your conviction. It is out of conviction that consistency is born. My consistency has been challenged since April 2018 (first time I blogged). I have always had to go back to question my conviction. Answering that question honestly will keep your motor on. In my opinion, this is the biggest hurdle to get over and the most difficult. If you are convicted, the word difficult will spur you on. If not, you will just resign that it is not for you.

3. Belief- it is important to believe in the positive outcome of your enterprise and see better prospects ahead. If not, you will close it down. When you have that belief, it affects your work ethic, your investments etc. Sometimes, we make the mistake of seeking external belief through our friends and the like. It is good if they believe in your project, but most times, belief has to be internal. You believing it is more than enough. You have to come to a place of full convincing if your project will grow. For me, it causes me no harm and no sweat at all to believe. If I don’t, I will be the first person to shut it down. Belief focuses on the process and not the time period per se. If you believe it, then it is worth your time and life.

May your enterprises see the day of light! May it grow to full fruition! May all your desires concerning that thing materialize that your joy may be full!

I hope you have been blessed reading? Let me know in your comments. Please like and share this post as well.

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Till, I come your way again…

Peace & Love

““Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Matthew‬ ‭10:16‬ ‭

Hello, glad to come your way again. Last week, we ended on the brute nature of man by looking at a Bible story in Cain and Abel. Man’s heart can be cruel indeed, and we should never underestimate it.

Today, we want to focus on these words from Jesus to his disciples. He was giving them an assignment and projected the wickedness of people his disciples were sent to. He called them, “wolves”. It was a Greek metaphor describing the cruel and destructive nature of man.

You see, with that in mind, Jesus still sent them to go to these people. There are some issues in life which are unavoidable. He just told them how to behave in the midst of savages: be wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove.

We will now look at wisdom in a snake. In my lifetime, a snake has been denoted to be evil because of its poisonous venom. It also symbolizes evil, treachery, double tongued and the like. In my conversation with a friend sometime back, he retorted to me, “I don’t like him!”, to which I questioned, “why?”. He then later told me, “he is a snake!”. After that, I got the gist of his conversation. So in reality, we don’t see anything good in a snake, but in an unlikely place like this, lies a certain wisdom to help live among people who don’t seek our wellbeing and our good.

Let us look at some few features of a snake.

1. The ability to work unnoticed– snakes don’t court attention. It knows its relationship with man is predatory; it is either kill or be killed. This facet talks about their creativity ie to be industrious without attracting undue attention. If we are to survive among wicked people, we should filter our conversations and the information we share with them as much as possible. Some people easily become the bait of an enemy by their mouths. Certain people don’t need to know ALL your business moves, especially if they have a desire to harm you. It is sometimes a good thing to bake your bread in silence.

2. Snakes listen to their internal organs– the snake’s only external organ is the eye. They rely on their internal organs for everything else asides sight. To me, this talks to me about instinctive thinking. It is said, when the tour guide takes tourists on a game park in South Africa, he normally has a Zulu with him. I am told, whilst the guide wows the tourists with information on the animals, the Zulu quietly relies on instinct to spot the animals. Without the Zulu on board, can you imagine the outcome of the excursion? Learn to move with your gut feeling every now and then, especially when you are unsure of people’s motives and agenda. Sometimes, information can be a ‘false prophet’.

3. Some snakes can also swim and fly- this speaks to me of versatility and unpredictability. If you are surrounded by people with ulterior motives, don’t let them figure you out too easily. Easily being predictable is a tool a wicked person can use against you. Don’t give people the reaction they are accustomed to anytime they aggravate you. For once, shock their world with a different set of response. Versatility also talks to me about flexibility. Stiffness can be a liability. Reinvent yourself and evolve, so that you are easily not dispensable at work or life, in general.

I think this will be it for now. May the Lord bless and keep us all as we go about our daily grind.

What did you get out of this? Do you know anything fascinating about a snake that you will like to share in your comments? I like reading comments!

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Till, I come your way again…

Peace & Love

“Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain…” Jude‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭

Hello, glad to come your way again. I had a good weekend, particularly watching last night’s Super Bowl. How was yours?

I read a disturbing article over the weekend, which forms the basis of this writeup. There are wicked people among our existence that we all need to know. Not everyone is as kind and gentle.

People normally become shocked at such revelation, but such is life, and we will have to learn how to deal with such people who will come our way.

This passage highlights a group of people who have gone in “the way of Cain”. What is that and what does it mean? Will refer to you another Bible passage for understanding.

“…Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”” Genesis‬ ‭4:2-9‬ ‭

These were two brothers; Abel and Cain. The former was a shepherd, the latter, a farmer. According to their Hebraic culture, they had to bring an offering to the Lord.

Abel brought his sacrifice which was sheep and Cain, his produce. Abel’s offering was accepted, Cain’s wasn’t. He became wroth at his brother which showed in his countenance. I wonder, did Abel not see that?

The first lesson here is, learn to observe people carefully and watch their countenance. People’s moods and manners have a loud telling. Perhaps had Abel paid particular attention to that, he wouldn’t have been murdered. Too many people fall into the hands of wicked people, because they don’t discern and watch people.

From this story, you can see the Lord talking with Cain advising him to do right, and his offering will be accepted. The second lesson here, is evil people will always like to blame people for their predicament. It is never their fault, but the next person. Instead of Cain owning up and taking responsibility for his failure, he directed his anger at his brother, Abel. Some people get angry at their colleague’s promotion and favor with his superiors at work, why misdirect that energy, instead of focusing on your work ethic and attitude on the job.

The third lesson I learn from the Lord’s discourse with Cain, is sin abounds everywhere looking for the perfect opportunity. The Lord advised Cain that sin is lurking at his door, but he should master his desire over that. A study shows that man has 6,200 thoughts per day. Not all thoughts are good, you can’t help those thoughts racing through your mind, but you can control your response on capitulating to that. Cain bit into the bait and surrendered to his evil desires which led to him murdering his brother.

Now when the Lord asked of Abel from Cain, he responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This response shows that, not everyone will seek for your well-being or look out for your interests. Man without the love of God in his heart is worse than a brute beast.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭

I pray for you dear reader, that as you go about your day today and the weeks ahead, may God deliver you from every evil, wicked and unreasonable person. Be wise and circumspect in your dealings with people.

I hope you caught something today? What are your thoughts on this? Let me know. Will love to read your comments.

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Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

“Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.” II Samuel‬ ‭17:23‬ ‭

I hope the weekend was a good one? Read this scripture over this past weekend which got me thinking. I saw how one man’s (poor) response to rejection led him to commit suicide.

Based on this, let us look at this subject closely. Rejection is part of life. We will all or have been dealt with the hand of rejection. Knowing how to respond well is crucial. The action taken by Ahithophel mirrors many’s response.

Before that, who was Ahithopel? He was a counselor to the king at the time, who was David and had defected. He had a reputation of being a wise counselor. He was the real deal! Look at the description in the passage below

“The counsel that Ahithophel gave in those days was treated as if God himself had spoken. That was the reputation of Ahithophel’s counsel to David…” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭16:23‬

If your counsel is like God himself has spoken, you must be something else! They couldn’t even compare him to any human, but a divine being. This was the reputation that preceded him. He gave counsel to the king’s son in Absalom who had committed treason against his father, David. Ahithophel had become a conspirator to Absalom’s evil plot in staging a coup against his father, David. When his counsel wasn’t taken, Ahithopel ended his life.

Ahithopel’s ending speaks to me a lot which I will like to share on dealing with rejection.

1. Don’t believe your hype– don’t drink the cool-aid of your own advertisement, it’s a poisonous drink. Be grounded in who you are and be confident in your skills and talents you bring to the table, but don’t overestimate your importance.

“…I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly…” Romans‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭

If you don’t think modestly, all sorts of emotion will be triggered in you when you face rejection. Some don’t take kindly when their suggestion is not taken in favor of a better suggestion at the board meeting. They will have an attitude and will let you know they are not happy about it. They can’t celebrate others and look at things in a big picture: the company wins. It always has to be about them. Friend, we can’t continue living like that. When we are this way, it shows how small of a person we truly are. People who have airs and graces about themselves have no sense of humor. They will lash out at their spouse for cracking a joke about them.

2. Don’t let it be personal- most times, rejection has nothing to do with your person. It might be your business proposal, but not you. It might be your advice, but not you. It might be your fashion sense, but not you. It might even be a marriage proposal, but not you. Very few instances of rejection has to do with attacking your very person. I believe people like that are toxic and evil. Truthfully, I will not associate with anyone that rejects my very person. So please, know the difference between the two. If it is not against your person, then see it as an opportunity to work on yourself, or give some room in time. There are certain counsels that are time sensitive meaning, it will be applicable next month or two, but not this month. Don’t jump hastily into conclusions and start accusing people for their dislike of you.

3. Don’t let it define you– let us be honest; being rejected can be very humbling or humiliating. It is a very painful one when experienced. Don’t let that episode define you. There is no success without failure. At times, no acceptance without rejection first. Ahithophel killed himself because he let that episode of his advice not taken defined him. He probably felt like a fool, or thought he was not the real deal anymore! Killing yourself should NEVER be an option.

Finally, I want to end on this note by quoting an except of one of my favorite songs in Above All by Michael Smith.

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Jesus can relate to rejection. He suffered the highest form of rejection which had to do with against his very person. He understands rejection better than any of us. If you have any feelings of rejection or still reeling from the effects of rejections, THIS IS YOUR BEST BET: come to Jesus, He will not forsake you.

Thank you all for reading. I hope my weekend thoughts in writing was a blessing to you?

Happy new month y’all!

Please like and share today’s post. It will mean a lot to me. Like always, I look forward to reading your comments too. Please do comment and let me know your thoughts. Thank you

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love