Jesus only!

JESUS is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. Phillip was quick to realize this shortly after he met Jesus*. Jesus IS the very implication, connotation, emphasis and essence of all God has been saying, revealing and teaching about Himself since the beginning of time, and for all generations to come.

It pleased the Father that in Christ should all fullness of God dwell*. And indeed, in Christ dwells ALL the fullness of the Godhead BODILY*. That emphasis dispels any doubt about the matter with the hard, physical evidence and presence of Jesus on earth, so that even Thomas who wanted such evidence would be without excuse.

Jesus is the EXPRESS image of the personality of God* and the brightness of God's glory and the image of the invisible God*.

And He is the image to which God would have us conform*. He is compared to the bronze serpent that was set up in the Israelites camp that whosoever looked upon it would not die of the bite of the deadly snakes sent as judgement upon them for their rebellion*. And like the Israelites, we too must look only to Jesus if we must live!

We do not need to be mystified and clueless anymore about the personality of God - what pleases, saddens, interests, excites, annoys Him. Or what He expects of, and desires in us. 

Although He is infinte and cannot be comprehended with our finite minds, we have eternity to revel in discovering Him starting now, by the example of Jesus' life, the witness of God's Spirit in us as well as the testimonies of a long ancestry of saints before us, to help us along the way.

Now, knowing God becomes a pleasurable experience, irrespective of the circumstances of our training.

Jesus IS the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man can come to God except through Him. He went on to say, If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

I would dare to say that God has literally demystified Himself in the personality of Jesus. So why is God still a stranger to you? Why do you run helter-skelter looking for Him in many other places and people when He has given Jesus?

*References in order of appearance, for further study
John 1:45
Colossians 1:19
Colossians 2:9
Hebrews 1:3
Colossians 1:15
Romans 8:28
John 3:14
John 14:6-7

The Ambush...a narrative

The Law Enforcement  Enriched Officer

It was a pitch-black night, well suited to the scheme. Well, not so dark anyway. He still didn't feel as reassured as he had thought earlier, of the efficacy of the camouflage that his black uniform accorded him.

These miscreants might spot me, he thought as he glanced about once again at his environment.

The shrubbery gave him cover and mocked the sickly yellow glow from the nearest street light that barely lit anything beyond a 2-feet radius. The foliage was also thick and tall in this area of the roadside and together with the overhanging leaves of a nearby tree, completely obscured the 6-foot tall signpost that announced:

'No stopping
No waiting
No parking
Fine N30,000'

He glanced up at the hapless signpost and shook his head. Government! He mused, dem no dey eva do something finish. How pesin wan take see dis sign wey bush cover so?

He adjusted his position on the cement block on which he was sitting. Only yesterday, he and Mutiu had surreptitiously placed it here so that either of them delegated to this hideout, would have some convenience, for the long stakeouts between the ambushes.

A dull ache had started in his right buttock, its pulse matching beats with the one that throbbed in his right hip. He wondered about the time. A glance at the battered leather watch on his right wrist told him he'd been sitting in the spot for almost two hours. By this time last week Thursday, he'd 'apprehended' three offenders before 7:50. These guys don dey wise up, he mused.

No, he consoled himself, they can't resist the temptation to walk into this trap. One person must fall tonight. And I go chop am.

From his position, he could see across the road to where his partner lounged on a bench in the recessed storefront of an supermarket that had closed for the day. Although he couldn't distinctly make out his form, he knew that Mutiu was alert and that at the opportune moment, he would spring into action, as they had earlier agreed.

The traffic was light and flowing but had begun to thin out in the last 30 minutes. There were hardly any pedestrians walking alongside the road now and the place was looking more deserted with every minute now. A gentle breeze had started to blow, and it threatened to lull him to sleep. He glanced at his watch again.

I go soon go house, he reasoned, but I no fit comot here without bar for pocket. Make I chill small.

A minibus slowed, hesitantly it seemed and coasted towards the spot alongside his hideout. He tensed, a sneer creasing his lips. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a minute movement from the storefront across the road.

Mutiu, the sharp guy!

His concentration returned to the vehicle which had only just stopped. As the rear passenger door began to open, he rose to his hunches, careful not to let his head be seen above the bushes.

A figure set one foot on the ground outside the bus. And Officer Moses pounced.

 

‪#‎LawEnforcementVersusLawEnrichment‬

Co-writing credits: Steavihn Hakkore Imediegwu

How the Bible answers all life's questions

Does the Bible answer all the questions of life?

Yes!

And Yes again! Even in spite of the differences in economic, political, cultural and traditional values that marked the period over which the text was documented and the times we live in, the answer is still Yes!

Why? Because it addresses the fundamental root of all the questions and problems for which men seek answers and solutions - SIN, being the rebellion against the love, leadership and ways of God. This is the same problem that plagued all the individuals in the Bible, whose lives and relationship with God serve to illustrate how God views sin, His solution to it and the results of the various responses of different people to God's proposal of reconciliation.

The meaning of life and the purpose of man among other questions, are paramount quests on which the average man embarks at some point in their lives. It is also in the pursuit of these answers that both 'heroes' and 'villians', 'good' and 'bad' distinguish themselves.

The Bible answers all the questions of life, in and with Jesus - God's sinless lamb slain to win and seal our reconciliation to Him. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to God except by Him.

The world is constantly trying to fix the symptoms of the problem of our separation from God - trying to psycho-analyse sudicial and homicidal individuals who are overcome with despair or striving for attention; to curtail sexually transmitted diseases spread through undisciplined sexual behaviour; trying to curb epidemics resulting from the mismanagement of our ecosystems; looking for more efficient means of distributing wealth among the populace without curing the greed that sponsors the embezzlement or misappropriation of funds...

But our problem is that we have fallen out of favour with God, in seeking independence from Him, and in indiscriminately indulging every whim and appetite. The source of the problems all around us is not the weather, or dead ancestors or karma or fellow humans.

Thus, we must seek to enter and dwell in God's pleasure. Man is otherwise fated to doom however he endeavours, just as the leafy branch which has been cut off from the stem of a plant. It is inherently dead by its dissociation from its source of nutrient. In the course of time, its death becomes physically evident when the leaves and eventually the estranged branch itself, withers.

The answers that the Bible gives are not necessarily in the eloquence of the texts but rather in the original wisdom of God and the perfection of His ways, revealed therein. It is in realizing that we have erred from living for God and have rather been living for ourselves; and returning to follow the path He has prescribed.

Years of training in an ungodly system which has matured over several millennia and is still being refined into more godlessness, may have inculcated us with rebellious thoughts, values and practices. God is well able to break through all that and remake us. But we must be willing and obedient to the change He proposes.

It is obvious that our many experiments of means both for finding God and with fixing our wounded world, have failed or are failing. Shall we not turn to the Author of life for help and deliverance? Shall those of us who have began the race not give even more due diligence to laying aside the weights of worldliness and the easily-besetting rebellious tendencies?

The Politician's promise...illustrated

As I was saying in The politician's promise

"I am of the opinion that the sort of lines with which a man woos a woman do not only speak of the man's ability but also of the woman's intelligence as well."

Change!

Continued...

The change this country requires, from my point of view, is not the one that will be effected by one man. I am just as eager or maybe, more so than the next man, to be rid of the stigma of of the Nigerian situation.

 

We will need to become sufficiently frustrated to break the inherent, suffocating selfishness that has got us stuck in this mire of corruption.

The frustration that will break the I-chop-make-dem-go-die mentality of the Nigerian and make him desperate for the welfare of this nation, is still at bay. Till the average Nigerian learns to put communal interest above personal interests, we might never be delivered from our predicament.

It is astonishing that people voted in the last elections in the hope that the new government would magically transform the state of affairs overnight! This false hope I am afraid, will continue to break many hearts, and unnecessarily so too. Needless to say, it will also place unnecessary pressure upon the elected government, pressure that would be distracting to the focus that will be required to tackle the hard issues confronting the nation.

We don't necessarily have to learn the hard way though.

We can't continue to pass the buck of responsibility for the change we desire to the 'government' - often misconstrued in our minds, as the small group of individuals who make the decisions that reflect the will of the people. This is another important lesson.

We must all assume selfless responsibility for the welfare of our nation. This will work out for the communal good, and by extension, individual good. Primarily however, this frustration with the present status quo must mount until it becomes unbearable to force individuals out of their comfort zones of selfishness.

For instance, we must begin to use public facilities with care, in consideration for subsequent users and not selfishly abuse our resources and facilities with a devil-may-care attitude that as long as we are satisfied, everyone else can go to blazes!

May Be Continued...

MEEKNESS

The meek as portrayed by the Bible, will most likely be mistaken for folks with a low 'self esteem'. Since followers of Christ are constantly denying self and taking up their crosses daily, there would be some truth to the perception.

The world recommends that getting along and succeeding in life requires one to be 'self confident' and assertive. People who make themselves of no repute as Jesus did, are often not thought much of. They won't always demand or claim their 'human rights' but are always willing to give them up for Christ's sake.

Afterall, what kind of person turns the other cheek when he is smitten on one, or prays for his enemies, or rejoices and is glad when people insult, persecute and falsely say all kinds of evil against him because of Christ? What kind of person puts the interests of others before his own?

Well, that kind of person is called a CHRIST-ian!

The meekness of Jesus isn't the pretended composure or subservience that people practice to gain emotional advantage, but a true disregard for the person of self, in the pursuit of life and godliness. And it can only come from the life of Jesus.

And here's Jesus' promise, 'blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' Could it get any more mind-blowing than that?

But that is God's way, and it's good enough for me. How about you?

The Politician's promises

Last night, the Edo state governorship campaign was given some attention on the news. A video clip was aired of a particular candidate at a rally ground and later, at a public facility, making promises of what he would do if elected into office.

I was once again shocked by how the crowd he was addressing, seemed to be adoringly swallowing his very ambitious promises hook, line and sinker, without rationalizing anything he said. Everyone cheered him on as he reeled out one ludicrous promise after the other.

If they were not ludicrous, at least they were unrealistic. Why should such a candidate merit such adulation, without going the extra mile to outline how he intends to actualize the promises he was making? Didn't he owe it to his supporters to outline a plan for translating the promises into realities? How was he able with such lacklustre and unsubstantiated utterances, to hold the attention of, and command the loyalty of people?

My attention then shifted to the assembled crowd. On what basis was such a large crowd of people standing in the heat of the day, listening to and applauding these highfalutin promises, without protest?

Was this to imply that there wasn't one single rational being in that assembly who could ask questions, to call the man to task on how he intended to achieve what he was promising? Was I supposed to surmise from this behaviour that Nigerians are unintelligent, irrational and gullible people, easily swayed by emotions?

I can't accept that. I am a Nigerian and I happen to know quite a number of very intelligent, rational and forthright Nigerians who apply knowledge and reason to their endeavours. So, why do the crowds at political campaign rallies portray such contradiction?

I am of the opinion that the sort of lines with which a man woos a woman do not only speak of the man's ability but of the woman's intelligence as well.

I have nothing against inspiring hope in people, as a justification for getting elected into public office. But haven't we learnt, and is it not obvious to us, that a promise without an agenda is unrealistic? What kind of assurance should we get from intentions that do not countenance the existing realities, and offer a clear path from the present to the envisaged future?

How does a man intend to fix a problem without an understanding of the root cause? How then do we justify the integrity of his words and his person altogether? Shouldn't the understanding of a problem be a factor in determining the amount of time and other resources that would be required to implement the intentions to fix it? This then, translating into a quantifiable plan that can be presented anywhere, and on the basis of which support for one's intentions could be justifiably given?

Simply put, couldn’t we have campaigns where aspirants wooed us for their support with sensible conversations as:

'This is the problem, and this is the cause. Do you agree?'

'This is the solution we all envisage, right?'

'I have a plan to get us from problem to solution by steps 1, 2, 3. These are feasible in time 456, all things being equal.'

'Endorse me with your mandate to spearhead this plan.'

The voting public then makes a choice based on the rationality of the candidate's proposal.

In Isreal very long ago, a prophet once prophesied that an economic recession that had held sway in that country, would be reversed in 24 hours? While he didn't explain how it would happen to his listeners, he was able to commit himself by the timeline within which his promise and thus his integrity, could be proven or not.

Today however, we accept promises from public office aspirants without verifying the authenticity or feasibility of such. Then we expect miracles to happen. Why don't we demand the signs and wonders before we believe, and not afterwards?

Should it be any surprise when these men distance themselves from their lofty intentions when the realities of the situation dawns on them, (usually) on assumption of office?

When will we stop trying to elect Superman into office on the merit of his fancy costume rather the testimony of his strength and ability?

When will we stop looking into the sky for the superheroes to come and save us, while the real heroes are walking about in our midst?

To Be Continued...

How not to die

Death is sobering!

This morning, I was welcomed into the office with the news of the deaths of two people – one of them was an aged colleague who apparently had been in ill-health for a while, unknown to me. The other was a young man, a relative of another colleague who had recently been treated successfully (it had seemed) for a liver disease, and about which his family and I (who had been inquiring about his progress) had been in a state of euphoria about his recovery.

The news cast a gloomy air about the office.

I have had much to think about, including the fact that I have been upset with my retiree father over the weekend, over some habits he had developed since he retired. I experienced some more remorse that I had held on to a grudge with him, and had not decided how I was going to broach my reservations with him. But at least, he was still alive to be reasoned with at another opportunity. But for the two gentlemen I earlier mentioned, there was no longer any such chance.

There have been the usual remarks about how indiscriminate death is in selecting its candidates, and about the unfairness of its selection criteria. This implies that anyone including myself, can be its candidate. I can’t think of any tenable reasons why I haven't been a victim myself, except that God hasn’t willed it so.

For some reason, a song I learnt a while ago, has been playing in my head:

I shall not die

 I shall not die

Because of Jesus

I shall not die

This morning, I am rationalizing what that song means to me. Does it mean that it is guaranteed that believers will never die, and/or that they will always live long, rich lives? There is abundant evidence both in the Scriptures and in real-time, that this is not the case. Infact, for some believers, their faith in God was their death sentence. So, what does this connote for all of us?

John 3:16 pops into my head too. My thoughts zero in on the promise, ‘...whosoever believes in Him, shall not PERISH but have everlasting life.’ The word ‘perish’ stands out to me now.

I realise that when an item perishes, it does not always imply that it ceases to exist. 'Perish' can also be used to describe the loss of relevance, value, status. The experience of perishing for the perished item is a living hell - life in hell, literally. Life without consequence. The perished item finds neither purpose nor pleasure in its existence.

There is no regret in never existing or ceasing to exist, without further opportunity to exist. If death in the parlance we know it – the cessation of existence on the earth, were the end of all accountability, we would have nothing to be concerned about. But apparently, it is not and herein lies the trouble.

On the death bed, many men can no longer deny the realities that have nagged at their consciences all their lives.

The spectrum of expressions on the faces of dying men is sufficient evidence of the dawning of the truth they have often denied while in the full bloom of their lives.
Those who have acknowledged, investigated and resolved the call of this conscience, have met death in peace. For those who haven’t, the turmoil of uncertainty and a foreboding creates terror in their hearts. Obviously, there is more to life than mere existence and even more, beyond the threshold of death. Which implies that there is more to death than a mere passing on.

Faith In Jesus ensures we get the best quality of life here on earth, and in the immeasurable duration of eternity as well. This quality of life is not a function of much wealth or even perfect health, but the certainty of peace with our Maker, to whom we will give account of our time on earth. This is even secondary to the peace that comes from finding and living in the purpose for which we were created in the first place. This purpose is found and lived only in God who created us - in Jesus, the Way He has instituted.

I wonder, have you found that peace?