Weekly Digest Vol 6

THE IRONY OF GOD'S LOVE ( Part Two)

_ By: Omotayo Oni

Indeed God is good, full of mercies and Grace. The world has known no greater miracle than the miracle of his redeeming love.
Weeks back I came across this song that says “Jesus you are too loving to leave me, you are too committed to leave me” watching the singer and his audience as he sang the song, my heart bled. As good as it appeared, all I saw is a generation of Christian whose heart is set in taking advantage of God's grace, who loves the comfort zone of zion and delight in the gospel that offends no one. “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria...”Amos 6:1. This song among others like it; is true of course in what God has been to us, but this truth is not in its entirety. The human nature is comfortable in receiving love and not giving it back in return, this self-centered nature of man is enmity to God and can not please God.
The long-suffering of God towards men is invested in a given time and God has expectation on the lost world whom he invested his only Son for their redemption. But this expectation from many is still wanting. Sadly, we delight ourselves with songs that promote the goodness and love of God in isolation of his Holiness. The craving heart of God for righteous men that will stand and reflect his integrity is quietly ignored, no one is yielding to be a light to the dark world. Jesus indeed is so loving and committed, he will not leave the men he died for, no, not without an appeal, not without the earnest plea of his Holy Spirit, sometimes through the instrument of the human conscience and sometimes through his human agents but if after all you rely on the fact that God is good and merciful to still indulge in your vices and secret sins or tend to ignore the sauntering sinners because you want to gain their favor or approval, you will soon be shocked that Jesus your loving Advocate will someday sit as a righteous Judge to reward you according to your works. Jesus said “In that day I will “confess” that I never knew you, you workers of iniquity” Matt7:21-22 ( to confess means to admit the truth) to think that we understand God and his scheme of Justice perfectly is nothing but a display of untamed foolishness. In Luke 19:41-42 Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem Saying, “If thou hadst knew, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes”. It's sad, Christians are void of the understanding of God. The Revolution in the heart of God is simply the saving grace brought through the blood of Christ his Son but God's attitude towards sin has never changed, He sternly loves righteousness and hates iniquity. God has an uncompromising resolution towards sin and nothing is changing that, Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2Tim. 2:19 The time for the redemption of mankind is fleeting and vengeance is imminent upon the ungodly generation. We can't continue in our sins and hold to God at the same time. Judgment shall begin in the house of God. 1 Peter 4:18 said “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” then I wonder where songs like this will get us. We trade ancient songs of zion that reminds us of the coming of Christ, that convict lost sinners of his wicked ways for songs that promote lawless liberty in Christ. The grace of God is not lawless it has come to teach us to deny ungodliness. Titus 2:11-12.
God will not clap for us for acknowledging his mercies, love, and goodness while we frustrate the purpose of these tributaries of grace. It's like making mockery of God.
I reserve no apology to whoever these concerns, for God can not be mocked. If only we've been men of his presence we will understand his heart cry towards the ungodly generation. It's good to appreciate the goodness of God but if this is all you do with your unrepentant life then be prepared to meet your God. He's a God of Justice and the cup of his wrath is almost at its brim. The old-time religion was a movement that brings down the contemptuous heart of men to the feet of the Cross, rescuing souls from the claws of hell, these were the potencies of the songs of zion which no longer appeal to us except for the polished ones that display our musical prowess with lyrics that acknowledge God's goodness in seclusion of God's righteous yearnings for you and I. Nothing honors God than seeing the perfect image of his Son revealed in you and I, this we must press towards and his grace will lend us divine help.
I will draw my conclusion with the words of Charles Spurgeon "IF SINNERS BE DAMNED, AT LEAST LET THEM LEAP TO HELL OVER OUR DEAD BODIES AND IF THEY PERISH, LET THEM PERISH WITH OUR ARMS WRAPPED AROUND THEIR KNEES. IF HELL MUST BE FILLED, LET IT BE FILLED IN THE TEETH OF OUR EXERTIONS, AND LET NO ONE GO UNWARNED OR UNPRAYED FOR." Grace be unto you all. Amen!

Nature

The songs of nature strayed out of pace
Yet it echoes with the sweetest rhymes
It's sinuous shade dive with poise and grace
Fitting in perfect pace and time

Nature wore the vista of many colours
Nature wore the scent of many fragrance
I feel its sensation across the hills
And its wonders across the sea

I love the smell of rain in the sand
The excitement of the winter months
The dusty mist of the harmattan
The water fall and the fountain deep

How with beauty nature rebound
Breaking out of its own prison of chaos
With nuptial devotion to perfection
Budding anew in the wake of the season.

Omotayo Oni

My Sunshine

My wondering heart met with the sunshine
She's such an enchanting glow
The sight of her burn with passionate flames
Her smiles with darling tones,
She's such beauty beget of grace.

Amiable on my adventurous field of love
With beautiful stride and pageantry
Her golden ray evolves in my waking soul
She's such treasure the oceans has kept
The jewel the mountains has hidden

She walked through the walls of my heart
And painted it with the colors of her love
I wrote aptly to my folks and tribe
Saying “Mo ron todun - Moti re nikeji mi”
They saw my sunshine, she's a loving soul

And thus I prayed every night and day
That our love conquers all obstacles
May it dwells with passion most profound
May it sail through the wild oceans of life
May it be that my heart finds its sanctuary in you.

 _Omotayo Oni_

Weekly Digest Vol 5. By: Omotayo Oni

Pace and Proximity: Closeness with God.

The tenacity of a lover to woo his object of affection comes with selfless grit, such that command insane and unimaginable things.
One of the most foolish and ridiculous things I've watched sane people do were things they do for love.
Every impression we show to people we love is a message of how much we care, admire and cherish them. What these impression aims to achieve is to create a closer intimacy and induce mutual passion.
Consequently, the closer the people we love come in love with us the more their actions matters to us, the more our expectations on them. Offenses weighs more based on the the level of proximity.
When two lovers aligned, tolerance and expectation strikes same equilibrium. If expectations are not met it creates offenses that over burden tolerance. Anger sometimes are natural response to these effects. Love overlook flaws and natural shortcomings but not offensive act or omission, such act or omission hurt based on the degree of proximity.
When someone throw stones at far distance at you it seldomly hurt but if the same stone was thrown at a closer range it cannot but hurt deeply. As much as we cherish closeness with lovers, the easier it becomes to be offended by their wrongs. We only get disappointed in people we have expectations on if the expectations are not met. A man who means nothing to you can barely hurt your feelings by any of his tendencies.
Love comes with anticipations, Anyone you deeply love holds the rod to hurt you in the same proportion. Such rod is traceable to your expectations on such one.
In like manner, God's dealing with his people has everything to do with the extent of our intimacy with him.
Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us”
God the Father of grace was unpleased with the granite wall of transgression that impede the fellowship between him and men.
God seek intimacy with men through his unfeigned love, this he achieved by satisfying his wrath on his own begotten Son that he might mend his relationship with us. The price God paid for love is huge, it wasn't an easy one on him. He mended the bridge back to his glorious family and will go extra miles to woo men in accepting his love.
When we accept God's invitation and draw closer to him. He set his heart before us through his word and expect us to reflect and reciprocate this love.
The closer we reach for God the more he unveil his nature and the more of his understanding is expected of us. When our actions contradict his ways he becomes disappointed with us. What God makes known to us is based on the level of intimacy he has with individual. The more of God we know determines the level of our exploits in the kingdom service.
 Psalmist remarked, “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel”. (Ps 103:7). Likewise psalm 25:14 unveiled that “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he show them his covenant”. A man like Moses understood his ways not just his doings that is why God will not tolerate his offensive act against his simple instruction.
It is in our own interest to get close to God, but diligence is however required over negligence in aligning our lives with him. The abuse of proximity and frustration of love will not go down well in our relationship with God. Understanding God is key to our fellowship with him.
Love will pay any ridiculous price for what its eyes is set on, but having done all if expectation is not satisfied its passionate flames burns out leaving its object to the natural consequences of rejecting the outstretched offers.
Let's consider the overview of God's Word in Isaiah 5:1-7
“...My well-beloved hath a vineyard...he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes... judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?...And I will lay it waste:... I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it...For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel...”
Never delight in God's grace and mercies in isolation of his laws and expectations.
Grace is not lawless, as many as have took the grace of God for liberty to continue in sin and lawlessness will eventually met with God's wrath and vengeance. And for those who reject God will meet with damnable end for rejecting the only one route of salvation laid down for all humanity.

Omotayo Oni

Why I choose to be grateful

Happy Birthday to Me!

To survive this treacherous journey of life is to have met with God's unmerited mercy, the season that flipped over was one that left me with memories indelible.
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side when men rose up against us...” Ps 124:2.
Through the years I've lived so far, none was challenging as the one that rolled out from the appointed time of my life.
It was a season I met with many odds that shook my soul to its core.
Hades against Astral in battle for my soul; The gatekeepers against the warlords, the watchmen against the night owl; in all, Christ the Lord of Sabaoth is my Shield and Strength.
It was a season I cried like never before and laughed like never before, I scorned like never before and loved like never before, I was broken like never before and I rose like never before. I erred and I rebound from my errors.
I met with life twitching puzzles that seems impossible to solve. I was lost seeking help for my burden of purpose. Complications appears to clamp on everything I knew save the infallible Cross of Christ.
It was a season I walk through the valley of the shadow of death peering through its stinking horrors as I survived two major Auto crash and a narrow escape of several others.
I lost my grounds of holiness where I once boast of righteousness and became a lawful captive to sin, my fiery altar sank into cold extinction until the unfailing mercies of God sought for me.
I groan within my soul with the wailing prayers of the psalmist “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity”. Psalm 39:4&5
Some beautiful path of course can't be discovered without getting lost. It was part of the plan, the trials, the pains and the tears, they were collaborator of my lonely nights, the instruments of my making.
I have a million emotions to pen down about the hurtful past, but a billion more about the effulgence of the hope that rises before me.
So, as the turmoil fade-out, overly drawing the curtain to this phase of life. I will mend my brokenness with Gold, I will proudly wear my scares as badge of victories and my tears as ointment and liniment for the healing of posterity.
As this new year of my life opens its page for me to write on, and my past slide into letters as a testament of hope to others, I will love to first celebrate everyone who dares to love and to hope despite the awful tide of hostility and fear life threw at them.
I pray in it all, you will never miss your date with Destiny, safely you will get to the shores of your glorious destination. In Jesus name!

Omotayo Oni
Celebrating God's faithfulness#