Is it right to sell what belongs to God?

Is it right to sell what belongs to God?

Our lives belong to God. This fact is confirmed in Psalm 24:1. God did not create man for the mere fun of it. He definitely has a divine plan for humanity. We are expected to key into His master plan in order for us to accomplish the various responsibilities assigned to us. Every body has a unique role to play in God’s master plan. Some will be leaders, others followers. Some will be Prophets, others Evangelists. Some will be Pastors, others Rabbis. Some will be doctors, others lawyers. Some will be farmers, others cobblers. Some will be cleaners, others messengers. Some will be drivers, others truck pushers. If everybody becomes Okada rider, who will go to the river to kill fish? If everybody decides to be an engineer, who will be a bricklayer to help build our houses? If everybody decides to sell in the market, who will teach our children in school? Every job and career is important in God’s master plan. Lets us stop the habit of looking down on other people’s profession but rather strive to identify the role God has asked us to play in His master plan. The world is in turmoil today because so many people have refused to play the roles assigned to them or are doing what they are not destined to do in God’s master plan.    

Right from the beginning of creation, it has been God’s desire that man dominate the earth. (Genesis 1:28). It means that the earth and its entire content are supposed to be slaves to us. However, owing to man’s disregard for the counsel of God, we have turned out to be slaves to money and the things that it provides: clothing, perfume, jewelry, car, and house. God is not against legitimate acquisition of financial and material possessions. King Solomon and Job were all very wealthy. What God is frowning at is allowing these possessions to turn us away from Him. The Bible says we should love God (Mark 12:30) and our neighbors (Matthew 22:39)- not money (1 Timothy 6:10).

We are now in a generation where so many people are very eager to do all manner of abominable things in order to acquire wealth at the expense of their salvation. Very few people are ready to take the long but Christ-approved route to success. Satan and its numerous agents have succeeded in making money appear to be the sole reason for man’s existence. Therefore, men go to the extent of selling their souls (God’s property) in exchange for wealth and fame. It was in recognition of this aberration that Christ asked: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? (Mark 8:36). We have witnessed several instances where people sold their parents, relations or friends’ properties left under their care. Human life is definitely God’s property left under the care of men and for specific purposes. We therefore have no right to sell our souls to Satan in exchange for wealth and fame. When we do that, we offend God. As Christians, we do not need to go to Satan for our financial and material needs because Apostle Paul has given us strong assurances in Hebrew 13:5: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The sin and Consequences of Malice

The Sin and Consequences of Malice

In Proverbs 18:10, the Bible says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Satan is aware of this fact and has devised means to make men fall outside the canopy of God’s protection. Without this, they cannot be able to destroy men. In 1 John 4:20, Apostle Paul explained that, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” The Bible has also recorded in Genesis 1:27 that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Malice against our fellow man or woman could therefore be taken to mean malice against God Himself. Just like a neighbor cannot keep malice with your children and claim to love you, we cannot also claim to love God and yet keep malice with His creations. Jesus has even asked us to love and pray for our enemies. (Matthew 5:44).

Malice, foolishness, disobedience, lust, hate, anger, gossip are some negative characters God detest. Apostle Paul in Titus 3:3 acknowledged this fact. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” As Christians, we are no longer fools that deny the existence of God. (Psalms 14:1). It is only those who doubt the existence of God that can afford to do things those in the world do. Jesus Christ says in John 18:36 that His kingdom is not of this world. As His followers, we cannot be different. It means that we must reconcile ourselves with God by jettisoning all anti-Christ-like traits such as malice, foolishness, disobedience, lust, jealousy, slander, hate, anger, gossip, and stealing among others. These are the things that will deny us heaven- the ultimate destination of every true Christian.    

Out of ignorance, many have overestimated their natural wisdom and attempted to diminish God’s supernatural nature. They have tried to cover their spirit of malice with deceptive appearances. (Proverb 26:26). Note that we can only deceive our fellow human beings- not God. Since God is omnipotent, what is the wisdom in wasting precious time trying to deceive Him? The Bible says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). If we sow malice, we would reap malice in return. This is the reason why many of us are suffering malice in our homes, places of work, neighborhoods, communities, and even in Churches. Let us thank God for this revelation, as it will help us overcome the sin and consequences of malice.  

Undrestanding the nature of God

Understanding the nature of God

Let us start by asking ourselves this simple question: Do we really need to understand the nature of God?

One major reason why so many people have problems in their places of work is that they do not understand the personality and temperament of their superiors. This is the same problem many Christians are facing with regards their relationship with God. For us to build a perfect bond with God, we must need to understand His nature. It is only then that we can know how to relate appropriately with Him. Let us remember that:

1.     We are God’s creation. As a result, we are bound to worship Him. The Bible says, “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:2). This also reminds us of the fact that as a spirit, God is not only powerful, but can be at every place and at every time. We therefore have no need to be afraid of Satan and its agents, provided we are in right standing with Him.

2.     The spirit controls the physical. Because of man’s love for earthly pleasures and possessions, Satan has succeeded in conquering the world. Despite this fact, God says in Romans 8:37 that “…we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us.” We must understand that we cannot be “more than conquerors” if we do not please God. We can only please God when we invest in our spiritual life. Romans 8: 6-8 explain that, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

3.     We must also take note of what the Bible says in Ephesians 6:12. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is the reason why God wants us to fortify our spiritual life in order to be “more than conquerors” by paying greater attention to that which can empower us to overcome trials and temptation that will be unleashed on us through the manipulations of Satan and its agents.

4.     The last part of John 4: 2 talks about worshiping God in “truth.” Just as was earlier outlined, truth is the key that unlocks the padlock Satan uses to bind us to itself. See John 8:32.

Blessings and Disappointments: Which one do we count?

As Christians, how much do we confess the goodness of God in our lives? Do we ignorantly indulge in the habit of overlooking God’s goodness because of the many disappointments in our life? Do the tough times we pass through make us forget the fact that God is good to us? When we count our disappointments, we indirectly say there is no God. That makes us fools in the eyes of God. (Psalms 14: 1). The book of Ecclesiastes 7:17 say a fool may die before his or her time.

In the midst of trials, let us learn how to appreciate God by counting our blessings. We must not forget the fact that God resides in our praises. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3). Let us also learn from the experience of Paul and Silas while in prison.

Because of the problems we experience, some may be tempted to say they do not have any blessing to count. In that case, let them make out time and visit any mortuary, hospital, prison, or psychiatric hospital. I am sure they will appreciate how much God loves them. It was because of His immeasurable love for humankind that God asked His innocent son, Jesus Christ to come and die for sins He did not commit. Let us not forget the fact that the surest way to attract God’s blessings is to appreciate His goodness. Every living human being has more than 100 reasons to appreciate God.