Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Mark 13:34 NKJV “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.”               The word 'authority' is the Greek word ‘exousia’ and it means ability; privilege, force, capacity, competency, freedom, mastery, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control, delegated influence. The born again Christian has been empowered to be Christ’s representative on earth. God has given us delegated influence which means we have heaven’s backing in our dealings on earth.                 To better understand the enormity of this influence, lets imagine what happens when the president of a great nation is indisposed to attend to a function , he or she by constitutional provision has the right to delegate any of his officials to represent him or her in that occasion . If there are documents to be signed, the officials’ signature is as valid as that o

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Acts 3:19-20 NKJV “ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,          ' Refreshing' comes from the Greek word ‘ anapsuxis ’ and it literally means a recovery of breath, or revival and ‘ times ’ refers to an occasion. Whenever a person makes a commitment to live by God ’ s word, he or she automatically experiences a breath of fresh air from satanic and self- bondage. Repentance entails changing one ’ s mind and making a u-turn from a previous direction. It is a change in one ’ s convictions and perspective on life.                In Acts 3:1-26 Peter and John met a lame man at about 3 o ’ clock in the afternoon at the entrance to King Solomon ’ s temple. It was ironical that this man was positioned at a gate named ‘ beautiful ’ . His situation was far from being beautiful until his perspective on life changed. Prior to his healing, he earned a

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Luke 10:2 “ Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. ” KJV                   The word 'labourers' is the Greek word ‘ ergates ’ which means, a toiler, a teacher. It is seems quite illogical to be asked to pray for the salvation of souls: it gives the impression that God isn't really passionate about humanity, if He did, we shouldn ’ t be asked to pray for the salvation of souls. However, when viewed in the context of the meaning of the word 'labour' , we get a better understanding of what He means by asking us to pray. The word pray is the Greek word ‘ deomai ’ which means: to beg as binding oneself in a petition, make request. God wants us to make a commitment to be teachers of His word and to encourage the work of sending teachers to the ends of the earth to propagate the gospel of His s

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 11:29 “ Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.”          Religion places the burden of salvation on humanity demanding a rigorous engagement in endless rituals in a bid to gain God's acceptance.However, according to God’s plan, our salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. Under the New Testament, the burden of salvation rests solely on God and all glory goes to Him.          God is not moved by our religious zeal and displays (Col 2:19-23); without faith it is impossible to please Him. Faith is our total reliance on on God , it is a demonstration of our loyalty to Him. The lack of it is tantamount to saying He isn’t trustworthy . This is demonstrated by Christians through excessive spirituality which includes spending sleepless nights, food deprivation and other acts of self torture and neglect of one’s family and friends all in a

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Luke 8:6 KJV ” And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. ”         Their are various degrees of commitment to God ’ s word with corresponding effects on our lives. God is fair and just in his dealings , that's what gives Him the moral justification to judge the world.He is fair in showing favour and doesn ’ t break protocols (Isaiah28:10), He isn ’ t the author of confusion (1Cor 14.33). Jesus  paid for the sins of humanity including the unborn and His blessing isn ’ t more on some persons than the others, the scriptures say in Eph 1:3-4 NIV … Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ”     The blessing isn ’ t on some persons but on everybody just like the sun shines on everyone. We ’ re blessed with all spiritual blessings; not some. There ’ s no room for a curse in us because blessings do not coexist

By Rev. Michael Benson  Ajayi   Mark 4:16, "And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;"              Self-improvement  lacks substance until it is sustainable. Success is not determined by one's bank statement but the sustainability of a venture and is built upon the availability of able, ready and well equipped successors.      Prophet Abraham was chosen by God because he understood the relevance of successors, the scriptures say in Gen 18:19NLT “ I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised." God ’ s promises extends from generation to generation, He wants us to leave a legacy that will be enjoyed by future generations. They should not go through some of the pains we went through in life; in the light of this, the scriptures s

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  John 15:25 NKJV “ But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause. ”           Jesus is all good and all benevolent, and is the personification of God ’ s divine nature, He couldn ’ t be faulted in character. His ministry on earth is well summarized in     Acts 10:38 “ And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him ” . Despite these qualities He was and is still rejected by many.           Rejection happens to the best of persons and it isn ’ t necessarily any fault of theirs. Man has so many ways of venting  frustrations and one of them is through rejection. We are gregarious by nature with an innate desire to be part of a social group, rejection hampers our desire to ‘ belong ’ . This disconnection often leads to emotional trauma and is

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Dan 6:18 NIV “ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. ”          Daniel was among the captives taken to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C where he served in the government for about sixty years during the reign of four kings.            In their jealousy his co-workers mounted a campaign of calumny against him and though they searched for a flaw in his character, they could not come up with any damnable evidence .Daniel was conscientious in his duty and was adjudged wise, faithful and meticulous.   Through daily prayers and meditation on God ’ s Word he lived a disciplined life. This is possible when we render service not for accolades but as a duty towards God. The scriptures says in Eph 6:5-7 AMP “ Servants , be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness o

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi            John 21:6 NKJV “ And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. ”         The hole-in-the-pocket syndrome is described in Eccl TLB 5:11-12 “ The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth-except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers! ”   It is not the will of God for us to labour and not eat the fruit of our labour. The scriptures say in Isa 3:10 “ Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! ” God ’ s plan is for us to prosper and be in good health (3Jn2). We have been delivered from  the curse of poverty (Ga3:13) therefore,  one should say  "God made me poor". That is contrary to His divine nature .God wants us to be rich . 2 Cor 8:9 KJV “ For ye know the g

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   Mark 7:5, "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."            The human heart is the center of the human consciousness; it is where creativity takes place. It is like a processing plant or the central processing unit of a computer. Whatever information is received into the heart is processed, multiplied and manifested . It is also the seat of wisdom. The information we constantly pay attention to, soon becomes our reality , resulting in corresponding actions and a life pattern or character and eventually a destiny; either good or bad. We are the masters of our destinies.           The relationship between human action and the spirit of God is like that which exists between the airplane pilot and the wind.A good pilot studies the wind to ensure a safe flight.Jesus said in John 3:8 that “ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi 1 Tim 6:6-7 TLB “Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good.”          Most crises in our homes are money related and if not nipped in the bud, may result in very painful losses. This is what happens when money becomes our source of happiness (Rev.3:17-18) we have been trained to believe that the scripture in Eccl 10:19 which says “money answereth all things” (KJV) means 'money solves all problems.' The word ‘answereth’ is a Hebrew word ‘anah’ which means: to pay attention; respond; begin to speak; to sing, shout, testify. What that scripture is saying is; money is an amplifier and preferred above all things by men .However, money can’t buy true love, raise the dead from the grave, bring about world peace and make a sinner righteous.                 The object of all human endeavours is the achievement of happiness and peace and they are both spiritual virtues. Constantly, thinking about sad events leads to sadness, li

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   Mark 7:19 “ Food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes.) ”              Dietary laws were instituted under the Old Testament as a demonstration of the commitment of the Jews to live as God ’ s chosen people. Lev 11:12 NIV says “ Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you. ”   This means foods like squids; octopus, (all forms of shell fish e.g periwinkles and oysters), shrimps or lobsters, catfish, etc most of which are delicacies among Christians are an abomination according to the old testament.              The Old Testament was a shadow of what was to come, that is Christ and perfection could not be attained through the observance of these laws. The scriptures say in Heb 10:1-2 “ .... they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who c

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    Matt 25:6 NKJV "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Matthew 25:1-13         Jesus likened the principles of the kingdom of God to ten virgins going out to meet with the bridegroom, five went with lamps and extra oil in the event that the waiting period took longer than usual and the other five had no extra oil. The lamp is symbolic of the human spirit, while the flame from the lamp is the illumination from the word of God deposited in the human spirit. The scriptures in Ps 119:105 KJV says “ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ”                 God's word should be consulted while making decisions on major issues such as marriage, starting a ministry, birth of children, type of job or business etc : we derive great joy from His word during the long waiting periods. Waiting isn't a pleasant process :its likened to mourning but the Lord promises us beau

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   Matt 15:13-14 “ And he replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ”          The scriptures describes the exodus of the Jews from Egypt in Ex 12:38 KJV “ And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. ” The word ‘ mixed ’ is the Hebrew word `ereb ’ which means Arabia or the mongrel race. God had no covenant with them and their influence on the Israelites marred their journey to the promise land. They were predominantly idol worshipers and Israel soon got caught up in the act.                   The same scenario played out on the day of Pentecost in Acts 1:6 the Apostle Peter described the crowd that were gathered as ‘ Men ’ and ‘ Brethren ’ . The church has persons with a personal agenda. There are those who profess Christ openly but aren ’ t committed to Him in anyway (Matt15:8). They have a self-centered agenda. Jesus describes these persons in Matt 13

By Rev.Michael Benson 1 Cor 14:18 NKJV “ I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; “            Spiritual weakness  is characterized by fear and instability. Whenever truth is taught, peace is an inevitable outcome. The Word of God is truth (John17:17) and whenever it takes preeminence in our heart , we receive inner peace , gladness , confidence and stability, the scriptures say in Ps 119:165 NKJV “ Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. ”   The absence of God ’ s word is behind family and societal instability. Money and religion cannot take the place of God ’ s Word in a marriage or family; unfortunately many think otherwise and the result isn ’ t far-fetched.         After receiving Christ as lord and saviour , a regular balanced diet of God ’ s word is necessary for a healthy growth spiritually (1Peter 2:2) The confidence and spiritual energy a person operates in is directly proportional to the amount of revelation knowl