Good-life Daily Devotional

By Michael Benson Ajayi.   Matt 7:11-12 NKJV  “ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ”           The salvation experience is all encompassing involving the total rejuvenation of a person in all ramifications. Its impact on life is tangible and transcendental in comparison with any human experience.          It goes beyond the forgiveness of sins: it is a participation in the elements that constitute the divinity of Christ. The scriptures say in Matt7:11-12 that our Heavenly Father gives  ‘ good things ’  to those who ask Him. The phrase  ‘ good things ’  is a Greek  word   ‘ agathos ’  which means: benefits , well, good(s).In luke11:13 this term is used to describe the Holy Spirit.             This is evident of the existence of gifts received by reason of the salvation experience and they are made available through the Holy Spirit. He is the tangible manifestation o

  By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi    Num 32:13-19 NKJV “So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.  And look! You have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people."  Then they came near to him and said: "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.  We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance.”           The tribe of Gad and Reuben w

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.' 1 Timothy 4:16 NLT    The believer's journey of faith is that which progresses from the day a person receives Jesus Christ as lord as saviour , at this stage a person is referred to as a 'spiritual babe' . The scriptures says " Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,"1 Peter 2:2 NLT  . To grow at this stage one needs to be feed with what the bible describes as milk . Milk is the product of mothers . It is already processed food , at this point the newborn depends on others for the  interpretation of scriptures and knowledge of the lord.   The scriptures says   "You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   " No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" .Philippians 3:13‭-‬14 NLT      "Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”Lk 9:61‭-‬62 NLT     The calling of a disciple is all encompassing , it affects every facet of human existence. The gospel of the kingdom has to be preached to persons in every aspect  of human endeavours .     It is against this backdrop that being a disciple does not necessarily mean abandoning all other pursuits . Jobs, businesses, skills and talents  are tools for the promotion of the gospel.  Tabitha ( Dorcas) was a fashion designer and en

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi " Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19 NLT BIBLE    A disciple is an ardent follower of the ways of the master Jesus Christ . He or she has made a commitment to teach the teachings of  God's kingdom ( John 12:26 , John 13:15) Jesus Christ came to show us the ways of the kingdom through many signs and wonders and mandated his disciples to do likewise.     As a disciple your devotion to Jesus Christ is supreme . Disciples love Jesus Christ above others . The Bible says “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money." Matthew 6:24 NLT    Your attitude towards money shows whether you are a disciple or not . The disciple does not need financial inducement to serve the Lord. Jesus Christ never took offerings from persons

  By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  There is a difference between  religious Christianity and the sons of God. The devil has perfected the art of disguise so that distinguishing between  his agents from the sons of God is quite an arduous task . Virtually everything in the church such as miracles to the traditions of worship has a satanic near- perfect replica.             However , through God's word we can separate the wheat from the chaff. There is a universal yearning for the manifestation of the sons of God.  This hunger for men and women of repute driven by a godly disposition is in itself proof that such persons exist. One cannot be hungry for what does not exist.      Jesus describes his followers as the light of the world and salt of the earth. Salt is a seasoning, preservative and purifier ,it is also a means of exchange. It adds value to life. Light illuminates , exposing the essence of an object, it gladdens the heart and eliminates the element of secrecy and hinders corrupt

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them." Zechariah 7:11‭-‬12 NLT.        God's children are expected to grow in the knowledge and application of the things of His kingdom .Spiritual growth is manifested in the growth of  one's faith in God. Faith comes from a steady diet of God's word , yielding to the holy spirit and sharing in the testimonies of other faithfuls.   The bible says " Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing." 2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT  The more our faith grows the more the lov

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  .. John 6:56-57   KJV  “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me” Matt 26:26 NIV "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."       The idea that a born again Christian can be married to a spiritual wife or have a spiritual husband runs contrary to the concept of the holy communion : the most sacred ritual in Christianity . This idea is a carryover of pagan doctrines mostly among African communities where it is believed that a woman for instance could be dedicated by her family to the worship of a deity and from that moment she becomes the property of that deity , she is considered  married to that deity and if she gets pregnant by the permission of the priest , her offspring are considered children

  BY Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi John 9:2 AMP  “ His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? ”            Jesus' claim to divinity pitched him at loggerhead against the religious people of His time (John8:58-59) therefore, he miracles where a necessary tool to authenticate His claims .These miracles were unlike those of the magicians who mesmerised crowds without promoting the need for a personal relationship with God. Giving sight to a man born without eyes was something only God could do.                It is generally believed by most proponents of  Jewish theology and traditionalists that God's punishment for the sins of one ’ s ancestors or parents extends to the  great -grand children Thus, being born blind was God ’ s punishment for the sins of the parents:in effect the blind man was under an ancestral curse.                 This doctrine portrays God as an unjust judge. It is tantamount to saying that a girl child bor

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "  It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." 1 Corinthians 13:5 NLT  "They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord , and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord ’s people?” Numbers 16:3 NLT     The concept of a divine intervention or miracle in the life of the believer requires discernment by the Holy Spirit . We are interconnected existentially " From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’"  Acts of the Apostles 17:26‭, ‬28 NLT therefore, whatever decision we make will eventually impact on the lives of every human being .

.Matt 13:11-12  KJV.       “   He answered and said unto them, because  it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. ”              The social construct of any people group is determined by the ideologies upon which that society is built . The instability in the society today is as a result of the deficiency of truth in what is commonly termed 'wisdom'. Truth is absolute in nature and agrees with fact therefore, there shouldn ’ t be more than one interpretation of truth; for example one multiplied by zero should be zero regardless of whatever clime we find ourselves. Unfortunately, the religions of the world have different meaning to truth. What is true in one place does not hold water in another . This leads to a clash of interest and it ’ s the bane of  social upheavals the wo

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT  " Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. " 1 Peter 4:8 NLT   The christian life is an expression of God's divine nature , it is beyond keeping to the written codes of a religion . The Christian faith is intuitive , emotional and logical and driven by sacrificial love.      Love is liberating and yet critical and has definite boundaries. Love judges. God is love and the supreme judge of the universe. A loving mum would not allow her children abuse hard drugs or indulge in excessive viewing of television . To a child , being judged by a parent for  being irresponsible may be considered as unfair and inconsiderate but the parent's intentions are for the wellbeing of the child. Love protects and sometimes protects us from ourselves.        Our collective s

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Luke 12:54-55 NKJV   “ Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. The use of extraterrestrial objects such as the stars ,moon and  meteorological analysis in   the interpretation of spiritual events was common in Jesus' time as it is today. However , Jesus spoke against such in Luke 17:20-21 KJV  “ ...The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ”   Predictions about the kingdom of God and the end times have become a source of fear and frustration to many. Salvation is by love not fear and God ’ s kingdom cannot be detected with scientific instruments ,it is spiritual and cannot be interpreted by the movement of stars, asteroids or any other atmospheric phenomenon .The kingdom of God (His essence ,presence ) is not far from us neither is He more

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    "Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able tour go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about work done in someone else’s territory." 2 Corinthians 10:15‭-‬16 NLT    " I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." 2 Corinthians 11:27 NLT    Apostle Paul was in contention with persons who taught that a person's spirituality was measured by religious devotion outside the promotion of the gospel and a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Under such religious arrangements , devotees depended on their so called 'super apostles &