Good-life Daily Devotional

Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you." Deuteronomy 5:16 NLT "      Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1‭-‬3 NLT Bible       The family is the building block of the church community and the nation . God instituted the laws governing the family and he is the head of the family. The laws governing families are sacred and the violation of these laws could result in unpleasant consequences and even loss of life . An example , is the rebellion led by David's son Absalom against him that resulted in the death of Absalom ( 2 Samuel chapter 13 to chapter 19). Another is that of

     By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   Acts 9:26 -27'And when  Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join  himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid  of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him, and brought  him to  the apostles, and declared unto them how he had  seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken  to him, and how he had preached boldly at  Damascus in the name of Jesus."      Here you have a newly converted Saul now called Paul after his miraculous spiritual rebirth by the Holy Ghost while on his way to  Syria . He had spearheaded the oppression of the early Christian using the instruments of government.    After his conversion , he began preaching the message of the kingdom in the same territories where he was once celebrated as a dictator. It was no surprise then that his admirers - the religious Jews turned against him with a plan to kill him . The scriptures says "Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and

     By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." Philippians 1:29 NLT Bible      The life of the believer is a battle against the world's sinful system . The world's system is governed by Satan and his demons expressing themselves through human agents (2Corinthians.4:4) . The world's system rewards those working contrary to the gospel with the intent of disregarding the holy scriptures.     The world's system is gradually infiltrating into the church and it is distinguishable by the following characteristics enumerated in 2 Timothy 3:1‭-‬5 MSG "Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to

    Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  Matt 16:20 KJV  “ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ ”        It was expected that the disciples would have been encouraged to make Jesus Christ known while He was yet with them  but the contrary was the case as revealed in the above scripture. There are two major reasons behind this . First, it was to fulfill the prophecy in John 1:10-11 KJV  “ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ”             Value is a function of the cost expended in the pursuit of an ideal.  We only place value on objects that cost us something to acquire. Adam was freely given wisdom in the Garden of Eden which he never truly valued rather, it was that which cost him his relationship with God that he had more value for (Genesis 3:4-7)  Naturally , scarcity increases value  .             Secondly, Jesus' instruction to keep his identi

  Rev Michael Benson Ajayi KJV Mark 14:3..6 "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head."    ..."And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.”            The word ‘good’  in this text is the Greek word  ‘kalos’ and it means ‘beautiful’, valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use, and thus distinguished)’ .  This verse of scripture demonstrates the importance of aesthetics in the presentation of the message of the kingdom. The English dictionary defines beautiful as “possessing  qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind:”   Beauty is attractive that is why Satan uses this attribute of creation in propagating rebellion against God's law. Beauty is a quality of Godliness that has been corrupted to

     "Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord ’s sight. They served ...the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. They abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all. So the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites, who began to oppress them that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead)."Judges 10:6‭-‬8 NLT Bible     The Israelites were considered as God's special people by reason of his covenant with Abraham . Abraham is known as the father of faith : the quintessential role model to the three major monotheistic religions  Christianity , Islam and Judaism because of his devotion to God . He was willing to sacrifice Isaac his pride and joy as a demonstration of his love and faith in God .      It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 10:49 NIV “Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."               The world’s belief system runs contrary to God’s principles of faith and thrives on rebellion and oppression. It celebrates those who make a mockery of the sacred and vilifies defenders of the Christian faith. God's kind of Faith is volitional, intellectual and emotional ; expressed through positive emotional outbursts like the blind man in Mark 10:43-48.The world considers this offensive.            The life of  faith in Christ is laterally inverted and diametrically opposed to the popular worldview (Ephesians2:2)It is like running against the crowd in a marathon race. A lot of people have missed out on their purpose and the reward of a fulfilled life by trying to please the crowd: such persons would rather serve God secretly while depriving themselves of the benefits of living a victori

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  'Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. "  Proverbs 19:2  " People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the lord. "  Proverbs 19:3   Banks often carry out risks assessments before issuing out loans this is to safeguard against loss of depositors funds.  Due diligence is expected from God's people before giving out God's money . The money in our possession is not ours but God's and we are accountable to him on how it is managed.     Federal financial institutions are designed to regulate the movement of currencies to avert economic collapse and a state of anarchy . Imagine what will happened it we woke up to a situation where money losses value to the point of buying a loaf of bread for a billion naira. That's what will happen with more money in the economy than goods in a lawless society .It is the duty of born again Christians to daily pray for the success of government i

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "Some who are poor pretend to be rich;  others who are rich pretend to be poor."  Proverbs 13:7 "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time." Proverbs 13:11  "  Greedy people try to get rich quick     but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty. ,"  Proverbs 28:22      "Desperate times calls for desperate measures" is a maxim that drives most motivational preachers . Jesus Christ warned against anxiety and desperation .He said “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Matthew 6:31-32  bible says  ,,"  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. " , Philippians 4:6  Desperation results in a loss of faith in God and bec

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.)"John 7:22 NLT Bible      The covenant between God and Abraham was sealed with blood through circumcision . This happened 430 years before the law of Moses. As a sign of God's covenant with the Jews  , it became a sign to identify the Jews as God's special people based on his promise to Abraham .      The power in the circumcision was in the understanding that it was a proof that the circumcised was devoted to obeying God's commandments. But unfortunately, none of the followers of the law could be justified through the observance of the law as in John 7:22 . Failure  in one aspect of the law meant failure in all aspects of it.    The scriptures say "Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant."Genesis 17:13 NLTBible      The scriptural account of Abraham's encounter with God is the foundation upon which the Christian's faith is anchored . Abraham was born into a culture of polytheism and his quest for truth led him to an encounter with the creator of the universe.    The position of a monotheist is  premised on the universally accepted logic that postulates the objectivity of truth . Truth cannot be relative and truth can only exist within the circumference of an existing transcendent authority .    Regardless of where one is ,mathematical authority  states that one plus one equals two within the context of physical science . Just as it is with mathematics so it is with creationism , there cannot multiple universes with multiple or subjective truths . There can only be one universe with a supreme authority :the definition of truth -God. This

  Philippians .3:3 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."    The word 'worship' is the Greek word latreuō ,it means to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship.  God is spirit and desires worship in spirit and in truth .     The relationship between the believer in Jesus Christ and God is patterned after that between God and Abraham . They had a one-of-a- kind relationship. Abraham communicated with God on a one- on- one basis ,that is what he desires of all mankind . On one occasion the lord wanted to reveal himself to Abraham through spirit inspired rituals ,the scriptures says " But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord , how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” The Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Proverbs 24:14 "So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off."    The word 'expectations' is the Hebrew word , ' tiqvâh' it means: a cord ( as an attachment ) hope, ground of hope, things hoped for, outcome.  Of interest to me is the word 'cord' or an attachment.     When we desire a thing or things we trust God's word to grant our requests by faith . Faith is like fishing using a hook and a line or cord. As long as the right cord is being used with a fish attached to the hook a catch is guaranteed .      A strategy used by fishes when caught with a cord is to get the cord entangled around an object . This makes it nearly impossible to reel the fish in for fear of a broken fish line. However , experienced fishermen have deviced ways on how to maneuver through obstacles to catch a fish using wisdom .       That is what t

     By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi    Matt 20:23“And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”      The Greek word for the phrase ‘ye  shall drink’  is “pino”  it means to “imbibe” Merriam -Webster's dictionary defines   it as :  to receive into the mind and retain as moral principles, assimilate or take into solution like a sponge absorbs moisture _      As Christ’s disciples, we will indeed be plunged into the same sufferings that He experienced.          Suffering is part of the Christian life, it is caused by(1) God (trials) (2)Self: as a consequence of indiscipline or disobedience and(3) Satan(temptation). Regardless of its origin, sufferings end up working out for our greater good .       In Matthew 20:17-25, the disciples had imagined Jesus’ kingdom to be like those on earth t

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Luke 23:43 " And Jesus said unto him,  Verily I  say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in  paradise."        The message of grace is premised on a universal forgiveness : everyone is equally a sinner and equally forgiven and the vicarious atonement by Jesus Christ : the price for our sins have been ransomed equally .  A perfect example of the application of these principles is in Luke 23 : 39 " And one of the malefactors which were hanged  railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save  thyself and us. 40 But the other answering  rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God,  seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due  reward of our deeds: but this man hath done  nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord,  remember me when thou comest into thy  kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him,  Verily I  say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in  paradise."    A condemned criminal was

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  I will praise the lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. Psalms 34:1     It has been proven that most persons tend to be healthier after separating from a previous relationship with a contentious or complaining partner. It has been scientifically proven that exposing oneself to a habitually complaining person will result in the damage of one's brain resulting in major illnesses that could  result in permanent body damage even  death. This is main reason why the bible says it is better to suffer the hardship of living in the wilderness than living with a complaining spouse .       On the average people spend more time with their mothers than with their father from childhood thus mothers tend to have more emotional influence on the average human being than the fathers. Faith love and hatred are virtues learned from our parents or guardian we are closest to .     A person who is emotionally attached to a Christian parent who does not see

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  " Let all that I am praise the lord;     with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.  Psalms 103:1  " It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife. " Proverbs 21:19     "Research from Stanford University has also found that complaining reduces the size of our hippocampus, which, is responsible for memory and problem solving. The study found that engaging in complaining or simply hearing someone complain for more than 30 minutes could physically damage our brains." ( M1Psychology. com )     " Chronic complainers often seem to have negative feelings about themselves, and complaining about their circumstances or other people makes them feel more important. This behavior could be caused by mental illnesses or personality disorders, or even childhood experiences that haven't been dealt with.' ( https://www.bemidjipioneer. com)      As a preacher for over three decades I have observ

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "There is therefore now no condemnation to  them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not  after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law  of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me  free from the law of sin and death.  For what the  law could not do, in that it was weak through the  flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of  sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the  flesh: That the righteousness of the law might  be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but  after the Spirit. Romans8:1-4     The old Testament's laws of Moses was put in place to hold us accountable before God . Nobody could fulfill the 613 laws and seeking to live by the law was an acknowledgment that one did not need a Messiah and that salvation was possible through self effort . This type of thinking is indirectly saying  God cannot guarantee salvation therefore, cannot be trusted . It is not of faith in God and therefore those with this type