Good-life Daily Devotional

Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi John 13: 34 -35"A new commandment I give unto  you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all  men know that ye are  my disciples, if ye have love one to another."         The sign of a true disciple isn't in our religious garments,  tone of speech,  strict dietary principles and all manner of rules and regulations prescribed by religious folks. The world seem to be getting more and more confused on what constitutes a wholesome  church . After making a commitment to serve the Lord, the next step  is to identify with a Christian group : this is necessary for a healthy spiritual growth.             Through our fellowship with other Christians we experience warmth that makes the period of trials and temptation more tolerable.  It is the love from the brethren that gives us the assurance needed to face life's challenges.          Preachers are more effective when in partnership with person

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi " Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."      The spate of abuse and heartbreaks among God’s people is the result of the misconception of the conditions under which the grace of God is appropriated. This is particularly common among married folks in the church. As part of their marital vows, they are made to commit to a life together till death . This has exposed many persons to very dangerous situations in the hands of abusive spouses with lives  lost as a consequence of this gross misconception of the gospel. This is contrary to what the scriptures teaches with respect to the commitments we make to each other. Spouses are to live together as long as their living together isn't a threat to their individual safety.        When a person in a marriage situation decides to abandon scriptural principles concerning the marriage covenant a

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi John 17:14-16" I have given them thy word; and the world  hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take  them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the  world."         The lord tells us clearly that there are two operating systems on the earth, firstly, the kingdom of God headed by Jehovah, administered by His son also known as "The Word of God " and empowered and energized by the Holy Ghost who also serves as the law enforcement agent of the kingdom with the uncountable number of angels.  The scriptures gives us a glimpse of what constitutes the kingdom of God also known as Zion, the city of the most high God in Hebrews 12:Hebrews 12:22-24 AMP "But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi. Hebrews 12:3 AMP "Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds."         All it would have taken God to remedy the confusion caused by sin and evil on earth was to annihilate Satan and humanity and start the process of creation afresh but then he would have no justifiable reason to speak of the virtue of tolerance, patience and self-control. These are virtues of the spirit given that the earth was not created perfect but with room for improvements.  When God created man and the earth, the scriptures says He looked and saw that it was good,  the scriptures did not say perfect. Perfection is that state of conclusion as in death , it leaves no room for improvement.        It is against the backdrop of the imperfect

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi John 6:60,66 "Many therefore of his disciples, when they  had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?..From that  time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  "       At first, serving the lord is full of exciting moments with testimonies of God's goodness while we're oblivious of the challenges ahead that would come to test our faith  . God wants our needs met and beyond that He is seeking for true worshipers who will become disciples and instruments in meeting the needs of others.         Discipleship requires standing up for the truth at all times, this requires a high level of discipline and willingness to take on responsibilities.  It is this aspect of following Christ that most persons are least interested in because it requires selflessness . The average parishioner  struggles with selfishness which is behind the crisis we face on a daily bases. Research shows that those

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   “for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness , and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”. Rom 14:17 This teaching is not designed to encourage alcohol abuse nor condemn those who drink alcohol beverages but rather give a balanced view on the issue of drinking among Christians. - Alcohol abuse brings about disorderly conduct Ps. 78:65 - Alcohol abuse leads to poverty Prov. 21:17 - Alcohol abuse leads to woe, contentions, babbling, wounds, and redness of eyes. - Alcohol drink serves as shock absorber to disaster victims Prov. 31:6-7 - The ability to eat and drink comes from God Eccl 3:13 - The pleasure of eating and drinking is a gift from God. Eccl 5:18, Eccl. 9:7 - Drinking and eating brings friends together S.O.S 5:1 - Jesus was an ‘eater’ and ‘drinker’ Matt. 11:19 - Jesus regularly sat with sinners eating and drinking in other to save them. Matt. 9:11 - The lord instructed the disciples saying : As you go visiting in

By Michael Benson Ajayi "Touch not; taste not; handle not; "Col. 2:21. What does the scriptures say about consuming alcoholic beverages  The word “Wine” occurs 231 times in the bible and it’s from the Hebrew word ‘yayin’. It means fermented drink, banqueting wine. Genesis 9:21, 24; 14:18, 19:32-35, 27:25, 28. It also means rarely fermented wine (Hb. Tiyrosh) as in Gen. 27:28,37. - Priests where not allowed to drink before service Lev. 10:9 - God requested strong drink offerings daily Lev. 23:13 - Nazarenes (Hebrew devotees) not to drink grape juice e.g. Five Alive except during burials. Num. 6:3,20. - Aaron and his sons (God’s high priests) were to drink the best wine while serving in the temple Num. 18:12 - Strong drink was offered as a mark of honour to God (as libation) Num. 28:7 - After tithing the Israelites were advised to buy and drink strong alcoholic drinks Deut. 14:26 - Babies were dedicated with a gift of wine Isa. 1:24 - King David (the anointed) w

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 11:23 "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith"        Jesus was standing on the mount of olives near Jerusalem when He made this profound statement ( Mark 11:1).  He was literally speaking of the mountain of olives which can still be seen in Israel today. He was letting the disciples  know the power inherent in a person's tongue. The human tongue determines the course of a person's destiny, we are where we are now because of words spoken in the past and our future will to a large extent be determined by what we are saying about ourselves .        Words determine the mood in homes, that's why we are enjoined to fill our mouths with words of grace that edifies the hearers. This is also important in cris

  Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down  his life for his friends."    There is remarkable difference between what the world refers to as love and what the word of God says  love is.  Ironically, what is considered as love for self, community, group by the world is behind the chaos in the world today. More people perish as a result of this kind of love daily than any other reason globally.        The origin of wars are traceable to a  person trying to demonstrate affection for someone else .In judges 15 , Samson declared war against the Philistines because his father in-law refused to allow him have sex with his Philistine wife  . Most men live their lives with a 'conquest' mentality and are driven by the desire to impress a woman. Adam ate the forbidden fruit not because he was deceived but because he wanted to please Eve,  when he was confronted by God he confessed in Gen.3:12 "And the ma

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi. Matthew 9:10 -11 "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came  and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw  it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your  Master with publicans and sinners?"           The Pharisees were a religious sect with strict moral codes  stemming  from the laws of Moses and it wasn't permitted for a renowned prophet or priest from God to eat with members of the public or sinners. This was a measure that was taken by the priesthood  to avoid being  corrupted.          Jesus' approach to this was quite the opposite, He was a people's person and discouraged any form of segregation among His followers, He loves sinners and came to save sinners and not to condemn them . He was the embodiment of love and love does not segregate, therefore, His reply to His critics was succinct and revealed His purpose for having dinner wit

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Luke 6:22 "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. "     The word 'blessed'  is the Greek word 'makarios' which means to be supremely blest; fortunate, well off, happy . It is ironic how a seemingly adverse condition can become of so much benefit to a child of God. With men it is impossible but with God all things are possible.         It is because of the inherent blessing in being hated that Jesus said in Matthew 5:43 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy  neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that  hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"       Believers in Jesus Christ tend to thrive best when under persecution, oppression is a st

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to  fulfill."        The word fulfill is the Greek word 'pleroo' , to make replete, level up (a hollow), to diffuse, satisfy, execute ,finish (a period or task), verify. Jesus came to diffuse the tension between man and God due to our inability to keep the laws of Moses. These were very strict moral codes that were handed to Moses. They included the ten commandments given to him on mount Sinai which was later expanded to over a hundred laws by Moses.         These laws were not meant to be kept because non could keep the law not even Moses, the law was designed to hold us accountable to God and to show the need for a saviour.  For, example in Leviticus 21:5 NLT “The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies." Any preacher  who has ever had a hair cut is guilty of violating this l

Symptom: He Has Stopped Buying You Gifts If he’s not bringing home the food items, he’s probably not bringing home flowers or jewelry , either. Remedy : You can, of course, give the guy a break—these are tough times. But you might also start a little “fun fund,” a joint account that you both draw from to buy small gifts for the other person. “Since it's available for each of you to use, your husband won’t feel as if he's using your money,” says Dr. Haltzman. Symptom: He Says You’re Still at Work When You’re With Him Many women feel like they’re doing the work of two or three people—and in this avalanche of layoffs, you might have a reason to feel this way! As a result, there is always another e-mail to respond to or to-do-list item to tackle before the morning. Remedy : Physically disconnect, at least temporarily, each night. “It's OK to tell your employees or clients that you won't be available at certain hours of the day,” says Dr. Haltzman. If

     No matter how terrible a relationship God can fix it if we are willing . A Research by The New York Times reveals  that women are less likely to loose  their jobs than men and are, in many households, becoming the primary breadwinner. While this is a positive thing for women’s financial independence, some experts say there are adverse effects on their relationships. “Recent changes in economic forces and increasing education achievements of women have led to a change in the last decade, with women increasingly earning more than their husbands. This can become a challenge to the roles of ‘husband’ and ‘wife,’” says Scott Haltzman, MD, author of The Secrets of Happily Married Women . Here are symptoms that your success is sucking the love out of your love life, and how to make this role reversal work for—rather than against—your union. Symptom: He’s Not Initiating Intimacy Not being the primary provider, or getting laid off, can be a blow to his ego—and his manhood. Remedy: