Merry Christmas

On the way to the Palace -An Essential Commodity

I remember several years ago in a Miss World contest,one of the contestants was asked to mention three items she would take if left in a desert and given the choice of just three.I found her answer quite intriguing. She replied that she would take water,a blanket and a Bible. In the  last post, we talked about a dry pit meaning a pit without the word of God and  coincidentally just this Sunday, my pastor re-emphasized in his sermon the need for us to read and meditate on the Word of God. 

Trying to move the church to become Bible literate is a challenge for many Pastors today. Somehow the truth is we have not fully realized the importance of God’s word and even when we do, we struggle with the discipline to create time for it. It seems that we have time to do every other thing but read the word of God and sometimes there are legitimate reasons for which we postpone the reading of God’s word till the end of the day when we are already fagged out(assuming you are also a morning person). It does not need a word of knowledge (rather a word from knowledge) to know that in a few minutes of reading the Word in such  a wearied state, we would end up sleeping .And this unfortunately is the case for most of the week for many people.

According to my Pastor, just as we need food for our human bodies to be able to function rightly, we need the Word of God for our spirit man to function as well. The Word of God which has been likened to water has a cleansing and a purifying effect (Ephesians 5:26). Other benefits of the Word  include salvation (James 1:21),deliverance( Psalms 107: 20),healing (Proverbs 4:21-22) ,revival (Psalms 10:25,49-51,107,154),sanctification (Psalms 119 9-11 ), direction (Psalms 119:105) and growth(1 Peter 2: 2).As we dwell in Gods Word, our lives are enriched and produce more fruit (John 15 5- ) .There are several earthly and eternal benefits which abound  when we become rich in God’s word. Spending time in God’s Word enables us to know Him more. The more  of him we know, the richer our experience and the deeper our intimacy (Psalms 42 7, Hosea 6: 3). The more of the light we receive from the word of God and practice (James 1: 22 ),the more we can reflect and become lights in our world (Matthew 5 14-16; 2 Corinthians 3: 18) and rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2: 15).

The benefits of studying the word of God are unquantifiable and if it is going to be of any benefit to us, then an epileptic &emergency approach to it must be shunned. The Bible should not be left on the dining table neither should it be opened to a Psalm of protection(Psalm 91) and kept under our pillows before we sleep .This to me seems like we are leaving it for the pillow to read!

Many of us would hardly go off for the day without breakfast and this week I challenge us to“No word, no breakfast”

Love the Word,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.

On the way to the Palace 18-The Pit

 “ Now when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic ,the {distinctive } multicoloured tunic which he was wearing ; 24 then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,there was no water in it”- Genesis 37:23-24 AMP Amplified Bible .

­­“When Joseph reached his brothers ,they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing ,grabbed him and threw into a cistern.The cistern was dry ;there wasn’t any water in it”.- Genesis 37:23-24 MSG The Message 

 It will not always be rosy for the man on the way to the Palace as we see in the life of Joseph. Working so hard to please his father, the only reward he gets is a harsh and brutal treatment from his brothers. They take away his coat of many colours which his father gave before dumping him into the pit. Just before we get into a pit situation(which we see eventually happens ) to everyman on the way to the Palace is an attempt by the enemy to strip us of apparent evidences of the father’s love. 

 Eventually Joseph is thrown into the pit and a salient point  to note about this pit was that it was dry. Several commentaries talk about how deep the pit was and how impossible it would have been for Joseph  to climb out of the pit himself without assistance  but it is important to realize that this pit which could have collected water did not have any water in it.

Figuratively in the Bible, water is usually used to represent the word of God(Eph 5:26-27; (Ezk 36:25; Heb 10:22) which is another essential commodity we should have whenever we find ourselves in a pit situation. In the pit situation we find Joseph, there is no evidence of external water however I believe strongly that he had God’s word and promises  dwelling within him which kept him in the pit.The Word of God that we know is what would most likely see us through the pit situation(John 8:32). 

The pit is not a desirable place and many times when we find ourselves in it, we might be sorely tempted with the shoulda,woulda ,why me question. But rather than living with regrets or of thoughts of what might have been , it is wisdom to  ensure that our pit is not dry and the word of God is dwelling richly in us(Colossians  3:16 ). There is a peace that is present as a result of the knowledge of the word of God which we have(1 Peter 1:3).

Yours in His Love,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.

On the way to the Palace 17 :Before the Pit

“ Now when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic ,the {distinctive } multicoloured tunic which he was wearing ; 24 then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,there was no water in it”- Genesis 37:23-24 AMP Amplified Bible .

“When Joseph reached his brothers ,they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing ,grabbed him and threw into a cistern.The cistern was dry ;there wasn’t any water in it”.- Genesis 37:23-24 MSG The Message 

;”And we have known and believed the love that God hath for us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”.-  1 John 4:16 KJ21 21^st Century King James Version

"So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love is joined to God. And God is joined to them”.- 1 John 4:16  NIV R New International Revised Version

“And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him”.- 1 John 4:16  AMPC Amplified Version Classic Edition
“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them”.- 1 John 4:16  ERV English Revised Version

“We have experienced and we have entrusted our lives to the love of God in us. God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God, and God lives in him”.- 1 John 4:16 The Voice 

Joseph eventually found his brothers and got close enough to give a scream of joy and excitement at seeing them. Perhaps a hug from one of his brothers would have completed his joy. Instead it appears they gave him a rude welcome and dragged off his coat from him. If Joseph thought this was a joke initially, the reality of the situation hit him when he got thrown into the pit.

It is interesting to note that ­­­­­ one of the first things his brothers did before throwing him into the pit as they planned was to take away his coat of many colours. Let’s imagine the situation a little bit here. Did the brothers ask for the coat nicely or just drag it off him ?I am tempted to believe the latter was the case.Was there a fight as they were doing this or did he willingly give it to them.It must have all seemed strange to Joseph,perhaps he was yet in another dream.

 I must admit that it was only when I began to teach this series that the Holy Spirit pointed my attention to that tiny bit of detail the writer of Genesis had put(Genesis 37: 23).Before Joseph was thrown into the pit, his brothers took away his coat of many colours. That was a coat that may have infuriated them so many times in the house as Joseph wore it about as it showed that he was the preferred son, the  beloved and chosen one.I am so glad that   we are also chosen( 1 Peter 2:9) &beloved(1 John 3:1) . God in his infinite mercy has chosen to make us his children and this makes the devil mad. 

Severally I had glossed over the passage and listened to several sermons on from the "Pit to the prison to the Palace" but did not fully realize that before he got thrown into the pit, he was stripped of the symbol of his father’s love .This is still a tactic used by the enemy, an age long tactic that causes us somehow to begin to doubt the love of God because we sometimes tie his love to the things that surround us..

It is this doubting of the love of God or an absence of the knowledge of the great love the Father has for us( 1 John 4:16) that makes us begin to look for alternatives on the way to the Palace.Surely the enemy suggests to us that God cannot love us that much and perhaps he is too busy running the universe to care about us but how far from the truth this is (Psalms 37:23 New Living Translation NLT).And perhaps even if he does care for others , we are not good enough to demand his complete attention to detail and if only we were better at praying, giving, soul winning etc,God would love us more.

 But the truth is we cannot be loved more by God than we already are presently.And  this love is not based on works because  the Scriptures  tell us that ever before Jesus did anything, as he was baptized, God’s voice from heaven affirmed him saying “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased(Matthew 3:17;17:5) and the great news is that God loves us as much as he loves Jesus(John 17;23). Period.

 On the way to the palace, we need to realize that the pit or pit situations are inevitable but one of the secrets of successfully coming out of the pit to the palace is to remember that the truth that God’s love for us is eternal (Ephesians 1:5;Jeremiah 31:5; Psalms 103:11).Nothing we can ever do or have done can change his decision to love us(1 John 4:10;Romans 8:35-39).

Yours in His Love ,

Grace Tom-Lawyer 

A life that pleases God

“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition.We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy”,- Colossians 1:10-11  AMPC(Amplified Bible ,Classic Edition )

“so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to him, being fruitful in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God.- We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully”  -Colossians 1:10-11 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)

 Dear Readers,

I really want to thank you all for allowing yourself to be ministered to by reading this blog.For several months now, we have been considering the life of Joseph, a young man who eventually got to the Palace. What you may not know is that this series was not originally planned as a series but one that the Lord took me through when I was going through a particular difficult period some years ago. As it seemed that there was one bad thing happening after the other, the Lord gave me comfort as I looked at the life of Joseph.

However as we enter a new month, I feel  we should take a little break and share on what I have been learning recently .I have been studying the book of Colossians and do not seem to have moved past chapter 1 verse 10. The verse talks about “ pleasing God”.  This little phrase occurs in a prayer rendered by Apostle Paul in a letter to the saints in Colossae .

Paul heard about these saints from Epaphras (Colossians 1:7 )who had brought the gospel to them. Although he had never seen these believers, Paul challenges us with the fact that he prayed for them daily( Colossians 1:9 ). What is further challenging is the content of his prayer which has been written to admonish us. In addition to the prayers recorded earlier( Colossians 1:9 ), Paul also prayed  that the kind of lives the Colossian Christians  live would be one that would be fully representative  of the gospel andpleasing God . Paul was interested that their faith being expressed in their everyday lives(  Colossians 1:6 ), he wanted them to walk the talk.

This is not the first place Paul talks about pleasing God. In his second  letter to the Corinthians( 2 Corinthians 5:9 ), he actually mentions that one of his goals or rather his main aim is to please God and because this was his own desire, he could pray the same for these saints. In the heart of every true believer and I believe in your heart also , is a longing to please God  and this is usually in response to his love for us. Naturally ,we want to   please those we love .There is something about pleasing them brings us so much delight that we   do not mind whatever the hassle as long as we receive the reward of seeing the contentment and delight on the faces of our loved ones after we have done some things. 

God wants our lives to please him but we must also make a choice to please him at all times. Apostle Paul helps us further in the letter by giving  four different things that must characterize a life that pleases God ( Colossians 1:9-11) .There is much to learn about pleasing God  but it starts first with a desire and hopefully, we shall be considering  a life that pleases God   in more detail in the coming months.

Choosing to please Him,

Grace Tom-Lawyer