by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 16, 2017 | Uncategorized |
A man received a promotion to the position of Vice President of the company he worked for. The promotion went to his head, and for weeks on end he bragged to anyone and everyone that he was now VP. His bragging came to an abrupt halt when his wife, so embarrassed by his behaviour, said, “Listen Bob, it’s not that big a deal. These days everyone’s a vice president. Why they even have a vice prsident of peas down at the supermarket!” Somewhat deflated, Bob rang the local supermaket to find out if this was true. “Can I speak to the Vice President of peas please?” he asked, to which the reply came: “of fresh or frozen?” (Source: unknown)
Another prevailing phenomenon in our time is the obsession to our careers and jobs. ‘This obsession is not unconnected with the desire to feed our pride and ego. invariably, we give more attention to what would raise our self worth, and validates our relevance in this perishing world. This itself is idolatry because the focus is now on ourselves and not on our creator who gives us the power to make wealth.
the text workaholism in a tablet computer full of sticky notes with different tasks, placed on an office desk full of charts
Millions of men—and increasingly more women—spend 60-80 hours a week working. Even on the weekends and during vacations, our laptops are humming and our minds are whirling with thoughts of how to make our businesses more successful, how to get that promotion, how to get the next raise, how to close the next deal. In the meantime, our children are starving for attention and love. We fool ourselves into thinking we are doing it for them, to give them a better life. But the truth is we are doing it for ourselves, to increase our self-esteem by appearing more successful in the eyes of the world.
This is folly. All our labors and accomplishments will be of no use to us after we die, nor will the admiration of the world, because these things have no eternal value. As King Solomon put it, “For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:21-23).
Furthermore, ‘we idolize mankind—and by extension ourselves—through naturalism and the power of science. This gives us the illusion that we are lords of our world and builds our self-esteem to godlike proportions. We reject God’s Word and His description of how He created the heavens and the earth, and we accept the nonsense of evolution and naturalism. We embrace the goddess of environmentalism and fool ourselves into thinking we can preserve the earth indefinitely when God has declared the earth has a limited lifespan and will last only until the end of the age.
At that time, He will destroy all that He has made and create a new heaven and new earth. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:10-13). As this passage so clearly states, our focus should not be on worshipping the environment, but on living holy lives as we wait eagerly for the return of our Lord and Savior, who alone deserves worship.’
It is absolute depravity, and perversion of purpose to worship anything else aside God who made all things. The pleasures, fame, and successes we pursue in this world are ephemeral, and wont’t last! Therefore, it is wise to seek the things that have eternal values and would guaranty eternal life with God. “I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God’s thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking.” ― George MacDonald. The man who lives to fulfill the purpose of His existence, that is living for God’s pleasure, has overcome the world! You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
Recommended Resource: No Gods But God: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idolatry by Dennis Newkirk | Joseph Materra, Charisma News :http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/the-pulse/46496-5-signs-there-s-idolatry-in-your-church?showall=&start=1
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 13, 2017 | Uncategorized |
George Harrison was one of the Beatles, one of the greatest and most influential pop bands of all time. Harrison knew fame, adulation, the pleasure of mastering his craft, the sense that his was a formative influence on music. So his comment in the Beatles Anthology is instructive: “When you’ve had all the experiences – met all the famous people, made some money, toured the world and got all the acclaim – you still think ‘is that it?’. Some people might be satisfied with that, but I wasn’t and I’m still not.” (Source: Reported by Ananova News Service, Nov 30 2001)
The story of George Harrison elucidates man’s insatiable hunger for more and more material things. Materialism, which is a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values is a disastrous attitude. It is another devastating cultural climate of our time, and one form of modern idolatry that has become a dominant value of our age. It is satanic to think that worldly possessions would equal joy. It is a blatant lie! The acquisition of this world’s riches can never guaranty happiness, rather it leads to more discontent and and depression. The nature of wealth is such that plenty of it lead to more discontentment, and depravity
The wisest King that ever lived has this to say, “Here is one alone -no one with him; neither has child nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labor, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, neither does he ask, For who, do I labor and deprive myself of good? This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); yes it is a painful effort and an unhappy business (Ecclesiastes 4:8). In talking about King Solomon, Matthew Henry wrote, “This was he, who, having tasted all earthly enjoyments, wrote a book, to show the vanity of all worldly things, the vexation of spirit that attends them, and the folly of setting our hearts upon them: and to recommend serious godliness, as that which will do unspeakably more to make us happy, that all the wealth and power he was master of; and, through the grace of God, it is within our reach.”
“Self” is at the core of all the various forms of modern idolatry. We may no longer be involved in Fetishism, or Nature worship, but we worship the god of self. All idolatry of self has at its core the three lusts found in 1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” For many of us, materialism have taken over the place of God and the thoughts of eternity. ‘First, we worship at the altar of materialism which feeds our need to build our egos through the acquisition of more “stuff.” Our homes are filled with all manner of possessions. We build bigger and bigger houses with more closets and storage space in order to house all the things we buy, much of which we haven’t even paid for yet.’
‘Most of our stuff has “planned obsolescence” built into it, making it useless in no time, and so we consign it to the garage or other storage space. Then we rush out to buy the newest item, garment or gadget and the whole process starts over. This insatiable desire for more, better, and newer stuff is nothing more than covetousness. The tenth commandment tells us not to fall victim to coveting: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17). God doesn’t just want to rain on our buying sprees. He knows we will never be happy indulging our materialistic desires because it is Satan’s trap to keep our focus on ourselves and not on Him.’
Jesus’ warning that materialism is destructive to our souls, and can jeopardize our faith. Yet, we find it very difficult to let go of worldly possessions and riches. The brevity of life is one good reason to seek only things that gives eternal values. The world’s riches, fame and accomplishments are vain, and they would be consume with this world. Only those who have stored for themselves treasures in heaven would have a place in God’s presence. “If you seek, as now directed, the kingdom of God, first and principally, all things pertaining to this life shall, in the course of the divine providence, be bestowed on you as far as they can contribute to your real welfare, and more you would not desire (Matthew 6:33). Happy are those who’s God is the Lord! (Psalm 33:12). You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 11, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Climate is the weather conditions prevailing in an area over a long period. In cultural parlance, climate is the prevailing trend of public opinion or of another aspect of life. A prevailing cultural climate of our times is the outright perversion of the truth. Every good thing that God created, Satan works to pervert, and this is fast becoming a trending phenomenon in our society. According to the Webster’s Dictionary, perversion is “a diverting from the true intent or purpose; a change to something worse; a turning or applying to a wrong end or use.” Anything can be perverted. For instance, the use of opiates for non-medicinal purposes, is a perversion of the poppy plant. From biblical perspective, the word “perversion” means a deviation from righteousness to ungodliness. Perversion can be seen in sexual behavior, conversation, or justice, or the wrong use of God’s creation.
It began in Eden, when Satan first attempted to twist the commandment of God, and eventually succeeded in causing Adam and Eve to disobey God’s instruction. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1. “Satan’s plan was to draw our first parents to sin, and so to separate between them and their God. Thus the devil was from the beginning a murderer, and the great mischief maker. He quoted the command wrong. He spoke in a taunting way. The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer from the beginning; and scoffers are his children. It is the craft of Satan to speak of the Divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin.’ Perversion of the truth is a veritable tool in the hand of satan and he continues to use to put enmity between God and man.
satan cannot create; that power belongs to God alone. So he perverts what God has created. If he can entice God’s most cherished creations to follow him in his twisted ideas, he succeeds in perverting the image of God we were designed to magnify (1 Corinthians 11:7). It is Satan who introduced the idea that perversion equals freedom. But he knows quite well that perversion is a slippery path that leads to bondage and then death. In our society today the need for freedom has made us to change the truth about God and the things He created. By perverting sexuality, speech, or justice, we mar the likeness of God in our own lives.
More than ever before, idolatry has been on the increase, and godlessness is a trending phenomenon in our society. You may not consider this conversation as important to you because you probably don’t have a carved stone statue in your house or a craven image which you worship. Apparently, Idolatry is subtly working its way into our lives, homes, and communities in an incredible manner!
In scripture, idolatry is regarded as heathen origin, and as being imported among the Hebrews through contact with heathen nations. The first allusion to idolatry is in the account of Rachel stealing her father’s teraphim (Genesis 31:19), which were relics of the other gods by Laban’s progenitors (Joshua 24:2). However, Idolatry is not just a pagan or heathen issue. It is not just an Old Testament or Jewish issue. It is a human issue.
The greatest sin in the Bible by far is the sin of idolatry. It is the main reason why God rebuked and judged the nation of Israel. It was John Calvin who said our heart is an idol factory. Man is created with an innate desire to worship. It was for worship that God created man, so He can derive pleasure from the attention and adoration from man. However, in a fallen world, people constantly seek things they can worship, even though the Creator is before us in plain view. “For that which is known about God is evident to then and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:19).
God is intelligent and He created intelligent people. But on the contrary, intelligent people turn into idol story when they reject what they know about God. Instead of looking at him as creator & sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. The danger of idolatry is not in the graven image or the object of worship, but in us. All the various forms of modern idolatry have one thing in their core: self. We don’t necessarily have to bow down to idols and images. The adoration we give at the altar of the god of self is the modern idolatry, and the deadliest sin!
Making God in our own image, instead of the reverse is one manifestation of modern idolatry, a sad misrepresentation of God. It is the worst form of man’s depravity! It is rebellion, and the height of ungodliness! It simply means we place self at the center of God, the creator of the universe. Idolatry may be in the form of wooden figures, of goals or things that we pursue such as money, power or possessions.
Today, it is very convenient for us to project our selfish ideas with total disregard to God. We put trust in ourselves, and abilities more than we trust in God. In fact, God is totally out of mention in our pursuit of success and accomplishment. We have now become so self-sufficient that God is not needed in our schools, homes, or house of worship. We have made God into our own image, forgetting that it is not about us, but Him!
“In the way of believing obedience to God’s commandments health and peace may commonly be enjoyed; and though our days may not be long upon earth, we shall live for ever in heaven. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; God’s mercy in promising, and his truth in performing: live up to them, keep up thine interest in them, and take the comfort of them… In all our ways that prove pleasant, in which we gain our point, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge him with submission. It is promised, He shall direct thy paths; so that thy way shall be safe and good, and happy at last (Matthew Henry’s Proverbs 3:6 commentaries).
It is living according to God’s Divine purpose that we win. You’re winning! Yes we are winning!
To be continued….
GreatMark
Recommended Resource: Making Sense of Man and Sin by Wayne Grudem
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 8, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Philip, a promising young IT expert, and an astute business man, was a guest at a luncheon organized by a NGO, who is committed to humanitarian service and support for indigent citizens. It was supposed to be a prestigious dinner party with some of the Society’s elites and VIPs in attendance, and of course with this in mind, Philip was so careful to respond appropriately.
On that Saturday morning, Philip had informed his teammates that he was going to be absent at the football training so he can look his best at the occasion. Two hours before the event, he shaved, manicured, cleaned and perfumed, and dressed up in an elegant, yet tasteful manner. He desperately wanted to make a positive impression on the Host, as well as other guests.
On arrival at the venue of the dinner, he was announced, and then ushered into the banqueting room of his dream. As he walked to the front seat, his eyes began to warily make rounds across the tables, a bitter taste of bile began to rise and lodged in his throat. He was amazed to see that each guest has some sort of gross deformity beneath their gracious smiles. Neither rubies nor diamonds, neither tuxedos nor tails could camouflage the scars and gaping wounds represented around the table. He was shocked that he spent all day trying to prepare himself only to meet people who have more flaws than he could ever imagine.
The spotless splendor for the human eye to gaze upon is the Host himself, all others are merely patients: just mutilated, torn, dilapidated, disfigured caricatures of social grace and ambiance. Dear friend, do not give up on the possibility of a change into a better person. The perpetuity of your indulgence in a weakness is not enough reason to conclude that you are beyond repair. Don’t accept your failures as destiny. The power for a lasting positive change resides not in a person, rules, regulations or self resolutions. It is in Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12:1-2). He has defeated satan, the god of this world, and has subdued the power of sin on the cross. Thus, the victory that overcome the world, is out faith in the omnipotent God.
There is a huge potentials in you for greatness! Yes, everyone has a weakness, but don’t let the weakness in you affect your greatness! There are so many also afflicted as you are, or even ore than you are. Therefore, you should be grateful for who you are, and where you are. And you must never lose sight of a bright and promising future. Provided, you are in right standing with God, the troubles you go through today can certainly not be compare with the surpassing glory that will be revealed (II Corinthians 4;17). You must never give up on yourself, even though your life has many records of failure! I challenge you to cease only form your self effort, and put your faith in God. For with Him, you are sure to win over life’s battles.
While waiting for the change, start appreciating yourself. Remind yourself, “I am valuable to God!” I am winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 6, 2017 | Uncategorized |
There are so many amazing things about my creation that I should celebrate habitually. And the joy of the knowledge of who I am should keep me surviving the storms of life, and give me the impetuous to move forward even in the face of recession and uncertainties. There is no reason why I should be depressed or disilussioned because my help is in the name of the Lord, and my sufficiency in the creator of heavens and earth (Psalm 24).
Facts are temporary but Truth is eternal, and the truth is what I believe and appropriate into my life, even when factual realities steers me in the face! God’s word is true and it tells me what God had in mind before creating me; what He intends that I accomplish, and what He has in store for. I am His business, His workmanship, and His representative here on earth. And because The Lord is my Shepherd I don’t need a thing since He has bedded me in lush meadows (Psalm 23). My times are in His hands, and this is the reason am confident that all that I need for life and godliness He will provide.
I will rather dwell on the beautiful description of my person than worry about what I lack. The world tells me my relevance is only found in my social status, wealth and achievements. But it is a lie! I’m relevant because God knows me, calls me by His name, and had me in His plans. I am like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, and so am always refreshed and nourished. I’m flourishing because I’m connected to the source of life, the fountain of unending joy from whom all blessings flow. Like the tree by the river side, I am inclined towards my source, my heart is fixed on Him, and I am inactive in the path where the godless work. My affinity is towards Him and my meditation is habitually on His word. My leaves are always green and my fruits never fails it’s seasons. The Lord is acquainted with my ways, and my place is in the munitions of the rocks.
I am like the palms of cedar, flourishing because God reckons with the righteousness of Christ, who lives in me. I grow heavenwards, daily fashioned into the image of Christ, and this is my destiny! “The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree…” (Psalm 92). I am stately, upright, useful, and fruitful. Like the Cedar in Lebanon, I am majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible. I am growing in grace and flourishing in the
house of the Lord. I am full of spiritual vitality, and rich in the verdure of trust, love, and contentment. I am a living memorial, an evidence of God’s faithfulness to His promises.
Psalm 8 reveals how we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. And how God put us in charge of His handcrafted world, repeated to us His Genesis-charge, and made us lords of sheep and cattle. It’s amazing who we are. If we imbibe the truth about who we are in relation to God, our maker, then we can be sure to flourish even in he midst of recession and life’s difficulties. Say with me, “I’m flourishing! I am winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
