by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 30, 2017 | Uncategorized |
The first World Friendship Day – International Friendship Day was proposed in 1958 in Paraguay. It was proposed for 30 July in 1958, by the World Friendship Crusade.[3] On 27 April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared[4] 30 July as official International Friendship Day. However, some countries, including India,[5] celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August. In Oberlin, Ohio, world Friendship Day is celebrated on 8 April each year.[6] The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.[1][2]
Friendship is one of the best aspects of life. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” Having said that, certain friends are certainly much better than others. A real friend and fake friend can be hard to distinguish, but they are very different! “True friends are like diamonds — bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.” Whereas, fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour.
I was really touched by the following story of sacrifice: Kathy Poe and Esther Kim were best friends. They were also competing to represent the US in taekwondo at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Working through separate sides of the draw they both made it to the final of the Olympic trials. Whichever of them won would go to the Games. Poe however dislocated her knee in the previous match and couldn’t compete. Knowing her friend’s knee would be healed by the Games Esther Kim forfeited the match and her spot on the Olympic team.
“You will have the gold medal around your neck and I feel inside I have a gold medal in my heart,” she said. “There are other ways to be a champion. A real martial artist is a champion everyday in life, too.”1
This is definitely an incredible act of friendship! However, the greatest love is shown in a friend laying down his life for his friend. This is what Jesus Christ Did for the world. He sacrificed his life to redeem us from si
Most often, we expect much from those around us, to the point that we make them responsible for our own happiness, health and well-being. And when we fail to get what we expect from them, a wave of anguish floods our soul, and we feel disappointed, disillusioned, or filled with hate. Friends come into our lives for different reasons, and as such, it would do us good to know who our friends are and what position they occuppy in our lives.
As the name suggests, the primary focus of World friendship day is celebrating friendships, old and new. We are born by relationships and into relationships. Therefore, every man would naturally crave for an affection and a sense of belongings. To live above hurt that may be created by unfriendliness, it would be most appropriate to know who your friend is.
For a proper distinction, I will elaborate on the three categories of friends as classified by T.D Jakes: Constituents, Comrades, and Confidants
Some friends are only constituents:
These are friends who are there for what you are about. They have been attracted to you because you share similar goals. They are only there for the course! They are not there for you but for where you are going. Even though they get into the car with you they are not for you, they are there for the destination. And if they find a faster car, they will leave you because their attraction was your destination, your philosophy, or your course, not you! And you would wonder, ‘So, he or she can leave me?’ Yes, “Some friends do not last…” (Prov.18:24). So, don’t get hurt; some friends are just constituents, not true friends.
Some friends are only Comrades
Comrades are not for you and they are not for what you are for. They are with you because they are against what you are against. Common enemies make strange bed fellows. If it become necessary to hook up with you, they will because they need your help to kill a common problem and as soon as this is achieved they leave you. Your comrade and constituents will always outnumber your confidants. Don’t get them confused: distinguish your friends.
Some friends are confidants
The confidants are the few people in your life that are for and with you. They are intimately intertwined in your life. They are there to make sure you fulfill your destiny. They will confront you. They will get in your face. They will get in your business. They will tell you when you aren’t the one wrong. Though finding a confidant is very rare but if you have 2 or 3 of them in a lifetime, you a blessed person. Even though some friends don’t last, yet, you will never be who God called you to be without a confidant. Don’t get it twisted; distinguish your friends and stay above hurt and hate.
“Some friends do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.” Proverbs 18:24. Even your confidant can fail you! Many are those who still nurse the hurts created by those whom they thought were truly more ‘loyal than a brother’. ‘No one has shown greater love than to lay down his own life for his friends. That’s the height of friendship! Jesus Christ demonstrated this and calls us his friends.
As you celebrate world friendship day, don’t be deceived by fake friends who would only take advantage of the occasion to gratify their selfish desires. Rather, Distinguish your friends and stay above hurt. Get rid of the hurts that your past relationship has caused you. Forgive those who have hurt you and move on because life is beautiful.
I testify that there is no friend like Jesus. He is the most reliable and the truest friend. You can trust him to meet all your needs. A song writer wrote, “What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and grieves to bear. What a privilege to carry. Everything to God in prayer.
Embrace Jesus today and bask for ever in the euphoria of his loving kindness. You are winning! Yes we are winning!
Happy friendship day.
GreatMark
Ref: TD Jakes – Comrades, Confidants and Constituents
1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_Day
2CNN
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 20, 2017 | Uncategorized |
The day hate killed a man is a sad story of two men, both seriously ill, and occupying the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything ?
It didn’t seem fair. As the thought fermented the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into hate and resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window – that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence, deathly silence.
The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away — no works, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. Behold, it faced a blank wall!1
Hatred, bitterness or envy, whatever you call it was what played out in the story above. The world is increasingly hateful. Every where we look, we see hate, resentment, prejudice, discrimination, and all manner of inhumanity. There is so much hate in the world.
Hatred is a major cause of victimization, war, and death in the world today. If you have been following the recent trends in the world, you will discover that many of the wanton destruction done to people and properties are borne out of hatred and hostility. The communal clashes, incessant killings and terrorism are all products of man’s inhumanity to man.
The absence of love engenders hate. As the end draws closer, the regards for fellow man will continue to decline because many refuse to retain God in their hearts (Romans 1:28). For us to live peaceably in this perverse world, we need to overcome hate by love even as God loves us. Love is the only antidote to hate. Therefore, Individuals should find ways to deal with, and surmount hatred.
What is hatred?
Hatred or hate is a negative emotional expression of intense dislike that is directed at an individual, object, behavior, entities, or idea. Hatred is often associated with feelings of anger, disgust and a disposition towards hostility. In his letter, Apostle John counted hatred as serious as murder. He wrote, “whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself” (1 John 3).[10]
Hatred can be said to be good when it is an expression of dislike to sin and wickedness. The scriptures admonishes us to hate sin but not the sinners. However, cruel hatred is a negative expression that is directed at an individual with the aim of victimization. Hatred leads to bitterness that steals the hater’s joy.
Those who labour hatred are called fools. It is a proof of immaturity. Hatred breeds envy. It leads to grudge and deceit. It is unfortunate that many people harbour hatred against their human and still pretend to be loving. Such persons carries a poisonous venom called hate, and are liable to perpetuate evil and even murder. Gladly this poison can only be healed when God’s love is shed abroad in your heart.
Why do people hate?
People exhibit hatred for different reasons:
Self comparison: When we constantly determine our self worth by comparing with others who are probably better than us, we can easily be plunged into envy which can engender hate. The feeling that others do not deserve that which they have, their gifts, successful career, position, family, popularity, wealth, achievements and so on, may spring bitterness that can lead to hate.
How does one know whether he or she abhors hate?
Whenever you look down on or deny the worth of another. When you perpetually want to avoid a particular person because you don’t feel good about their successes, then you abhor hatred. When you become hostile to your neighbor because of his achievements, and you constantly wish such persons dead, then you are a hater. When you take pleasure in keeping a grudge against your fellow human, and it becomes difficult to forgive such person or group, and all you wish is the destruction of such, then your mind is full of hate.
How can we overcome hatred?
Note that it is devilish to return evil for evil. We should never attempt to take laws into our hands, or be revengeful. The following are helpful steps to overcoming hatred:
1. Acknowledge the problem – Identify the root cause of your hatred.
2. Be accountable to someone – Share your feelings with someone who is more mature.
3. Determine to love – Love is the key to surmount hatred.
4. Be content with whatsoever you have – If you do so, you will not hate your fellow who is endowed with God’s blessings.
5. Understand that we differ in actions and attitude – Try to understand others with regards to their personality traits and learn to overlook their offences for the sake of God.
6. Do something good for the person whom you dislike – This might be humanly difficult, but is one hard step you need to take to overcome hatred.
7. Express your unhappiness – It is not a sin to express your unhappiness or displeasure with people’s actions, but it has to be done as quickly as possible, and resolved before it leads to hatred in your heart.
8. Pray for the person who is the object of your hatred – Choose to bless others and not curse them.
Conclusion
When you are hurt, or feel spited, certainly you can get angry. Getting angry and getting hurt are not wrong in themselves, because they are emotional expressions. But, anger becomes sin when you allow it to build hatred in your heart. Do not let the sin of hatred ruin your eternal joy. Make a difference by replacing hatred with love. You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
Contributor: Caleb Ajani
Pastor, Peace Baptist Church, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria
HERE’S THE BATTLE WE MUST FIGHT TO FINISH
1Source: Author Unknown.
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 15, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Our food Gist today shall be on how to make bread and butter pudding. It is quite an easy job which requires no particular catering expertise.
Below are the recipe to make a sumptuous bread and butter pudding. Follow these steps and gist me on how it all went down.
Have a damicious weekend!
PROCEDURE
1.Whisk the Egg, Sugar & Essence in a bowl.
2. Pour the milk & whisk continuously.
3. Pass it through a fine strainer into a pie dish
4. Add little grated nutmeg
5. Stand it in a roasting tray half-full of water
6. Cook slowly in a moderately oven at 160 degrees for about 45 mins.
7. Clean the edge of the dish & serve.
YOU WILL NEED
- Sultanas
- 2 slices of white or whole meal bread
- 2-3 fresh egg
- A drops of Vanilla essence
- Milk: whole 0r skimmed
- Sugar: Castor or unrefined
- Nutmeg
- Butter filling of your choice
TOP TIPS
Carefully weigh your ingredients. It may seem too tedious, but it’s a very crucial step for this recipe to work.
FURTHER ENQUIRIES contact
Mcdammy Cakes & Confectioneries
08181817796
It is Damicious!
You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 11, 2017 | Uncategorized |
What would you do when you have been poorly prepared by life’s events? When the various life’s challenges have shaped your self image and your perception, what becomes of your character? Re-programmable minds are tools for excellence or mediocrity.
The human mind is programmable. Today, most of what conditions our minds are based on repetitive words such as appeals to our sensuality like sexual messages, bad experiences etc. Thus, the worries of life and our experiences are capable of distorting our right perception. Hence, the need for a continuous re-programmng of our minds.
Oftentimes, we frame our references around our own experiences. For instance, a little girl that was a victim of rape or sexual abuse might grow into a young lady who has difficulties trusting anyone. If our experiences are distorted, our ability to comprehend the truth can be off-center. However, our minds are made to be programmable. You can re-program your mind through the living word of God.
In computer parlance, an embedded system is dedicated to a particular task, whereas a re-programable system is used for multitask. When you are reprogrammed then you can be prepared to do every good works. If you allow the word of God to reform you, you will be prepared to be a vessel of excellence, prepared for every good works. “… large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. So ifanyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Don’t let your bad experiences distort your perception about life. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you know what is good and perfect, and acceptable will of God (Romans 12:2). Don’t build your life on lies! It is only the truth that can set you free. Let God’s word reprogram you. You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
https://yeswearewinning.com/2017/01/08/striving-for-excellence/
GreatMark
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 7, 2017 | Uncategorized |
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 5, 2017 | Uncategorized |
A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn’t hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff.
So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something. “HELP! HELP! Is anyone up there? “HELP!” He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.
“Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?”
“Yes, yes! I can hear you. I’m down here!”
“I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?”
“Yes, but who are you, and where are you?
“I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere.”
“The Lord? You mean, GOD?”
“That’s Me.”
“God, please help me! I promise if, you’ll get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve You for the rest of my life.”
“Easy on the promises, Jack. Let’s get you off from there, then we can talk.”
“Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully.”
“I’ll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do.”
“Okay. Let go of the branch.”
“What?”
“I said, let go of the branch.” Just trust Me. Let go.”
There was a long silence.
Finally Jack yelled, “HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?”
This story reminds me of how God tested Abraham’s faith. First He asked him to leave his father’s house and go to an unknown land. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:1-4). This was a risk, but Abraham, believing the sovereignty of God, obeyed and followed through.
And then the test of faith that left Abraham and Sarah with no child for many years, even after the promise. The promise was that Abraham would become the father of many nations through his own son. When God made this promise, Abraham believed it, despite being quite old and his wife having attained the age of menopause. However, It took a total of 25 years for the promise of God to Abraham to be fulfilled.
And then, at the fullness of time, the couple were miraculously blessed with Isaac, the child of promise. After several years, God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac to which Abraham obeyed, but was stopped before he could fulfill it. What a request, you’d thought?
I suppose, Abraham, at first, must have felt like this young man who would not let go of his only hope -the branch – at least he could hold up to the branch until he gets someone else who is more realistic to help. I believe, if Abraham was to open up to Sarah or anyone else about his mission, he would have said, “God asked me to kill my son”
Sounds ridiculous, isn’t it? Humanly speaking, it makes no good sense that God would ask you to offer such a precious heritage as a burnt offering. But, amazingly, Abraham obeyed God, and was ready to kill his son. This is a hard thing to do! But whatever motivated Abraham to go all the way must have been his faith in God.
Indeed, religion is not a tool by which we get God to do what we want but an invitation to open ourselves to being and doing what God wants. God’s ways is never our ways. He works in ways we cannot see, as such it is only with faith and absolute trust in his character that we can overcome life’s difficulties.
No matter how wonderful your plans are it can never be better than God’s plans for you. His thoughts for you are good, to give you a hope and a future. With Him, there’s no risk of a thing! You can trust Him to handle your life, and give you an expected end. It takes faith to walk with Him. It takes absolute reliance on His promises to survive life’s battles. You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
https://yeswearewinning.com/2017/05/26/dont-swap-the-price-tag-theres-no-discounted-promise/
GreatMark
Anyone Else Up There? Source unknown.
