by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Apr 7, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Syria is today notable for the civil war that is being perpetuated by the Bashar al-Assad led government and a group of rebels who wants him out of power. This war which has been on for more than six years have claimed the lives of more than half of a million citizens. Daily on our TV screen we see the monumental devastation of the ancient city. The conflict which began in 2011 in the city of Deraa, was a peaceful protest following the arrest and torture of 15 school children who wrote anti-government graffiti on the wall. What was meant to be a peaceful protest, calling for the release of the children, and for democracy, however turned sour as the government forces further launched attacks on innocent and defenseless civilians.
The opposition was fueled by those who wanted the president to step down, and this group was made up of several people including the rebel fighters, some political parties, and those living in exile. This was however complicated when Isis, (ISIL, IPA ), an Islamic extremist group, which uses violence against anyone who doesn’t agree with their extreme views, joined the fight.
As a result of this war, millions of Syrians have become refugees in neighboring nations like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and in Europe. Many of those who remained in Syria have moved from the major cities under severe attacks, to the countryside.
As the civil war in Syria grinds on, several efforts by, the United Nations, and several international mediators have failed to put an end to this war that have ravaged the once peaceful country. Several recommendations have been issued, and several conflict resolution meetings held but none has yielded any lasting success. Of note is the Syrian peace process which has equally not been effective to end this war. The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian Civil War, which has ravaged in Syria since 2011 and has spilled beyond its borders. The peace process has been moderated by the Arab League, the UN Special Envoy on Syria, Russia, and Western Powers.[1] The negotiating parties to end the conflict are typically representatives of the Syrian Ba’athist government and Syrian Opposition, while the Western-backed Kurdish forces have stayed out of the negotiations framework. Radical Salafist forces and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have not engaged in any contacts on peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The attempts to find a solution to the conflict began in late 2011, when the Arab League launched two initiatives, but without much success. Russia in January 2012 and in November 2013 suggested talks in Moscow between the Syrian government and opposition. In March–May 2012, hopes were on a United Nations/Arab League plan coordinated by Kofi Annan. In January and February 2014, the Geneva II Conference on Syria took place, organized by Lakhdar Brahimi, then UN envoy to Syria. On 30 October 2015, further talks started in Vienna involving officials from the US, the EU, Russia, China and various regional actors such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and, for the first time, Iran. Peace talks with rebel leadership continued in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017.[2] The Kazakh officials are offering Astana as a neutral venue and “a natural home” for peace negotiations on Syria.[3]
Just today, US launched Fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles at Syria – The strike is coming after suspected chemical attack in Idlib province – Pentagon says Syria violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention – About 86 people, including 27 children, were killed after a suspected poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province. In retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that killed scores of civilians, the United States has attacked Syria with dozens of cruise missile strikes at a government-controlled airbase.
As I studied the beautiful history of Syria, I began to be worried about what she will look like after this war. History has shown that many cities today were birth from the destruction of an ancient one, and such are some of the cities that have formed Syria today. My quest has spurred me to compare the status of Syria in ancient history to their current state which has been sharpen by war. More than 2000 years ago, some spectacular events were recorded of Syria, which excites me, but at the same time, saddens me when compared with the current state of the country. From Matthew’s accounts of Jesus’ exploits, he recorded that, ”News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them”. Matthew 4:24.
These miracles were done in Syia, formerly known as Assyria. Syria is a country located in the Middle East on the shore of Mediterranean Sea and bordered, from the north down to the west, by Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon. It is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world with archaeological finds dating the first human habitation at c. 700,000 years ago. In Syria, like many other places Christ visited, he confirmed his Divine mission by miracles, which were emblems of the healing power of his doctrine, and the influences of the Spirit which accompanied it. I am very certain that this event brought great joy to Syria, which also means ‘Happy’. However, the current predicament in this country has brought sorrow and afflictions to many. This is sad indeed!
Furthermore, Jesus’s sermon on the Mount, was specifically on Mount Hermon which is located in Syria. Mt Hermon is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon[1] and, at 2,814 m (9,232 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in Syria.[2] in his book on the Gospel of Matthew, R.T. France noted that Mount Hermon was a possible location of the Transfiguration of Jesus.[8][9]
Syria, which now has about 74% Muslim population, was the cradle of the prophets and apostles of old. History has it that the gospel spread from Antioch in Syria to the rest of the world. Syria was the cradle of civilizations and was pivotal to the exploits of the forefathers of Christianity. God spoke on Mount Horeb, Hermon, and Golgotha, which are all part of Syria, and most of the prophecies were fulfilled. With a rich biblical history and divine privileges, what have become of Syria today is not only unfortunate but very demoralizing.
Antioch was also one of the earliest centers of Christianity; it was there that the followers of Christ were first called Christians, and the city was the headquarters of the missionary St. Paul about 47–55 ce (Acts 11:19-26). Antioch, now called Antakya, in Turkish, was a populous city of ancient Syria and now a major town of south-central Turkey. It lies near the mouth of the Orontes River, about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the Syrian border. In 1098 it was captured by the Crusaders, who made it the capital of one of their principalities, and in 1268 the city was taken by the Mamlūks, who razed it to the ground. Antioch never recovered from this last disaster, and it had declined to a small village when taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. It remained part of the Ottoman Empire until after World War I, when it was transferred to Syria under French mandate. France allowed the town and surrounding area to rejoin Turkey in 1939.
Will the war in Syria come to an end? Are the recent developments in Syria part of the end-time prophesy which would culminate in the end of the world (Isaiah 17:1)? There is no doubt that the world will soon pass away in fulfilment of God’s word and plan. Therefore, “Since everything will be dissolved in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11). You’re winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
Reference:
https://www.naij.com/1098137-breaking-us-strikes-syria-59-tomahawk-cruise-missiles.html?source=notification
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_peace_process
http://www.ancient.eu/syria/
Brittanica.com
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Apr 6, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Would you consider abortion in the following situations?
1. There’s a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with her 15th. They’re living in tremendous poverty.
2. The father is sick, the mother has TB. They have 4 children. The first is blind, second is dead, third is deaf, fourth has TB. She finds she’s pregnant again.
3. A white man raped a 13 year old black girl and she got pregnant.
4. A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he’s very upset.
If you chose to terminate, in the first case, you have terminated John Wesley, one of the great evangelists in the 19th century. In the second case, you have terminated Ludwig Van Beethoven, Composer and pianist, widely considered the greatest composer of all time. In the third case, you have terminated Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer. In the fourth case you have terminated Jesus.*
“Don’t you see that children are God ’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep. (Psalm 127:3-5 MSG). Children are God’s generous legacy and a reward to parents. In the words of Matthew Henry, “Children are God’s gifts, a heritage, and a reward; and are to be accounted blessings, and not burdens: he who sends mouths, will send meat, if we trust in him. They are a great support and defense to a family. Children who are young, may be directed aright to the mark, God’s glory, and the service of their generation; but when they are gone into the world, they are arrows out of the hand, it is too late to direct them then. But these arrows in the hand too often prove arrows in the heart, a grief to godly parents. Yet, if trained according to God’s word, they generally prove the best defense in declining years, remembering their obligations to their parents, and taking care of them in old age.”
Since children are arrows in the hand of their parents, what happens to the arrows which have been broken and thrown away by ruthless parents? There are so many unborn children who’s destiny have been aborted by wicked parents. There are so much more who were born but have gone into the world and lost, and have become arrows out of the hands of their parents. Others have either through the neglect of parents, or through the negative influence of the society have been marred and broken.
Just recently, a b
ody of a new born baby boy was found floating in a gutter beside the Ikotun BRT terminal near Ikotun market. The body of the dead child was discovered by passersby Friday, at about 12 pm shortly after the rains which started in the area since the early hours of the morning stopped.
Unsafe abortion is a major cause of injury and death among women worldwide. Although data are imprecise, it is estimated that approximately 20 million unsafe abortions are performed annually, with 97 per cent taking place in developing countries. Unsafe abortion is believed to result in approximately 68,000 deaths and millions of injuries annually. People give different reasons for terminating pregnancies. It is either they are too young, single or married but uninterested in having more children. As far as Nigeria’s laws are concerned, induced abortion is legal only if it is done to save the woman’s life. And before abortion can take place on medical grounds, the doctor must seek the second opinion of another doctor.
Since children are God’s heritage, He does not abandon them no matter how broken and shattered they are. He is in the business of gathering the abandoned and discarded children, who, like arrows, have been thrown away from the quiver of cruel and unsparing parents. His hands are always widely opened to receive all those who have been discarded in the refuse of our confused society. In the seventeenth century France a humanist scholar by the name of Muretus was an ailing fugitive. When he presented himself to the medical doctors he was dressed in the rags of a pauper. The doctors discussed his case in Latin, thinking he would not be able to understand them. “Faciamus experimentum in anima vili” one said, which means “Let us try an experiment with this worthless creature”. Imagine their shock when this pauper replied, also in Latin, “Vilem animam appellas pro qua Christus non dedignatus est mori?”, “Will you call worthless one for whom Christ did not disdain to die?”**
I speak to every heart who holds a secret they cannot keep and could not tell. I write to every lady who hides behind silk dresses and leather purses a terrible secret that makeup can’t seem to cover and long showers will not wash. I write to those who have been abused, disappointed, victimized, and brokenhearted. The good news is that no matter how dark your night is, there will be a morning after! Release your hurts and old fears, and allow God to reconstruct your broken places, so that the peace that passes all understanding can keep your mind at rest. Lift up your head in confidence and shout it aloud: “I am not worthless! ‘I’m Winning!’ Yes, we are wining!
GreatMark
Source: *Unknown.
Source: **Reported in Charles Birch, Regaining Compassion (University of NSW Press, 1993)
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Apr 5, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Many years ago, a captain of an English ship sailing near Turkey was caught in a storm. As there was no harbor nearby he let down the anchor, but the wind blew so fiercely that it began to drag the anchor. It couldn’t get a grip on the sandy seabed and so the ship began to drift. Another anchor was let down but it too refused to take hold and the ship was drifting nearer and nearer the shore and soon would be stranded. There was only one little anchor left and the captain felt sure that it wouldn’t be of any use. But it was let down and to his surprise the chain tightened. Soon the ship was held fast and by the help of the little anchor it rode out the storm.
When the time came to lift the anchors, the big ones came up easily for they hadn’t caught on the seabed, but the little anchor refused to come up. They pulled ever so hard and at last it came up little by little and it was very heavy. Something came up with it. It was another anchor. The little anchor had caught in the ring of the anchor of a great battleship that had been lost there years before, and that’s why the little anchor held so firmly. An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. Anchors can either be temporary or permanent. Permanent anchors are used in the creation of a mooring, and are rarely moved; a specialist service is normally needed to move or maintain them. Vessels carry one or more temporary anchors, which may be of different designs and weights.
Anchors achieve holding power either by “hooking” into the seabed, or via sheer mass, or a combination of the two. Permanent moorings use large masses (commonly a block or slab of concrete) resting on the seabed. Semi-permanent mooring anchors (such as mushroom anchors) and large ship’s anchors derive a significant portion of their holding power from their mass, while also hooking or embedding in the bottom. Modern anchors for smaller vessels have metal flukes which hook on to rocks on the bottom or bury themselves in soft seabed.
Most of us know what is an anchor but do you really understand how does a ship anchor work? Anchoring a ship is a very important function that a boat or a ship has to do in order to stay stable in water. Whenever a vessel has to stay afloat in a stationary position on water when the engines are turned off, the anchor is cast into the sea so that the vessel does not drift unnecessarily from its position due to water currents.
The message of salvation seem so simple that it is difficult for many to accept that just by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, they are saved (Acts 16:31). The grace that saves is the free, undeserved goodness and favour of God; and he saves, not by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). It is faith in Christ that begat hope, and this hope is an anchor for the soul. Apostle Paul assures, “Now we have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul that reaches farther and enters within” (Hebrews 6:19, AMPV). The anchor of a ship may fail to grip the sea bed, as in the above story, but this anchor of hope in Christ cannot fail in the most tempestuous sea and fiercest storm.
The littlest faith in Christ can withstand the most boisterous storms of life. In addressing the faithless display of the disciples disciples who were unable to exorcise a demon from a young lad, even though Jesus had previously bestowed upon them the power to perform miracles. Jesus said, “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20). If the mustard is the measure of the faith enough to move a mountain, I think a ‘faith not enough’ is such that is smaller than a mustard seed. Mustard seed are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 to 2 millimeters (0.039 to 0.079 inches). The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, so the conclusion is that the amount of faith needed to do great things is very small indeed. That little is much when it comes from God. So, too, does the tiniest bit of faith, when it is true faith from God.
In Acts 27: 27-28, narrated the ordeals of Paul and his companions who sailed on that ship that was wrecked on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast of Malta, but who were saved from destruction by the four anchors which they cast out of the stern. ‘Even in appearance a ship’s anchor remains much the same today as it always has been. Compare Paul’s grain ship with the Queen Mary or the Queen Elizabeth; there is hardly anything about one ship that is like the other. The oars are gone, the sails are gone, the masts are mostly gone. The ship of today is completely changed; and yet in one respect, except for size, there is not so much difference: the anchor on Paul’s ship and the anchor on the Queen Elizabeth are much the same in form. Human life changes outwardly, but not inwardly. We have automobiles, radios, airships and all the devices of our modern civilization; but inwardly life is much the same—the same perils, the same sorrows the same temptations, the same joy and hope. Therefore, the soul of every man still needs the anchor to keep him steady on his voyage across life’s tempestuous sea. The risk to life continues to increase as the end draws nearer. Thus, on this increasingly dangerous voyage of life, every man ought to carry on his ship an anchor which will not drag in time of storm. And this sure anchor is Hope in the only sacrifice of God, offered for the sins of the world -Christ the Messiah. He is the only.
Your ideology, religion, education, family connections, wealth, or fame are not sure anchors for your soul. They are potential failures when the storms of life rocks your ship. These things are temporary anchors and unstable phenomenon that passes with time. I was inspired by the lyrics of the Album, ‘Unshakable’ by Hill song: “There is hope in the promise of the cross. You gave everything to save the world You love. And this hope is an anchor for my soul. Through every storm I will hold to You. Our God will stand; Unshakable…!” The consolations of God are strong enough to support his people under their heaviest trials. He cannot lie! He is unshakable, and when our hopes rest on Him, we can never be disappointed! The Bible assures us that, “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have the strongest comfort, who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us” (Hebrew 6:18).
It is easier for the heavens and earth to pass away than for the anchor whose flukes grips the solid rock. Yes, there are many other anchors, but none can grip the unshakable rock like the hope placed in Christ. It is a faith tested and proved, like the small anchor that saved the ship in the narration. You will stand strong when your hope is in the unshakable; when your anchor grips the solid rock and not an unstable phenomenon. A hopeless man is at the mercy of the storm, unstable and uncertain! Friend, do you have an anchor? If you do, please be very sure your anchor holds firmly to the unchanging God! You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Apr 1, 2017 | Uncategorized |
I read a devotional by T.D Jakes with the topic: “The past is not the present.” What quickly came to mind was the law of Uniformitarianism which I was taught in introduction to Geology in my first year as under-graduate. Although, the law relates to earth processes which continues to alter the earth structures, yet I shall use it literally to relate with how the present can give us clue to how we faired in the past, and how though we may suffer from the mistakes of our past actions. Yet, the past is still not the present. I hope to draw important lessons on how though the past may have influenced our present condition. Yet, a better and more fulfilling present is very possible.
In the mid-seventeenth century, biblical scholar and Archbishop James Ussher determined that the earth had been created in the year 4004 BCE. Just over a century later James Hutton, known as the father of geology, suggested that the earth was much older and that processes occurring in the present were the same processes that had operated in the past, and would be the processes that operate in the future. This concept became known as uniformitarianism and can be summarized by the phrase “the present is the key to the past.” It was a direct rejection of the prevalent theory of the time, catastrophism, which held that only violent disasters could modify the surface of the earth. Today, we hold uniformitarianism to be true and know that great disasters such as earthquakes, asteroids, volcanoes, and floods are part of the regular cycle of the earth.
Your behavior directly translates to your results. Your current feelings, your personality traits and your current behaviour were shaped by the past events you have been through. You would probably agree with me that all your childhood experiences have dramatically impacted your attitude, and possibly defined your significance. Thus, your current belief system has a direct connection with your past; and the behavior which you consciously or unconsciously modeled from your environment. You’re attitude to life; your principles about life and your relationship with others may be consequent upon your past.
In view of certain attitude which are inimical to fulfilling your life’s purpose, there would be need to quickly break away from such. The earlier you imbibe the right attitude and put in perspective the right view to life, the better and brighter your future will be. And consequently, you can be sure to live with little or no regrets.
Jesus’ disciples were terrified by the boisterous wind that threatened to capsized their boat. Amazingly, Jesus was also in the boat, deeply asleep. Peter, courageously queried Jesus, “Do you not care that we perish!?” Like Peter, you may be so overwhelmed by your fears that you feel it is useless to seek help from God. For so many years you have kept your pains active, and have lived with the consequences of unresolved issues. You should like Peter cry out to Jesus to help you calm the storm. “And He arose, and rebuke the wind, and said to the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39.
I’ll use the very words of T.D Jakes in addressing the issue of breaking away from our past. He said, “If we want to see God’s power come from the pain of an experience, we must allow the process of healing to take us far beyond bitterness into a resolution that releases us from the prison and sets us free. God’s healing process makes us free to taste life again, free to trust again, and free to live without the restrictive force of threatening fears.”
Furthermore, in talking about he issue of healing from past hurts, he said, “Someone my say, “I don’t want to trust again.”
That is only because you are not healed. To never trust again is to live on the pinnacle of a tower. You are safe from life’s threatening grasp, but you are so detached from life that you soon lose consciousness of people, places, dates and events. You become locked into time warp. And for those who finds it difficult to release past hurts and move on with a new perspective, he said, “You always talk about the past because you stopped living years ago. You discuss the past as if it were the present because the past has stolen the present right out of your hand!” Wake up! The past is not in the present!
In this new month of April, I pray God gives you a new orientation and motivation to enter into newness of life. “It is time to celebrate- regardless of whether you’ve lost a marriage, a partnership, or a personal friend. Celebration is in order…because you’re not dead! Are you ready to live, or will you continue your incessant raging and blubbering about that which no on can change-the past?” Here’s the word for this time: “Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off…” (Isa3:10). Yes, it will sure do!
Have you lost opportunities because you stood up for what is right? Or you are wondering why your sincere efforts have not yielded your desired results. You may have been disappointed that the first quarter of this year has yielded for you unpleasant results. Dear friend, there’s no benefit being tied to your painful past! Forgive those who have maltreated you, let go off the hook those who have used or misused you. Your past is not in your present. There’s hope for your tomorrow. May I assure you that Going forward, All will be well! Yea, all will be well for those who rely on God absolutely. April’s full of pleasant surprises and restoration for you. You’re winning inning! Yes we are winning!
Source: “Hope for every moment” T.D Jakes. Uniformitarianism, www.thoughtco.com
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 31, 2017 | Uncategorized |
“Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies.” These are the words of Dorothy Allison about the issue of lying. Likewise, as noted by Mark Twain, “The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant incumbrance.” Therefore, a community of people built upon lies will fall apart in no time. This reminds me of the incidence of the ‘Orange revolution’ in Ukraine. In 2004 Victor Yushchenko stood for the presidency of the Ukraine. Vehemently opposed by the ruling party Yushchenko’s face was disfigured and he almost lost his life when he was mysteriously poisoned. This was not enough to deter him from standing for the presidency.
On the day of the election Yushchenko was comfortably in the lead. The ruling party, not to be denied, tampered with the results. The state-run television station reported “ladies and gentlemen, we announce that the challenger Victor Yushchenko has been decisively defeated.” In the lower right-hand corner of the screen a woman by the name of Natalia Dmitruk was providing a translation service for the deaf community. As the news presenter regurgitated the lies of the regime, Natalia Dmitruk refused to translate them. “I’m addressing all the deaf citizens of Ukraine” she signed. “They are lying and I’m ashamed to translate those lies. Yushchenko is our president.”
The deaf community sprang into gear. They text messaged their friends about the fraudulent result and as news spread of Dmitruk’s act of defiance increasing numbers of journalists were inspired to likewise tell the truth. Over the coming weeks the “Orange Revolution” occurred as a million people wearing orange made their way to the capital city of Kiev demanding a new election. The government was forced to meet their demands, a new election was held and Victor Yushchenko became president.
But for the deaf people of Ukraine, Yushchenko would have been deprived of justice by the power that be. The ruling party wanted to use the power of incumbency to steal the mandate of the people. That is how power can corrupt a depraved mind! I do believe a leader who would serve the interest of the people would do no harm in seeking to be elected into a political office. It is those who would fulfill their selfies ambition that would scheme to acquire power by all means.
Today, our airwaves is rent with news of the foolishness of some of our leaders. Their popularity increases by the number of their misdemeanors displayed on our big screens, and in our print media. What makes many of their subjects know them is not the number of bills they raised at the parliament, not the number of community projects they have executed, but by the frequency of their show of shame. Many got into office not by the mandate of the people, but by their so called “political god-fathers.” Many of our leaders only represents their own interests and not of the people. They are custodians who hold power in trust on behalf of others, yet their behaviors are motivated out of self-interest.
What they project on our big screens are their act of vindictiveness and self aggrandizement, while critical national issues which concerns the poor masses are treated with levity, or excused for religious tolerance. Whilst the killings of local farmers by armed herdsmen continues in the villages uninhibited, with many of such activities either shown as a flash news, or not reported at all, the foolishness of some of our leaders are displayed on the big screen. And they expect us to believe that they represent our interest? No, don’t believe them, they are liars!
Another lesson that is germane to this piece is the issue of moral perversion that has taken over our societies. Our societies promote moral decadence, in place of moral values. We sacrifice human rights at the altar of injustices. We project corrupt people on our media more than those who serve humanity selflessly. We magnify the voices of the rich, and quiet the poor and the benighted people. When you go to any magazine rack or turn on the television, the message is consistent -it is the message of why a just and uncompromising man cannot be rich, or how a man without any political affiliation cannot be elected into a political office. Those who make the magazine covers are the celebrities, the political icon, the fashion icons and the super rich.
We have sacrificed moral values for indecency, and have re-defined true liberty. A good example is the United States Of America, a perviously Christian Nation by default, now turn hedonistic. Over time the moral values of godliness, and morality have been thrown to the dogs. Now, the country which was once a society in which chastity is of great value. Where every citizen was united against abstinence from sex by unmarried person, and that homosexual conduct was unnatural or perverted, and where abortion was a terrible crime. Sadly, this is no longer the case: The new moral standard in America is now summed up in four principles, according to David R. Carlin, in the crises magazine:
-
Do not harm others — “harm” being defined as damage to health (including mental/emotional health) or wealth.
-
You are free to do whatever you like — provided, of course, that in doing so you don’t harm others.
-
You must tolerate the behavior of others who do what they like while not harming others.
-
Pursue wealth both for yourself personally and for society as a whole.
Thus, self has taken the center stage and the principles of God’s words have been jettisoned. Godlessness is being celebrated while the things that glorifies the creator is either put at the corner of the screen or not even permitted at all.
Nigeria is adjudged a very religious country, yet it is no longer fashionable to be called a Christian. With many churches occupying every the nooks and crannies of our communities, yet the banner of righteousness still flies at half-mast. God is only magnified on the lips of many, but he is far away from their hearts. We idolize our spiritual leaders and celebrate their gifts and not the God who endowed them. Likewise, we promote immorality on our big screen and yet restrict religious programs from being aired on our National screens. We undervalue education by promoting immoral reality shows, and we offer mouth-watering gifts for such indecent acts, and yet reward academic excellence with peanuts.
I may not call for a revolution that would make us take to the streets to protest against selfish leaders. But I would call for a revolution that begins in the mind. Such as would see us imbibe a new orientation and motivation to take our destinies into our hands and elect true leaders who would serve our interests and not theirs. We should not allow ourselves to be deceived with empty promises, in the name of manifestoes for change. We should not because of greed or the pleasure of a moment sell our rights to hypocrites, and power mongers. “Lets uphold godly moral standards; let’s celebrate sanity and strive for what makes for peace and truth. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Phillipians 4:8). You’re winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
Source: Philip Yancey, What Good Is God, pages 184-186
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 29, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Was the water of Marah truly bitter? After traveling in the wilderness for three days without water. The Israelites finally got to a location where they found water but which was undrinkable. The water of Marah was said to be bitter for the famished and frustrated Israelites. But one would wonder why the waters were bitter?
Why would water be bitter? From scientific point of view, I have thought that this water must have got its source from an alkaline rock. Alkali rocks are rocks in which the chemical content of the alkalies (potassium oxide and sodium oxide) is great enough for alkaline minerals to form. Such minerals may be unusually sodium rich, with a relatively high ratio of alkalies to silica (SiO2). Many alkaline rocks are silica-undersaturated and contain feldspathoid minerals, mainly nepheline and leucite, many also contain alkali feldspars. Let me not bore you with geology.
In this piece, I will be more inclined to the alkalinity pH of the water. “Potential Hydrogen” or pH are used as the measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. For example, pure water has a pH value of 7 and is considered neutral. Thus, as the pH value lowers, the water is considered more acidic and as it elevates above 7 it is considered more alkaline. Standards for drinking water suggest a pH value of between 6.5 and 8.5.
A soft water has the pH level drop toward the lower side of 6.5 and out of the recommended range. Such water is said to be acidic, and it is associated with higher levels of metals such as iron, manganese, copper, and lead and the health risks associated with each. On the other hand, water is considered hard when the pH level is above 8.5. Hard water does not pose a health risk, but can cause aesthetic problems such as: bitter taste to the water and beverages such as tea or coffee. In spite of its not having a health risk, every rational being would choose a pure drinkable water over a bitter one, as the former is more convenient for consumption. This was most likely the reason the children of Israel cried out on tasting the water of Marah, “Alas, it was bitter”, they cried to Moses.
The turning of Bitter water to sweet was another water related miracle. Previously, they had had water turned to wine (Exodus 7:20-27); Red Sea divided (Exodus 14:21-22); and the Red Sea drowning enemies (Exodus 14:26-29). The experience at Marah was just another one in the training of the Israelites on the need to depend absolutely on God for their supplies. For in God’s plan Marah should come before Elim. Lack of drinkable water should come before abundance of water. In Elim, there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, awaiting the sojourners (Exodus 16:1).
The wilderness is the ground where God acquires His people. God expects us to learn lessons from every of our life challenges. From the words of Matthew Henry, “He can make bitter to us that from which we promise ourselves most, and often does so in the wilderness of this world, that our wants, and disappointments in the creature, may drive us to the creator, in whose Favour alone true comfort is to be had.” Because of His love for us, He sometimes use difficulties to call for our attention. He uses hard times to call us to trust Him for all our needs.
Are you going through a Marah experience? A sharp trial that has wearied your soul, and have plunged you into despair? Perhaps, for you also, It has being a very tiring journey, and at some point you eventually got some respite, but alas, that wasn’t even sufficient to meet your needs. Oh what a life, you cried! Rather than murmur like the children of Israel did against the constituted authority, Moses. Of them the scripture records, “And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24). You should like Moses, cry out to the LORD in absolute reliance! And I am so certain that as God showed Moses a tree which when he cast into the waters, the bitter waters were made sweet, God will show you a way out of the darkness and draught!
In every trial, we should cast our care upon the Lord, and pour our hearts before Him. We shall then find a submissive will, a peaceful conscience, and the comforts of the Holy Ghost, will render the bitterest trial tolerable, yea, pleasant. You are winning! Yes, we are winning!
GreatMark
