Welcome to the July 4th edition of Faith & Life Lessons.
You will see this email full of tidbits from my week. My goal is simple. I hope that from how I live my life, you can find a thing or two that helps you as you try to live a life that matters. I am always trying to do one thing - make Christ-focused decisions in love, work, and life. And this was my week.
Setting my Heart on Fire Again...The Story of My Week
I remembered the foundation that started my walk with God.
It was my focus on just one thing.
Intimacy with God.
During the early days, I stumbled on what would become my life scripture.
It's John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
For years this verse has been my life anchor to remind me of my whole pursuit as a Christian.
The whole of chapter 17 together has acted as my encouragement for the Christian walk.
In it, the Bible records Jesus' prayers. He is praying for me.
He is praying that I will make my Christian race a delight to the glory of God.
And He continues to pray for me.
Therefore, he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. - Hebrew 7:25.
This week, I reminded myself to find the center of my Christian walk.
It's just one thing.
Intimacy with God.
My life pursuit.
Knowing you, Jesus. Knowing you, there is no greater thing. You're my all, you're the best. You're my joy, my righteousness. And I love you, Lord - Graham Kendrick.
Things I Learnt
1-Nothing Outside His Knowledge: I was going through my WhatsApp messages, trying to clean up my phone.
I stumbled on a message I sent to my wife when for unexplainable reasons I was refused boarding on a flight.
The airline staff refused to allow me on the plane claiming that I didn't have the needed documentation to fly. I showed him everything and he still refused.
It was a connecting flight so I had to spend the night in that city.
I wrote this message to my wife "Everything happens for a purpose. God is in control and He will perform His works through it all. I have learned to rest knowing that God is concerned about the little details of our lives. He will come through for us."
A colleague in the office was able to get a friend in that country to get me a hotel reservation near the airport.
The next day, I boarded the plane without any issues. The airline staff I spoke with couldn't understand why her colleague was asking for that particular document. It was not required for me as a Nigerian. She asked me to make a claim for my costs.
I made the claim as she mentioned. The airline came back to say that they would cover the costs and also pay me in addition, almost 5 times my costs as compensation for the inconvenience I experienced.
The interesting thing is that the payment came in at a point when I needed the additional cash to meet some family expenses.
God knew of the financial gap before I knew it was going to happen. And He came up with an unusual way to address it.
Reading again the message I wrote to my wife as I was in the airport after been denied boarding, I realize that God knew what He was doing.
God can use people who mistreat us to fulfill His purpose for us.
Nothing happens to us by chance.
It happens according to His knowledge.
2-Faithful God no matter the Outcome: A couple we had been praying for gave us the news that we had been waiting for.
They were now pregnant.
We led a family & couples community group of our church. As it turned out, all the couples who wanted to have babies experienced that over the last year.
This couple was the last one in our prayers. This is going to be their first baby after over 7 years of marriage.
We are so excited for them.
We are grateful to God.
I don't ascribe them having a baby as a sign that God answered our prayers.
God answered our prayers as we prayed not by them getting pregnant.
I still have another couple not part of the community group that I am praying for. They have been married for longer.
God hears and answers the prayers I make for them - even if they are not yet pregnant.
My conviction is not based on the outcome. It is based on His Word. It says He hears me when I pray.
The outcome does not change my faith in that Word.
Faithful no matter the outcome.
This is who God is to me.
Postscript
May you be filled with quiet assurance so you don't define your faith in God by favorable outcomes. May your hope in God's Word be based on the faithfulness of God and not on results. Amen
Tata
Tola - The Everyday Disciple
I help Christians like you who want to live intentional lives incorporate their faith into everyday life so they can make Christ focused decisions in all areas of life and truly live to make an impact and make God happy.
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