THE WEDDING GARMENT

 

Gaily dressed, with elegant composure, I drew near to the venue.

All smiles, I prepared for entry.

My outfit alone, na kill them.

Sincerely, I wasn't prepared for what was coming.

Alas, I got it,

The shock of my life!

Access blocked, entry denied!!

'Oh, come on. I've got the invite', I said, indignation evident in my voice.

'Very well. Erm, what about the wedding garment?'

'I have on a better outfit, I care not about the garment proffered'. I was getting really furious.

' I'm sorry then. The garment or no entry.'

'Seriously?'

'Even if you somehow get smuggled in, you'll be thrown out.'

Oh! Really? Aso ebi na by force?

Anger stirred up within me, threatening an explosion.

I turned back,

On the journey home to embark.

But then, I gave it a second thought:

The wedding garment is free.

I know I should have had it before now,

My lack of regard made me disregard it.

Nevertheless, I've been told that the Groom's father is merciful and compassionate,

He will yet provide me with the garment.

To the groom's Father I must run.

An explanation of this analogy?

Your own garment which you hold in high esteem signifies your self righteousness.

The Aso ebi is the righteousness of Jesus, without which we cannot be partakers of God's presence.

Hebrews 4:16 says we should come boldly before the Throne of grace to obtain mercy.

What a wonderful invitation, thrown to all and sundry without any reservation.

Oh what a call of hope.

Yes, the Father, you can access, I mean, with all boldness.

You only have to put off your self righteousness and put on the Aso ebi: Jesus' righteousness.

You know Esther in the Bible?

She was to go in unto the King,

She put on her royal apparel and unto the King she went.

As she went, dressed not in just any garment but in the royal apparel,

So are we to go before the King of Kings, donned in Jesus' righteousness.

Oh! Are you there, thinking, 

' What becomes of my case?

I know neither the Groom nor His Father.

What Aso ebi are you talking about?

How do I get clothed in the righteousness of Jesus?'

Well, my dear, rejoice for help is made available.

To be clothed in Jesus is to accept Him.

To be dressed in Him is to believe in the work of atonement, which for you and I, He did.

It is saying to Him, 'Yes, I believe'.

It is saying, ' I refuse to be puffed up by knowledge, wealth, experience, whatever it may be'.

It is the admittance, 'This Aso ebi is of greater worth than my outfit and I choose to be appareled in it'.

Now, to you, my dear friend.

The garment is provided, why cling to your outfit?

Jesus has paid it all, why hold on to your self righteousness?

After all, before God,

Our self righteousness is nothing but filthy rag.

Rag, in itself, befits not an event.

How much more when modified with filthiness?

It makes evident our level of hopelessness,

When we depend on self righteousness.

Would you rather not be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus and to the Father you obtain access?

Would you rather not dress in His righteousness alone and be declared faultless, before the Throne, to stand?

Beloved, would you rather not?

PS: Write up coined from Matthew 22:11-13 but edited with GRACE AND MERCY graphics. Shalom😊

HELLO? I'M NOT GOD

 HELLO? I'M NOT GOD

I know you expect so much from me.

I'm so sorry I disappointed you.

It only shows I'm not perfect, at least not yet.

Peradventure you have forgotten, I'm clay as much as you are.

I didn't mean to say those words,

The 'clay' in me crawled out.

The wrongs I did were never in my 'To do' list,

At least you now realize that perfection exists only in HIM.

Oh! How I wish I was just as perfect,

How I wish I make no mistakes.

How I wish I never did anything bad,

How I wish I could never go wrong.

Hello out there!

Are you there feeling just as I feel?

Feeling the need for perfection just as I do?

Well, then, you really need to know this:

When someone we hold in high esteem disappoints, 

we feel terribly disappointed.

What we fail to realize is that all men are frail,

 And all men are liable to mistakes.

You might begin to wonder,

why then do I find it difficult to be perfect?

Little wonder it is,

As no man has it in himself to be perfect.

Of course it's not Peak,

So, it's not in you.

But then, you can start your journey towards it,

Only if you submit to HIS help.

If you think you're the first to experience this,

Let me share with you the experience of a man,

A man, clay just as you,

A man, Apostle Paul.

To do good was his intention,

But it seemed hard to bring it to fruition.

As much as he wanted to do 'right',

The law of 'clay' strove with him hard.

He could will it but couldn't do it.

He thus realized his inadequacy,

And admitted the need for help and mercy

And his need was met in HIM alone.

When we fail, we should trust God to help us.

When we fall, we should trust Him to raise us.

Now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling,

And to present us faultless before the presence of His glory.

It's only by His grace we can stand tall.

It's not by power nor by might.

His grace keeps us strong.

His grace keeps us empowered.

As we then journey towards perfection,

Let's keep in mind others' imperfection.

Excuse their fault even when it hurts,

And together, with the LORD's help, we journey towards perfection.

IT'S MAGIC

 

IT'S MAGIC

It's magic;

It produces exceptional results.

It operates like a wave for it has a rippling effect.

It is a soothing balm;

It has a therapeutic effect.

It regulates human emotions.

Graceful words are magical;

The result, unimaginable.

When it goes forth like a wave,

The feedback leaves you twirling in excitement.

When ministered to a weary soul, 

It calms the mind and brightens the gloom.

When administered on a broken being,

It, like the Plaster of Paris, puts the fellow back in shape.

Permit me to compare it with salt;

For it has the ability to season an insipid life.

In the ancient Book is therein written:

Let your words be seasoned with salt, that it may minister grace to the hearers.

A friend once said,

"If I have to say something, I think it over and over;

In the long run, I say nothing."

Now that I think about it, I have come to realize this:

It is better you say nothing than produce nothing with what is said.

You all remember the song from our childhood?

The popular five magic words.

God bless the writer of the poem;

For of a truth, those words are magical.

The power a 'Please' wields is unimaginable;

That of 'Excuse me', surprisingly wonderful.

A 'Sorry' is the thin line between peace and conflict.

'Thank you' shows your gratitude and paves way for more.

'Pardon me' shatters fury and ends worry.

On a concluding note, permit me, this to note:

When you notice a GOOD, commend it for it is encouraging to the individual concerned.

When you notice a NOT SO GOOD, my dear, correct in love.

When you miss a person's presence, let them know their absence is felt.

In all you do, provide honest report.

Bring up, not pull down, with your words.

I call you blessed.

Edited by ALAO Adewale Timothy

NOT FAULTLESS BUT BLAMELESS

NOT FAULTLESS BUT BLAMELESS (THE LOVE STORY)

'This is my judgement!'

'You are hereby discharged and accquited'

I sank down to my knees, grateful for my fees have been paid.

I turned to steal a look at the man who so vigorously defended my case.

He was right there behind me, smiling.

He said unto me, 'Go and sin no more.'

I said unto Him, 'Sir, how can you still defend me, knowing fully well that I am at fault?'

'Dear', He said, 'I know you have sinned a lot, done the things you shouldn't but still can't give up on you.'

'I know you are at fault but I took the blame for you.'

'I know you are NOT FAULTLESS but now you have been made BLAMELESS.'

'Lucky me', I muttered under my breath.

'This is love, not luck', He responded.

Love! 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends.

He loved me, came and took those awful stripes for me.

As each landed on Him, my sicknesses fled my body.

And now I can boldly say, "By His stripes I am healed".

This is it.....The Love Story

Love!

The shame He took for my sake.

He was mocked, spat upon and despised.

This, He did, to secure for me eternal glory.

And now, I am seated with Him in the heavenlies, clothed with glory and honour.

This is it..... The Love Story.

Love!

On the cross He was nailed.

This, He did, to take away my curse.

For it is written, "Cursed is any man that hangs upon a tree"

As the nails ran through Him, my curses could do nothing but run.

And now, through Him, I have received the blessings of Abraham.

This is it.....The Love Story.

Love!

Yes, He died, went to hell, overcame death and rose again.

This, He did, to give me the life I never had, the Life of God.

And now I can boldly declare, " I've got Zoe, the God kind of Life".

This is it.....The Love Story.

Love!

He went before the Father, my case, to plead.

Justified, He made me and blameless, He declared me.

He told the devil, from me, to back off.

For now, I am His beloved.

And now, the Father I can approach, dressed in the righteousness of Jesus.

And, by the devil, I can no longer be held ransom.

ForChrist did it all, paid it all.

This is it.....The greatest Love Story in time.

Love!

The beautiful thing is His love is towards all.

He's not a racist, isn't bothered if you're black or white, brown or yellow.

He isn't worried if you're tall or short, slim or plump.

He's got eyes for just one thing, Love.

His love is universal, yet personal.

Universal for He loves the whole of mankind.

Personal for He loves you just as you are.

If I were you, I will come bi mo se wa.

I mean I will come just the way I am and accept His love.

It isn't late until it is too late.

Now is the time, the hour of salvation.

It is time for you to feature in the Love Story.

Remain blessed.

LETTER TO A QUEEN

LETTER TO A QUEEN

Hello, lovely!

How do you do today?

I am writing this to you to remind you of God's promises concerning you.

Please, accept it as a token of my love for you.

Hello, ma.

The Bible says, "He that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord."

You are good, fearfully and wonderfully made and the man who finds you finds a good thing.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."

Ma, you are not to be compared to money for you're more valuable.

Gold, silver or diamond pale in comparison to you for you have been bought with the blood of Jesus.

Don't look down on yourself.

You're more than gold.

"For I know the thoughts I have towards you," says the Lord, "thoughts of good and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future."

God is cooking something, you might not see it now.

By the time it's revealed unto you, you will dance for joy, bless His name and realize that it was actually worth the wait.

"He makes everything beautiful in His own time."

At the set time, you will see it and everything will make sense.

Do not forget: "With God, nothing shall be impossible."

Cheer up, smile, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Remember,

You're a queen.

You are God's fearful creation.

You don't struggle for attention,

For you know concerning you, God's intention.

As such, you run with determination;

The Spirit of God being your inspiration.

In God you know your destination

And in Him, you accomplish your mission.

Dear queen, I value and cherish you.

STRONG BUT PAINED

So, maybe this write up isn't totally you but you would agree some part of it is. I found myself thinking about the pains of a male child, put myself in his shoes and wrote. I hope it ministers unto you.....

STRONG BUT PAINED 

Hard guy, hard guy, tough skinned and all. 

But you know what? I can feel the gentle tap you give. 

Worse, I can feel the impact of your heavy blow. 

Even when it's not showing, it's there. 

I don't cry like a girl doesn't mean I am immune; 

It's just that I can't let you see me break. I can't!. No, I can't!! 

I know I am hard, many times unruly but I need you to see through me and see the pain. 

I know many times I don't do things right but I'm sorry. 

I'm sorry I'm tough, I'm pained as well. 

I am aggressive, yes, I know; it's my ego defence mechanism. 

I can't let you watch me cry. I can't!. No, I can't!! 

You think I don't get scared? I do, I just make bold face. 

If only you can see through me and see my fears. 

Even when I'm sick, I don't want to  show it for fear of being called a chick. 

I am made of brick, yet, somehow, the words you say, the things you do find their way into me. 

I feel my insides churning, but I can't let you see me throw up. I can't!. No, I can't!! 

Ooookay, this is me saying I am sorry. 

For the wrongs I did, for all the things I never did right. 

To err is human, to forgive is divine. 

I need you to forgive me and let go of it.

The Lord will forgive me if I cry unto Him. Will you, if I plead? 

Tell me you will and I will plead with you. 

Then, I will show that I can be better. I can!. Yes, I can!! 

It's been a rough past but the path to the future is bright. 

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, He will yet have compassion on me. 

He will hold my hands and direct me in the way I should go. 

He will lead and I will follow. 

I will forsake sin and embrace Him. 

Indeed, He will make my ways prosperous. 

With God, I can do all things. I can!. Yes, I can. 

ICING ON THE CAKE

People always say "the cake is what's essential"
To this i agree but I beg to disagree that the icing is entirely useless.
I can't imagine a wedding cake not iced up, it may have the taste of wonderland but it's appearance lacks any wonder.
My point is, it may taste nice but it doesn't look presentable
So, i am saying icing actually is not the substance but it enhances the substance.
Icing improves the presentation of the cake.
Get this straight, you must be presentable is all I'm saying and when i say icing, i mean not the colours but the presentation.
I am not against the makeup.... It's the colour on the icing.
It adds colour to the icing, not the cake. Your make up adds glamour to your appearance but it doesn't define who you are.
Your icing may be plain, your cake is beautiful still and if you prefer your icing coloured, do well to remember that the colour is just glamour, the icing, presentation and the cake, the real deal.
Now, even when the cake is the real deal, the icing presents it
Your content may be wow, splendid, even top-notch, your presentation is of importance if you want your content tried or sampled
Plain icing, no problem. Natural is bae anyway.
Coloured icing, no qualms. It makes it more glamorous but let me chip this in...... In a light spectrum, when all colours are mixed, it becomes white.
So, when you add the colours, bear in mind that simplicity is essential.
You know what they say that you don't judge a book by its cover
I then wonder why publishers bother much about the book cover?
It's because they have realized that the cover might not matter in judgement, but it does matter if the book will be picked off the book shelf and the content sampled.
Now to the real deal, the cake.
Having said all and all about the icing on the cake, permit me to say that the cake really must be worth the effort.
You may begin to wonder what this means.
What i mean is that it is a complete waste of time and effort to put icing on a bad cake.
I don't need icing on bad cake, what i need is good presentation of the good in you, if your icing catches my attention, don't disappoint me with your content. Work first on your ideas, attitudes, values and thought pattern. Then, u can ice it up with a good presentation of yourself.
On a final note, if you ever come across good cake with no icing, don't discard it.
At this point, appreciate it's important and help encourage to go for gold.

If you ever come across that guy with great ideas but poor grammar or that awesome lady who lacks proper presentation, learn from him or her and instead of discarding, assist with the icing.
Speak to him, encourage her, help them become the best version of themselves
Give when you should, do all you can, just ensure you assist in icing the cake.