Words for Life Articles

Hebrews 12: 5-8 (KJV)
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

I attended a marriage fellowship yesterday and the topic was on accountability and transparency. How to safeguard you relationship by being transparent and accountable. It was interesting to me because I have had a similar discussion with my husband a couple of months ago about this and a couple of times in the past.

I have noticed that as we grow together in our marriage we have had situations where we have needed to be transparent and accountable to each other in order to guard each other’s hearts and protect our trust.

1^st Samuel 30:1-5

"David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured-Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God."

A few years ago I sat thinking about how much I loved God. It was as if the Holy Spirit immediately said

"Will you love him no matter what?"

I began thinking of my daughter, Amara and husband, Bayo. Could I put my hands on my heart and say that if, God forbid I lost them, I would still say that God is good? Even if I could somehow mutter "God is good", would I truly mean it from the depth of my heart?

John 19:1-5 (KJV):

“Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”

When Pontius Pilate made this statement “Behold the man”, he was probably making the most significant statement of his life as he handed Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate’s statement was an echo of the statement of John the Baptist when he said of Jesus, John 1:29 - “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

I recently read a story about an elderly lady who was a member of Charles Surgeons congregation.

This elderly lady was one day visited by Charles Spurgeon in her poor wretched house. Mr Spurgeon on arriving in the house noticed a frame certificate hanging on the wall. This was a certificate she had received when a wealthy man she had cared for died. She did not know what was written on the certificate because she could not read. I doubt if the framer could read either. It is said that Mr Spurgeon read and found out that the wealthy man had left this woman his entire vast estate. Yet this woman was living in poverty not knowing not realising her inheritance. She lived in penury.

Isaiah 48:13

"Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together."

Psalm 138:7-8

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

It is amazing that most of us hardly talk or even recognise the existence of the hand of God. The Bible talks about the hand of God in many ways.