THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY TO OBTAIN THE PRIZE 1

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partakers of the fruits
                         2 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV)
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? so run, that ye may obtain. And any man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
                        1 Corinthians 9: 24-27(KJV)
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let is lay aside every weight and the sin that doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the  author and the finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin.
                       Hebrews 12:1-4(KJV)
As children of God we must realize that we are in a race and there is a goal, a crown, a glory that awaits us and we await. The realization that there is an expectation of God concerning our lives.
God had an expectation concerning Jesus Christ when he came to the world and that was to save the world from sin, though the  process to achieve that was not palatable, but Jesus Christ stuck to it, despite the fact that he had to lay down his glory, his fame and his very life and he felt rejection from his father who had called him for the assignment when he was on the cross that he had to cry out My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46b). He felt apart from His father and that for an  offence he didn't commit.
There is a price to pay to obtain the prize, without the payment of price there is no prize.
We desire to end our journey here on earth in glory with the father, we desire the crown of glory and the mansion that the father has prepared for us, we desire to hear  thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy lord; all these come with a price.
Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost compared us to a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4) who has been enlisted to please the one who has called him, to be enlisted in the military is not for trivial reasons, a soldier must be ready to lay down his life if that is what is required of him by his commander ; he must be ready to endure hardships, trainings, scolding and punishments so that he can stand when the time comes for him to go to war. He doesn't think or behave like a civilian. He has been specially trained.
We must realize that the same applies to us, we have been enlisted in God's army and our primary aim is to please the one who has called from darkness into his kingdom, we should no longer think and behave like unbelievers. we must not entangle ourselves with sins anymore.
For a man in the worldly military he is looking forward to a National honour and that is only a corruptible prize that could only give momentary joy or fame and yet he is ready to lay down his life for that but we are striving for something incorruptible, something that cannot be destroyed, something eternal that nothing in this world can be traded for. Money, fame, power cannot buy it, it is invaluable. The prize is sure and this means we must do much more than what a worldly soldier will do. We must be temperate in all things.
                                ...to be continued

TABITHA - an epitome of love and kindness

This great woman was mentioned in the book of Acts chapter 9:36-43 because of her impact. Her existence and life was felt by everyone around her. When she was to be described, the scriptures says ' a believer always doing kind things for others especially the poor'. She was just a believer not any title holder but even the poor around her benefited from her walk with God. She was a reflection of the person of her maker. She was known for her kindness and when she  even died, the people around her could not just let go of her, they could not accept that their benefactor was gone. They sent for Peter, they wanted a miracle. They sought for a miracle for her when it was impossible for her to do so. Our life must live indelible marks of love in the life of others that is when we have actually LIVED. As a believer, a question is pertinent to ask from the life of this woman - Can the people around us go to any extent to make sure we recover from an illness or see to it that we get a miracle?. we must learn to dispense the love of God freely to those around us by giving that seemingly little token in love to others and we'd be amazed by how much it means to them. We must love not just in words but in our actions.

REPENTANCE

Sometimes we drift away from his presence
thinking that his weight is burdensome
but we soon discover that it is light compared to the yoke that the world bestows
Worries and cares are endless
Pains and sorrows unending,
time is far spent
and the day gradually drawing to an end,
but the saviour gives a second chance
to those whom his face will seek again
with true repentance and open heart
like the lost sheep in the wilderness
it is time to return home
to the one who cares all day long.

CHOOSE MEDITATION

In life, we are always faced with choices everyday and in fact every moment. On one side is worry and the other worry. When we are faced with challenges of life and unpleasant situations stares us in the face, we can either choose to worry about the circumstances around us or meditate on the word of God and confess the promises of the Almighty. We can choose to say what the word of God says about the situation or declare woes based on the circumstances. Each of them has results but no one really likes or enjoy that of worry although many choose that most often. Most want the results of what the word of God says and want the word to be a reality in their lives, there is desire to see that his promises are their momentary experiences but have chosen worry over meditation. God wants us to choose meditation. God's word to Joshua is one we should hold on to Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
JOSHUA 1:6-9 (NLT)
All that you need to get out of that mess and turn the ugly situation to a testimony is the Word of God . God has given you all that is required, put it into use and you will be amazed at the results. CHOOSE MEDITATION, WORRY WEARS OUT

THE WISE

It is not the number of books you have read that makes you wise but how much of God you know. A wise man seeks GOD

God wants us to be spiritual not religious

NO MORE WORRIES

When we think of the things that we need to do and we look at the natural self to achieve them, worry sets in because human strength cannot achieve Divine callings. Only divine strength can complete divine assignments, any man that tries to fulfill divine calling by human strength is on the path of failure.
God wants us to trust him daily and in every instruction he gives us to do that which he wants us to do. Worry means you are not cooperating with God on the assignment.
Whenever worries seems to surface in your life, check if your focus is still on Jesus and your trust in him has not the shaken.
In the book of Matthew 14:29-31 , Peter started walking on water because he obeyed Jesus instructions to come when he asked if he could. As long as his gaze was on Jesus  he was walking on water but as soon as he shifted his focus to the fact that he was on the sea and the waves churning beneath his feet , he started sinking until he cried Master, save me. God does not want us to sink in the ocean of worries or be taken over by fear, he wants us to remain focus on him, casting all our cares on him for he cares for us
Yet amid all these we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through him who loved us.
(Romans 8:37)
We are more than conquerors in him no matter the battle we might be facing, our victory is a done deal.
Go on and live in the reality of this word, no longer tormented by worries or cares but living in the victory that Jesus has purchased for you and completing the assignments he has given you