BROTHERLY KINDNESS - 1

“Be kindly affectioned,one to another..” Romans 12:10





WHAT IS BROTHERLY LOVE
The word Brotherly kindness in the greek is Philadelphia meaning “love shared between a biological brother and sister,but in the christian faith it is the love shared between one christian brother or sister to another christian brother or sister.”

As christians we are all members of one family,we have one father and one God and one faith and one spirit,so in christ we are blood brothers and sisters,the blood of Jesus is our connection and his love is our bond.If you are in Christ,then you are my brother or sister,no matter the physical location,tribe,country,family,we are a family in christ Jesus,the blood of christ is our bond of connection.

Here we are not talking about agape love,which is the love of God which is the foundation of the christian faith,but we must realise that we are actually spiritual brothers and sisters,we are not trying to be,you are actually my brother and sister,to tell you how serious this is,in the scriptures;

 when Jesus was teaching,he was told that his mother and brothers want to see him,"But He answered and said to the one who told Him, 'Who is My mother and who are My brothers?' And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.' "Matthew 12:46-50.

Jesus said whosoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother,its that serious,we are not just colleagues in the lord but brothers and sisters in christ,for real.
To prove to you that it’s the same meaning,when Jesus spoke about his brothers he used the word Brethren and it shares the same greek word and translation when he referred to his disciples as well.The word brethren is the same thing as the word biological brothers in meaning and the greek is Adelphos which is brother or sister of the same parents or different father or mother.


WHAT SHOULD MY ATTITUDE BE TO MY BROTHER
The bible teaches us how we are to behave to our brother,what sort of attitude I should put up when dealing with my brother,the bible teaches us the following;

• BE KINDLY AFFECTIONED,ONE TO ANOTHER WITH BROTHERLY LOVE – Romans 12:10;1Thessalonians 4:9

To be kindly affectioned means to show affection with kindness to one another,we should be kind and affectionate to one another,with brotherly love,that is Philadelphia,which is love shared between blood brothers,don’t ignore your brother in time of need but show affection and Philadelphia when they are in trouble.

The word kind means to be considerate,generous and friendly.kindness is a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22,the king James uses the word goodness,which means same thing as kindness.
The word affectionate means readily feeling or showing fondness and tenderness.

I wouldn’t want to see my younger brother hurt,I would give all to make sure he is okay,I love him that much and that is the same love I give to my family.The same love and affection that we show to our blood brothers and sisters that is the same kindness and affection that is demanded of us toward our christian brother.

The greek word for kindly affectioned is Philostorgos which means the mutual love of parents and children and wife's and husbands,God wants us to show that kind of affection to our brother and sister,that closeness that generosity and fondness.

How can we do this,the bible further says “in honor,preferring one another” ; the words in honor and preferring one another are very important words,so lets look at them.

For us to fully comprehend the words in honor we need to understand the greek word used is time,which in translation means,the following;
A valuing by which the price is fixed; the value of the price paid for a person or thing bought or sold.

That means that we place value according to the price fixed on the person,that takes us back to redemption,the bible say that we were redeemed by the blood of the lamb,the price paid for our lifes and salvation was the blood of christ,what can be more valuable than that,what can be more expensive than the blood.1Peter 1:18-20.

So I should value my brother according to the price paid to redeem him or her,the blood of christ was the price,that means he is priceless to God,I should treat him as such.

The word preferring in greek is proegeomai which means to go before and show the way;to go before as a leader.So in honor preferring one another would mean,be the first to show kindness and affection,brotherly love,don’t wait for it to come before you show it,show it according to the value on your brother.

I would think the bible is saying be proactive in helping others,don’t wait for them to ask you first,In honor preferring one another,be the leader in brotherly love,be the first to show it.

Sometimes we want to be at the receiving end,we want to receive first before we reciprocate,no the bible says be the leader,lead the way in showing affection and kindness,knowing that your brother is as valuable to God as you are.


LOVE ONE ANOTHER WITH A PURE HEART  FERVENTLY – 1PETER 1:22.
Firstly lets see what 1John says about loving one another,so important and profound this subject is,our faith walk is to please God and without faith its totally impossible to please God.
Our love for God is measured by our love for our brother whom we can see;
The bible says “if a man says he loves God and hates his brother,he is a liar” I am very curious and I checked the word liar in the greek,it is Pseustes -  meaning a liar; one who breaks faith,a false and faithless man.

This is so serious,if you claim to love God and yet hate your brother,you are a liar,you are one who breaks faith,you are false and a faithless man,this is serious,cause without faith its impossible to please God,so you cant love God and hate your brother,there is no justification to hate your brother,when we live by the law of love and forgiveness,so when you walk outside of love with your brother,you are a false and faithless man,you have broken faith and God will not be pleased with you.

Your proof of Gods love or love for God is on the basis of love for your brother,you can’t fool God,so when you cry out “Lord I love you” and hate your brother,God is saying hey,you don’t love me stop lying,you are walking outside of faith and I am not happy with you,you are false and faithless.

God is a smart person,you have not seen me and you say you love me so much,but the brother,I sent my son to die for that has received me,the guy you live with,worship in the same church with,you hate him? common,God can not be deceived,you cannot outlove God,he has done much more than you can ever do,you can’t impress him,he already loved you even when you were totally bad and away from him,so start loving your brother,if you think you want to ever please God.

The commandment is “if you love God,you love your brother also”1John 4:21.
There is not an argument,it is something that just flows,I don’t have to struggle to love my brother,I just love him,I may not like his attitude but I just love him,if we love God,yes loving God is a choice,we must love our brother also,if we really love God,then loving our brother is not a choice,it is not an issue for contemplation,it’s a command,its an order and its meant to be obeyed,love ye one another.

This is the commandment we have received,that he who loves God shall love his brother also,no question about it,if you don’t like it you can quit,it’s a command,that implies,if you cannot love your brother,then you better quit at loving God,because your love certainly counts for nothing,this is deep,I must say.

I would then like to admonish conclusively,like Paul said in Hebrews 13:1 “let brotherly love continue”,let it abide,let it remain,lets stop hating one another and think we got excuses or reasons but we are making God sad,we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

REVERENTIAL FAITH

“..But godliness is profitable,unto all things” 1Timothy 4:8

The teaching of faith is so profound,the more you study the more information you find out,faith is the foundation of the christian life,its not just a teaching of principles but a lifestyle that the blood of Jesus gave us entrance into.
Christianity is totally a life of faith,the whole message of Christianity is a life of faith and the life of faith is the God kind of life.
I have learnt so much as I make these posts and we will be looking at another very essential quality or character that we should add to our faith,the quality of godliness.



WHAT IS GODLINESS ?
Godliness according to the Webster's dictionary is defined as having great reverence for God;Pious.

The greek for the word godliness in the greek is eusebeia which means reverence,respect and piety towards God,godliness.

Godliness is a life of reverence and respect for God,it’s a lifestyle not just something you live today and forget about it tomorrow,not just respect for the church building,some people only have respect for God when they are in the church building,but a lifestyle that we live,whether we are in the church building or outside.

Christianity actually begins when we are outside the church,because now everyone knows how to act churchy,but godliness is reverence for god.we will learn how we can add godliness to faith.


THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS – 1timothy 3:16
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Paul in the previous verses pleaded with the church that they should be careful how they conduct themselves in the house of God,which is the church.The house of God is not a building but the church and the scriptures make it clearly that we are the church ,the ekklesia meaning the assembly of Gods people,the chosen ones,the called out ones.

The church is not the building but the people,Christ didn’t die for a building,he died for a people,he died for you and I,he chose us before the foundation of the world to be his own.Ephesians 5:25

Be careful how you behave yourselves in the house of God,the church of the living God,which is the pillar and ground of truth,the church is embodiment of christ,we are the pillar and ground of truth ,that is what we are,in other words we hold the truth of Gods word through which any one can be saved.

The truth that can set free is with us,the very truth of Gods word.The church is the base to find out about God.without the church the truth of the gospel can not be taken out to the world.
There is no controversy,great is the mystery of Godliness,a mystery that has been made open through the church;God was manifest in the flesh,justified in the spirit,seen of angels,preached unto the gentiles,believed in the world,received up into glory and revealed in us by the precious holy spirit.

We are the embodiment of that revelation today,God now revealed in us,Christ in us the hope of glory.but we must be careful how we conduct ourselves here in the earth and the world.lets explain godliness in two lights;


THE GOD LIFE
When we became born again,we received new life,the Zoë life,the very life of God in us.We received that life,the minute we accepted Jesus as lord and savior,the bible says that the life in Christ which is eternal life is the life we received.

So you have the God kind of life,if you are born of God then you have the life of God and you received the spirit of God,and if that spirit that raised up christ from the dead lives in you,the spirit will also vitalize your mortal bodies.

If we truly have the very life of God through christ then godliness should not be a problem,because the bible says ye are gods and sons of the most high,living to please God and living a life of reverential fear before him shouldn’t be a problem,because we have the quality of life that God has.Godliness should be like taking a cup of tea,easy.

We need to walk in this consciousness that we have the life of God in us,the same quality of life,we are one with christ,the very same spirit that lived in christ and brought him out of the grave lives in us that is power in us,Praise God,godliness is nothing we are gods,we should live what we truly are,imagine God finding it difficult to live like himself,he is God,he lives and acts like God,he cannot be like anyone else.

We ought to be careful how we carry ourselves in the church because truly we are the pillar and ground of truth.


THE LIFE OF HOLINESS
Holiness is living a life of consecration unto God,it means been set apart unto God,and holiness is a character of the godly life.

Righteousness we become when we accept christ and holiness is the life of purity and totally committed to God and him alone.The bible says without Holiness no man,shall see God,if you want to see the move of God in your life,live a consecrated life,a life free from anything that contaminates your relationship with God.

The Levites lived a life of consecration because God seperated them unto himself,that’s our case today,we are the temple of the holy spirit so the word says,keep the temple holy,if any man destroys the temple of God,him will God destroy.We are Gods temple,the spirit of God lives in us,we must live the life of consecration that we have been called unto.

God has not called us into uncleanness but unto a life of holiness,we are called to a life of consecration,not a life of impurity,and ungodliness but a life of holiness,God demands of us to be holy as he is holy.

The new man is created in righteousness and true holiness,we should not struggle if we have put on the new man in christ according to Colossians 3:10,we shouldn’t struggle to live a life of holiness,holiness is the life style or character of the new man,if you are still struggling then you need to put off the old man,the sin conscious life and put on the new man.

We should cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,anything that pollutes our flesh,that is our body and the spirit,as we do that we our holiness gets better and better in the fear of God,reverence for God is the push toward living a holy life.The bible says the fear of God causes us to eschew evil,lets keep ourselves free from all filthiness of the flesh.

Abstaining from sin,not just sins that pollutes our flesh,but when we miss the mark,go out of the will of God and living in sin is one way we can do that,but abstaining from sin will produce in our lives holiness and eternal life,that means sin can cause us to miss the eternal life that we have in christ Jesus.Romans 6:22


GODLINESS PROFITS MORE
God’s divine power has given us what pertains to life and godliness-the word life there is not the natural life but the Zoë life,so we have all we need in the Zoë life,Gods kind of life,to live a godly life.Zoe life contains the ability and empowerment we need to live the godly life.

His divine power,the very power of God has given unto us that which pertains,unto life and godliness,we have the power in the very life of God,what we have received is divine,stop struggling start living,you have the ability to live the Zoë life,to express the God kind of life,the ability to live above sin and to leave the very life of God,the godly life.

Godliness profits more,the bible recognizes bodily exercise profits little,but godliness profits unto all things.It profits for the life that now is; here again the life is Zoë,its amazing after salvation the life we now live is Zoë not ours anymore,no wonder paul said that “the life I now live,its no longer I but christ that liveth in me”,the God kind of life,the bible no longer recognizes the natural life after salvation.

Thou man of God follow after righteousness,godliness and faith,love,patience,meekness.We should seek to live a godly life,the very life of God is within us and that is what we express when we walk in godliness,put on the new man created in righteousness and true holiness,you have the God given ability to live the life.

CONSTANT IN FAITH 2

“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is "timing"
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
― Fulton J. Sheen




 TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH : JAMES 1:3-4

Another way that patience can be developed is through the trial of our faith,you can not tell if you have patience until you have been tested and tried.Our faith is precious even more precious than gold.when gold is passed through fire it only comes out better and nothing less than that,so the trial of our faith is essential if we will get better and grow in the faith that we received through christ Jesus.

Trial is very important,James teaches us to “count it all joy,when you fall into divers temptations” we must realise temptation is not from God,the word here is Peirasmos in greek,which means an experiment,attempt,trial,proving.
So God can not prove you with evil,but for good,he may allow it but doesn’t mean its from him.

James said Rejoice when you fall into divers tests,or trials,because the trying of your faith worketh (accomplishes,produces,works out.) patience.Trials is very important in bringing out and developing patience in you.

The word trial is a tentative experimental action in order to ascertain results-that means that the result is already known but to confirm the result then you put up a test.

Nobody gives you a test in school on something you were never taught on,we receive tests on what you have been taught.So when God brings a trial he knows you should and will pass because you have been prepared for it.

Some says God knows you will fail,no he doesn’t,he knew you would pass,because he taught you all you should know before giving you the test,that’s why when satan came he boasted about Job,God wasn’t worried about Job he knew Job would hold on.1corinthians 10:13 explains it better,”there is no test,that has befallen you that is not common to man,but through the test God will make a way,so that you can stand up under it” this tells us that God wants us and he has created it in such a way that no matter what you will pass.

Trials works out the patience in us,it goes further to say, “But,let patience have her perfect work,so that you will be perfect and entire wanting nothing”It said But,because some times people give up in the waiting period and miss it.

When you are faced with a trial of your faith,know the result of patience,which is that you will come out perfect and entire wanting nothing,and let that keep you patient,waiting,like Job said “I will wait until my change comes”,because it will come but you must be resolved in your mind to wait.

There is a time for waiting and that’s the time that patience works in you and makes you,because trial is a process and in the process of been in the fire,you go through pain and hurts but you still hold on to the word of God,patience is working in you,in the pain as you worship and praise God patience is working in you,making you to become perfect and entire wanting nothing.

The word Perfect and entire are king James version words but lets look a bit into those words;
Perfect is Teleios in the greek which means ‘brought to its end,finished’ and ‘full grown,adult,of full age,matured’ and the word Entire – in the greek is Holokleros which means ‘complete in all its parts,in no part wanting or unsound,complete,entire,whole’.
In other words patience is working in you so that you will be full grown,be matured and whole.Complete in all parts,wanting nothing,to be full grown.Someone said you are growing but not developing but when patience has its perfect work in you,you will not only grow,you will develop in all sides and be entire lacking nothing,perfect.

The best way to stay updated and upgraded is to let patience have her perfect work in you,because you will come out wanting nothing,you will not be lagging behind,left behind and feel out dated or obsolete,but you will be complete and lacking nothing.In your health,in your finances,in your career,in your relationships let patience have her work in you,and you will be perfect and wanting nothing.

HOPE IN PATIENCE – ROMANS 5:3-5
We hope for what we desire to have that we don’t already have,our expectations,our desires.
Faith is the substance of the things we hope for, Hebrews 11:1; So faith is the substance ‘the word substance is hypostasis in the greek-which means, ‘a setting or placing under,substructure,foundation’.In other words faith gives our hope structure.Hope in itself has no substance,you can hope till you die,hoping without faith is nothing,but faith gives hope weight.

Faith is the substance of the things we hope for,so if we will see result on what we hope for we must add faith to it.
Now in the process of waiting we must know that patience is vital for faith to work,Paul begins with saying that we are justified(declared free and righteous) by faith and not works which produces peace with God through christ and because of christ we have access to grace through faith and also through faith we hope for Gods glory,its all through faith and through faith we also glory in tribulations.

Justified by faith,access grace in christ by faith,hope by faith and glory in tribulations by faith,knowing that tribulations worketh patience,but it does stop there and patience experience and experience hope,and hope maketh not ashamed(that is hope that is powered by faith) because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the holy spirit.

Hope maketh not ashamed,because when we hope in faith we will certainly get the result of our hope,patiently wait in hope,and let patience work in you,so Gods intent is that through the trial of your faith you will produce patience and experience and hope that maketh not ashamed.Experience here is dokime in greek meaning tried character,when you are patient in trials you come out with a character that has been proven,which is called experience.

God is not just concerned about giving us our dreams and desires he uses your desires to bring you to a place of pursuit so he can make you a developed person,so that you can be perfect and mature wanting nothing,so while you are in that trial and waiting,God is busy working in you,working in you patience and character or experience,so that you can have hope that maketh not ashamed,that produces result.

Waiting in faith not wavering like father Abraham,who believed Gods promises and waited until he saw the result,he didn’t waver but he held on to his believe in God and he was credited unto him for righteousness,because he believed and waited patiently for the promise to come to pass,he hoped against hope the Bible says,but hope in faith brought the result.

If we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with patience..Romans 8:25,so patience is essential in the process of waiting for what we hope for but know that when we hope in faith we will not be put to shame.

The hope that brings results can only be produced through patience and comfort of the scriptures,in other words to keep hope alive,we need to keep the word of God before us and hold on to it patiently.
There are things written for our learning before time,so that we can also like the people of the past who held on to the word of God and got results we also can patiently hold on to the word,so we will see the desires of our hearts come to reality. Romans 15:4-5.

Our calling is proven through patience,as ministers of God we will go through persecution and trials but paul admonishes us to hold on patiently.Sometimes we will be tempted so we can react,but paul says patiently wait for what you hope for,don’t respond to people,you don’t have to prove anything,wait on God and he will prove himself strong in your behalf. 2Corinthians 6:4-10;2Corinthians 12:12

THROUGH PATIENCE INHERIT THE PROMISES – HEBREW 6:12
The promises of God over your life can only be inherited through patience,so does Hebrews 6:12 says.God promised Abraham a child,if he had not been patient he would not have received the promise.
The waiting only begins after you have done the word of God.Having done all to 

stand,stand.You believe God that he will do it,you have sown all the seed of faith but the waiting actually starts after you have taken the step of faith,after you have done the will of God.The promise is sure and certain but you must patiently wait till you receive,the promise is for those who after doing the will of God still wait patiently.Hebrews 10:36.

There is a race set before us,but to receive the prize we must run with patience,not giving up in the process but running till we get the crown,without patience you can not receive the prize,just having faith and not with patience,you might fall.The cloud of witnesses are watching,the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11,have passed on the baton and watching to make sure we run to finish and get the prize,but we cannot give up if we must get the prize.Hebrews 12:1

For us to be able to run with patience and win we must put aside every sin and weight that so easily beset us.we must put aside anything thing in our life that will make us miss the mark,no matter what it is we know it,that will get us off track and out of Gods plan and purpose and everything that burdens us and makes us not to move faster.

Patience can be more effective when we put aside the weight and the sin,only the man that runs with patience can get the prize.

Add to your faith,virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience…?


watch out for the continuation.

CONSTANT IN FAITH 1

“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is "timing"
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
― Fulton J. Sheen



Faith is the base of our christian walk,it holds together our relationship with God,if there is anything the devil will like to destroy is your faith.That’s why the Bible teaches us to hold on to our faith that is more precious than gold.
Jude tells us to “contend for the faith”.

The fight for the faith is the fight for life,without faith it is impossible to please God,and knowing that the just shall live by his faith,this shows us that the faith is most important,if we must have a successful life that would please God.

We have come to see,its important to grow the measure of faith we have received in salvation,so the Bible teaches us to “make every effort add to our faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience..” we will be looking the word patience today and how it affects our faith walk.

It is your responsibility to make effort to add these virtues to your faith,waiting for God to add them is a wait of a life time,we must make every effort to add them to our lives,as we study and apply the word of God.

WHAT IS PATIENCE
The word patience according to the free online dictionary is defined as :
Bearing or enduring pain,difficulty,provocation or annoyance with calmness. and Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result:not hasty or impulsive.

The greek word translated patience in 2Peter 1:6 is Hypomone -  which means steadfastness,constancy and endurance.In the new testament it is the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

By these definitions we can see why we need to add patience to our faith,because the virtue of patience in our faith gives us the ability to hold on to what we believe even in the midst of pain and trial till we see the result,it gives us the ability to hold on while waiting for the outcome of our prayers and desires.

HOW IS PATIENCE DEVELOPED
You don’t receive patience by the laying on of hands,you make effort in developing patience.Knowing the following;

• Patience is one of the fruit of the Holy spirit: Galatians 5:22 – In the book of Galatians 5:22,the bible says “but the fruit of the Spirit” here it is talking about the regenerated spirit,the born again spirit – when you accept Jesus as your lord and saviour,the holy spirit does the work of recreation in you by the word of God that you received,then you become born again,a new man.

That’s why the bible says “any man in christ is a new creature,the old things are passed away and everything becomes new”,you are reborn,recreated.

To be recreated means to be reborn,to be born of God,scriptures says we have been born of God,not of the flesh but of the spirit,so the minute you accept Christ as your personal saviour your spirit is recreated,reborn,then you become another man entirely different from what you were.

Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again,he asked how can a man be born again,does he have to go back into his mothers womb?,that’s practically impossible.Jesus begins to explain to him what it means to be born again;
 “ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus could not understand the idea because it doesn’t make sense physically,so Jesus explains to him that this is a spiritual event not physical.”that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit”,but you must be born of the water and the spirit,water speaks of the word of God and the Spirit there is the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:26. Two major agents for salvation,without the hearing of the word,salvation is not possible and the holy spirit uses that word to finish the process of recreation.

But Nicodemus in his curiosity asked Jesus how then can I be born again,Jesus in speaking to him finally said “whosoever believes in the son of man,shall not perish but receive eternal life” John 3:15; that’s the key,whosoever believes; so you become born again when you believe and accept Jesus.

So the fruit of the born again spirit is patience,in other words I have patience as a potential already in my new life,it shouldn’t be a struggle,all I need to do is exercise it and put it to work.

Some born again christians who still struggle in the area of patience are those who are still living in the old self,and not in the new self,that’s why Paul in Colossians say “put on the new man that is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him”Colossians 3:10; In other words your recreated spirit only gets better and not old like your natural self,as you get to know christ,as you walk in the word of God.

Also Ephesians 4:24 explains further by saying “put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and Holiness” the new man is created to be like God,his resemblance in every way,so if God is a God of patience,you also have the ability to walk in patience.So patience is already in you,stop praying and fasting for it,just start walking in it and exercising it.

TO BE CONTINUED..

TEMPERANCE–self control 2

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
― Lao Tzu

 

 

The greatest enemy to us is not the devil but self,the greatest battle we need to fight is not that against the devil because he is already a defeated foe but it’s the battle against self,for if you can defeat yourself and put yourself under control every other thing about your life would be settled.

 

THE PRODUCT OF A SELF CONTROLLED LIFE AND A LIFE OF LACK OF SELF CONTROL.

• Moses was a man who was called by God to lead the children out of egypt,but he allowed the lack of control of anger to make him miss out from entering the promise land – God asked Moses to speak to the rock but the children of Israel vexed Moses and because he couldn’t control himself at that time,he struck the rock,and brought the anger of God on himself. Numbers 20:1-13.

Moses didn’t enter the promise land because he lost his temper and disobeyed God in the wilderness of Zin.

If we loose control we can loose something we may never get back during our life time.

Anger in itself is not sin,but when in our anger we loose control we can do things that we will regret and sin against God.Moses' lack of control kept him from the promise land.The bible says “be angry and sin not,do not let the sun go down on your wrath” Ephesians 4:26.

The bible uses two words in Ephesians 4:26 "be angry and sin not,don't let the sun go down on your wrath”.

Anger is a strong feeling of displeasure and the word translated anger here is “orgizo” meaning to provoke to anger,to arouse to anger,to bring a feeling of displeasure,that alone is not sin,but wrath on the other hand means vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger,so wrath goes a step further to take actions on your anger that’s when it becomes sin,the word translated wrath here is “parorgismos” meaning indignation,exasperation,when anger grows to wrath its sin.

Proverbs 16:32 declares “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty;and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” this tells you that self control is much better than been a warrior,a warrior that cannot control himself is certainly going to fall,samson is a clear example of a warrior who could not control his lust and he lost his glory.

• David a king that could not control his lust for sex – 2Samuel 11-12.

This is a very profound story,when kings were supposed to go to war King David stayed back and sent his men to go for battle,David was at the wrong place at the wrong time,he was supposed to be at the battle field and not at home,we must understand timing,we should be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

This was a sign of laxity,woe unto him that is at ease in zion,the bible teaches us to be sober and watchful,be at alert for our adversary the Devil moves around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour,the period of laxity is the period of vulnerabilty,and now satan knew when to strike,David was alone and just woke up from sleep in the cool of the evening,the time,the place and the settings.

The common english bible said “David woke up from sleep on his couch,and he was pacing back and forth on the roof of the palace,from the roof he saw a woman bathing and she was beautiful and good to look upon” David was pacing back and forth,the king was alone and bored,also very vulnerable and he lost control the minute he saw the woman bathing from the roof of the palace.

This tells you that then,their bathrooms had no roof,for david to have seen her that much and of course the kings palace was huge,he sent for her and he had sex with her.The king lost control of himself and also used the control as king to get her to sleep with him,even when he knew she was married,who is she to say no to the king?

David had committed sin against God and against Urial the husband of the woman David slept with Bathsheba.David in his bid to cover the sin from the man Urial asked Joab to put Urial in the hottest part of the battle,where Urial was killed,this was a king out of control,one sin leading to another sin,now God who sees everything was angry,David thought his sin was covered,yes from man but not from God,how sometimes we commit a sin and try to cover it from man,but we cannot cover it from God,he will expose it in time.

Because of lack of self control David incurred the wrath of God.But was forgiven after he cried in repentance for mercy,but the son that was born from the Adultery was killed by God and also Rebellion was birth as a result of the sin,God had to judge the sin,there was no record of David indulging in that sin again.

• Joseph a man called the dreamer,who was hated by his brothers because of the dreams that God gave him,he was sold and traded to a rich man in egypt called portiphar,pharoahs chief officer and a commander of the royal guard,a man of influence in egypt,we will see how Potiphar's wife had eyes on Joseph and asked Joseph to have sex with her – Genesis 39.

Joseph had grown to become a successful man,even in egypt as a slave to Portiphar and knowing that God was with Joseph,he made him, head over his household,Joseph was his direct personal assistant,and God blessed portiphar because of Joseph.The bible records that Joseph was well built a very handsome man and good to look upon also.

Potiphar's wife had taken notice of Joseph and got attracted to him,she wanted him to have sex with her, “sleep with me Joseph,she said” but Joseph been a man who feared God and had respect for his master refused,to sleep with her,saying “how can I commit this great sin before God” it would have been a good opportunity for Joseph to have fun,at least there was no record of him having sex before now.

She continually stressed Joseph with the request to sleep with her and am sure she made him promises,but Joseph continually refused,then she nursed a plan against him,on a particular day,she sent all the other servants away,such that Joseph was left alone in the house with her,she tried to force herself on Joseph but Joseph struggled his way out of her hold,but she had his garment with her,he ran off almost naked.

On the return of portiphar,she accused Joseph of trying to rape her,this was what led to Joseph been imprisoned,imagine if Joseph had slept with Potiphar's wife,he probably would have missed out of Gods purpose for his life.He put himself under control and he kept his eyes on where he was going,I wonder what you would do,if you were in Josephs shoes?

• Achans lust for material things cost him the wiping out of his lineage – Joshua 7:1-12,19-26

Achan took what belongs to God for himself,what was reserved for God,out of his lust for material things,this brought the anger of God on the children of Israel,that they were defeated in their battles.Joshua inquired of God why and God told him there was sin in the camp,Achan was searched out and discovered that he took a sacred thing,what belong to God,though he asked for mercy but the sin had to be dealt with and the camp cleansed.

How sometimes we toil with sacred things,that belongs to God,we attract Gods judgement on ourselves,because Achan could not control his lust, he and all that he had and all that was with him was stoned to death as judgement for his sin.God will always Judge the sin,the fact that you are forgiven does not mean that the sin will not be judged.

• Even Jesus was tempted by the devil,Jesus just ended his fast and the bible says he was hungry,satan showed up and tempted him but Jesus defeated the devil with the word of God still,though he was hungry,he didn’t allow his hunger to make him fall for the devil,he stood his ground,he had control over his stomach “Man shall not live by bread alone but by the words from the mouth of God” Matthew 4:1-11.

To be successful in our walk with God we must like Paul put ourselves under,discipline ourselves constantly,so that we will not be a cast away,after we have preached the word to others we miss the prize,God forbid.Self control is important for success in life and in our walk with God.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified 1Corinthians 9:24-27.

TEMPERANCE–self control 1

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
― Lao Tzu



The greatest enemy to us is not the devil but self,the greatest battle we need to fight is not that against the devil because he is already a defeated foe but it’s the battle against self,for if you can defeat yourself and put yourself under control every other thing about your life would be settled.

WHAT IS TEMPERANCE
Temperance according to the Webster's dictionary means self restraint in conduct,expression,indulgence of the appetites,moderation;In other words temperance simply means self control.
According to our text in 2Peter 1:6 “Add to knowledge temperance” the word temperance is translated from the greek word egkrateia meaning self control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions,especially his sensual appetites).
The word of God is complete and gives us a guide on the christian life,we are talking about how you can be fruitful in your faith walk,that we need to add certain other virtue to our faith to bring about a victorious and fruitful christian life.
We talked about virtue – which is the resolve to stand for what is right; we also talked about knowledge – which is knowing all about your christian faith,how can you defend properly what you don’t understand,now we will discuss briefly temperance which is also self control.
Temperance is last in the list of the fruit of the spirit not because its least in importance but because it binds all the rest together.Temperance is a word which covers the whole field of emotions and passions,control of spirit,body and mind.It has to do with enemies within the lust and passions which war against the soul.A whole army storming on the outside,is less than a single enemy within the walls which gives over the key to attacking forces.
Temperance is vital for success in life,whether in the faith walk,in business,in marriage,in career,without temperance or self control we will certainly not be able to achieve our goals,because we constantly have to fight with self in our journey of life and the faith.
Man has learned to control nature around it,now we can even put the weather under control,we can make rain fall,we can now tame animals such that even dangerous animals like lions and tigers and bears are under the control of man,we can now control the spread of fire,we have fire fighters but man has not been able to control himself.
A fire out of control destroys everything in its path,but a person out of control is even more worse – our world is destroyed,relationships are destroyed,everything noble right and true is destroyed.We must master the art of self control,bringing ourselves under.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT A MAN WITHOUT SELF CONTROL

1. A man without self control is like a city broken into and is without walls – this simply means that a man without self control is without defense,without a covering.If he is broken into and without walls it means he is open to attacks and is exposed to the enemy.Proverbs 25:28.The king James uses the word rule,control,restraint over himself.
2. The man that exercises self control is the man that will certainly win the prize – Know that the christian walk is a race for an eternal prize and anyone that will excel must have self control,without it success is not guaranteed.To be a success in the race just like the athlete you must apply self control in all things,you must apply restraint.1Corinthians 9:24-27.
3. Self control is vital for achieving your goals in life – Athletes exercises self control in all things,to be great at the race or any other sport you must bring your body under subjection.You must give yourself to consistent practice,you must have eating some meals,you must avoid some persons and so on,all this is part of putting your body under control,if you must succeed.A man with self control has goals and does everything to run towards those goals and disciplines his body so as to achieve them.
4. Self control is a product of grace – The grace of God that has appeared bringing salvation to all people,training us to live self controlled lives.The christian life is not that of struggle,living a life of self control becomes easy when we walk in the grace that we have received through Christ Jesus,the day we became born again.The grace of God makes it easy for us to live a life of restraint. Titus 2:11-14.
5. The Spirit that we have received from God is the spirit of power,love and self control – 2Timothy 1:7. We have the ability to live a life of restraint and have a successful christian life.

FAITH + VIRTUE + KNOWLEDGE

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
― Stephen Hawking



We taught that faith is acting on what you believe and virtue to mean standing for what you believe,especially for what is right and just.
But the Bible also says “add to virtue knowledge”; lets just rest and define knowledge according to 2Peter 1:5.

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE
Firstly lets define knowledge according to Dictionary.com “Knowledge is acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition”
Simply put knowledge is the acquisition of facts,the gathering of information,and knowledge in us is power in its potent form.
A person full of knowledge is potentially a powerful individual,and can be distinguished from his peers,sometimes the difference between two people is in what they know.
Knowledge must be acquired first before its put to use,if you don’t have knowledge how can you apply it? so its important that we acquire knowledge and it can be acquired through study and research.
In the processing of data,the first step is to gather information,then the information gathered is processed to data,then its useful.But first, information must be gathered.
The word knowledge in 2Peter 1:5 is the greek gnosis meaning general intelligence,understanding,knowledge of the christian religion,deep and perfect knowledge of this religion.It is gotten from the root word ginosko meaning to learn to know,come to know,perceive,feel,to have knowledge of.
I have met christians who claim to be christians without the basic knowledge of salvation.Knowledge is vital for success in the christian work and here I am talking about general knowledge about the christian faith,not revelation knowledge.When you become saved at first,you need the knowledge about your faith,to be able to stay in the faith.
In the book of Hebrews paul in his writing shows us some very basic foundational information that every child of God should have in their walk with God.The very elementary principles of the christian faith,things every new christian should know,I would state them below as paul listed them,Hebrews 6:1-2;

1. Foundation of repentance from dead works
2. Faith towards God
3. Doctrine of baptism
4. Doctrine of laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgment

These are the elementary knowledge every believer should know,they are basic and it’s the foundational knowledge of every child of God.Some of us have been saved for many years without any solid foundational information on all that is stated in Hebrews 6:1-2.
The understanding of repentance from dead works,understanding our faith and some of the doctrinal issues that is the dividing issue between different denomination today.No information is useless,you cannot be a mature christian without the knowledge of the issues above,issues about the rapture and the ressurection of the dead,and eternal judgement.
The reason is that so that we can grow unto maturity and no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine,by the trickery of men,in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,this is why we have the five fold to teach us,so that we will become solid in our knowledge of God.Ephesins 4:14.
There are all kinds of doctrines out there that teaches us something entirely different from the truth,if we lack knowledge how can we speak the truth in boldness.Ephesians 4:15
In the last days many will be deceived from the truth,even the elect the bible says will be deceived from the truth.The bible speaks of false teachers who will show up in the last days teaching deceptions and drawing many away from the truth,we see that even in our days many are deceived and drawn away from the faith.
The knowledge of the faith is very vital if you will stay and stand strong,the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge;assuming you know when in reality you don’t know.There are so much knowledge I grew to accept without checking it for example we are taught in school that there were three wise men that visited christ but in actual fact the bible never mentioned three wise men but the bible said “wise men from the east” Matthew 2:1.
So many issues that are controversial today even about the rapture and the judgement,and so on.Its important we study to show ourselves approved of God,everyday we meet people who lack the knowledge if we take time to study and gain knowledge we will be able to help those who are actually ignorant.
So add to virtue knowledge,develop an inquisitive mindset,learn to ask questions ,the more you study the more you know.
Assumed knowledge of a thing leads to foolishness and there is no excuse for that,grab every opportunity to learn and better your knowledge of God.
Many false teachers are out there but the greatest tool you have as a defense is your personal knowledge of God,that you have checked and discovered.
Faith needs knowledge so we don’t work in foolishness.

ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE
Paul spoke to the Roman church that they had Zeal without knowledge,Romans 10:1-3; and proverbs 19:2 says “its not good to have zeal without knowledge,nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Zeal is good but should be according to knowledge,so many people have taken certain steps and made terrible mistakes because of lack of knowledge.

Knowledge is very important in the walk of faith,don’t be hasty and miss the way,we make decisions based on zeal without knowledge,add knowledge,stop assuming you know when you don’t,give time to study and research,find out all you need to know about God and the faith.You are Gods workman but you must show yourself approved of God,to remove shame.
If we must experience the very full blessing of Faith we must add knowledge to our faith work,study and study and study.

VIRTUOUS FAITH

“Add to your faith virtue” 2Peter 1:5



The Christian walk is a walk of faith,when you receive Jesus as your personal saviour you receive the measure of faith according to Romans 12:3.We all receive the same measure of faith at salvation,that’s why the bible didn’t say a measure of faith but the measure of faith apportioned to us by christ himself.
But that measure of faith is just a potential and God expects us to grow in faith,from glory to glory,your growth is important.
The bible shows us what we need to do to grow,in 1Peter 2:2 says “as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word so that you may grow thereby” and in Romans 10:17,the bible further says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” so for us to grow our faith we must give ourselves to hearing of the word.
You cannot grow spiritually except you eat spiritual food,so if you must grow in faith walk with God you give yourself to the hearing of the word.note the bible didn’t say reading,it says hearing.Hearing by the word is what brings about your growth in faith.That's why we need to position ourselves in a church were the word is taught for real,cause this is the only way we can actually grow in God.
So when you become saved you should desire the milk,(milk is for newborn babes in christ),the sincere milk of the word,and this desire will pull you to be a part of a christian gathering.I remenber years ago when I and my brother got saved we went from place to place looking for a church since were we where the word wasn’t taught,we kept looking till we found one and that desire made out growth faster.
But just getting faith is not enough God intend that we actually leave successful lives and for that to happen there are some other important character that we must add to our faith to make it more productive.
1Peter 1:3-4 – tells us that God has given us all we need for life and Godliness and he has bestowe on us his precious promises,but for us to actually walk in those promises and see the effect in our lives we need to walk in and by faith,but having the faith isnt enough we need to add to our faith virtue,so lets find out what virtue is.

What is virtue? 1Peter 1:5;
Virtue is defined by the dictionary as “moral excellence and righteousness or an example or kind of moral excellence” the quality and practice of moral excellence is what we call virtue.
Also when translted from the text in the greek it also means moral excellence.
Morality is a character that is hard to find in our society today or the lives of individual. Morality is defined as  the quality of being in accord with the standards of right or good conduct.Morality speaks of how we live our lives according to the standards of good and bad,we know the difference of what is right and wrong.
Christianity is a way of life, a lifestyle,that’s why in Romans 1:17  the bible says “the just shall live by his faith”,so we live the christian life by faith.
The bible says further that without faith it is impossible to please God,so you can be all good and God will not be pleased with you because your morality is not based on the foundation of the God given faith,that we receive through Jesus Christ.
The word of God stands for what is good and right,and never what is bad.The bible in 1st John 1:5; teaches us that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
Morality teaches us to live the right life,you don’t have to be a chritian to live a life of morals,before I became a born again christian I was brought up in a home with the right sense of morals,and I was taught to tell the truth all the time,taught that stealing was wrong,and to always stand for the truth.
Though being morally alright does not guarantee you eternity and a right stand with God, but its essential for a successful life.The law is essential and it teaches us morality,in the old testament they had the ten commandment,that was a guide on how they lived their lives and all of the laws we have in this world today are built out of the ten commandments.
The God given faith empowers us to live the right life without struggle,that’s why we need the God kind of faith to be successful in our walk with God and in this life.
Add to your faith virtue,God wants us to live right at all times,he wants us to be an example to the world,such that when they look at us we are a clear description of what God desires.
We no longer walk by the law but by grace and grace is powered by love,where we are not forced to do anything but because of our love for God we do what is right toward God and toward man,to live a successful life we need to work at always doing what is right,no matter the circumstance.
Tell the truthg no matter the cost,stand for what is right at all times even when it doesn’t favor us,that’s what we are talking about.
Today the moral standards in the world has dropped,things that we did not allow are now accepted all in the name of civilization,any pattern of life that is against the purpose of Gods word is totally not accepted.You can not lower our standards because of civilisation.
Morality teaches us to stand for what is right at all times,so God says add to your faith virtue,stand for what is right,don’t compromise your moral standards all in the name of “God will understand”.
The bible says when you add virtue to your faith and all the others mentioned you will not be barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ.
How can we prove our calling when we lower on our standards,standards at work place,standards for writing examination,right now people cheat to pass exams,pay money to get lecturers to give us grades we don’t deserve,we can not overemphasize corruption in our various countries and the lowered standards in politics.
So many have sold their birthright for just a morsel of bread.The disciples were called christians first in antioch because they were christ like,they stood for christ and lived the life.
We need to raise the moral standards,those of us that are christians have been called to show the world how to live the right life and by how lifes others will conme to the knowlkedge of christ,we need to show the world the great gain in living the right life and standing for what is right.People do wrong because they believe that been good or standing for the right brings us under oppression and slow results,but the truth is when we don’t compromise we cause God to quickly come to our rescue.
The bible calls us the light of the world and the salt of the earth,without us how will the world know the right life,we are Gods representatives here on earth,his ambassadors.

Paul in philipians 4:8 tells us further that “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things”

If there be any virtue,if there be any praise,think on this things,so the question is our decision and actions should be based on the standards of virtue is there any virtue? if you read verse 9,it says and the God of peace will be with you,so the quickest way to get the God of peace to come to you is to stand for what ius right at all times.

THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE

“The most important factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come” James Whitcomb Riley







A group of frogs were travelling throughout the world and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop jumping out and consider themselves as dead. Finally one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as high as he could. Once again the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even higher and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked him, ‘didn’t you hear what we were telling you?’ He replied to them that he was deaf and could not hear them. They were all amazed and they continued with their journey.
There are many secretes to success in life but I believe that persistence is main,because no matter how much you know or have you will go through some tough time but not every one holds on to the end,from the story above one of the frogs gave up and died but the other kept deaf ears to the discouragements of others and he survived because he kept on going. In order to succeed we need to pay a deaf ear to the negative and discouraging statements from others and pursue after our dreams until we get  it.
Those who stay till the end will eat the fruit of the land,if you fall and give up you will certainly not eat the good of the land.Give the pursuit of your dreams all of your best,don’t give up before you try,keep trying till you hit at your target,don’t take no for an answer. Tough times don’t last but tough people do,people who give up easily will never fulfill their dreams.

THE PERSISTENT FRIEND – LUKE 11:1-13 Jesus while teaching on prayer,in the book of Luke 11:1-13,he used the story of two friends to illustrate it.
“Suppose one of you has a friend and he goes to him at midnight and says ‘friend lend me three loaves of bread,because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me and I have nothing to set before him”
 Then the one  the inside answered “don’t bother me,the door is now already shut’ and my children are in bed with me,I cant get up and give you anything”
 I am sure,some of us will be angry that someone came to your house at that time to ask for anything,the guy wasn’t complaining that he doesn’t have bread but that the door was shut and they were sleeping,so he couldn’t open the door to attend to him.
But Jesus said “I tell you,though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend (take note of that), yet because of the mans persistence,he will get up and give him as much as he needs”
Persistence will get you the answers to your needs,someone once said, “life does not give us what we deserve but what we demand”.Some of the wealthiest people today are not necessarily the smartest but because they never gave up on their dreams,they are the success they are today.
He didn’t attend to the man because he is his friend,but the guy refused to stop knocking at the door,till he was attended to. Jesus in conclusion said in regards to prayer,”Ask and it will be given to you,seek and you will find,knock and the door will be opened to you,for everyone who asks receives,he who seeks finds and to he who knocks the door will be opened”
 sometimes we ask and we don’t receive not because God didnt hear us ,or he was sleeping but because we gave up too soon,other versions say keep asking,keep seeking,keep knocking,don’t stop,for anyone who keeps asking will receive and the one who keeps seeking will find and the one who keeps knocking the door will be opened unto him,so the bottom line is continue at what you are pursuing and you will certainly have it.

THE PERSISTENT WIDOW – LUKE 18:1-5 Another story showing how persistence produces result; A widow who needed justice over a case went before a judge who neither feared God or man,for sometime he refused to give the widow justice,but the bibble says she kept bothering him till she wore him out with her plea,that he gave her justice not because she was a lady that was helpless no,but because she bothered him continuously.Trouble is no respecter of sex.
Don’t allow your energy and strength to be dampened by the discouraging words from others,keep your eyes on the mark and press on till you get there.You can make it,you will survive,you have the energy on the inside of you,people will tell you give up,just like Jobs wife asked Job in his troubled times to cause God and die,but he refused and made up his made I will wait until my change comes,don’t give up now your change is coming,you have come too far to turn back,you are closer than you can ever imagine to the fulfillment of your dreams.
 In been persisten you have to stretch yourself beyond limits,practice more to be better,cut on the fatty foods to loose weight,keep doing it till you get your goal.Sometimes people will discourage you and tell you,that you can’t,that you are a failure,because of one mistake,they write you off totally,they tell you that you will never succeed,you will never be a good singer,you will never be good at anything,the minute you listen to those things you actually begin to fail,pay deaf ears to those words and keep saying to yourself yes I can make it,yes I can be the billionaire and be the best against all odds,yes you can



They told Bishop T.d. Jakes that he would never be a singer because of his cracked voice,that he could never be an author because his writeup sounded too poetice,but against all odds,he refused to accept their conclusion of him he instead believed Gods word of him and today he is a bestselling author and a musician,he became a success at all they said he wouldn’t do.
 Refuse to believe other peoples conclusion about you,you are who God says you are,change your perception about yourself,work hard at your dreams and you will get it. Its not over until you win,don’t give up,fight,fight,fight,fight,till you win.

THOUGHTFULNESS

"Remember there is no such thing as small act of kindness.Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." Scott Adams

Kind,caring and considerate behaviors stem from thoughtfulness.It grows out of a conscious awareness and compassion.

Having or showing heed for the well-being or happiness of others and propensity for anticipating their needs or wishes.
It doesn't mean twisting and bending out of alignment to meet the needs of others,but it flows from a heart of compassion.

Today,we leave in a world,where people have closed their bowels of mercy and are no more kind to others,lets look at a few reasons why people have become hard and thoughtless.

Fear is the main course for thoughtlessness and the reluctance we attach to helping others.What are thses fears;

• Fear of been taken advantage of by others 

This comes as a result of lack of trust for others,some people have had bad experiences from helping people in the past and because they were dealth with badly,they have closed their bowels of mercy and made up their mind not to show kindness but to be unconcerned.

• Fear of being hurt by others

We are so afraid that we might be hurt by others,most of our fears come from the results of the experiences we had or the experiences of others. 

• Fear of no reward

some of us expect our reward from people,especially when you help them,so people dont want to help you,if they know they will not be rewarded or paid back.
But there is enormous rewards for been thoughtful,lets see a few persons that showed thoughtfulness and how they were rewarded;

• THE SHUNAMMITES WOMAN (2Kings 4:8-17).

The shunammite woman was a rich and well respected woman in her society.

Elijah was a prophet of God who went to visit shunem .The woman was obviously a kind hearted woman,that she offered that the prophet comes to eat at her place,since he always came around.

She was not only kind but sensitive,to know that elijah was a Holy man of God(2kings 4:9)

She prepared a room just for him,so he could lay his head to rest whenever he came around.

Elijah never asked for help from her,but out of her thoughtfulness she did what she did to make the prophet comfortable.

She didnt help because she wanted something from the man of God,like most of us do;you give money to a man of god because you want prayers,not like its totally wrong if you are lead by Gods Spirit and you have understanding,even when the prophet asked what can i do for you?she told him she was comfortable,"I have a home amongst my people"v13.

This is a woman without child,i know how people run from one church to the other looking for a child,that some are led astray,but because of her thoughtfulness to the prophet of God,she evetually got a son of her own.

Imagine if she wasn,t thoughtful,the prophet may not have noticed her,and she may not have gotten the miracle.

Be kind at all times,let your kindness not be only when you are alright and happy,make it a habitual thing.

You will reap what you sow,when you are kind to people you commit them to be kind to you too.Dont allow bitterness and hurts to stop you from receiving your blessing.

• THE SHEEP'S AND THE GOAT'S (Matthew 25:31-46).

Sometimes in our faith walk,we focus on doing big things,but Jesus is even more concerned about the little things that we pay no attention to.

Matthew 7:22-23 "many will say on that day'lord,lord,did i not prophesy in your name,and in your name drive out demons,and perform many miracles? Then i will tell them plainly 'i never knew you,depart from me,you evil doers"

The miracles,the prophesies and the number of demons you cast out,certainly won't count,on that day of judgement,but the very little things,that we give cognition to,are what will count.

"For i was hungry and you gave me something to eat,i was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,i was a stranger and you invited me in,i needed clothes and you clothe me,i was sick and you looked after me,i was in prison and you came to visit me"Matthew 25:35-36

You would have thought like me,that the king would be more concerned about,"how much time you spent in church,or how many activities you particpated in."

These guys did not know when they did all this,they had a habit of thoughtfulness and they did all this to others not knowing it was the lord.

They asked him,"When?",because they don't remenber doing it to Jesus.

The king replied "When you did it for one of the least of these,brothers of mine,you did it for me."

There are people we see everyday,in our churches,where we live,less privilledge,we ignore and refuse to help them,we close our bowels of mercy.

Who would have thought,the king would look from that area,those things we think don't matter,really do matter the most.

Hebrews 13:2,furthers show us that sometimes when we are thoughtful to others,we sometimes helped angels."Some entertained angels without knowing"

• GET A WIFE FOR MY SON GENESIS 24:1-26)

We see a beautiful story here how, Rebekah's thoughtfulness earned her a husband.

Abraham was old and going to die,he made his servant vow to go to get a wife for his son Isaac from amongst his people.

When Abraham's servant finally got to the town of Nahor,knowing the seriousness of his mission,he prayed and ask God to lead him.

Seeing many beautiful damsels,he needed to be certain he had the right one,for Isaac.

He prayed "may it be that when i say to a girl,please let down your jar,that i may have a drink,and she says'Drink and i will water your carmels too'Let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.By this i will know,that you have shown kindness to my master"

Just after he had finished praying,here comes sweet Rebekah;

She did exactly what the servant of Abraham had asked God in prayer.

This event shows to us that Rebekah was always a kind woman,to feed the servant was one thing but to feed carmels was another thing.

She earned a husband when she wasn't looking for one.When you are thoughtful,prospective husbands will look for you and not you looking for them.

Men out there are not just looking for beautiful women,but kind hearted women to marry,are you one?

When you have an opportunity to show kindness,always grab it,because you don't know who you are been kind to,be thoughtful always.

We are not kind because we want a reward,but kind people always get good things and kindness in return in a double fold,you loose some contacts because of your attitude of thoughtlessness,don't allow your fears make you loose out on your blessing.