Month: June 2020

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Proverbs 2:6

It was at a time when the kingdom of Israel was divided. Jerusalem and Judah had joined the ways of their neighbors, worshiping other gods. They carved idols and cast images. Instead of honoring God, they dishonored Him by building evil altars. They even carried carved images and put it in God’s temple – the very temple that Solomon had built in honor of God. But the people’s evil act was largely due to bad leadership. Leaders, such as Manasseh led the people astray to the extent that they did more evil than the nations that God had destroyed before the Israelites. Because of the evil ways of their leaders, the people of Judah couldn’t serve God.

However, it was clear that the leaders also didn’t have a sense of direction. They only did what they felt was the right thing to do. But as things got from bad to worse, an eight year old boy, named Josiah emerged as king of Judah. When he turned 18, at a time he could make decisions for himself, he began to seek God. By the time he was 22 years of age, when he had garnered enough strength and courage, he began some reforms. Under his leadership, the people destroyed the carved images and the evil altars. By the time he was 26, he decided to purify his country and repair the temple that had been defiled.

It was while they were repairing the temple that Hilkiah, the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Prior to that time, the Book had been missing. When the contents of the Book were read to the young king, he tore his clothes in fear. The king discovered that all along, the people of Judah had not acted in accordance with all that is written in the Book. It became clear that one of the reasons why the leaders of Judah had been leading the people astray was because they didn’t know what was written in the Book. Because the people didn’t know what God actually wanted them to do, they had been doing the wrong thing, following the gods of foreign nations.

This story captures the importance of information. Perhaps, if the people had been aware of the information contained in the Book of Law they wouldn’t have gone astray to that extent. Today, there are many Christians in the same situation. Because they do not study the word of God, they have gone astray, following the ways of the world. Today, there are Christians who are trying to solve their own problems by themselves because they do not know what Christ said about those problems. Many Christians are trying to do things that Christ has already done. Because they do not read the Bible they are being led astray by false prophets. I hope we will all discover the truth as Josiah did.

Prayer: Lord, reveal the truth to me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 15:14; 2Chronicles 34:14-15

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Hosea 4:6

For over 15 years, I have been in the education sector, trying to encourage young people to develop reading habits. My campaign on reading culture is predicated on my belief that self-education is one of the best ways that anyone can use to rise to the top. My emphasis is on anyone. Indeed, anyone, whether rich or poor can rise to the echelon of their careers through self-education. So I promote reading, which is the main way people can educate themselves. I discovered this a long time ago when I had to study for my senior school certificate examinations. Although, I never attended a class on Christian Religious Studies and English Literature, I prepared for the exams by reading the recommended books at home. No one tutored me. When the results were out, I got my highest grades from those two subjects. Ever since, I have relied on self-education to excel in order things.

I am not against school or any other formal education; I am only trying to say that self-education can benefit everyone, including those who do not have access to quality education or formal training. You may not have the money to study in some of the most expensive institutions, but if you are determined to learn, you can educate yourself through a reading habit. And whether you are in school or not, self-education is one of the best ways to become knowledgeable about a lot of things.

Today, many people grieve and live in abject poverty, not because they’ve been cursed but for the reason that they are wallowing in their own ignorance. They are perishing, not as result of a lack of education but because they lack a certain kind of knowledge. Do you know that one can go to the best schools, and yet be ignorant about a lot of things? You can come from a privileged background and still be ignorant of ways to live effectively. I have also learned that a person may be highly educated and not know God. The Scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”.

Notice that it didn’t say, the people perished for lack of education. The people of Israel were perishing because they lacked knowledge. In that verse, God wasn’t referring to education as it wasn’t the problem at that time. The Israelites already had some form of education. There were those that had some form of education in writing, singing, tent making and all sorts of craftsmanship. There were also educated priests and judges. The majority of the people were also well-educated on their traditions. So what was the problem? They lacked knowledge about the nature of God. In other words, they were perishing because they didn’t know how to live the kind of life that God wanted them to live. Are you in a similar situation?

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to live an effective life. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Kings 22:1-11

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – 2 Samuel 22:47-49

The young David had just killed Goliath. News about him spread all over his country because he had just killed the most feared man. Goliath had frightened everyone, including Saul, the king of Israel. Goliath is described as a champion, who was over nine feet tall. He was clothed with bronze and armed with a huge weapon. What’s more, he had a big mouth. But despite his admirable endowments, Goliath was killed by a shepherd boy who only had a sling and a stone. Who wouldn’t want to share that kind of inspiring story? But as David’s fame grew, some women from all the towns of Israel suddenly popped up with a song.

“Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands,” They sang. It was this song that caused the rift between Saul and David. The Scripture says that “from that time on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” Because of that song, David eventually found himself on exile, away from the very country he rescued. King Saul, the man whom David saved from embarrassment became his enemy because of the women’s song. The negative impact that the song had on David extended to other kingdoms. When David fled from Saul and sought refuge in Gath, the country of king Achish, his servants reminded him that he was dealing with David; a man whom they sang about. To save his life, David had to act like a mad man while he was with king Achish (1 Samuel 21:10-15).

What David went through can happen to anyone who is on a leadership journey. There are times that you might achieve something remarkable while you are pursuing your dreams. That achievement may not be your ultimate goal. It may be a temporary promotion. But because the achievement is outstanding, the people around you might get excited about it and then celebrate you prematurely. Their celebration may be too loud and early. It might be at a time you are unprepared for the attention it will bring. Those who celebrate you might innocently get you into trouble by drawing too much attention.

Their praises and recognition might attract enemies you didn’t know existed. It might also create enemies who didn’t know you existed. Because they feel threatened by your achievements they would all come out and do everything it takes to stop you from going further. This kind of situation can be tough. It can also distract you and even make you lose focus. Instead of continuing your journey, you might find yourself stuck, trying to survive or fight back. As a result, your ultimate goal may be on suspension. If you ever find yourself in that kind of state, do what David did. Stay close to God. God has a way of turning obstacles into stepping stones.

Prayer: Lord, turn my obstacles into stepping stones.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 Samuel 18: 6-9; 1 Samuel 21:10-15;

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Proverbs 16:3

I know you’ve been trying to succeed in a given area. Possibly, you want to succeed in your work, business or relationships. Deep inside of you, there’s a strong desire to make a difference. You’ve probably set some goals, hoping you would someday realize those goals. You strongly believe that by accomplishing your goals, you would be happy. I know this because, God created each of us that way. You might not be aware of it, but ever since you started doing things for yourself; you’ve been setting goals. You might not have written it on a piece of paper, but you’ve set goals in your mind even as a child. You might not have been serious with your dreams but somehow, you had hoped it would happen.

Like you, I have also set so many goals in my life, hoping I would be able to achieve them and become a better, happier person. But at times, things don’t turn out as we planned it. I have seen many people make plans that never came to fruition. Over the years, I have learned that setting goals do not guarantee success. You may set goals and spend all your time and energy working on it, and in the end, that goal may not materialize. Or there are times you may set goals and then succeed in realizing them, but just as you are about to celebrate, you may suddenly discover the goals shouldn’t have been set in the first place.

I have achieved certain goals that didn’t eventually give me the satisfaction I thought they would. I have seen people achieve goals, but in the end, the goals turned out to be useless. Do you know why that happens? The scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” This message is repeated twice in the book of Proverbs. The importance of this message cannot be overemphasized. Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals. They spend their entire lives pursuing the wrong thing. They never realize they are on the wrong path until they get to the end of their lives.

To avoid such mistakes, I implore you to always involve God as you set your goals. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purposes that prevails”. Another verse also says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”. Indeed, God has given us the right and the ability to make plans, but if we want those plans to be on the right path, we ought to seek God’s guidance because His purposes always prevail.

Prayer: Lord, direct my steps. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; 19:21; 16:9

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – John 2:7

The rich man seemed to have everything. He was young and wealthy. Though he was religious, he felt there was something missing. When He met Jesus, he heard Him speak about the kingdom of God. He learned about eternal life – a life that would never end. This got his attention. He wanted to experience this everlasting life. So he asked Jesus; “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” At first, the response he got appeared to be simple. Jesus told him to obey the commandments of God. “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” The rich man said. Jesus looked at him and loved him then He asked the young man to sell everything he owed, help the poor with it and then follow Him.

Now the young man felt it was an impossible thing to do because he was so wealthy. He became terribly sad as he went away. One thing we can all learn from that story is that whomever Jesus loves, He calls. Mark 10:21 says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” While Jesus was on earth, He associated with a lot of people. He spoke to crowds, He went to people’s homes and dined, He healed many, but He only called and chose 12 people to follow Him. Jesus didn’t allow everyone to follow Him. One time, a teacher of the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus discouraged him. On another occasion, a man whom Jesus had healed begged to follow Him, but Jesus declined.

I don’t know who this is for, but I want you to know that if Jesus is asking you to follow Him, it is because He loves you. If He is asking you to give up everything, don’t feel sad. Jesus is not trying to take away your life, He wants to refill it. When Jesus asked the rich man to sell everything he owed, He was not only trying to test his faith but was trying to empty the man’s past so he could refill it with the new life He was about to give him. While He was on earth, Jesus was more interested in empty bottles than in bottles that were already filled. He was more interested in those who didn’t know God.

Jesus said, it is not the healthy who needs a doctor but the sick. He also said, “no one pours new wine into old wineskins”. Rather, new wine is poured into new wineskins. Most times, by the time Jesus meets us, we are already filled up with the things of this world. We are already filled up with ideas and philosophies of the world. We are filled with doctrines and religious practices. So when He comes, He may have to empty us before using us. Whenever He wants to use any bottle that is already filled up, it has to be emptied before refilling it with the word of God.

Prayer: Lord, refill me with your word. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 10:21; John 2:7; Luke 9:57-62

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.