Month: July 2020

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Isaiah 43:8

One of the mysteries of life is that one can have physical eyes and yet lack the ability to see. Again, a person can have ears but be unable to hear. You can also have a mouth and be unable to speak. Also, one can have legs and not be able to walk. A person can have hands but then again, be unable use it effectively. Just as a person can have any of the parts of the human body but still fail to put it to good use, one can also have life and be dead at the same time. This means, you can have life and yet be lifeless. Therefore, having eyes, ears, mouth, legs, hands or any other part of the human body doesn’t make you functional. You become functional by the things you do with your body parts. Similarly, what makes you alive is determined by what you do with your life.

One day, Jesus asked a young man to become His disciple. But the man said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus then replied, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Clearly, Jesus wasn’t only referring to physical death. Although the young man’s father was physically dead, those who would bury him weren’t. But Jesus spoke as if they were also dead. So by that statement, Jesus wanted us to know that one could be alive and still be dead at the same time. In other words, a person may not be physically dead but could be spiritually dead. As Christians, it is important for us recognize the need to stay alive spiritually. You can be physically strong but if you are not strong spiritually, then you are as dead as the people Jesus was referring to.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the ability to build my spiritual life. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 8:18-22

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – 1 Corinthians 6:17

Not many Christians believe they can be like Christ. Most times, we think of ourselves as humans who are incapable of becoming saints. We see ourselves as “sinners” who cannot overcome sin. Instead of thinking of ourselves as “little Christs”, we prefer to think of ourselves as weak and imperfect people. Somehow, religion and earthly philosophies have convinced us that we cannot be perfect. We’ve been conditioned to think that only heavenly beings are perfect. So when we fail to live the life that God expects of us, we blame it on our human nature and say things like, “I am just human.” Or we might say, “Only God is perfect.” But Jesus himself disagrees with that position. Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. When Jesus made that statement, he was teaching his disciples on ways they could live an effective life.

Christians should not only believe in what Jesus did, but should also believe in what He said. If it wasn’t possible to be perfect, would Jesus have mentioned it? The main reason why we are incapable of living perfect lives is because, most times, we live our lives without the influence of the Holy Spirit. We cannot be as perfect as our heavenly father if we depend on our flesh. As long as our flesh is occupying the place of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be like God. If the Holy Spirit isn’t the one influencing you, there’s no way you can be perfect.  It’s often a case of our flesh versus the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, come into my life and be my guardian. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 5:48; Romans 6:5-6;

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – John 3:6

One day, an old man, named Nicodemus paid a surprise visit to Jesus. Because he was a Pharisee, he had to sneak into the dark like a thief. Clearly, he didn’t want his colleagues to know he was visiting Jesus because they were opposed to His teachings. But Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus had come from God. So he went to Jesus so he could learn more about God’s kingdom. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” At first, Nicodemus was confused. He wondered how a grown up man like him could re-enter his mother’s womb and be reborn. But Jesus further explained, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” That is, just as our bodies are birth by “men”, our spirit has to be birth by the Holy Spirit.

It is important for us to realize that the process of becoming “born again” is for the purpose of entering God’s kingdom. The only time Jesus mentioned “born again” was in reference to God’s kingdom. Also, realize that becoming “born again” has to do with spiritual rebirth. It has little or nothing to do with being remorseful. That is, you don’t become born again because you heard a powerful sermon that made you emotional. Being born again isn’t about crying and feeling sorry because Jesus died on the cross. Its okay to feel emotional after a sermon but you can’t get into God’s kingdom by playing the victim card. The gates to God’s kingdom can only be opened for you when you are renewed by God’s Spirit. You truly become born again when you can see God’s kingdom with your “spiritual eyes”. Today, decide to build your spiritual life.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, reborn my spirit. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: John 3:1-21

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Mark 10:15

The scriptures say, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23). In other words, those who refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God will be unable to relate with God as their Father. On the other hand, whoever accepts Jesus as the Son of God will be able to relate with God through a father/child relationship. Simply put, anyone who receives Christ will not relate with a God as a slave, but would do so as a child (Galatians 4:7). Therefore, the quality of your relationship with God is determined by your beliefs about Jesus. As Christians, it is important for us to always think of God as our Father because God’s desire is not for us to act as His slaves but for every human to be able to call Him, “Abba! Father!”

If you can understand the ideal relationship between parents and their children, you would understand how your relationship with God should be. One time, Jesus told his disciples that “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, will never enter it.” Jesus was not only speaking about the need for us to believe in Him in the same way that children often believe in the “impossible”. Beyond that, Jesus wanted His disciples to adopt a childlike attitude as they relate with God. Just as children depend on their parents, we too are required to depend on God. If children do not worry over what they would eat and wear because it is provided by their parents, why should we worry over those things when we also are children before God? If children would submit to their parent’s will, why shouldn’t we also submit to God’s will?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, teach me how to act like a child. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 10:13-16; 1 Peter 1:3-5

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – 1 Kings 19:9

Prophet Elijah had just achieved something remarkable. After winning a prayer contest against the prophets of Baal, Elijah had caused a strong revival in Israel. When the people of Israel saw how God responded to Elijah’s sacrifice through a fire that came from heaven, they repented. Elijah had seized that moment and ordered the killing of the prophets of Baal. Moments later, just as Elijah had prophesied, Israel had a heavy rain, after over three years of drought. It was a great victory. But just as Elijah was about to celebrate, he found himself, once again in the wilderness, when he received a death threat from his arch enemy – Jezebel. While he was running away from his beloved country, Elijah became disillusioned. He became depressed and even prayed that God would take his life. But as he rested in a cave, God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Possibly, God asked that question because Elijah wasn’t supposed to run away from his country, even though he was threatened by Jezebel. Elijah should have had the courage to confront Jezebel. Perhaps, you’ve found yourself in a similar situation; you’ve spent your time and energy on a cause. And after doing so much, you expected your life to change for good. But instead of honor and recognition, you’ve been rejected and misunderstood by many. You are now at a point where you are beginning to doubt and question your convictions. Or are you that person who has been doing God’s work? Even after doing a lot, you are still surrounded by challenges. So you are wondering if God is still with you or not. Unless if God tells you to quit, stay there. Oftentimes, God wants us to confront challenges, not to run from it. With God, you will triumph.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the strength to overcome. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 Kings 18:38-46; 19:1-9

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