BLESSING IN UNITY

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” PSALM 133

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” MATTHEW 18:19-20

 

There is power in unity. Division creates confusion. There is something special about people coming together and agreeing for a course. Unity is strength whiles division creates weakness. Unity again enhances survival, it is protection. Animals have developed an adaptation to survive by sticking together and walking in pacts. The weakest of preys have been able to overcome their fiercest predators by grazing together. Unity breeds confidence and creates a sense of security. Certain nations of the world, tribe, and tongue have endured and survived moments of adversity by staying together as one people, as the popular saying goes, “united we stand, divided we fall”. Scripture puts it right, a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Again if two walk together (in unity), they have a reward for their work, for if one falls, one will lift his fellow. Woe to you, it continues, if you walk alone, if you fall who lifts you up? (ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12). Divide and rule has long been a tactic used destroy, dominate, and rule a people. Certain powers of the world without a doubt have before and still do adopt this method to rule certain nations. They have long known that it is impossible to have your own way among people who are united until you pitch one group against the other. Political instability in certain nations of the world like we all know are as a result of one group of people of the same nation fighting another. Sometimes certain powers support even an illegitimate political group under the pretext of supporting good governance. See, the enemy will do anything to bring you down, and will do anything to separate and divide, to achieve his end which is destruction. Wherefore God in His Word admonishes us to stick together in unity. It is like a precious ointment He said! You cannot put a price on unity, it is the greatest defence against any onslaught of the adversary. Watching the movie 300 taught me a lot about the strength in unity. The secret to the Spartan Military strength was fighting together as a unit. Legend has it that a mere 300 Spartans were able to resist the advancement of Xerxes’ army who were so many that ‘their arrows blocked the sun’ in the Battle of Thermopylae. Truth or fiction, the great Leonidas, King of the Spartans led a brave few Greeks who fought together as a unit against an overwhelming Persian Army. Scripture again says that brethren dwelling together in unity is like the dew of Hermon, and as the dew which descended upon the mountains of Zion. Dews are known to have great influence on the nature of the soil and vegetation. it increases fertility and its gentleness flourishes the green vegetation. Brethren dwelling together in unity and exhibiting tender love one towards another fosters prosperity and peace. Enmity and division, hatred and war, is like a pest and the scorching sun in an arid habitat.

On the day of Pentecost, scripture says that they were all together with one accord in the upper room, and then The Holy Ghost descended. God is not the author of confusion, neither will He dwell in confusion. Where two or three are gathered together in His Name, there His is in their midst. He will never dwell nor inhabit in confusion. He commands His blessings where there is unity. Marriages are blessed when there is unity between the spouse, peace reign where there is agreement. War and confusion in a home or any environment is like sowing seeds among thorns. As they sprout forth, they are choked by the thorns and die. If two agree together on earth concerning anything, the bible says it is done of The Father in heaven. It is time for growth and prosperity, it is time for peace and blessings. It is time for survival and strength. Unity is the key. Days of brothers standing against one another, spouses disagreeing in fighting is over. God points to us in His Word that He commands His blessings on a united front. May we seek the preciousness of dwelling together in unity and thereby reap the benefits of its blessings. Our lives will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

GIFTS AND TALENTS

“Wherefore he saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” EPHESIANS 4:8

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey” MATTHEW 25:15

 

Gifts are God given endowments, capabilities,or powers intrinsic to a being whether noticeable or unnoticed. They are giving for edification of not just the possessor but for humanity as a whole. This is I believe  the principal reason for such endowment. Of course with the gifts come secondary issues and benefits but primarily, it is for the edification of both the possessor and human existence. They can be noticeable or discovered in a person from an early age or in some instances late in life. The earlier these gifts are realized, the better they are to the beneficiaries. With gifts discovered earlier in life, more time can be invested in their development. God however is so gracious to all men not to leave a single soul without a witness in that He has given gifts to all men. No matter who you are, or where you come from, race, colour, tribe or tongue, we are all endowed with unique abilities. These gifts may be spiritual or natural, but however form they are, it is to the same end, which is the benefit of humanity. Gifts differ and come in various forms and nature, and are given according to abilities and degrees of grace. Two people having the same gifts may differ in degrees or abilities. For example you have two gifted footballers and it is clear that they are not the same, one is more gifted or has more abilities than the other. Like I said before, the gifts whether spiritual or physical is to the same end. It is to edify and again foster unity “… For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith” EPHESIANS 4:12-13. It is well documented and historically proven how gifts and talents has before brought unity among people who normally will be segregated. Gifts of course are rooted in love, for this reason they edify and unite. No genuine God given gift is without love, no genuine talent discriminate, and no gift can ever thrive in hatred. if a gift cannot edify and unite, it cannot be a real gift. People with unique abilities have unique ways of inspiring and instilling awe in men with their breath taking execution. You can’t help but be inspired, love and be enthralled by these gifts. People with unique gifts are able to do things unique to themselves, their gifts or abilities separates them from the crowd. Tirunesh Dibaba, the great talent from Ethiopia, she takes my breath away. You just can’t help but be in awe of her ‘incredible’ ability. I do not have words to describe how I am in awe of her ability. Yesterday for example at the London 2012 Olympics 10000 meters final she was unbelievable. You just wonder where she gets the strength from to do that sprint on the final lap. She just stand head and shoulder above everyone else. She will go down in history as one of the greatest sports persons who ever lived. Time will fail me to talk of various individuals and various abilities, but one thing that is common to all these individuals are their uniqueness. In the end, it should edify and unite, black or white, asian or caucasian.

Gifts have the unusual ability of bringing favour. Your gifts can take you to areas you only see in your dreams. They take you to places where you wouldn’t naturally have access to, they make a way for you and bring you before great men “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men” PROVERBS 18:16. It was the gift of Joseph that brought him before Pharaoh, his gift took him from the prison to the palace, from a slave to a prince. Wherefore Paul the Apostle urged Timothy not to neglect the gift in him “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” 1 TIMOTHY 4:14. Davids unique ability on the harp, playing harp skillfully and singing songs was what brought him to the palace before king Saul. It took him from the sheepcote to the palace. Do you know what your gifts are? If yes, are you developing or neglecting them? Are you edifying and uniting or destroying and separating. In the end we shall all appear before the judgement seat of God to give accounts of what we did with our gifts. The LORD God bless you and keep you, and cause His face to shine on you. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!