BY Guest Writer
Pastor continued his sermon on ‘THE FATHER’S LOVE.’ It was the third instalment today. In earlier instalments, he had declared, “GOD loves us, and HE wants us to know that HE loves us. Obedience is the proof of our LOVE for GOD. GOD wants us to Love HIM, just as we want to be loved.”
Today, he said, “GOD wants us to Love people, including people who are difficult to love………….To seek GOD, and to find HIM, is a paradox of the soul. There are many PARADOXES in the BIBLE………….People experience GOD through us. We’re to Love people as we Love ourselves.”
Luke 6:35-36 says, “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the MOST HIGH. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be MERCIFUL, just as your FATHER also is MERCIFUL.”
Awesome Scripture! A tall order indeed! But, we can do it, and all things, through CHRIST Who STRENGTHS us.
From his submissions today, I got the following, “GOD gave us His SON, His SON gave us His LIFE and the HOLY SPIRIT, and the HOLY SPIRIT gives us the Power to live the Christian Life victoriously. The GOD of the whole Universe LOVES me, and HE wants me to LOVE all people.”
Hallelujah!
When I got home, I decided to research ‘PARADOXES IN THE BIBLE’, and this is what I found. The Bible is truly a phenomenal Book. Enjoy it………..
“Paradox: A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated, may prove to be well founded or true.” –The Oxford Dictionary.
“An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.” – Livio Android dictionary.
A paradox is a statement or group of sentences that contradict what we know while delivering an inherent truth.
“Carl Sandburg captured well the human condition with this paradox: “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”
Paradox is the ‘wild territory’ within which most ministers, preachers, and CHRISTIANS, live and work.
We see unseen things.
We conquer by yielding.
We find rest under a yoke.
We reign by serving.
We are made great by becoming small.
We are exalted when we are humble.
We become wise by being fools for Christ’s sake.
We are made free by becoming bondservants.
We gain strength when we are weak.
We triumph through defeat.
We find victory by glorying in our infirmities.
We live by dying.
Paradox beckons us into Mystery, and offers a wholesome reminder that GOD is infinitely GREATER than our ideas about GOD.” – Richard P. Hansen
“SEVEN GREAT BIBLE PARADOXES:
EXALTATION THROUGH HUMILITY
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” – James 4:10
STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for CHRIST’S sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:10
RECEIVING THROUGH GIVING
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the LORD JESUS, that He said, ‘It is more BLESSED to GIVE than to receive.’ ” – Acts 20:35
FREEDOM THROUGH SERVITUDE
“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” – Romans 6:18
GAINING THROUGH LOSING
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for CHRIST. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the EXCELLENCE of the KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST JESUS my LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain CHRIST.” – Philippians 3:7-8
LIVING THROUGH DYING
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” – John 12:24.” – Rodelio Mallari
A FEW MORE PARADOXES:
In Matthew 23:11 JESUS said, “Whoever wants to be greatest, should be everyone’s servant.”
In Mark 9:35 JESUS said, “Anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last.”
In Luke 17:33 JESUS said, “Whoever tries to keep their lives will lose it, and whoever loses their lives will keep it.”
James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”
“As a Christian who trusts in the infallibility of Scripture, I believe the Bible is 100 percent trustworthy and without error.
However, God’s Word contains many paradoxes—statements that appear contradictory on the surface when paired next to one another.
Understood in context, such statements complement one another to reveal a more full picture of truth.” – Aaron Wilson.
Those are the beautiful things my research uncovered this afternoon.
Remain curious!
Keep seeking JESUS, and He’ll find you. That’s another paradox.
Have a gracious week.
WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING? HOW GOOD ARE YOUR WORKS?
There are two sexagenarian women in our Church who taught Seyi Makinde, the current Governor of Oyo State, in secondary school, in the eighties. I’m sure that when these women see, hear, and read about Governor Makinde’s Good Works (and, he’s by no means perfect), their hearts leap for JOY, with GRATITUDE to GOD for the opportunity to have been a part of building him up to be the man he is today?
Hmm! I’m just wondering the kind of teachers that taught the other leaders we have in Nigeria. ‘Oooosunmi Oooooo! I say E tire me O!’
Certainly, the day shall come when your products (the works of your hand: children, students, congregation, goods, etc) shall expose the genuineness, futility or hypocrisy of your efforts and labour. Ensure you are daily sowing GOOD SEEDS. Be rest assured, your works (GOOD or bad) shall find you out! Our good works are like filthy rags before SALVATION in CHRIST JESUS, but, afterwards, we’re commanded, and expected to do GOOD WORKS – Ephesians 2:10.
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST. Now if anyone builds on this FOUNDATION with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” – 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” – Galatians 6:4.
What are you building?
How good is the work of your hand?
Selah!
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