Admin, Author at Thrive by The Word

July 6, 2020July 6, 2020

Teach us to number our days

It was my birthday yesterday, and even though I am not one to make an elaborate fuss of such a day (more so being married to a man who’s just as apathetic about such, maybe a tad more even), it provided a good opportunity for me to pause for some reflective review.

Looking back, I am deeply grateful for God’s gracious gift of life and sustenance – physical and spiritual, and the additional blessings of family and friends who make it all the more worthwhile. Looking ahead, I am confident, not of a clearly mapped out, foolproof blueprint, but of a Father who is faithful to lead and guide me precisely to the destination he intends for me. Between then and now, he calls me to redeem the time, diligently stewarding my moments and my days.

Bought with a price

God requires good stewardship of our time, and lives really. Indeed, as believers, we are not our own, having been bought with a price of another’s death. The Bible does not live us in the dark as to the implication of that truth, but instead gives us a single, yet all-encompassing life purpose to live for – the glory of God.

We must not fall for the mistaken idea that it’s possible to keep our spiritual lives separate from our secular lives. What genuine faith requires is more than a tangential commitment to Christ, for “unless he is Lord of all, he is not Lord at all”¹. Eating and drinking are by no stretch of the imagination extraordinary activities, I very much doubt that they are the stuff of To-do lists, yet the Bible commands that they be done to the glory of God ( 1 Cor. 10:31), how much more so the more significant endeavours.

Living for the glory of God is not less than what we say and do, but more; it has a lot to do with why and how we do and say the things we do and say. It is very likely that our motivations will fly under the radar of a spectating audience, especially in the sea of carefully curated social media content, but such motivations are uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Numbering our days

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

The goal of numbering our days is not so that we may wallow in shame and regret at opportunities squandered, nor is it that we may revel in past successes and achievements, but it is that we may gain a heart of wisdom. A heart of wisdom is one that is committed to learning and applying the truth. There’s not much use of knowledge gained but not applied. To be sure, there is knowledge that puffs up, but that is not the kind that ought to characterise our lives.

Numbering our days is an invitation to attend to things temporal with eyes fixed on the eternal. It means being present in our callings, seeking to do wholeheartedly what we have been called to do, resisting the temptation to succumb to the many legitimate distractions that line the path of 21^st Century living.

Numbering our days involves looking carefully how we walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:15&16).

Life is short, the days are evil, and we have an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour. Oh that we would fervently cry out with Moses, the man of God – “Teach us to number our days!”

On my part, as the strands of grey hair continue to jostle for undeniable prominence, my prayerful desire is that I will, with wisdom, walk daily in the good works prepared beforehand for me (Eph. 2:10).

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga.

¹ Dr. S.M Zwemer, The Solitary Throne.

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020

Confronting Christianity

No, I haven’t mistakenly scored an own goal! Neither am I having second thoughts about my Christian faith. What I’ve done is borrowed Rebeca McLaughlin’s book title, Confronting Christianity – 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. What better title could I have come up with for a book recommendation?

Another confession. Reading has been a real drag for me since the start of the lock-down. Often, I’m exhausted by the end of the day, and reading just naturally and gradually took a back seat. Well, I did eventually grab a book, and worked my way through its twelve chapters at a pace marginally faster than snail speed. By the time I turned the last page over, I had no doubt that it was well worth the effort.

From the question of suffering to homophobia, Confronting Christianity covers a breadth of topics that readily pass for landmines in a postmodern, post-truth world, more so as such topics are not detached from the grim reality of far too many people. To be misheard on such matters would therefore be a disservice to any attempt to offer a credible defence, however well-meant that may be. McLaughlin takes great care to express her thoughts in a way that leaves the reader in no doubt as to the point she’s making. She does not offer mere philosophical answers to what she rightly concedes as ‘hard questions’; but repeatedly does a good job of fleshing out otherwise abstract ideas in practical ways, all within a biblical framework.

Without doubt, a lot of research went into this piece of work, both in terms of historical and anecdotal evidences. The author does seem to have a bevy of friends and associates from whom she garnered first-hand experiences of varying sides of an argument. This gives the book a balanced feel, rather than an amplified opinion oozing from an echo chamber. Yet, she does justice to divergent perspectives with a healthy balance of grace and candour. Without dismissing legitimate concerns, she gives fair hearing to opposing ideas and follows them through to their logical ends, thereby exposing undetected assumptions and gaping fault lines.

For different reasons, this book will serve believers, non-believers and every category in between. As a believer, reading this book reinforced my knowledge and appreciation of foundational truths of the Christian faith, whilst also challenging personal biases on some other aspects. It also held out the hope of the gospel in a very tangible way that reminded me that the goal of my existence is relationship with Christ; a relationship formed through suffering as much as through joy!

The 12 questions tackled in this book are asked not only by sceptics, but dare I say, by genuine Christians as well. The robust answers and defence in this compelling work of genius is therefore a helpful additional resource for people keen to heed the Bible’s admonition to “always be prepared to gently and with respect, give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15.

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga.

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020

Blessed are those who mourn

In the wake of all the unrest going on around the world in the last couple of days, particularly in the US, I reached out to a dear friend across the pond to know how she was faring and what prayers were on her heart. On my part, my heart was still reeling from the horror of the video clip I had just watched, overwhelmed by grief and with tears streaming down, I could only cry ‘Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.’ Not too long after, she replied with prayers that were quite perceptive of a broader take on the crisis that was breaking not just both of our hearts, but of countless others. I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pass along some helping of that godly wisdom as the thrust of this blogpost.

The heart of the matter

The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. If we’re going to take seriously (and we ought to) the Bible’s description of the human heart as “deceitful above all things…” (Jeremiah 17:9), then we must take stock of how our hearts are doing, in order for us to tow the path of genuine repentance. And by genuine repentance, the Bible does not mean turning from one sin while safeguarding another. D.A Carson likens the absurdity of partial repentance to that of partial pregnancy, asserting that “loyalty to God in selective areas is no longer loyalty, but treason.”

To kickstart that oh-so-needful heart check, we need not look far at all, the Psalmist has done us much favour:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

There’s not much left of a self-righteous finger-wag at the other end of the Psalmist’s prayer, I would imagine, and fittingly may we say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”.

A glorious spectacle

Christ’s body, the Church, is described as “a pillar and ground of the truth” 1 Timothy 3:15. In other words, the Church ought to be a visible representation of the truth, in both words and deeds. It is through the Church that the manifold wisdom of God is on display before a watching world.

The world is crying out for justice, and rightly so! Whilst we acknowledge that no human legal system could administer true justice the way the cross of Christ does, might it be a wake-up call for the Church to assess her own failings in this regard? Are there undetected biases and indifference to the plight of fellow image bearers? Are our ears tuned in to these conversations? Are we pushing through the awkward to foster unity, and not necessarily uniformity? Are we willing to sacrifice cultural preferences on the altar of Christ-centered community?

These call for individual and corporate repentance alongside prayers for the preservation of the Church’s testimony, that we may not be ashamed on the day of unveiling. But rather that “he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:26 -27 (ESV)

Mourning with those who mourn

Springing across the pond yet again, any way you slice it, great evil and injustice was done. One charged with the responsibility to protect lives, gruesomely and unnecessarily snuffed that very life out of another. Everything in us ought to cry out, not just for justice, but for mercy from the righteous judge of all the earth who will do right. In the meantime, we mourn with those who mourn, earnestly praying that they may know the comfort and nearness of the one who has promised “never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (ESV).

As we mourn at both personal and corporate levels, first our sins, and also the loss of a reality that our hearts yearn for, let us do so with trust in Jesus’ promise that “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” May he sanctify to us this moment of deep distress. Amen

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020

The Helper

Yesterday, Christians around the world commemorated the Day of Pentecost, a remembrance of the feast of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2. This was in fulfilment of the promise Jesus made to his disciples during his farewell discourse –

” Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 ESV

It is quite remarkable that the Holy Spirit is described in this passage as ‘the Helper’. Well, we know that the Bible was not written originally in English, so the original word in Greek, Parakletos, takes on different renderings such as Counsellor, Comforter, Advocate and a few other variants in different Bible translations. Even so, such variations in terminology do not diminish the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Our Comforter

The Holy Spirit is the believer’s Comforter, not in the mere sense that He only consoles us, but in the sense that He comes to our aid by ministering to us in our spiritual lives. Spotlighting Jesus, He brings to our remembrance Jesus’ works and words. While Jesus pleads our cause before our heavenly Father as our advocate, the Holy Spirit fills in for his physical absence, convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.

John 14 – 16 set forth the cost of Christian discipleship, and it is within that context that the Holy Spirit is promised. The Church is called to bear witness to the invisible kingdom of God in all the earth and to do just that, we require supernatural strength.

The disciples were told to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. In other words, they could not accomplish their mission without that crucial empowerment. And even when they were gripped by fear and hid themselves, they prayed and were filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, the result of which was extraordinary boldness, and an increased spread of the gospel!

The same is true for us today – the only way to faithfully live out our faith is by the Spirit. Our daily toil ought to be couched in the strength made available by the One standing by our side.

It is not uncommon for us to feel overwhelmed and wearied by the race that is set before us, but it is comforting to have one that stands with us to empower, encourage and uphold us steadily and steadfastly to the end – the Holy Spirit.

A continuous filling

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, though historically fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, is not a one-off event, as Paul the Apostle later admonishes us not to be drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The implication of this admonition suggests an ongoing and recurring activity.

Just as a tree will only produce fruits of its kind, the only hope we have of bearing the fruit of the Spirit in increasing measure is by yielding to the Spirit’s work in us. It is futile to expect that we can, by sheer determination or will power produce the genuine article. The only way we can walk in the good works prepared for us to walk in is by the power of the Spirit.

May I invite you to join me in making a daily commitment to ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit. There’s no telling what the Lord might be pleased to do in and through us in answer to that simple prayer.

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020

Praying with Jehoshaphat*

“You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” – John Bunyan.

O Lord, the God of all mankind, enthroned in the heavens, the God who reigns supremely over all kingdoms and over all the nations of the earth! You are the self-sufficient and self-existent being, immutable and unchanging, a rock who is utterly trustworthy. Your greatness is irresistible, your wisdom is unsearchable, and your beauty is unequalled. You hold all power and might in your hand, and you offer your signet ring to whomever you will, according to your divine purposes.

You are in absolute control over all affairs of life, the transcendent God who is also imminent; the God who covers himself in darkness and darkness itself hides and becomes as light before you; the God who dwells in light unapproachable; the infinite One that cannot be contained – nothing perturbs you.

As high and lofty as you are, you have drawn near to us as we draw nigh to you, and you have brought us into an everlasting friendship! Friends of God, how possible? We stand in awe of your majesty and praise you because you always work in favour of your people, your chosen ones whom you have redeemed by your might and by your right arm. While the storms rage and the enemies supplant, we rest in your friendship as you have become our defender.

But why does evil seem to prevail? How come disaster has become natural? How long will the enemy triumph and our eyes grow dim in sorrow over the increasing rebellion of the wicked? How long, O Lord, will you allow your name to be mocked? How long will fear, anxiety and depression subsume your image bearers? Please take your hand from the fold of your garment and cause your wonders to be known once again. Let your righteousness and steadfast love extend over your creation. Would that the Lord rend the heavens and amaze us by your mighty sovereignty; heal and bind our brokenness and let us experience life instead of death.

O God, we toil under the sword of judgment; plagues and famine consume us; things that we cannot see with our naked eyes hold us to ransom and almost halt all human activities and flourishing. Our souls are bowed down to the dust, and our bodies are pressed to the earth, but we stand in your presence and cry to you from our distress for salvation. We are your people who are called by your name, please extend mercy to us since you are not ashamed to be called our God.

Our eyes are on you as we long for the consummation of the kingdom of your dear Son, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. We desperately ache for that day when your enemies become your footstool, and the King of kings befittingly sits on the throne of his father, David, and reign supremely, including over the last enemy, death. From that heavenly temple, please radiate on us the ever-shining glory of the Lion of Judah as we eagerly anticipate his coming when we shall see him face to face and our lowly bodies will be transformed as his glorious body. Until then, please keep us faithful.

Amen.

*Inspired by Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20.

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

Praying with the Psalmist, David

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the skies. You have loved us not because we are lovely, but to make us lovely. May we love you in return.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, and your justice is like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. Amidst troubles, calamities and the current Coronavirus pandemic, we see your kindness and graciousness towards mankind, and we are full of gratitude to you for those you have placed over us in authority and government, tirelessly bringing counsel and care for the preservation and sustenance of lives; for numerous health care workers who risk their lives on behalf of the weak, the sick and the vulnerable; for scientists, economists and other experts who are offering their skills despite mitigating circumstances; for those who are offering help in one form or another; for our pastors and spiritual leaders who continue to labour over us and seek out ways to encourage us; for healing for those who have recovered; for technologies that have come quite handy these days; for warmer and drier weather; and many more of your blessings that we don’t even know of, talk less of recounting them. Indeed, we can testify to your help and kindness, and we thank you.

Father, we don’t want to ignore areas in our world that have been perennially plagued by diseases, civil unrest and scarcity – please bring lasting peace and provision to such areas. We rest in you because we know that you care about every soul. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! We take refuge in the shadow of your wings, you have been our dwelling place through all generations.

We long for a foretaste of that heavenly banquet that you have promised us. Father, we do not want a heaven that is devoid of Christ, but we beg you for immeasurable abundance in Christ. May we drink from the river of your delights, the river whose streams make glad the city of God. Please give us from that fountain to drink and bring healing in its wings, as we plead for you to mercifully stay the hand of this virus. As we physically wash and sanitise our hands, please wash our hearts with hyssop so we are truly made clean.

Father, it is in your light that we see light. Please don’t let our light become darkness; instead cause the brilliance of your holiness to shine upon our hearts that we may no longer grope in darkness, but that our paths may shine brighter and brighter till the full light of day.

Lord Jesus, please open the eyes of our hearts that we may know you better and experience the power of your resurrection. Please fill us with the knowledge of your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives, so we may live lives that are worthy of Jesus and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.

Amen.

*Inspired by the Psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 36.

April 6, 2020April 6, 2020

Praying with Jonah

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

Even so, we pray still!

In our distress, we call to you, O Lord, please answer us. From the deep, in the realm of the dead, we call for help, please listen to our cry. You promised to answer when we call on you. We now call on you, who is worthy to be praised.

We have wallowed in the depths, in the very heart of calamity where the currents swirl us, and all your waves and breakers sweep over us; flood ahead and enemies behind. Seas of adversity, anxiety and depression overwhelm us, and our beds are wet with our tears.

Nevertheless, we look to your heavenly temple, where the curtain has been ripped into two, as we now access our great high priest, our dependable advocate that empathises with our weaknesses. We come with confidence to find mercy and grace in this time of need. For who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died for us, and it is with him we have now been united in an inestimable love that can never be unbound.

Even while the engulfing waters threaten and the deep surrounds us, we have confidence that we are not alone. We rest in the Spirit of Christ who sustains us, even through the shadows of death. May the love that has been shed abroad in our hearts cast out every form and trace of fear and may we walk with certain hope.

Lord, our God, when life seems to ebb away, please bring our lives from the pit and raise us out of the dungeon of hopelessness. Please deliver us from worthless idols and make us respond with loyalty and faithfulness to your love so that, with shouts of grateful praise, we may offer acceptable sacrifice to you. Indeed, salvation comes from the Lord!

We beg you to remove from our hearts all traces of apathy and lukewarmness. Instead, fill us with passionate desire to know and do your good pleasure. Let our ‘knee time’ exceed our ‘me time’; in public and private, may our lives be steeped in prayer, filled with the spirit of grace and supplication.

Amen.

*An adaptation of Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2.

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020

Praying with Daniel

Oh that praying would be of first importance, and not our last resort!

Father, we confess that you are the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love you and keep your commandments. What a privilege for us to be drawn into friendship and eternal covenant with the Godhead, and this is only made possible through the sacrifice of your Son. We thank you for that sacrifice that speaks better things on behalf of your chosen people.

Lord, we are sorry that we have not been faithful to you and to your covenant. At times, we have ignored you entirely, at other times, we have extremely worked hard to earn a right standing with you in our own strength, using our sanctification as means for our justification. We have often trusted in ourselves and things that we have made instead of trusting in you. Father, it does feel as if we are in exile once again; we have transgressed your laws and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. We are truly sorry.

We are experiencing agonising pain and suffering in our world. Civil unrests and wars, poverty and illiteracy; climate changes and a pandemic, and the list seems endless. The unprecedented dross, degradation and death are decimating humanity and marring your image bearers. We seek your favour amid these disasters that you have allowed, turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

As we are covered in shame, we come to be clothed in the perfect righteousness of your Son. Even though we have rebelled against you and not kept your laws, we know that you are merciful and forgiving. Will you please shine your light in full strength on the global church? With your sharp sword, come and renew us and restore us to the place of fervency and great delight in your Son. Open our ear to hear what the Spirit of your Son is saying to us and grant us strength that we might be faithful ambassadors of your eternal kingdom.

Lord, you are righteous in everything you do, we recount your past mercies through redemptive history. In keeping with all your righteous acts, please turn away your anger and your wrath from us. Our sins and our disobedience have made us objects of scorn. Please hear the prayers and petitions of your servants. For your sake, Lord, look with favour on the church. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation in the world. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your world and your elect bear your Name.

We cast our fears and burdens at your feet. In our restlessness, please grant us grace to be still and to know that you are God. In our unending demands, grant us peace and freedom to accept your timetable and your ways. In our waiting, please grant us a very real sense of your presence and goodness. Help us discern between the good and the best, between the eternal and the temporary, and may the gospel compel us to love mercy, work for justice, and walk humbly with you until the day we see your face. We look forward to that Day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, but until that day, please give us oil in our lamps that we may patiently endure to the end.

Amen.

*An adaptation of Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9.

March 23, 2020March 23, 2020

Nehemiah prays

In light of all that is going on around us, would you lend your voice in prayer today, following in the footsteps of Nehemiah?

Oh sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, the great and awesome God, who loves relentlessly and sacrificially. Faithful and dependable are you. We love you because you have first loved us.

Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayers of your servants, prayers that are offered before you day and night on behalf of the peoples that you have made in your own image and after your own likeness. We are your people living in the world you created, and we come to you because you have promised to hear us when we earnestly seek your face; our souls thirst and long for you as a dry and parched land longs for rain.

We confess our sins to you. We have strayed away from your ways and order; we have rejected your truth and instead allowed falsehood, animosity, selfishness and hatred to fester. We have acted in unkind ways towards you and towards one another, and we have not been responsible enough to look after the world. We have neglected the poor and the needy as we have allowed our love of pleasure in me-centeredness to shape us. We are truly sorry as our sins are many, but your mercy is more.

Our paralysis seems not to be disconnected from our sins and disobedience, but we are convinced of your flood of mercy and forgiveness that you have promised to the penitent. We look to the cross of your Son where mercy and justice kiss, please relent and turn away from your wrath. Please cleanse our dirty feet and cure the leprosy of our hearts. Please clean our slate and dump our past, present and future sins into the sea of forgetfulness.

We now beg you to command your blessings upon your world at this dark hour. We, your people, whom you redeemed by your strength and your mighty hand, cry to you on behalf of your creation, may the flood of healing and restoration flow into the lives of both young and old, male and female. Cause your generosity and goodness to abound, reaching to the four corners of the earth; let light overcome darkness; let truth outwit lies; let salvation come to us all. And through it all, please make us ready to meet Your Son when he returns to bring the fullness of his kingdom. In the meantime, please let us enjoy a foretaste of the blessings of that perfect kingdom, in spite our fragility.Lord, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your people who delight in revering your name and give us success.

Amen.

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020

What about suffering?

High on the list of objections to Christianity is the problem of evil and suffering. This is not particularly surprising, as one needs to only catch a glimpse of newspapers and news channels. They are brimming with reports of all manner of atrocities and disasters, natural and man-made alike. This ill does not spare any known category under the sun. Rich or poor. Educated or not so educated. Royal or plebeian. Male or female. Whatever category one considers, varying degrees of suffering cut across all strata of human existence. Even the wider set of (non-human) living things are not spared.

Some calamities can be attributed to visible causes, and are subsequently ‘explainable’, but others remain shrouded in mystery. To such grim reality, the Bible speaks. Not in mere intellectual rhetoric or trite religious platitudes, but empathetically and ultimately in Christ, a man of suffering and one familiar with pain (Isaiah 53:3).

For the Christian, suffering brings into focus the question of how an all-powerful, all loving God could possibly exist in the face of pervasive evil and suffering.

Continue reading at TGCA

Thanks for reading!

‘Sike Osinuga.