The Portal

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Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

There are certain things we know as true but still find it hard to accept. One of such is death. Everyone knows death is inevitable but still, it doesn’t cushion the blow when it happens.  Just recently I saw two pictures of young chaps who had passed on and it sent my mind reeling. I always thought I was at peace with death…but can one really be?  Read more

Grace

Flowing from F, I couldn’t leave the topic of grace open ended.

G

I had previously described grace as a gift derived from bloodshed (1 Pet1:18-19). Most of us are also familiar with the definition of grace as unmerited favour. Grace is the gift of God to us.

Why grace? Why couldn’t the world continue following some laws and expressing how good they were based on their strict adherence to such laws? There you have it! Men continued to falter because they couldn’t do it all. So God, being so merciful and also noting that the blood of bulls and lambs weren’t enough had to send His only son down for us. On a lighter note, can you imagine us leading a row of sheep to church on Sundays to obtain forgiveness for all the sins we committed? It would definitely look like a farmhouse!  

Knowing we couldn’t fulfil the laws by ourselves, Christ came and fulfilled the laws. How could He? Despite human constrains? Well, need I remind you that NOTHING can constrain Him! Not even death.

By fulfilling the laws and dying on the cross, Jesus presented unto us grace. How sweet the sound! That saved a wretched like me and you. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.- Eph 2:8-9

My name means the ‘Grace of God’ and 23 years down the line, I still can’t fully grasp this amazing phenomenon! Once in a while I even doubt if I’m really saved. You know we humans want to know we got certain things based on our efforts. Days when I do a lot of good stuffs I feel ‘hell yeah! God must be proud of me’ and days when I fall into sin I feel like crap and I can literally see a huge disappointed look across His face. But the truth is He is proud of us all the time. As much as He hates sin, He still loves the sinner.

It’s like a baby who poos in his pants. (I don’t think any one of us likes seeing crap). So yeah I hate the poop but I love the baby! If the baby accepts he pooped, instead of going around stinking and still denying he didn’t poo (it’s crazy how some of us are oblivious to our sins)– if he accepts that he is in a mess and comes back for a cleaning, I would do so by all means! Of course babies accept they are in a mess by crying or just being plain uncomfortable when they crap in their pants. But we could also do that when we sin; cry out to God! He knows we are in a mess but He won’t force us to come for cleaning. He knocks on the door of our hearts and beckons us to come. Only He can clean us from our stinking crap of sin. Maybe remembering how much sin stinks like crap in our pants will help us not to be careless with it. 😉

I cannot do justice to this topic in one post. But you could listen to messages by the likes of Joseph Prince and Creflo Dollar who preach majorly on grace.

Reflection

Are you still piling up your good works as though they can save you? Are you carrying a stinking pant full of crap (sin)? Accept you are a sinner and turn back to God for cleaning by His blood. Only He can save you.

If you’re someone like that please take a minute to say the prayer below;

Dear Lord, I know I’m a sinner. I ask that you forgive me and cleanse be from my sins. I believe you died and rose for me. I accept you as my personal Lord and Saviour. Come and make my heart your home in Jesus name. Amen 

Heaven rejoices when anyone says that prayer in all sincerity and with faith! Go and get rooted in Bible teaching, faith based church. I’m proud of you! And God is too! 😀

Lots of love,

daintym

Out of the Shadows

GIRL SHADOWLiving in the shadows,

Afraid to stand in the spotlight,

Losing myself every day,

A part of me is long gone

Who have I become?

Please tell me

I can’t feel; or do I just feel so?

My mind is wrapping itself around me

I’m held captive

By my thoughts and imaginations,

Help me!

Please get me out of here!

Who do you want me to be?

I trust you have so many labels you would like to tag on me,

I’m afraid to disappoint you,

But I may just do

Find me if you know me,

Call me- maybe

Bring me back from my grave thoughts,

Save me!

Turn the lights on,

Can’t hide no more,

Gloom gives way to light,

From shadows to the stage.

©Mfon Etuk, 2016

The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.

Matt 4:16