Do I begin by saying how much I’ve missed the blog and its readers? Or do I begin with the story of how my life has been these past months? Well, I’ll start from the latter and arrive at the former. Read more
She Loved Much
She, like anyone else had baggage. Admittedly, she was a hooker and everyone knew it. She’d hear the whispers whenever she passed by. But really, how was a pretty girl supposed to make money and get by? Of course she wasn’t happy about the turn her life had taken. She always wanted to marry and well, have kids. But who was she kidding; she was just a sex worker.
Something about him drew her close. He wasn’t like the others. He was- different. She observed him. His eyes were so transparent, she could see his heart. There was something there…something she had never seen. Was it love?
Sneaking into the elite party, she found her way to his seat. His eyes still held that thing for her. It thawed the ice inside of her as her tears began to fall in torrents. She knelt at his feet and cried some more, then pulled her silky hair loose to absorb the tears. With the one expensive Miss Dior bottle, she sprayed his feet till the entire room took up the beautiful scent.
He looked at her with compassion in his eyes. Saw all she had done but didn’t judge her. He forgave her despite the pile up of sins. He loved her and she in turn reflected his love like her eyes reflected his.
She loved much because she was forgiven much. –Luke 7:47
You know why some of us still have the time to judge others for their sins or place ours on a scale and see whose is the heaviest? Well, because we love little. Thanks to God who loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us. In so doing, He set an example of what love is. He was sinless and had every right to judge us but he didn’t.
Why then do we see others who sin and think it’s unforgivable? We put them on the stand and sentence them guilty. This, they’ve gotten used to. And for this reason, they won’t change. We will judge them anyway!
You can’t say you love and find it so hard to forgive.
We love much when we understand the gravity of our sins and the extent of His forgiveness. We love others when we realize we’ve all sinned and fallen short but God loves us anyway. This love, He expects us to extend to others.
It’s Valentine’s season and I couldn’t help dropping a message on love. Let’s love much because we know how much we’ve been forgiven.
Happy Valentine’s Day friends! ❤❤
Song of the week: You Love me Anyway by Sidewalk Prophets.
Love,
Me Too!
Dangers of the ‘Me too!’
Imagine you’re going through some rough patch in your life or you’re battling some sin or vice and you finally open up to someone and they say ‘oh my God! I face this same thing’. The words ‘Me too!’ tumble down like the savoury Toblerone chocolate on your tongue. Those two words are most heart-warming and immediately bridge the gap between any two-people facing similar experiences. Read more
Extreme
Sometimes God uses extreme situations to get our attention. I’ve found this to be true. Days when I’m doing everything right and following my usual routines seem ‘blah’ in comparison to days when I trip and fall into temptation. Days when imperfection is boldly written across my forehead. Such days when I feel like a worthless piece of rag God wouldn’t want to have anything to do with – those are the days when I hear Him. When I feel Him. When I know without a doubt, the undiluted grace of God. You wouldn’t know the gravity of forgiveness until you’ve done something really wrong. Read more
I’ve Fallen…What next?
I remember falling quite a number of times as a kid. I still have some scars to show. Which is normal of course! Kids fall a lot during the growth process. As an adult, I can’t really remember falling face down on the ground. Even when my foot hits a stone, I still manage to regain balance. I think falling down constantly as an adult is problematic. Read more
Young and Free
One minute you think you’re free from the chains that held you bound; the shame that took you captive, the addictions that controlled you; the secrets and lies that had you insecure. You feel free and liberated; confident about your life. Then one day, it slowly creeps in like the darkness, uninvited. You fall so hard, you can’t get up. Whatever happened to your freedom? Was it all smoke and mirrors? Is there really no way out of this pit?
The lies begin to seep in. ‘You will never be free’,’ You can’t tell anyone about this’. No one knows you struggle with this ‘weakness’. Yes, you call it a weakness because you’re scared to call it what it is- SIN.
It eats so deep into your system, wraps its tentacles around you, clogging your intake of God’s light through His word. Slowly you begin to distance yourself from people who love you, especially people who love God. Nah, you don’t need the judgement from church folks. Nobody does.
Soon enough you begin to feed the sin without complaining. Unconsciously, subconsciously you give your body what it demands, being a slave to it’s bidding. ‘I want more food!’ ‘Yes master!’ sounds familiar? Nobody chooses to be a slave. But as soon as you sign the sin contract, you begin to avail yourself to your body’s beck and call.
Slave to sin, slave to the flesh. Heck! I don’t want to be a slave no more! I want to be able to put my body under subjection and say; ‘hey, body! You’ve gotta fast for 3 days!’ And it obeys without complain. Once you begin to plead with your body, beg your body- you’re bound! You can’t play with sin and remain unharmed. You can’t feed sin and think it wouldn’t grow and multiply. FYI sin is a living thing. It co-habits with the flesh and takes over your entirety; your thoughts and your mind. It blurs your vision from what was once distinctively black and white. You begin to see various shades of grey instead. The poor little conscience you once had gets so stifled by your constant refusal to listen.
You live in an illusion of freedom when in reality you are bound by shackles to your own body and the substance (sin) you’re feeding it. I would know, because I’m talking about me.
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. –Rom 7:24-25
There is definitely a way out and you haven’t run out on your ‘Grace Express Card’ yet. Withdraw from it in true repentance. Turn to the one who has the key to the cuffs that hold you bound. He’s the only one who can save you. I know you may feel, ‘hey, I can still control this’. But you really can’t. Soon enough, the sin grows and multiples and keeps having babies on your inside. All pulling you to do the things you ‘don’t’ want to do. Oh yes! A little part of you doesn’t. But sin doesn’t care. It does a hostile takeover!
So take in a deep breath (evidence that you’re still living). Good. Please say this prayer from the depth of your heart.
Dear Lord. I believe in you. I believe you died and rose for me. I have been struggling with this sin (mention it) for some time now. And I want to be free from it. I know you can set me free and I believe that I am free. Please forgive me for my sins and take me back. I can’t do this on my own. Thank you for hearing and answering me. In Jesus name, Amen!
So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.-John 8:36
It’s my desire that you live victorious lives! Go ahead and live young and free!
Lots of love,
© Mfon Etuk, 2016
Dainty M. 