A SHOCKING REPORT.

Centre verse:1 Samuel 3:13" For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth;because his sons made themselves vile,and he restrained them not".  TEXT 1 Samuel 3:11-21. If the sanctuary at Shiloh was ancient Israel's most honoured treasure, Eli the chief priest did not show his honour in the way he treated his sons matter for the house of the Lord God. However, the Lord found no error with Eli for giving duties in the temple to his sons,Hophni and Phinehas,He upbraided their father for not stopping them upon discovering their vileness. Eli failed in parental guidance and discipline. It pains to observe that those who are suppose to be a models of good conduct in the house of God are the root of defilement. This obviously was a worse presentation of dishonest for righteousness. God had to intervene. The Bible says,He sent someone to warn the priest of the impending justice that would bring an end to Eli's priesthood and death, in one day,of Hophni and Phinehas. In the same way,family would also no longer be in the lineage of priests. Therefore, there was the prediction that Samuel would replace Eli. There are three central points to note here.  First, it is not sufficient to pretend to honour God on the basis of merely being a worker in the house of God. Second, God does not dishonoring of His redeemed Church lightly because "He has purchased it with his own blood". Finally, family and church members must be watchful to urgently discipline offended brethren in order not to bring down the entire Church when God move to judge sin;for" if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged "(1corintians 11:31). God will punish sinners on earth and in eternity. Surrender your life to Jesus through repentance now,forsake all your sins,receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour and live a holy lifestyle to escape God's anger. REMEMBER THIS: You must move from sin to avoid God's move against sin.

INSTANT JUDGMENT.

Centre verse (Numbers 12:9,10,)"And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them;and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle:and, behold, Miriam became leprous,white as snow:and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold she was leprous " TEXT: NUMBERS 12:9-16. Although a small member of the body,the tongue is known to be able of doing mighty things. The Bible declares that,the tongue is a fire,a world of iniquity; so the tongue among out members, that it defileth the whole body,and setteth on fire the course of nature... (James 3:6). Unguarded use of the tongue is wicked and it brings judgment. In the time of jealous rage,Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses, their brother, in the attitude that was bad:hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Moses was explained in the Bible as"very meek" above all the men upon the face of the earth,"he was not in competition for leadership with anybody. This was so an irresponsible difficult task to his authority. "And the anger of the Lord was Kindle against them;and he departed." God noticed what they said and the consequence of their action was instant judgment as Miriam became leprous. The judgment was pronounce to everyone because their unbridled tongue was heard by all. Sin committed publicly should be treated publicly for all to fear and learn, even if the punishment is to be only rebuke. How we need to watch our statements and measure our words before we speak. Words can be compared as bullets fired out of the gun's barrel that cannot be called back. Whatever our situations in life are,we must be aware of the punishments of our spoken words, more especially our leaders in the homes, in the church or in the nation. REMEMBER THIS: The tongue is frightful; the wise beings it under Christ's control. Further Bible verses: Deuteronomy 24:9;2Kings 5:27.

THE BEST COMPANION.

Centre verse (John 15:13)"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. "TEXT: JOHN 15:1-14.David and Jonathan had an outstanding friendship. Jonathan joyfully offered his crown to his friend, though he qualified in every aspect to wear it,the rightful heir to the throne after his father Saul. The uncommon relationship and love is admirable, still cannot be compared with that of the Saviour of mankind Jesus Christ, who poured out His precious blood, not for His friends alone, but for His enemies. This thing occurred in the agony of death and he prayed for His Father to pardon His executors because of their ignorance. The writer of psalms encourages you to love the son as a gift of friendship with Him. When someone accepts the love of Christ, it will bring the person into a life-long and eternal agreement and friendship with Him hereafter. Obedience and total surrendered to Him is the only signs that you are His friend, remembering that ignoring His friendship will amount to divine indignation. REMEMBER THIS: JESUS is the true companion you need in life. Further Bible verses: Roman 5:7,8;John 3:16.

A PREDOMINANT SACRIFICE.

Centre verse(Hebrews 13:12)"Wherefore Jesus also,that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach " TEXT: HEBREWS 13:8-15. A man was was conscripted as a soldier into the civil war in England to be involved in a prolonged military assault of Leicester. When he wanted to move ahead with his company, another asked to move in his place. According to the man,"He replaced me coming to the siege." As he was standing at the back of the guard, he was shot in the head by a species of firearm bullet. He gave up the ghost. That sacrifice saved the man from premature death for greater work for the kingdom of God. The same incident of exchange position that led to Christ death on the Cross of Calvary is seen in our today's text. Christ Jesus exchanged positions with us to bear the consequences of our sins and satisfy the judgment of God for our freedom. The Cross is therefore the single place God has selected to reach with the penitent sinners. The altar in our text represents the Cross where the sacrifice occurred. The altar is a place of sacrifice and communion with God. To scorn the only gathering place between God and man is to remove oneself from the only way of reconciliation. That would be equivalent to lose of everlasting life through Christ. Calvary is fulfilled once-for-all sacrifice that everyone has to embraced so as to reconciled to our creator. The Cross is the very center of our belief; It is the sum and substance of the Christian faith. Christ Jesus went to the Cross to bring about reconciliation for the fallen of man. Without this predominant sacrifice, man would have been eternally separated from God. The Cross of Christ is the permanent symbol and structure of Man's justification and redemption. REMEMBER THIS: The Cross crosses out condemnation. Further Bible verses: John 19:17,18; 1Peter 4:14.

STEADFAST DESIRE.

Centre verse (Proverbs 13:19)"The desire accomplished is sweat to the soul:but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil." TEXT: PROVERBS 13:5-19. Some organizations have book of record which is stuffed with names of people of fame. But some men and women happened to be there because of their inherent desire. Beginning from childhood we start showing different desires,and as we grow up,our desire will continuously be in attachment. Our ardent desire is what has taken us to the place we are today. Men and women are the products of their desires,a right minded person often wants to progress and get to the peak of his profession in life. When impediments and challenges come,some surrender too soon,while others have their attention diverted and lose concentration. Struggle to be consumed to get to heaven,knowing fully well that experiences of salvation and holiness of life are unavoidable virtues for any person desiring to make heaven. Whatsoever your accomplishments are here on earth,at an appointed time,you will go to the great beyond. The longest man that ever lived on this planet,Methuselah, lived for 969 years, but in the end  he died and welcomed his everlasting fate. God interprets the rich man in Luke12:20 as a fool because all his trust was in things of this world. Be wise and make the right decision today. REMEMBER THIS:Do not trust in the things of the world. Further Bible verse: Psalm 27:4.

YOUR EXISTENCE IN YOUR HAND.

Centre verse (Judges 12:3)"And when I saw that ye delivered me not,I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon,and the LORD delivered them into my hand:wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?" TEXT: JUDGES 12:1-6.Life is full of difficult tasks. A times,this difficult tasks could be overwhelming and apparently insurmountable. As a result of that, some people will throw their hands into the sky in total surrender not having a drop of sweat. But those who capture the bull by the horn encounter their difficult tasks, identifying all obstacles as stepping stones until they sing the overcoming song. Jephthah was confronted with immediate danger of evaluation of his people by the Ephraimites who determined to mobilize his men for war. He has looked up to the people of Ephraim for help during the time Ammonites came against them,the help he never obtained. Ephraim was exactly searching for an excuse to spike Gilead perhaps underestimating their military capability. Even those Ephraimites who escaped were equally butchered as they failed the pronunciation test of Shibboleth. There are pronounced lessons to learn from the arrangement and leadership of Jephthah. It was inspiring. He mobilized, inspired and instilled confidence into his people to handle the challenge of the children of Ephraim. And at last,they conquered. Today, Jephthah had a legacy as the man who said,as regards his vow to God:"I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back "(Judges 11:35). Victory is waiting for all who had made up their mind,like Jephthah, in fighting the battles of life. Christ Jesus did not promise anyone an easy life. In the world He say,Christian shall have tribulations that He will support the courageous to be victorious and prevail. REMEMBER THIS: Courage is all about taking bull by the horn. Further Bible verses:1 Samuel 19:5;Job 13:14.