BETTER

I love it when I'm reading Scripture and one word sticks.

Not because I am looking for it but it keeps just popping in other scriptures until I pay attention 😀

Yesterday that word was; better.

 Better doesn't just mean nice or improved, it means what is now present is of greater worth, greater value, greater quality than what was there before. Better assumes something came first. And something else later surpassed it.

Several scriptures popped but these three stayed with me;

✨ It is better to live on the corner of a rooftop than with a quarrelsome wife. — Proverbs 21:9

✨ The end of a matter is better than its beginning. — Ecclesiastes 7:8

✨ Christ has become the guarantor of a better covenant, established on better promises. — Hebrews 7:22

The groom in Proverbs chose the rooftop. That corner of the house that is exposed and uncomfortable. But he stayed. He didn't pack his things and walk out completely he just moved to where the peace was and waited.

His was the kind of love that doesn't leave. The kind that watches from a distance and keeps coming back. Because every time he drew near, something in her softened. Maybe she didn't even notice it. But he did. He kept pursuing because he could already see what peace between them looked like and he wanted that .

That's the groom on the rooftop, patient, persistent, pursuing.

And then; the end of a matter is better than its beginning.

We know what "It is finished" sounds like. We've read it,sang it so many times.

But that moment on the cross was the end of a very long matter. A matter that started in a garden where God walked with man in the cool of the day and then sin entered and the walking stopped.

But God never stopped watching for His beloved .

With every covenant, every prophet, every sacrifice it was all Him staying on the rooftop. Drawing near,waiting for the moment He could say DONE. 

The end was always going to be better. He planned it that way.

Which brings us to the better covenant. Established on better promises.

Not just revised promises. Better ones. The old covenant said you keep yourself right before God. And we couldn't. 

So Christ became the guarantor of the New covenant. 

Which means He didn't just sign off on the promise , He is the promise. He absorbed everything,every contention ,every 'quarrelsomeness' that stood between us and the Father and said, I've got this. She can come in.

And the better promises? Peace in the house again.😀 Now I have Pece with God , I have Communion with the Him. Everything the Groom always wanted His bride to walk in finally coming to a fruitful end..

Here's what I kept seeing across all three;

Better always required staying through discomfort and even pain .

The groom stayed on the rooftop, in pursuit, the preacher in Ecclesiastes stayed through the whole matter until the end proved itself better than he imagined at the start. And Christ He stayed through Gethsemane, through the cross, through the silence until that resurrection morning became the loudest proof that the end of a matter is better than its beginning.

 In Christ we have something better than what Adam lost. We have a covenant that can not be broken because its guarantor cannot fail.

Song of Solomon 2:16

My beloved is mine, and I am His.

✨ In Christ ✨

SERVICE AND SONSHIP

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. 

Pharaoh had a will to actually release the people and he severally  denied the people freedom and the people had will to respond to that freedom by serving /worshiping God .

The Freedom from Egypt wasn't the end goal ,it was the doorway to worship .

God didn't just say "let my people go" — he said "let my people go so they can serve me." The exodus was instrumental to something else.

Different versions use the word serve/worship interchangeably ,meaning they carry a similarity .

Paul talks severally of being a servant of Christ , not in the capacity of one who don't belong but from the place of being a son that now it gives him pleasure to serve or submit to the king willfully.

Service must be from the place of liberty and Galatians 5;1 reminds us to stand therefore on that freedom wherewith We've been made free.

Service under Pharaoh was extraction without consent ; labor /service demanded from those who had no say. 

Service to God post-exodus is something else entirely: invitation not coercion; relationship not just relief .

 Same word, "serve" has different standings ,One is bondage. The other is worship.

Paul's writing to the Phillipians says "let this mind be in you that was in Christ " to let is to permit , to allow , to grant access.

The expression of the mind of Christ in man works when you let it .

Christ doesn't force his mind on you, he makes it available, accessible and you permit it to function through you. The sense of allowing access rather than commanding compliance.

God doesn't just liberate people from something , He liberates them into the capacity to choose Him. And that choosing, repeated is service. The freedom isn't the destination; it's what makes the destination beautiful and worthwhile.

Slavery in Egypt couldn't produce worshippers, no matter how loud the cries. Only free sons can offer worship .

Abraham left behind servants and went with the son to worship because with Isaac being free to access anything the father had made it beautiful

interesting to note how Paul teaches on Sonship and then calls himself a bondservant, because sonship and service are not opposites. In the kingdom, sons serve because they love the Father.

Service has the privilege of belonging rather than the burden of being tasked to . 

Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours (Luke 15:31).

The father to his elder son here was implying his presence and possession were at the sons disposal ,but the son was serving to attack. what was already his.

✨

THE JOURNEY || FATHERHOOD

The Sequel No one Ordered ,Episode 3 🤣

Meditation did it again so let's wheel it.

I found a story,a story of a father and son .

One that got me hooked .

So , have a seat .

We know Abraham right , okay who doesn't know the father of faith? 

 The guy has a great name and as scripture says , a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. 

So Abrams dad ,Terah packs up his family and they leave Ur of Chaldeans headed to Canaan. Canaan was the destination.

During their transit, they get to a city called Haran,instead of going through it , Terah settled his family there . 

You can call this "settling for less " If you like 🤣🤣 because technically the family didn't get to the intended destination. 

Then later God calls Abram to complete the journey ."We are for completing the Journey "wasn't introduced by our former president I say 🤣

Okay ,let's slow down on Terah and take note on a few things ;

✨ He had gone through the loss of a child 

✨He moved into a new locality which was unfamiliar 

✨He gave up on his mission /vision halfway through the journey 

I kept wondering ;

Did Abram ever look back to see that the journey to Canaan was actually began by the dad? 

It seems as if the dad had divine insight when it came to Abrams life and purpose, so he set him on a journey closer to the " promised land ".

Did Abraham ever wonder why the dad stopped halfway? 

Well , We don't know since that's not recorded for our reading but what that shows is that fathers are human .

Sometimes they'll be grieving the loss of one son while having to pave way and position the living son to fulfil purpose.

Sometimes they'll not finish the journey as they navigate through unfamiliar territories with little understanding.

Yes ,we pray the Lord leads them because they are His sons .

Most of us judge our fathers /men too harshly,let's be compassionate.

Sometimes a father will begin the journey and a son will finish it . 

The inheritance he lives behind may not be in property,it maybe wrapped in knowledge, wisdom and network 

Honour the father who got you to Haran.

He may not have delivered the promised land to you but he set you on a good path to get there .

🟢To the father/man in Ur of Chaldeans just making the move ,keep moving 

🟢To the father/man stuck in haran because life happened and things caved in on you , there's light in you and those with you .

🟢To the father/man who's picked up the pieces and and is headed to Canaan , prosper in your land of promise .

🟢To the father/man in Canaan you can testify of God's faithfulness 

Grace.

TRAIN || ||FATHERHOOD

Another unplanned sequel 🤣🤣It's meditation, let's blame meditation 😀Yesterday we did Ephesians 6:1-3 and in essence established obedience is the foundation on Which honour blooms .Today we take a look at verses 4Ephesians 6:4And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. I love how God was specific in speaking to fathers here , not to exasperate their children to anger , ofcourse I wanted to know why he said it to fathers only 🤣🤣 and Collosians said that if fathers embitter their children they become discouraged.Discouragement is like a quiet injury,it doesn't bleed loudly it just makes the child to slowly stop reaching .The Role of a father is to TRAIN in the Instruction of the Lord .

To train is an intentional engagement. By training , a father is simply curating a path for the child . He is not just correcting behaviour,he is shaping character and cultivating wisdom for purpose in the child .A father doesn't just use an imaginary method to train , He follows a pattern , the instruction of the Lord .God has given the father Divine insight to steward what's he has been put in charge of .While exasperation would bring discouragement, training prepares a child for to prosper and bloom in their inheritance.The expression of a wise man leaving an inheritance for His children and His children's children is not only  scripture to fill up the Bible  but a statement to tell a son/daughter  that the father/father figure has the ability to lay a foundation that generations  after Him can build on.That is legacy . Training is therefore not simply about discipline; it is about preparation. It is the daily deposit of wisdom, correction, instruction, example, and love that equips a child to walk confidently in God's purpose..A trained child , though he strays hell come back to his senses .

OBEDIENCE || FATHERHOOD

✨ Happy NewMonth ✨Being the fathers day month,we must learn a thing about the Father.But for our understanding of His person let's begin here 👇👇This looks like an intentional sequence Ephesians 6:1-3🤎Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.🤎“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:🤎that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.As a parent , I have absolutes in my house . Things that are are not subject to discussion with my son , I am slowly learning why God makes it that way . Because obedience forms a child . However ,am sure by the time he turns 20 or 30 he will have grown enough to decided whether to do what am saying or not . Children ought to obey because they are children , inexperienced and without much knowledge so it's expected of them to follow the instructions of a parent .Obedience is better than sacrifice yes and in obeying something is quietly being built, foundationally.Obedience is basically following instructions to the letter and this teaches us to develop an attentive ear,to incline to God's saying.Before they follow a shepherd ,sheep always hear his voice As a child , obedience is the foundation upon which honour is built .Where there's obedience,honour will thrive with ease .Honour has a lot to do with maturity. A transition from milk to meat.. if you skip milk , meat will choke you😀😀Honour means you have grown in Sonship so much to understand and also choose to do what's expected of you.Not because you were told but because you know ,you know what to do and you do it circumstances notwithstanding.Also, noticed how honour ties up a promise of your well being to itself? Why? Well,because as long as you remain a child there are responsibilities that won't be given and lack of responsibilities means there are places you wont go. Even God sent a Son and He was sure, through Him His pleasure will prosper . IT PLEASES YOUR FATHER to give you the kingdom.Dont be the heir who remains a child .Let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. 

(Heb 6:1)Obedience forms the child. Honour reveals the son. Sonship positions us for inheritance, inheritance guarantees our well being and longevity if our life#GoodFathe

IN CHRIST

Another unplanned sequel to yesterday's post 😄😄

The old testament documents halorts and their ways a couple of times .

But yesterday's harlots had me on hook.

These ones were not just in the same 'proffesion" , they were economically mindful so to even share a house.

 

To them, individual privacy didn't seem like a thing they prized , they were bare with each

 other;so much so that they had access to each others children.

Then one day , there's death in their house . 

Now they are facing both a legal fight on whose child is alive and an enemity.

A separation that would alter their coexistence.

Thing with harlotry especially if conception happens is, the uncertainty of fatherhood. In such case ,the woman knows she'll have to solely shoulder the parental responsibility . 

So let's unpack a few thoughts that sat heavy on me yesternight.

1️⃣Both babies were safe at their mother's breasts. 

Then one mother turned and laid her whole body on their baby ,it died . 

Imagine a mother waking up to find her own flesh was the instrument that killed her baby😭😭well,that's what our own righteousness and strivings of the flesh produced ,death, so God called it filthy rags .

Paul records in Ephesians 6 that to be able to withstand in the evil day ,one of the armoury you will need to put on is the breastplate of righteousness. 

It is the positional stand in Sonship. And it is imputed to us . We wouldn't have gotten it any other way .

Gal 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts... crying Abba father

The breastplate of righteousness guarantees our security in Him as sons .

When your breastplate is on , how you are "sleeping" is not on you but on your father ,Unlike the harlot who wanted to clear her mess using trickery .

2️⃣Another thing to look into is the sharp sword Solomon asked for .That was what he needed to use to effect justice to the two warring mother's .

Now , Paul echoes again about the sword ⚔️ take the Sword of the spirit which is the Word of God . The Word of God is living,it is active , it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." See how quickly the King established who the mother to the living child was.The sword will always come to cast down every argument that tries to exalt itself against the knowledge of God.

 

3️⃣Another thing to look into is that fact the baby died on day three .

First,this case was the GRAND REVEAL of the kings wisdom.

So when Paul is saying Christ became to us the wisdom of God,the grand display of it was in the execution of our redemption from the kingdom of darkeness , translating us into the kingdom of the son of His love . 

All this in 3 days of his death , resurrection, ascension and glorification. 

 Day three,came with the fulfillment of what Isaiah prophesied "Gods pleasure would prosper in His hands. God's will had now found one who fully satisfied it.

We were now justified and at peace with God.

4️⃣Another factor to look into is ,when the baby was being swapped , his mom was sound asleep , she heard nothing , until when she woke up to realise no,this is not mine child.

The king would have condemned her for oversleeping and not keeping an eye on her baby but he treated her as one who was awake the whole time by offering her an instantaneous verdict in her favour . 

5️⃣Another factor to consider is Boldness .The audacity and courage the true mom had when she woke up to go face the king seeking justice ,you and me can boldly come to the throne of Grace , there we find grace and mercy to help us in time if need . Infact the King tells us to fear not, there's a table laid out for us 

6️⃣Finally, let's look at the same mom back at home .

 She had a guarantee that as long as she in the house, it was her baby who's there with her .The justice executed gave her a guarantee and security.

Because where the word of a king is there is power . 

Here's the best thing about this story,that we have the Holy spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance,like the woman left the kings chambers with a surerity that this is my son 

. 

Jude 1:1 reminds us that we have been preserved in Christ .

🤎In Christ. 🤎 in Him we no longer need to shoulder the weight and bear the cost of the seed 'conceived' in harlotry.

🤎In Christ🤎is where we are kept. Not by vigilance. Not by performance. Not by staying awake through the night .

🤎In Christ🤎 where our treasure is .

✨no thief can steal 

✨no rust or moth can destroy 

We began when they were in an abode , we end by telling you Christ is our abode .

#May29 #30daysconsistencychallenge #InChrist