HIS LOVE BENCH

I claimed to have found a LOVING GOD in my darkest and lowest.
Sooner than I could think, my feelings began to question that LOVE.
Sooner than I could think, my mind wandered into useless thoughts.
Sooner than I could think, I began to backslide.


ME:
Did I really meet God?
Am I sure God loves me?
Am I doing enough to keep myself in His good books?
Is my name even in His Book of Life?
Does He still love me as He did?
Why don't I feel His love any longer?
Did the blood of Jesus really cleanse all my sins?
Am I clean enough?
Is my fasting sufficient?
Is my praying sufficient?
Is my worshipping and praising enough?
Is my reading of the bible enough?
Can I still call you Father?
Are you still my LORD?
I feel lost.
Help me!
Speak to me!


HOLY SPIRIT:
We find love, and quickly, we let go of the very thing that made us long for each other—US!
The love began with a YOU and an I, not place, time or activities.
The venue was everything because YOU and I were there.
The time was everything because YOU and I were there.
The activities were fun because YOU and I were there.
YOU and I made the venue memorable.
YOU and I made the time worth it.
YOU and I are the memory.
The love journey all began with YOU and I.
To feel lost is to lose sight of the (YOU and I) equation.
To question my existence is to lose sight of the (YOU and I) equation.
To doubt my love is to lose sight of the (YOU and I) equation.
Love is because WE (YOU and I) are.
We (YOU and I) are all we need to make everything worth it.
The focus is YOU and I, not places and activities.
Keep your eye on ME!


GOD STILL LOVES YOU!
Remain in the blessings of God as you remain in Christ.

THE GREATEST GOSPEL SANG BY A GHANAIAN RAPPER

Since it rained heavily on Sunday, the 26^th of April 2020, I decided to wash on Monday, the 27^th of April 2020 after days of piling clothes in the name of COVID-19 lockdown. For some weird reason, I have been thinking if I washed and a COVID-19 infected person passed by and mistakenly coughed, the virus would contaminate the clothes and in the long run infect me. I said it was a weird thought; please stop smiling.

Anyway, as I was washing I was meditating on the Love of God in relation to my newly found favorite scripture – Romans 5:7-8. As I was thinking about the verse and the various scenarios in the old and new testaments that displayed the love of God through the prophets, great men and women of old, and especially through Jesus Christ on earth; Evangelist Sarkodie and Sister Efya’s song, SAARA, came to mind. Now, this was very strange to me because as I was washing I had a good collection of gospel music playing as it is my custom. And when I mean Gospel music, I mean songs from Theophilus Sunday, Juanita Bynum, Nathaniel Bassey, and others. There was nothing Sarkodie, Efya, Wizkid, Davido, etc playing. And I happen to be a big fan of Diana Hamilton, Denzel Prempeh, Joe Mettle, Nathaniel Bassey, Pastor Isaiah, and a few others; so, WHERE FROM THIS SONG?

Being a spiritual son of a Prophet, I immediately wanted to rebuke the thought but then I was encouraged in my spirit to rethink the lyrics especially the chorus. I did and all I heard within was, “That is the love of God. He doesn’t love you because you are good or perfect. He loves you because He is Love. You were made in His image. What you are now isn’t what He sees. He sees what He made you to be. He doesn’t see a prostitute when He looks at one. He sees a daughter who has been misled like the prodigal son.” Don’t forget what happened in the Garden of Eden: when God met Adam and Adam told God he was naked, God asked a relevant question – “Who told you that you were naked?” Our failure to meditate on that question is the reason most people find themselves where they are today. They are listening to another voice, instead of the voice of God which is always saying, “I Love You and I love you just the way you are.” (If you are thinking “Bruno Mars”, you are in the spirit.)

Now, many have a problem with IRREVERSIBLE/IRRETRIEVABLE LOVE. Let me explain: Many have come to believe in the doctrine of, “whatever I give must surely come back to me in ten thousand folds.” And this weird doctrine has been the main reason for the many heartbreaks and bitterness we see in many today. And I am a living example. So, when I asked the Holy Spirit to start working on me, the first thing He did was to renew my mind on this evil doctrine. And I call it evil doctrine because the end result builds no fruit of the Spirit; rather it magnifies the works of the flesh as seen in Galatians chapter 5.

Reading Ephesians 5:22-33, we are introduced to a way of living in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the relationship of the highest order - marriage. Husbands/men are advised to love their wives/women just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. Our failure to understand this allegory has led to the greatest error in this highest form of human interaction – marriage. According to the passage in Ephesians, the only thing a wife/woman must do is to submit to the husband/man, and the husband/man is to love the wife/woman. But, the love of the husband/man must be like the Love of Christ for the Church.

So, how does Christ love the Church? According to Romans 5:7-8, while the Church was still wallowing in sin, Christ still died for the Church. Indirectly, while the Church/the bride of Christ, was imperfect – stealing, lying, murdering, worshiping idols, fornicating, blaspheming, etc – He still thought the right decision was to sacrifice Himself for her. That is the definition of IRREVERSIBLE/IRRETRIEVABLE LOVE. Now, any human being reading this with earthly wisdom will surely say it is insane. Yes, according to earthly standard, it is insane; but it is wise according to heavenly standards. Christ did not agree to die because the church promised to change.  No! He died because He wanted to show the church that His Love has no condition attached to it.

From the Book of Genesis to John, we see the only Loving God asking His bride to come back to Him after forcefully sacking her from His abode (the Garden of Eden) because she disobeyed a simple instruction. When God gave Jesus, all He was saying was this, “I know the enemy would still try to whisper things into your ears, but know that I still love you and always have my hands opened to welcome you back. Do not try to change yourself before coming back. Like the prodigal son I am the only best person to make you truly look and act as a royal again; not you. Just come as you are. My words will wash you like water. If you do it on your own, you will surely go back. If I do it, it is forever. Just come back home the way you are.” (For further explanation of this insane love, please read the Book of Hosea.)

NB: If you are loving someone because you are expecting the person to do likewise, you are in no way loving like Christ loved the Church. You are only investing wrongly. Until a bank knows that you are investing, it will continue to treat your investment as Savings. If you truly love her, you would love her as Christ loves the Church.

Anyway, a big thank you to Evangelist Sarkodie and Sister Efya for such a unique reminder of the Love of God for all. I would wish to write more but it would take an eternity to finish. And as long as the church refuses to tell the world about the Love of God, the Lord will always find a way to do so.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.