Buying the Priceless from God

UV 3221/10000 Buying The Priceless from God
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Revelation 3 v 18

It is said that the most valuable things in life like health, peace, love, wisdom, good will, joy cannot be bought with money. But the uni-verse above tells us that we can buy these with the currency of faith. Faith is the gold that is purified, tested, proven. We buy this kind of faith by appropriating the precious promises of God to which Christ is Yes, Amen and Lord. The process of “buying” from the Lord involves three steps- ‘b’ for believe in the promises of the Lord, “u’ for understand the word and apply it and finally, ‘y’ for yield to the will of God. We need to accumulate or amass this kind of spiritual wealth in our lives. It will stand us in good stead in this lifetime as well as for eternity. Neither satan nor thief nor rust nor moth can take away or destroy these. We can obtain our healing, our forgiveness, our security, our blessings, our longevity, our prosperity, our legacy through the use of such spiritual currency. The Lord will never tell us that any of these priceless and valuable things are out of stock with Him. Without these, whatever else we have in life, we are spiritually poor and naked. Jesus is called Lord Amen for He is the One who brings it to be- our spiritual nourishment, enrichment and enablement.

The white raiments referred to in the uni-verse are a metaphor for a lifestyle of obedience to the Word of God, of good works, of integrity and righteousness. Without these our faith would be considered barren, fruitless or ineffective. We can use our faith in the promises of God to acquire such accoutrements of faith that we will not seem naked and ashamed. Our spiritual clothes indicate whether we are rich in good works, rich towards God. Our good works are no longer filthy rags but a testament to our faith and our righteousness in Christ as our consciences and our whole beings have been washed and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God.

Finally, we need to “buy” from the Lord’ s store, eyesalve or ointment as the Balm of Gilead that will cure us of our purblindness, make us see and remove the planks in our own eyes so that our spiritual vision is not obstructed. When we look in the spiritual mirror of the scriptures, we will see ourselves as we are and then, we will be moved by the Spirit of God to think, say and do things that will make us conform to the image of Christ. We will see with clarity the purpose of life, the purpose of our lives, the big picture, the ultimate as well as immediate reality. Having seen the vision, we need to hasten to then go and execute things in such a way as to fulfill the vision the Lord has given us.

Principles of Wholesome Communication and Behaviour

UV 3220/10000 Principles of Wholesome Communication and Behaviour
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
James 1 v 19

This short uni-verse reveals the principles not just of good and wholesome communication but of conduct as it were. Our tongues as also our pens or keyboards have the power of life and death. Words are double-edged and cause life or death, blessing or curses, benefits or harm. We are cautioned to first be quick to listen. We need to listen not just the words, but attempt to understand the spirit, the motivation, the attitudes, the background, the purpose, the emotions before and behind the words spoken by those we are listening to. We need to also discern the words not spoken, understand the silence of the communicator. We need to understand the body language or gestures of the speaker. Once we have understand all these nuances, only then we should venture to speak or communicate. In short, we need to listen not just with our ears but with our hearts and minds, too. We should always be in a state of readiness to listen while our default state is a readiness to speak. Words race off our tongues before we understand the consequences of what we speak.

If we continually endeavour to listen with our total being as described above, it would automatically and naturally slow down our speech. We will then have the time and space to choose our words carefully to fit the situation. Scripture says that a priest uses his lips or words to preserve and enhance life. A king speaks words with authority and rarely takes back what he speaks. Likewise, our speech should be salted with grace and truth, humility and authority. Speaking rashly, thoughtlessly, provocatively is called in scripture as the sacrifice of fools. Our speech in contrast should be God-honouring, edifying the listener or building him or her up in hope, confidence, understanding, wisdom and faith.

Not only should our speech be slow and deliberate but we should restrain our emotions, especially anger. Words once spoken cannot be recalled. It is written that anger rests in the bosom of fools. Our emotions being powerful drivers of speech should be harnessed and controlled by the reins of self control and the power of the Holy Spirit. We should bridle our control not only our tongues but our tempers too. In short, just as a strong and powerful horse is controlled by its rider, to move in the direction and pace the rider wants, we should control and ride our tongues and emotions, so that our days and lives are moving in the direction and pace that we want.

The Prize of Faithfulness

UV 3219/10000 The Prize of Faithfulness
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.

James 1 v 12

While life frowns on us with trials and temptations, the Lord God waits with a crown of His glory to reward us when we emerge victorious from these trying times in our lives, our faith in tact. Such a person is blessed- implying he or she is happy, spiritually prosperous and favoured by God. The period of trial is tough but when the going gets tough, the faithful keep going. We endure with patient expectation till the end of the trouble or the end of our lives, whichever is earlier.

Trials and troubles are like the sculptor’s awl that etches the shape of our character. Unlike the lifeless sculpture, since we are flesh and blood, each stroke of the awl on us causes tremendous pain and suffering. It is intended to deal with our flaws and to make us blameless in the sight of the Lord. It is like the red heat of furnace fire that purifies silver and gold. Instead of resenting these, we should be thankful and glad that we are chosen by the Lord for His chastening. He promises not to test us beyond our strength to endure.
Trials and temptations are also needed to prove and strengthen our love for the Lord, to wean us away from the love and ways of the world. We need to love the Lord with all our strength, with all our hearts, minds and souls. Hence, our thoughts, emotions, intentions, desires need to be focused on the Lord. Such focus does not come with ease and comfort but by the trial of fire which burns what is not of God and burnishes what remains. Jesus who committed no sin, who did not need to be refined in any aspect whether of His speech, or of His attitudes, or of His actions and reactions, His intentions and desires, faced more intense trials and temptations than anyone else who walked in flesh and blood on this Earth. How much more should we ordinary mortals be tested, tried, refined? But Jesus promises us to be with us in the intense heat of the trial, at the point of temptation as He was the “fourth One who looked like a Son of God “ with Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego in the seven times over heated furnace ordered by Nebuchadnezzar, the king. When we emerge victorious from such trials and temptations, the Lord declares us blessed or ready to receive the crown of life, to be happy, spiritually prosperous and favoured by the Most High God. The crown of life is the victor’s prize- immortal, eternal, incorruptible, unfading. We need to run in such a way as to win it, fight the circumstances of life in such a way as to be declared winner.

Our Praisebook Account

UV3218/10000 Our Praisebook Account
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad.
Psalm 126 v 3

Often we take for granted and forget what the Lord has done for us so far in our lives. He has chosen us. We have not chosen Him. He has chosen us to be in personal relationship with Him. He has chosen us to share a spiritual inheritance of eternal life with His Son Jesus. He has chosen us to reign with Him as His viceroys on Earth and even share His power on the throne of heaven. He has chosen us to receive the crown of salvation and rich rewards for our good deeds. As it is written, “ Behold what manner of love the Father has shown us that we should be called the children of God.” Such a calling is higher than the highest title or status on Earth for the latter shall perish while the former will stand forever.
Even in our daily walk, He has done great things for us even as He did for the Israelites. He has done the equivalent of resurrecting me from the grave as He did to Lazarus who was bound in his grave clothes. Yet we walk around sad and mourning as if we have been bound in grave clothes. We need to free ourselves and be glad forever. He has done the equivalent of parting the Red Sea when our enemies were in hot pursuit of us. He has spared our lives from the hands of many an evil Haman. He has rescued us from mishaps and tragedies all through our lives. He has provided for us abundantly and generously to meet all our need and to be able to share some with the needy. He has healed us of all our diseases and kept us from the grave. He has filled our mouth with good news and our lives with benefits in accordance with His faithful promises. He has increased us step by step. He has guarded us against our own folly, pride and deceit. He has kept us from being ensnared by lust or temptations. He has strengthened us greatly to endure trials and troubles and to emerge victorious, stronger and unscathed.


We need to value our Praisebook account over our Facebook account and recount all the great things He has accomplished in our lives hitherto. This paves the way for our faith to sustain, to grow so that we are prepared or primed to believe and receive even more miracles and blessings in our lives. The more we remember, acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our lives, the more our hearts are glad and blessed. We will not “kill our temples” – our bodies and minds with needless worry, fears, discontentment, insecurity. Our hearts, minds and bodies are made or engineered for gladness not sadness. Pain and sadness are for the exceptional circumstance not the rule or routine. If we truly believe we are living in God’s realm- the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, our hearts and minds should be ever flowing like a fountain with gladness and joy.

Fall and Rise

UV 3217/10000 Fall and Rise
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

Micah 7 v 8

When the enemy gloats over the sight of our apparent defeat, the Lord helps us rise to our feet again. He is the source of our persistence, our resilience, our fortitude. He revives us and reinvigorates us. We experience the reality and power of the grace, compassion and righteousness of God in these moments of failure or defeat. We come to understand that His favour is upon us as He does not allow our enemies to triumph over us.

The light of the Lord, implying His love and His word , shines on us in our darkest moments. It imparts to us the wisdom and the strength to rise again. We only need to look to Him in prayer, wait expectantly and the Lord will surely hear us. He will rush to our assistance. We may fall multiple times but each time the Lord helps us rise up again. Each time we fall, we bounce back stronger than before, stronger in faith. Falling or failures or setbacks are therefore, very valuable in the lives of believers for from these we acquire spiritual dross-free gold- faith. The more we accumulate of such faith the better , the more blessed, the more resilient and effective we will be.

Instead of our enemies rejoicing over us, we will be the ones to rejoice in the salvation of the Lord. However gloomy our situation, we need to hold onto the glimmer of hope we have in the Lord. Instead of resenting such hardship, we begin to develop a joyful perspective when we undergo such setbacks and pitfalls. While history of the world and its people are written in terms of rise and fall, in our case it is written in terms of fall and rise. The higher they rise, the bigger the fall while, the greater the fall, the higher the man of faith rise.

Potential Realization

UV 3216/10000 Potential Realization

Is the seed still in the barn? As to the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree- they have not produced. Yet from this day on I will bless you.

Haggai 2 v 19

When we walk in the path indicated by the commandments of the Lord or the Word of the Lord, He will bless our days. He establishes His covenant in our lives. He proves Himself true to His promises. He will cause the seed or the goals and ideas that we have to germinate, to grow , to bear fruit and multiply. Yet our commitment to the Lord should not be contingent only on receiving these blessings from the hand of the Lord. As it is written in the book of Habakuk- “ Though the fig tree, the fruit trees, though the fields produce no crops, though there is no herd in the stalls, yet will I choose to rejoice in the Lord, to exult in His salvation. ”. It does not mean that God is not faithful to His word but that we value our salvation by grace, by faith in Jesus, more than any blessing in this world.

We live by faith and not by sight. Even if many things in our lives have not reached their full potential and remain only in seed form or as the Word of God, we believe in the Lord. We are sure of the things He has promised us and He will bring it to pass in due time. He will send the rain or shower of His blessings in due time, not early, not late. Meanwhile, we wait with patience and praise and thanksgiving. When the Lord provides us heavenly food we are not going to complain we do not have meat or earthly food or food and drink for our bodies. Like St Paul we have learnt to live joyfully and in faith in plenty and in sufficiency and in want.

We hold onto the promise of the Lord to bless us from the day we committed our lives to Him. We trust that He will do good unto us in all the days to come and forever in eternity. We do not place any earthly good above the Lord. Unlike the first man and woman, we will not choose knowledge over wisdom, the visible, tangible, substantial temptations over the unseen blessings. We will not follow the words of the enemy or of our fellow humans over the Word of God. Our brains or minds are the barns or storehouses of our ideas, projects, plans while our hearts are the barns or storehouses of our emotions or feelings. When we commit our hearts to the Lord, we are covenanting with Him to bring out of our barns only the good seed He has stored there and not the weeds of pride, lust, jealousy, hatred. When we commit our plans and ideas out of the storehouse or barns, we are covenanting with Him to bring out only the worthy ideas and projects. By the end of our days on Earth, all the good seed in our barns should be sown, put to use, grown to fruition or full potential in the Lord. As Jesus explained a seed grows by first dying to itself and then resurrecting from that death to live for God. Likewise, we need to die to the world and live for the Lord.

The Seed of Heaven is Our Need of God

UV 3215/10000 The Seed of Heaven is Our Need for God
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Isaiah 41 v 17

Water is to the body what the Lord is to our souls. We should thirst and hunger for God even as our bodies feel the pangs of hunger and thirst. Hence, the psalmist in David wrote, “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for Thee.” The Lord promises to fill us with His living water and bread. He promises to hear us, fill us and fulfill us. He will not leave us in times of famine or in the desert. He will cause rivers to rise in the barren heights of mountains or when we are at the very crescendo of our human challenges and difficulties. He will send us His living words to give us hope, to slake our spiritual thirst.

When Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that He could give her living water that would never make her thirst again, He was indicating to humanity that our most essential need in life is eternal life or knowing the Saviour Jesus. His words or His teachings will answer our lives’ deepest questions, help us in our most difficult moments, strengthen us in our weakest moments, satisfy us when we are anxious, desperate, frustrated, angry, sad or bitter. He will anoint us with the Holy Spirit who causes rivers of life giving water to flow from deep inside us to satisfy the thirst of others, to give hope to the hopeless, to encourage the weak, those who have failed, those who are struggling with different issues and challenges, those who live in captivity to fear and doubt.

We are the poor and needy, regardless of our station in life. The poverty line in the lexicon of God is when people live unaware of their deep need for the Creator and Redeemer in Christ. We cannot be smug and complacent like the rich man who boasted of his acquisitions. We need to daily come into the presence of the Lord and as often as we can to cry out to Him to fill our souls with His presence, our hearts and minds with His word. “Blessed are the poor and needy for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Then, as we cry out to the Lord desperately for Him, the kingdom of heaven descends to us , into us. We experience the river of joy flowing in our veins, the sensation of fulfilment and we can affirm with faith, “ The Lord is my shepherd who takes us to still, serene, pure waters to drink and to rest, to refresh and to renew ourselves. We have no want that He does not meet.”