The Word – Grab : Tomiwa Adekunle.

Hey hey hey!

Grab all you can in one lifetime. (This is the original title of this post, but had to pick a word to suit Monday’s category.) 😂

Hey people, Tomiwa here!

So I’m stealing Bolaji’s blog to share what God has been teaching me recently. I hope you all are blessed by it!

God is in love with us and when He’s in love, He gives- extravagantly! We as humans are just so blessed to have God love us with a love so prodigal that He freely gives us all things- especially His son!
As recipients of this lavish generosity, we can either respond by grabbing all we can in one lifetime, after all YOLO which means ‘You only live once’ ( on this side of life) or….. we can choose a more excellent way- giving back! The sad truth is many of us choose the former and this might sound outrageous but we actually exploit God!

A few days ago, during my quiet time, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit of this very thing. Prior to that, I had been going through some stress and I was just so heavily burdened that I had become so wrapped up in myself, my problems and how I needed God to intervene ASAP. It was so bad, I didn’t even notice when my relationship with God started to evolve into what I call a ‘grab all you can relationship’.

I was forgetting to take time to be still before my maker, to gaze upon His beauty, to bask in the glory of His presence.

I was spending time in prayer- just, my prayer was lacking fellowship.

I was there to outline the status quo, to ask, ask and ask some more until I saw things change.
Now there’s nothing wrong with asking, we’d be short changing ourselves if we didn’t. But really guys, our relationship with God should be about a lot more than just what He can do for us. It shouldn’t just be about what we can get from God.

Yes, I know we get carried away sometimes because well, life happens with all its stressors but I’m super convinced we were made for more.

We were made to thrive and to love and to give selflessly to God- not because we want Him to give back but because He first gave to us.
I feel like it’s time to stop the calculations. The mathematics of sowing and reaping! The mathematics that sows solely for what it can get in return.

We know that God will give something in return because that’s just how He rolls but we really could be more- More than just bread and butter ( or salad and yoghurt if you eat healthy) christians!

It’s time to cast our bread upon the waters and be like Job who said “ Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him”.

That’s a whole different level of relationship, sticking with God even if we had reason to believe that He would NOT save us. (But thank God He’s faithful and we know He has already saved us.)
God is calling us to be a generation of true worshippers, worshippers who will love, long for, adore and fellowship with Him.

Whose souls would genuinely thirst for Him as the deer pants for water. Who will spend time in praying that His purposes be established rather than just asking that our needs be met.
I cast my own stone here. It’s a difficult topic for me too but it is what it is.

All these things we so desperately chase after, the things we try to grab from God- are good- but they are not the real deal, permit me to call them fool’s gold!

Let’s start chasing after God Himself- seeking His GLORY not just His favor, His FACE, not just His hand. Let’s get rid of the exploitative attitude and really, genuinely seek God.

‘Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks’
-John 4:23, NIV

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Hello efamily! Bolaji here.

Can I first just say THANK YOU Tomiwa for this beautiful post today!

Tomiwa was my school mother in Secondary School. I loved and still love her so dearly! Haha.

She was the reason I wanted to school in Ghana in JSS 3 (Junior Secondary School), because she schooled here too.

Though I forgot about that prayer later on, God didn’t forget! And He landed me here. Lol. She has always been on fire for God. (At least, from what I remember! Lol)

Today’s post is a needed reminder to stop doing trade and barter with God. Lol.

Where we give or love on Him only when we want something. That’s an unfair relationship.

Glow’s post just comes to mind on waltzing with God! Honestly, God loves us so much that we ought to give love back!

Tomiwa talked about God’s love at the beginning of her post and I remembered a beautiful scripture I read this morning.

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 (NIV)

The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egyp . Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.

 

God didn’t choose to love us based on human criteria. So, how do we even begin to repay Him back?

With what?

Don’t just come to Jesus to grab stuff from Him.

First, let Him brag about your love for Him.

As humans, we know how painful it is to realize that people we love only check on us when they need something.

Jesus has feelings too.

Let’s love on Him!

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Love always,

Mobolaji.