Since Monday 30th of March 2020; when the Lagos State declared a total lockdown by his Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu the governor of Lagos State due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. My family and I\’m sure other families too are enjoying the opportunity to stay together for long hours and days at home perhaps doing what they had never done either before or after several years.
On Tuesday, I was led in my spirit to declare 2 days fasting and praying for the family which started on Wednesday 1st of April 2020 to end on Thursday 2nd of April. Our first day I led the house fellowship with the topic \”How To Appease The Wrath Of God\”. The main text was taken from 1samuel 6:1-20, we also read Romans 1:8-21. Then we talked on the pandemic virus ravaging the entire world, we also talked on the trust to God and looking up to Him as the solution to end this plague. My husband rounded up and we prayed for God\’s intervention to avert this menace not to allow it continue more than few days in April for the total erradication.
Early in the morning this Thursday as I woke up to pray on my own and to prepare my mind for the days topic because I hadn\’t an idea of what to discussed on, but an idea came to my mind to make today\’s fellowship interactive where the children everybody will contribute and it was okay with me. I left my room to the living room (Parlour) which was our gathering point and as soon as we are all complete we started with our opening prayers, songs of praises.
Thereafter, I called my 2nd son, Justin to led the discussion, he asked me on what topic. I said just talk on any topic considering the trying times we are now. He smiled and said \”well! We are on a perilous time and as such we all need love and for one another to overcome the difficult time\” wow! He paused and asked mom do you have any bible quotation on love before I continue, honestly I was highly excited I said immediately without thinking (John 3: 16) we all open the bible to John 3:16. \”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son , that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life\”.
After all he was able to say, he concluded with \”love is the greatest weapon that can bring people together in times of adversity\”. Chai! I freez; all of us could not hold our joy we stood tall for him clapping.
Then I called my 1st son Sylvester to continue with the same spirit since from the 1st speaker we are able to choose our topic for the day as \”Love is the greatest weapon\”. He continues by saying \”Love\” is the kindness you show to someone when nobody is looking at you and what you do without asking for reward and those gifts you give to the needy irrespective of who the person is whether known or not. He asked; mom please where is it in the bible where Jesus says whatever you do to the least of the brethren…. I said is in Matthew not too sure of the verse we searched and it was in Matthew 25:40. \”Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me\”.
But he said we should read the entire chapter to get the real gist right. After reading it and after his preaching I was impressed and I decided to use it as my topic for my writing today.
Matthew 25:31-46) NKJV.
31. \”When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, \’Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35. for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36. I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.\’ 37. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, \’Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38. When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39. Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?\’ 40. And the King will answer and say to them, \’Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.\’ 41. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, \’Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42. for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.\’ 44. Then they also will answer Him, saying, \’Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?\’ 45. Then He will answer them, saying, \’Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.\’ 46. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.\”
“The least of these\” my brethren. By this saying we can understand better that whatever service (s) we rendered humanity mostly the less privileged of your society that you rendered to God for love of him and for his glory.
Serving those who are of worldly importance, especially those who are well positioned and can return the favor rendered to them is not wrong though; but the motive for such service could always be in question, especially if the kind of service that Jesus is describing never occurred in Luke 14:12.
It seems Jesus primarily means Christians when He said \”My Brethren\” But there is a sense that He also mean nonbelievers who are in need as well. We are certainly taught that God sends the sun and rain on the wicked as well as the good people on earth and that we should be like our Father in Heaven, even blessing our enemies too as He instructed us to love your enemies, bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you and pray for them… Mtt.5:44.
Once again, the invisible God makes himself present in his created beings. Jesus dwells by his Holy Spirit in the human temple which is our bodies and the Church. 1 Cor 3:16.
To love Him and serve Him requires loving and serving the people, especially “the least of these.” of the society. May we continnuously have the spirit of showing kindness at all times without fainting in Jesus name🙏 Remain Blessed and Safe.
✍️ BlessingOnugha ❤️.
Well said. This is the time to sit back and reflect on how to change the world around us by loving on one another. This live can come in different forms like calling and making sure that friends and other family (who might be on their own) are alright. Also, if you’re able to help out financially do so because that seems to be a lot of people’s problem during this time. Praying with whoever that will accept and wants to be prayed for.
We just have to keep having faith and believing that God is in control and whatever it might be that is happening now will pass. I pray we all come out victorious at the end.