Here Is the Earth’s Birthday

How climate change has impacted the earth

Your day   oh earth   has come.

Your day   oh humans   has come.

Be happy and rejoice and prepare to celebrate.

Because this day is outstanding and stands out from the rest of weekdays.

The earth was in birth pains for 6 literal days.

And it saw the light of day on the seventh day, today, Saturday.

The Creator looked at everything and the humans He had made and everything was beautiful and pleasing to His eyes.

Even though the earth has downgraded and got ugly because of our terrible actions, let’s still celebrate today.

Whatever you see and think is beautiful on earth is indeed ugly when compared to the day the Earth was born.

Thankfully, the Creator has promised to renew and restore everything and life on earth. So, let’s be happy because of that.

Someday all the suffering and death will be gone and nowhere to be found. Until then let’s be filled with hope.

Here’s you should celebrate today:

→ leave your office empty
→ go spend time around mother nature and people.

As you observe this day, do good to everyone and help out everyone.

Your day   oh earth   has come.

Your day   oh humans   has come.

Keep it holy.

P.S. hey, I do this for nobody but you. Like this and follow me for more writing tips better than this.

Lessons from Quarantine and Solutions to Depression over Coronavirus

You are not alone in this quarantine; God is with you!

Though humans are social beings, they are also individuals. This means that there are times when you must gather together yet there are other times when you need to separate yourself from the crowds.

When you were born, you came into the world alone and will someday leave the world alone again.

So, as far as birth and death realities are concerned, it shouldn’t hurt staying alone now during this quarantine, which may even cause depression over coronavirus.

Furthermore, there is one man called Job that went through a similar situation: a time of separation from his family and the people in general. The only difference is this: it wasn’t Job who deserted these people; it was the people themselves who deserted him. It wasn’t because of coronavirus that the separation took place then; it was because of a disease as dangerous as coronavirus that people stayed away from Job.

Uniqueness in Social Distancing during Depression and Coronavirus

What is unique about this pandemic is that people no longer trust one another with their health. That is, there is nothing guaranteeing that I won’t catch coronavirus if I hang out with you; there is no sign that a person hasn’t yet been infected by this virus. For this reason, you need to overcome depression over coronavirus and stay alone if that means preserving life.

People Socializing Trying to Reduce Depression over Coronavirus

Solution to depression over coronavirus

In the light of your individuality as felt at birth and death, it must be clear that you were not made only to live in groups, for you will inevitably find yourself alone sometimes in this sinful world. So, fear not the depression over coronavirus but practice social distancing to save your life and that of others!

Don’t misunderstand. We do need to go to church. That’s where we learn about Christ and influence each other to follow God’s ways. Yes, alone you cannot succeed. But your loneliness is at times inevitable in this world as it is now. 

God treasures your individuality. This is true when you think about the salvation of Jesus Christ: you are not saved as a group; you are saved alone and it is up to you—as an individual human being—to choose to accept and follow Christ. Unfortunately, christian grouping as in a church will not guarantee your salvation.

Like Christ, you need to relish the time you spend alone in prayer, making decisions about your eternity. Your salvation is not in your church; it is in your very hands—as an individual. 

May God bless you as you go through these hard times of “loneliness” and make you choose Him as your Lord and Savior, who holds the key to eternal life! In Christ’s name, Amen.

Three Greatest Blessings of Life

At times, while seeking blessings, we all get embittered by tough circumstances of life. Long before I ever got embittered, both my great-grandparents and grandparents did; now my generation and I do. In fact, ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, life has always gone sour; everybody agrees on this. There is a lot of jeremiad here: we wish that life could be better and that we could be clothed with immortality.

The hardship and irony of life have long caught the eye of the wise. Out of his experience with life, Solomon expounded on life in its entirety to the oblivious. His book, Ecclesiastes, is marked with what I could call the summary of life: “Everything is meaningless.” While many could argue about this condition of life, or even object to the king’s statement, I’d rather dedicate my time to sharing three blessings of life, which are the only relics or remains of this crooked, marred and obliterated world.

As king Solomon points out, what do you get from life engulfed by injustices, suffering, corruption, war and death? Despite your dedication to work, not always is your work appreciated; your good deeds are easily blotted out—your mistakes and failures ever remembered; your good deeds—the innocent—are punished; evil deeds—wrongdoers—go unpunished; a slow runner wins, your speedy legs fail you at the finish line; you hoard riches, but go naked at death as in your birthday; you lead a prosperous life and, in the twinkling of an eye, find yourself at death’s door. What good is life then? The king is right: “…most fortunate…are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.” Eccl. 4:3. The good news, however, is that Solomon, in his search for the truth behind life, discovered three blessings for us in the world:

“…there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work.” Eccl. 2:24.

“…people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labour, for these are gifts from God.” Eccl. 3:12, 13 NLT.

So, here is what I have to say to you: whether you are an expecting parent, a teenager, or in your sixties, it does not matter what you are going through now. The truth is that, as we come into the world, we are all subject to trials, suffering and all the evil; as Solomon says, the only things we should best enjoy are food, drink and work. So, here’s my piece of advice for you: do not ever deprive yourself of food and drink after your hard work. Instead, always celebrate regardless of how minor the achievement—for life is too short to brood over trivial matters that rob you from joy!

What’s more, trust in Jesus today, tomorrow and forever, for He’s your very Savior.

Two Great Blessings Given for You in the Garden of Eden

As you read Genesis, the first book of the Bible, you realize that some things occurred only after the sin of Adam and Eve yet others happened right before sin. Were you to choose, which ones would pick today? As fallen human beings, we just see the curse of sin. In other words, we are blind to the things intended for the perfect humanity. So, we blindly choose the curses of sin over the blessings of the eternal life as per God’s plan for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

You might ask, “What are you talking about? When do we neglect God’s blessings for us in Genesis? And what are those blessings you are alluding to?” These are good questions. In fact, for us to choose the blessings over the sin’s curses, we need to know God’s blessings first.

Let us then reason together, “What is it that God gave Adam and Eve prior to sin?”

1. God gave Adam and Eve good food. “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” Genesis 1:29 NIV
   Why do I say, “Good food”? The food was for the perfect beings. Remember, the plant-based food was given to Adam and Eve before sin. So, this food was fit for nourishment of these perfect human beings. Then why is it that we eat meat instead? When did this meat diet start? I can tell you: it was given after sin, precisely as a result of the flood of Noah, which had destroyed all the vegetation. There is nowhere you can find meat diet in the Garden of Eden. No way could God give that diet to Adam and Eve; it was not fit for the perfect humans. How many diseases have emerged as a result of meat consumption? Can you number them? How many people have died of cancer, a disease linked to meat consumption? The number of the victims of cancer is indeed overwhelming.
2. God gave Adam and Eve a Day of Rest “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he has been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” Genesis 2:1-2 NIV

What do you think when I say that God gave a Day of Rest to our first parents, Adam and Eve? Does this information come explicitly in the book of Genesis? Though God does not explicitly give a day of rest to Adam and Eve, you do find Him leaving a legacy for them: after working through the 6 literal days, God takes a 24-hour pause on that literal seventh day of the week, which is commonly called “Saturday”. When you read the book of Exodus in chapter 20 verse 8 through 11, God clearly explains what He was doing when He Himself rested on that seventh day of the creation week; He says that He rested so that His creatures would also rest on this day, Saturday. That is, by resting on the seventh day of the creation week, He was instituting a Day of Rest for Adam and Eve and their descendants. Then, they would have to emulate what God did on this day.

While some people think that the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, was given to the Isrealites on the Mount Sinai, Scriptures make it clear that the Sabbath rest dates back to the Genesis of human life, when God created our world (read Exodus 20:8-11 again for clarity). By resting when He finished making our world, God was giving the Day of Rest to Adam and Even, our first parents.

As shown above, God has given two great blessings—healthful plant-based diet and the Sabbath Day—to Adam and Eve, the symbol of Humanity. Imagine if the people accepted these two Blessings in their lives today. Wouldn’t our world be a better place? Would we have the many diseases related to meat consumption? Wouldn’t we have better health as we took a 24-hour pause on the seventh day of the week to contemplate God’s love for us and worship Him? Don’t you know how important it is to rest our bodies from the stressful, 6-day labor and spend quality time with our loving Creator God, who knows what is good for our health?

According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.8 million people die worldwide each year as a direct result of being overweight or obese. This health problem strikes both high-income and low-income countries. You and I need to take action or we will all die of fat from the most delicious yet lethal meat diet.

While our health keeps on deteriorating as we eat meat—a food hard to digest and full of slow yet deadly fat—and take no pause to worship God, the good news is that you can now lead a healthy life as you choose to honor God 1) by eating the healthful food designed for you right from the beginning and 2) by resting on the Sabbath day, Saturday, to worship Him (see 1 Corinthians 10:31).

Want to know more about Health and Wellness that God wants you to have? Then download this free booklet by clicking on the image below!

People in Danger of False Teachings

Lately, I have been troubled by the false teachings of so-called Bible preachers or Christians. What is funny about this is that everybody can take the Bible and go out to preach. It seems that, unlike other books of the world, the Bible has no law protecting it from being used by untrained teachers. Isn’t this true that for you to teach anything you need training and guidance? So why is it that any emotional person, whether it be an atheist, feeling like using the Bible can do so without any restriction? Don’t get me wrong. I do not mean that the Bible should be hidden from the people. Nor do I mean only those in a higher position in the church should use it. It just bugs me that any person any day can say anything about the Scriptures, whether it is to dishearten the believers from their steadfast faith or to brainwash them. When people who have not grounded their faith upon the scriptures are confronted by false teachers at marketplaces, they are easily fooled. In other words, amid these troubling false teachings, if you do not know what the Bible really teaches, you will be easily misled.

Strangely, when you come across somebody with a different message from the one you have previously received out of sheer innocence, you will be prone to denying it and thus label it a false teaching when it could be one of the true teachings of the Bible. Do you perceive the confusion here?

False Teachings in the Temptations of Jesus

Another thing I have seen is that Christians from different denominations are throwing stones at one another, calling themselves names. This has reminded me of what happened to Christ both in the wilderness and in the midst of the Jews:

In the wilderness, there were Christ and the Devil. Though you and I know who was telling the truth and who was trying to deceive the other, let us imagine that we had no idea who was right or that one of us were in the place of Jesus in the desert. How would you have reacted to the teaching of the Devil? Would you have accepted his false teachings? Do you remember that the Devil himself used the scriptures to defend his teachings, so that Jesus would think he was right? Oh, the devil used the Bible too! How do you take this? Doesn’t this tell you something? Well, it does teach me a lesson. And it is this: not everyone who comes to you in the name of God or using the Bible tells the truth or even knows the truth of the Bible. How do you feel amid this danger? Well, I myself am terrified. If the Devil could use the Bible then—and everybody can use the Bible now—to preach anything he felt like in order to defeat Christ, how should I take the Bible preachers today? Remember, it was the Devil, through the snake, that deceived our first mother Eve with his false teachings by contradicting the only word of God that Eve knew. So, yes, some teachers go out only to preach false teachings in place of the Bible truth; it does not really matter if they are using the Bible—that cannot be a proof of telling the truth. Even the Devil used it too—and Christ knew better to expose his lies using the same Bible. Would you have been wise enough to say ‘no’ to the Devil were you in the place of Jesus in the wilderness? Or would you have acted like our mother Eve who just nodded her head in agreement to the Devil’s false teachings.

Even more interesting is the manner the Devil presented the Scriptures: he quoted a good verse from the Bible to suit his preconceived ideas. As he knew the wonderful promise of the caring God in Psalm 91:11-12, the Devil cited the verse and then mixed it with his tempting words.

The False Teachings Among Christians Today

That is exactly how preachers of false teachings behave nowadays. They go to simpleminded people and use the Bible to tell their lies. They know that if they go in the name of God, sincere people will receive them and respect their words. Little do these people realize that their words are not completely from the Bible. Instead, they have been mixed with lies, so that they would taste like a sweet poison that gradually kills the person.

After Jesus defeated the Enemy in the wilderness by correctly interpreting the Scriptures to defend himself, he went back to the world where he would get in contact with the people. As he began to preach, the Jews—like the Devil—opposed him. Religious leaders and teachers of that time did not receive Jesus’ teachings; they regarded them as lies preached to the innocent people. They wished Jesus’ teachings could be terminated. Yet, Jesus knew that he was telling the truth. How have you been treated in your evangelistic life? Has the world received you well? The danger is that the Jews thought that they were preaching the truth and that Jesus was teaching evil doctrines. Do you see the confusion here? The one with the true message is rejected and misjudged, while those with false teachings are well received by multitudes of people. Just like today’s many denominations throw stones at one other, the Jews threw stones at Jesus as they thought themselves right. While Jesus said, “I tell you the truth”, they said, “No, we are the ones telling the truth”. That way, they could never receive the message of Jesus. If any one of them ever wanted to conform to Jesus’ teaching, he would have to show such faith in private. Can you think of one religious leader who believed in Jesus then? Nicodemus went to Jesus when it was getting dark (see John 3:1-2). He could not do otherwise.

Two thousand years later, we are facing the same problem: religious leaders cannot accept biblical teachings from a simple Christian other than what they have long believed. Why? They do not want to lose their positions. They also find themselves to possess the truth just like the Jews thought and rejected Jesus Christ, the only one who would save them from sin. This is why you have to be careful as you approach the Bible, for false teachings are rampant everywhere.

False Teachings: Solution

You might wonder and say, “What should I do, Lionel?” Well, though you can’t change that, there is something you can do about it: while you should go ahead and accept to have a Bible study from people knocking on your door, you need to develop a habit of confirming everything they say in the Bible; make sure that whatever they say does not conflict with any verse in the Bible. Remember Jesus in the wilderness. He could not accept the words of the devil—even though he picked a Bible verse—because they were conflicting with another verse in the Bible: “…The Scriptures also say ‘You must not test the Lord your God’” Luke 4:12.

So, learn to be like the people of Berea who not only accepted to have a Bible study with the Apostle Paul but also confirmed everything he said in the Bible.

“And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men” Acts 17: 11-12.

Together we can reach the sky

I have wandered away from my precious garden. Little did I know somebody was going to weed my flowers. Look how far my garden has been uprooted! Even though it seems everything is destroyed, I will do my best to help you grow again. Never will I wander away from you!

I love you, bee’s knees.

Lucifer-like Christians Have Now Become Satan

Lucifer, before landing into trouble, was supremely accepted by God. According to the Bible, he was in a higher position than other angels in heaven; he was the admired chief of the angels; he was trusted with the plans of the sovereign God; he communicated them to the other angels.  Sadly, he later held conceit upon himself and tried to usurp God’s authority, hoping to become the god of the universe. Though he was offered a chance to repent and to return to God, he adamantly denied his submission to the Almighty. Given his repudiating, God could but cast him out of heaven with his attending angels. You might wonder why God did not destroy Lucifer right away. Well, just imagine the impact it would have had on the other angels, had God destroyed him! Of course, the angels would see God as a tyrant who, once opposed, would offer no mercy but destruction upon the law breaker. They would, then, serve Him for fear of being utterly destroyed. So, God let the rebel with his angels live but away from heaven.

Yet, once God created the Planet Earth, Satan—who once was Lucifer—saw his opportunity of carrying on with his plans to frustrate the Creator. For this reason, though Adam and Eve were warned of the enemy as in the forbidden fruit, Satan, incarnated in the snake, saw to it that they joined him in his rebellion. As a result, we are now more of Satan than of God, inclined to doing evil but good.

As a human being living in this sinful world, it is a great honor for me to be accepted back by God. You once were lost away from God; through Christ you’ve found your way to God. You and I are very happy that we are now made right with God through Christ. But there is a looming danger ahead of us: the more we discover Bible truths, the more likely we will cling to conceit. How many Christians do you know that are boastful to know God’s word but don’t obey it? Because of conceit, we are turning into Satan, the adversary of God—who was once a good angel, but is now doomed to eternal death—awaiting the eternal damnation.

Humility Is the Key

Given the looming danger, what is it you should do to climb out of the hole? We all need to be thankful to God for His mercy today, because none of us deserves life at all. He, however, extends His mercy to us all. So, now that you found His mercy, why should you boast about your righteousness? Why say, “I am holier than you” when you are as filthy as anyone else? (See Isaiah 65:5). It is conceivably true that we have different calls: some are called to be pastors; others are mere members of the church. This, however, does not separate you, in rank, from others. You are equally important to God. You all have been called to proclaim God’s word and to bring many to the Savior Christ. Both pastors and church members are called to call people from the hands of the perishing enemy, before he perishes with the innocent. So, instead of calling them out, why do you yourself join the enemy in perishing with the humanity? Regardless of being a pastor, you are God’s creature like anyone else. So why are you conceited due to your position? And why do you, church member, boast of knowing a particular verse? Why can’t you stop fooling around,  and proclaim God’s word to those in the dark into the light, Jesus Christ?

It’s always good to prune the tree. Am I holding the whip? No. But for God’s mercy should you weep!

The Taste of Fake Love

Just like the winter is cold, the love of many has grown ice-cold. Where is Love? Oh heavens, I cannot even see the dove? Indifference, mercilessness and torture are rampant everywhere. People are thirsty for love; it’s nowhere. You cannot give it unless you know who love is, and attach yourself to Him. Blind to Him, you’ll only sing a love song; your life is full of piercing thorn. While you could pitch in with food, hunger kills your kind. Oh Remorseless kind! Fish in hand, you’re so selfish.

While on earth, I suffered and longed for folks to reach out; I never saw any handout. You tried to survive. But how could you Mr. Job? I once was blessed with love, but later cursed with death; wife loved me, but later wished me dead. I had friends at a feast; clothed with suffering, there was just me at least.

Oh Mr. Writer! However great you are, no one is pitching in with comments on here. Your piece cannot garner any attention, unless you draw your presence on there. The devil’s trying to pin your piece down; you’re climbing out of the hole. How long will that be? Oh! Maybe, you just write like a wannabe.

You were born to the sinful world, where your father is heartless. Despite having contributed to your birth, he’s been meaning to make you breathe less and less till you breathe your last. You need my hug back; if I could I would, alas! Pardon the ice on my heart. Oh torturer, impossible to act like I’ve never been hurt. May heavens melt the ice on my heart and help me reach new heights!

The Bible as a Movie

Typically, the main characters in movies are, at first, weakened by the opponent; they are beaten up, tied up, stabbed, chastised; they go through all sorts of suffering. In spite of the troubles, they are at last overcomers. For the watcher, it is disheartening to see their suffering, particularly if it is a new movie. So, they are all excited about the end result: whether the weak character is killed or he plucks up his courage to fight until he overcomes the foe. Despite our different likes, everybody is familiar with this inherent scenario of the movies as we all go to the movies.

Looking at the Bible, it is built up as an authentic storybook about the origin and destiny of our lives. If you read the Bible up till the book of Matthew, you clearly saw the Savior Jesus Christ condemned on the cross to die for us sinners (see John 3:16). On the surface, seeing Him crucified is the end of the story: His disciples are disheartened and devastated; they started great, but, later, cursed with a terrible end. As a matter of fact, some of His disciples, when filled with sorrow, broke down. They had put all their trust in Jesus and given up their lives to join Him.  Then, His death reduced them to hopelessness.

But was Jesus really defeated? What happened next then? Despite the apparent defeat, He rose on the third day, that Sunday morning. Death is not the end! It could not keep Him in the grave; He did come back to life. Most ironically, He defeated Satan on the Cross, making certain his eternal death as He stepped out of the grave.

Looking back again, it seemed as though Jesus had lost the battle. On the contrary, He defeated the enemy with His resurrection. This brought hope to the hearts of the lost, the disciples. They knew, through his example, that death has no last word: the devil can kill you today; Jesus willingly can raise you from the dead tomorrow. So, their lives were secured in the hands of Jesus. And so is your life if you choose to put it in His hands. Are you willing today? Jesus is willing. Surrender your life to Him today!

Yes, death is not the end: those who died in Christ—though they are not in heaven yet—will someday be raised back to life as Jesus rose; those still alive in Christ will either be taken to heaven alive or be resurrected too, at Christ’s return, in case they die.

No matter what, Jesus wins and Satan loses!

The Bible, the Milestone to Heaven

One of the most amazing gifts bestowed upon us by God is the Bible. It is a revelation from God for the entire humankind; it guides us in God’s ways, prepares us for God’s work, convicts us of wrong, and corrects us, so that we can be guided in perfection.

We all travel from one place to another, and get overly excited particularly when driven to an unknown place; we get overwhelmed at the miles ahead wondering when we’ll finally get to our destination. So, we may find ourselves asking about the destination before we even arrive there. surprisingly, as we get some positive information, we no longer worry about the mileage. So, we can go in peace.

As Christians, you and I are cognizant about our destination, Heaven. And the Bible plays a very important role in getting us there. As you read Matthew 24 and similar chapters, you clearly see where we are on the “mileage” to heaven. Some signs of the End times have already played out—some in the past, others are currently happening; still others are bound to happen in the near future. And our goal is not be shaken by the terrifying events; it is to always get ready for Christ’s return (our going to heaven is parallel to the second coming of Jesus—He is our driver there, see John 14:1-3).

This is one of the most important aspects of the Bible that I wanted to point out today: as you read your Bible about the future of the Planet Earth, you get it unfolded concerning the coming of Jesus. Thus, you can knowingly prepare for your departure.

Because the Bible is the light on our journey to heaven, we need to study it diligently.