Dearly Beloved,

REMOVE THE ASHES!

“Then the priest, wearing his linen robe and linen shorts, shall remove the greasy ashes left on the altar and put them at the side of the altar. Then he shall change his clothes and take the ashes outside the camp to a ritually clean place. The fire on the altar must be kept burning and never allowed to go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat of the fellowship offering. The…

Dearly Beloved,

SUFFERING IS INEVITABLE

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21 NKJV).

After having a personal Bible study on the first epistle of Peter some weeks ago, I was led to base one of my weekly devotional messages on the main theme of the epistle: Christian suffering. Such a theme is not a popular theme. I did struggle with the theme before yielding myself to the…

Dearly Beloved,

FROM BARRENNESS TO FRUITFULNESS

“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV).

Scientifically, the average age of a woman having her last period (or menstrual circle) is 50. This…

Dearly Beloved,

LORD, DISMISS US WITH THY BLESSING

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV).

One of the hymns I cherish is “LORD, DISMISS US WITH THY BLESSING.” I can sing its Yoruba version extemporaneously. It is one of the hymns we normally use as closing hymns. John Fawcett (1740-1817) wrote the benediction that became the…