The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Pain Shared Is Gain "Bear one another's burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ".            (Galatians 6:2 RSV) A burden carried by a multitude of persons doesn't cause as much backache as when only one person carries the load. And as evident as it can be, the Roman troops show us that when the burden of war comes against them, by staying together, aiding one another to gain balance, they can lyse the very centre of strength in the defence of the invading enemies. In the same vein, Christianity goes along with a cross- a cross that sometimes may feel too heavy for the weak to carry; and thus it becomes mandatory for the strong to aid the weak when he falls. Though scripture says that no one can fully share in the bitterness or joy of another (Proverbs 14:10), yet these ones can help either to worsen or lighten the load. Note, everything we see in the Bible teaches us this. From the apostle's constant advice for men to stay as an assembly help

DAILY VITAMIN - Watch Your Moves A man's life is somewhat like a chess game, where a wrong move represents a wrong choice. In the game of chess, the aim of the player is to override upon all obstacles to get checkmate; in the same way, every man's ambition and aspiration is to get the Zöe kind of life - the fulfilled life. But just as a wrong pawn move can expose the fragile parts, a wrong choice can alter these big dreams. And that's why just like chess, the moves we choose to make are the determining factors. for whatever would come our way - a checkmate or a stalemate; and fortunately we have distinct examples from the imprint of the lives of the men of early ages. For instance, Judas played with his heart off-guards, thinking a little gain could do him good, but that little decision has forever branded him as the symbol of Perdition. Esther, on the other hand, played with her heart on-guard, yet with a little risk when she dared to do what had never been done befor

DAILY VITAMIN - Overcoming Depression "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day."   (Proverbs 4:18) A lot of terrible things happen in this terrestrial globe, but by subtly evaluating these conditions, we'd realize that none is worth the cessation of any human life. These many heart breaking occurrences cause many to deflate past their emotional threshold, leading to a state of minimal self-worth: a state termed depression. This is the broken state of the spirit and the captivity of the soul that leaves the body no choice than to live in utter self-deprecation. With the many cases of suicide and self abuse, I have come to learn that the condition isn't the trigger for the deaths, nor was it the problem; rather the feelings of those involved were. How you choose to feel at every given moment in time is what determines what value you eventually give to your life. Note the word choose, because no one and nothin

DAILY VITAMIN - Giving Is Getting "Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38 AMP) By our everyday experiences, we will come to realize that unbeknownst to us or otherwise, when we give, we actually take. Nothing brings more upon and towards a man than when he stretches out to give. Scripture says that there is one who scatters and yet increases (see Proverbs 11:24). This concerns more than just material wealth; in all the world there is, whatever and however you give, you get. From our personal lives, we can tell that the more we give our time to something....any task or field of study, the more we gain expertise in it. Apart from that we can also see that the less attention we give, oft

DAILY VITAMIN - Lessons From Job "For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope." (Romans 15:4 AMP) The book of Job is a very exciting book to read, not just because it teaches the memoirs of a man with patience, but because it reveals to us things that occur unseen and unknown to men. It shows deep mysteries about the ways of life; and I'll show you the same just about now. First, we see a man who put all his trust in God lose everything he worked for as if he was one of the wicked ones that God would punish, but despite all this and even in the absence of the knowledge of who was behind it all, at its occurrence, it is recorded that he bowed and worshipped God, refusing to launch the 'why?' question on God (1:20-22). This teaches us that no matter what a man goes through, his reaction towards G

DAILY VITAMIN - Overcoming The Lust For Power "For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.".                        (1 Timothy 6:10-11 AMP) How far can your desire for power drive you? To what extent can it move you? The pursuit of power has driven many a man mad. It has moved even great men to do things against their beliefs. It has caused many men to kill families and break fellowships. Well to Daniel, it didn't move him any bit, because he was never driven by power, but by God's will for him. After passing the greatest test that had ever been aske

DAILY VITAMIN - Leading Like Jesus Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God".                 (2 Corinthians 1:4 AMP) I once stated that a leader's mind is never on 'me', neither 'us' but always on 'them'. His primary duty is always to make sure that those among the 'them' are safe. A typical shepherd sees his sheep's life as more sacred than his; that is to say that a father values his son's life than his, and would be willing to give an organ for him whenever the call comes. So also, we must live everyday of our lives as though we were leaders placed by God in our surrounding niche to help as many as possible return to their 'safe' minds where they ca

DAILY VITAMIN - Becoming Hope "To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory". (Colossians 1:27 AMP) If I were asked to describe the Person of Jesus with one word, not on the basis of race, or ministry, I would say HOPE. Everywhere Jesus stepped into, He was a ray of hope to everyone who encountered Him. The scripture says He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). So at all times, people knew they had a solution with Him around. When the blind met Jesus, they immediately knew that there might be a chance to see the stars glow. When the lame saw Him, they knew that walking again could cease being a dream or wishful thinking. When the afflicted touched Him, they could feel all affictions within them dropping. When the broken-hearted conversed with Him, they knew the cracks were soon to be anneal

DAILY VITAMIN - God is Aware "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars." (2 Chronicles 16:9 AMP) Due to the evil that rampantly occurs around us, a lot of people have chosen to give up on the tightly held belief of the existence of a God, and the thought of ever being anything great in this presently infested world. We give up the thought of attaining the promises of God for our lives simply because we can't explain the obstacle that we presumed should have never been there in the first place. But guess what? Our God is not dead; as rightly said the only reason why evil occur has its roots on freewill, yet in whatever omen we find ourselves God is aware, and He is there, not as a spectator, but as a Saviour. God’s dignity is seen of all men when He defends His people (see 2 Chronicles 16:

DAILY VITAMIN - Come Home! "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". (Matthew 11:28) A home is more than a place where a group of people lay their head to sleep every night, and gather at the table by day to meal. A home is more than just a depot for hugs, smiles, and those words we assume make us comfy. It is also more than just blood. Rather, a home is a feeling; one that brings not only belongingness, but also an aura that strengthens perfection out of our imperfection. A home is more than just where you constantly see parents and siblings; instead it is anywhere you can feel like family. And that's why God's Person is and will always be a home for all. Little wonder why the Psalmist confessed '...the righteous run into....and are safe'. In God's presence, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)....to procure virtues that seemed non-existent within you.... to unleash the potential that men's myopism blind the

DAILY VITAMIN - God Knows "Thus says the Lord, Consider thy ways" (Haggai 1:7) Most people always want a definition for everything that occurs, or might occur, and when it comes to issues about God, they want an 'up-there' kind of definition, at least that's what they call an ambiguous explanation. Yet unknown to them, God relates to men in a similar way in which we the sons of men relate with one another.  For instance, when a great general dies after several battle victories, a huge 'parliamentarian' funeral would be set up for him; the whole army would stand at attention for him; military rifles would be shot into the open air for him, and most times even a parade, just so that the surrounding world may know that someone who did great works just passed on.....instilling in your mind this feeling to never forget him. In the same way, God says 'I will never forget any of their works' (Amos 8:7). Whether it be of good or evil, God keeps a re

DAILY VITAMIN - The Responsibility To Forgive (2) "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:36) Imagine a world full of hate with little or no forgiving, there would be no giving; that is, no giving of love, of helping hands, of nothing. Now imagine a world without the penumbra of hatred, yet with no forgiving, it would seem nice for a while until its incompleteness surfaces, splashing reality before the faces of men that all there ever was was hate in the disguise of serenity. Lastly, imagine a world without hate, yet full of forgiveness; in there you would see a world where chances are never devoid until the end; a world where strife and grief would easily be expelled from the minds of men; a world where men would give to foes regardless of 'before'. A world where helping a soul get rid of guilt would feel more like a calling. If there's anything God did to us through Jesus, it was forgiving us, for with forgiveness comes a savi

DAILY VITAMIN - The Responsibility To Forgive (1) "And be ye kind one of another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32) Apart from the fact that your calling as a child of God-a forgiving God-demands you show the same attitude of forgiveness, the entire facet of success in life still has a hinge on forgiveness. The memoir of Job shows us how. Throughout the sufferings of Job, his three friends always thought they were defending God whenever they stroked Job with their whip-like words after he tried to justify his uprightness, even to an extent that it seemed as though their strokes exceeded their sympathy. After all was said and done, God instructed his friends to apologize to Job, yet the baton of the whole scene rested on Job: that is, on his forgiving them. Note, Job had been forgiven by God for complaining almost all through his trials, yet tested him to see if he could reciprocate the same, which

DAILY VITAMIN Your Position: A key "The Lord said to Abram after Lot had left him, Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever" (Genesis 13:14-15 AMP) No matter how much I'd love the idea of living in the West, working in the West, growing old in the West, the moment I find myself stuck in the North or East, my aspiration takes a shot on its 'legs' of realism. At least that's what I'd think at that moment, because in my mind all I can ever be can only begin from there. And so, it is true to say that your position is a labyrinth to your reality. By its impact in the lives of men, it shapes our today, and perfects our tomorrow. It determines our allocation in life; for if we miss our place, we would only be misplaced in the array of glorious realities. For instance, if Jacob had missed out on the two immemor

DAILY VITAMIN - The Blissfulness of Obedience "If you know these things, blessed and happy and to be envied are you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do them]." (John 13:17 AMP) Most times, I just wonder how it would have felt when Joseph called his son the name Jesus. He knew that was God's chosen name; not only that, he had also received directives to call the child that name; so indirectly he was accomplishing three things at a time. First, he was naming his first son. Second he was obeying God's command. Third, he was ushering the Messiah into the earth with His name given from above. I'm sure Joseph would have felt great within; perhaps as we do whenever we fulfill God's bidding to us. There is something ecstatic about the act of obeying God. It gives us this inner peace and assurance. It takes away the 'egg' feeling. A peculiar feature about the egg is its property of fragility. Wherever it may be, it stands a 99.9%