The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN - Embrace God’s Mercy “Come to Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Sin is burdensome. Guilt is heavy. And many a time both can make us feel lesser than God intended. They strip us of our self-worth. And then there’s forgiveness, which sets us free. But not just the act of being forgiven, but accepting that we’ve been forgiven. You see, in Christ we are forgiven. God forgave us but we’d never live in the liberty this grace brings unless we wholeheartedly accept it. The scripture says we have been justified and brought to a place of peace with God by virtue of this (Romans 5:1). And this happened because God is plenteous in mercy (Psalm 103:8). The same scripture says despite our shortcomings He treats us based on how He originally sees us (v. 10). Why? Because He cannot deny Himself (1 Timothy 2:13). In other words, even in our multiple failures He sees the best He can make out of us, that’s why He’s always willing ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Seek Christ Not Religion “…Seek you Me, and you shall live. But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek the LORD, and you shall live…” (Amos 5:4-6) Why would God instruct His people to focus on Him and not events or places? Because He knows man well enough to know men can make a religion out of anything. So He said seek the real deal. Seek Him. The concept of religion, if you look across all borders, is the searching of a way to perfection. Peace. Completeness. That’s what it entails holistically: man’s pursuit for what might be missing between what is and what he senses can be. Whether it is the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists; even atheists and agnostics, all have a religion that seeks the ultimate answer to all of life’s questions. And so requires a certain level of devotion to principles; fidelity to a state of conscientiousness and pious attachment....

  DAILY VITAMIN - Living In The Light “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4) In John 8:12, Jesus shows us that life—true life—has light. But many there are that live without this light. Many live empty. Their spirit unregenerated. They may look good on the outside, but they are nearly dead on the inside. So they spend many a time depressed, sad, feeling without hope, and stay that way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s impossible for a Christian to feel sad at times, but it is abnormal to stay sad indefinitely. Anyway, this happens because this light is missing. And as such, there is a void. A void that needs filling urgently. A void only light can satisfy. Jesus said if this light is present, such a person won’t stumble in darkness. Why? Because through this light, he/she overcomes every darkness that hovers around (John 1:5). This light is Christ abiding in us. You see, the more we give ourselves to Him, the more we are submerged in His light. Lear...

 DAILY VITAMIN - Only God Can Save “And they came to him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.” (Mark 2:3) What’s the first thing you understand from that scripture? I’ll tell you: they realized they couldn’t help that fellow on their own, so they brought him to who they were sure could. There’s someone out there who’s probably thinking, “Why won’t she change? I’ve taken her to see multiple counsellors. I bring her to church every single week. I even scold and preach to her every day. Still nothing. She’s just getting worse. My little girl isn’t becoming any better. She still hangs around bad folks, doing drugs and all. Oh God! Why? Why isn’t she changed? I’ve done everything.” Well, now you see why. Change is the most difficult thing to achieve. In fact, it’s proven that men naturally can’t change, they simply learn to adapt to circumstances. Thus, a proud rich man appears to be humble when he becomes poor. Circumstantial, not natural. No living creature can in...

  DAILY VITAMIN - To Save A Sinner “Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) But then the question becomes: * How can I know I need to be saved when I’m not even convinced I was damned to start with? * How do I know I need to come out of the darkness when I’m not even convinced I’m in the dark right this moment? * How can I accept I need Jesus in my life when I’m not even convinced right now I’m no better without Him? These are valid arguments folks bring up most times. Valid, because there is no salvation without conviction. As such for them to be saved, they must have been flooded by a tsunami of convictions. And even though conviction is personal, it can be aided. Yes and in this case must be. You see, darkness isn’t exposed by listing all of its attributes. “You’re black. You’re white. You smoke. You don’t.” No! It is by exposing it to light as Christ ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - The Role Of The Church “…To what is the kingdom of God like? And whereto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” (Luke 13:18-19) The church is tailored after the Kingdom. In fact, it is primarily an annex of the Kingdom on the earth. The centre of God’s domain among men. And just as the Kingdom reaches beyond all boundaries, the church is designed to grow and spread across all lands.  The Bible illustrates the Kingdom like a king who called all to the feast of his son (Matthew 22:1). Which is exactly what Jesus designated as the fundamental duty of His church (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20). In other words, the church like the Kingdom carries the Genesis mandate to multiply, replenish and have dominion (Genesis 1:28); and what is it meant to multiply? Righteousness through the knowledge of Christ as aided by th...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Dreams Do Come True “…all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23) Whatever a man can dream, he can be. Every God-inspired dream was given to you because He knows you have all it takes to bring it to the fore right there within you. And He’s so sure because He put it there Himself. You see, God would never give you a dream bigger than you. Perhaps bigger than your present circumstance or your apparent present capacity; but if He gave you a heart to own it, He’s surely given you the potential to see it happen. The key here is to believe. I don’t care how outrageous your dream is, it can never be more outrageous than God’s ability to do the impossible. The scripture says HE can do all things above what we could even imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  What that means is if you can dream it God can do it because even the things we aren’t capable of dreaming about He can do those too. So, just believe and take the corresponding actions required to meet its re...

 DAILY VITAMIN - Prove Your Love “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) I learned when I was a chap that people don’t care what you know, all they want to know is that you care. They don’t want the textbook type of love, they want the real life kind of love. The type that doesn’t just affirm itself in words but in deeds. And while this mustn’t always end with someone dying for another literally, it always does figuratively. Be it in priorities, in choices or in actions. Something must give, and it must give for the other to have. You see, love must be proven not spoken. It’s an action emotion. It doesn’t want to be stayed within, it wants to sprout off with evidences. The truth is anybody can casually use the words “I love you,” but not many can take up the responsibility of love. Love has its burdens; many in fact. Paul tells us that it bears all things, envies not and never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). That means love make...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Look Up “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from where comes my help.” (Psalm 121:1) When things get tough, just look up. Not literally, but in your heart. David did that. He was looking up at the hills during battle, but while the enemy thought he was waiting for some ally forces his mind was set on God. And even when they were outnumbered, Israel won every time. You might feel alone at times, thinking the world is against you. You assume that you can’t find help from around you but I’m here to tell you you’ve got help in God. Verse 2 says “My help comes from the LORD…” and He is willing to help. The devil will always be there to discourage you, to tell you God can’t help you, but he’s lying. It’s all he is good at. God will help you. He says fear not I will help you (Isaiah 41:13). He won’t leave you alone. He will show Himself strong in your behalf. All you have to do is trust Him even when the odds seem not in your favour. These were the words of Asa (2 Chron...

  DAILY VITAMIN - We Serve A Wonder-Working God "...because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort." (Daniel 3:29) God is wonderful. I think that's the best description of God that exists. He is wonder personified. Everything about Him is filled with wonders. You see, the things that are natural to God are supernatural to us. What we call miracles are the daily experience of His estate. For instance, the scripture tells us that in heaven there is no need for a sun because He is light enough. Imagine the sun disappeared for a whole day and yet your city was still lighted up, we'd all gather and term the phenomenon a miracle. But it's something that God on a normal day exudes. Like I said, He is just sublimely wonderful. And the signs of His wonderfulness are all around us.  The King Nebuchadnezzar, to whom the theme scripture is credited to, said it best: he said, "How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everl...

 DAILY VITAMIN - God Is Not A Man, He Won't Let You Down "God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) A lot of people have been disappointed at various stages of their lives. Some by loved ones, others by strangers they'd believed could turn out different who never did. These disappointments overtime create a huge gulf in their hearts that make it impossible to trust anymore. Not a new partner in a new relationship; not a buddy who says "I've got your back." They just don't trust as easily as they once did because they don't want to be disappointed as they once were. Well guess what? God isn't like any of those guys. He won't let you down. You might not believe but HE won't. That's the essence of that opening scripture. He's saying "I'm not like your dad, I'm better than a ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Think Right "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7) We are products of our thoughts. It's the mechanism by which we are made, either for good or bad. Like a cascade, we choose what we think and accept, and then in return they decide what we become. So it is true that a man can never be bigger than what he thinks he is, because his thoughts are a scale by which he's weighed and therefore perceived, even if by no one else, by himself. As a result, it doesn't matter what others may say about you, what matters first is what you say of yourself. Because that's what you'd reflect, and therefore is the fuel that determines whether or not you stand a chance, no matter how little. In other words, if others say you're not good enough and you think maybe they're right that you're not good enough, then believe me you are not good enough, not because you are actually not good enough but because you accept that you are ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - You Will Rejoice Again "When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter..." (Psalm 126:1-2) In the above Psalm, David via the help of the Spirit was teaching us how things work with God. Contrary to what we may have believed for years, he wasn't solely speaking of Israel's release from Eygpt but of every release the children of the Most High will ever experience. And that includes yours. Today. He says "then said they among the heathen, The LORD has done great things for them." (v. 2). And that "they that sow in tears shall reap in joy." (v. 5). The sowing in tears refers to our being patient and trusting, such that we keep holding to God even when losing grip of all that pertains to a good life. Because as David also insinuated, when God shows up, the stranger will wish they were us.  Now you'd notice that this Psalm was written before the Babylonian capt...

  DAILY VITAMIN - If Only You Knew What God's Been Doing For You "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:" (Psalm 124:2) A lot of us don't truly understand the extremity of the goodness of God in our lives. We don't know the things He's done and still does for us--seen and unseen. We wake up each morning and think what the heck! Another day. But if only you could see what happened in those six hours you were insatient.  The scripture tells us that our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of darkness in the spirit world (Ephesians 6:12). That means the devil is your fatal foe for life, and each day he's on the lookout for ways to completely make a mess of you. Jesus said his only though for you is to kill, destroy and steal (John 10:10). To ravage us (1 Peter 5:8). But guess who's on the other side making sure you receive life instead of the deathly woes planned? God (John 10:10). In other ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Sing To The Lord "...singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19) It takes a grateful heart to worship; but gratitude isn't just an offshoot of what has been received, sometimes it's just a response to what could be. In other words, you don't need any reason to worship God; that you can think there should be one is enough reason to. Like I've said in past devotionals, the things you think are worthless are things others are begging for.  For instance, you woke up this morning. To many, that's nothing. It's usual. Ordinary. But to the fellow whose dad didn't wake up this morning it isn't. We take for granted a lot of things, but when we realize that we are not entitled to an extra day at the end of each day, and that the breath we take in every day is a gift from God, we would have enough reason to wake up each morning with thanksgiving.  As I love to say; thanksgiving is a function of understanding wh...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Don't Doubt Yourself; You Can "I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) I know what you're thinking: 'I'm not cool enough, smart enough, tall enough... Why won't I doubt myself?'  Well, I was a terrible writer. A horrible Bible teacher. But as of today, I've written some really great stuffs, and with God's help I've taught the Word to a bunch of people I could never have dreamed of teaching. So forgive me for being too optimistic as it concerns you. But guess what? I'm not the only one who's optimistic you can do the unimaginable. Because God is too. He says "You can do all things..." Yes, you. Not the guy who's kind of taller or cooler; No. I don't know about that guy, all I know is that He says you can. You who's reading this right now. Don't wag your head, I said you. And you've got believe it. Because if you are ever going to be transformed...

  DAILY VITAMIN - The Word Blesses Doers "...blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Luke 11:28) The Bible says that we should be doers of the word, and not hearers alone (James 1:22). Do you know why? Because as our theme scripture says, the blessing of the word comes only from abiding in it. James tells us that when we don't abide by it, but only hear, we can be likened to a fellow who stares at a reflection of his smudged face in a mirror but does nothing about cleaning himself up (v. 23-24). He sees the stain but retains it, leaving the same way he came.  The thing is, the Word shows you where you lack, but if you let it, it can help you fill up the void. And that comes from doing what it says. It's like a manual. A manual is useless to you unless you practice what's written in it. For instance, you may have an appliance work on a lower capacity except you are doing exactly what the manufacturer says is needed to raise a notch higher. In the...

DAILY VITAMIN - Love Yourself "...I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:14) Why do we think loving oneself is wrong? Why do we act like it's a sin? Self-love isn't wrong; what's wrong is if you are all you love. Infact, God expects us to love ourselves. Jesus tells us the greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbours as you love yourself. Not more than you love yourself, but as much as you love yourself. The truth is if you don't love yourself, you can't love anyone else. Love is reflective. You can only give what you have within. This is evidential in how God can love us unconditionally; and that is because He is love personified. So, He doesn't struggle to give it because He is it. In the same way, if you don't see yourself as worth much, you'd never think anyone is worth anything too. Thus, we are urged to love ourselves. To see ourselves how God sees us--as fearfully and wonderfully made. You might not be mo...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Spare A Penny "Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) Two truths are certain in life: 1. Not everyone will be rich. 2. Regardless of how bad your present state may be, there are those who are in much more far worse. So, in other words, there will always be poor people in this world, or in some cases poorer people. Jesus assured us of that; and your testimonies are actually someone else's prayer requests. For this reason, we are told that God blesses us with some level of wealth for two things: to enjoy, and also to help others (1 Timothy 6:17-18). Paul describes it better in his letter to the church in Corinth. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always have all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work...For the administration of this service not only supplies the want of the saints, but is abun...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Only A Call Away "As many as call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) God is never far away from us. The Bible says His eyes are always watching us (2 Chronicles 16:9). So even in your deepest lows, God is still very near to you. You may feel alone, depressed, dejected, abandoned, but believe me you're not. God feels everything you are feeling at this moment. He knows where it hurts; and at all times His desire is to see that burden broken from off you. His desire is to see you smile again.  So please you're not alone. Remember that. When in need, do well to ask the Lord for help. Listen to what HE says regarding that: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." (Isaiah 41:17). Then He went ahead and said He will cause rivers to open in high places and fountains in low places (v. 18); that's favour ...