The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Can You Serve God For Nothing? "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15) There is a marvelous picture in the book of Habakkuk of a true revelation about one man's love for God. He [the prophet] said that even if all he had ceased to prosper; even if his life came to a standstill and he lost every sense of hope for a revival; even if the picture of his future loses the poise and élan he was promised, yet will he serve-and rejoice in-Jehovah (3:17-18). Just like Job, this was a man who loved God not for what He gives, but for whom He is. But here lies the irony: How many of us can the same be said of today? How many of us will choose God even if that choice had no benefit to it? How many of us will choose God all over again if we had a hall-pass to live in any way, and if judgment, heaven and hell ceased to exist? This is what it means to truly love God: to serve and obey Him even when there's no reward or consequence attached to it. Mo

DAILY VITAMIN - Getting It Right In Love  "And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother." (Genesis 24:67, NLT) From the rear, I can hear the words "what makes you think you can write about this? You're not married and apparently aren't 'in love' presently". Touché; but while that may sound right, it's like telling a therapist he can't help you beat the addiction simply because he isn't addicted. You see, what experience may miss, observation and learning won't. And more so, who told them I haven't? Well, let's leave that for another day. Now, Love? For a long time, I have focused my attention on exploring and teaching about the love of God and the need for us to appropriate the same. But right under our noses, I have seen a plethora of young men and women get swindled by the idea of love adorned

DAILY VITAMIN - Born To Reign "For He has made us unto our God Kings and Priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:10) Who do you think you are? Men may call you normal; the devil may call you a potential victim; but God calls you His child. And being God’s child means you have a king's gene deeply trenched in your spirit. Choosing to live conscious of it in words and deeds is the responsibility that eventually makes it real indeed. But, will this bother people? Of course it will. Most times, when we speak of our positions in Christ as kings and peculiar people, a lot of persons tend to shrug, calling our words bluff. They mock and judge our claims as outlandish. With their angry faces, they dispute our belief until we even begin to doubt God ourselves. But I'm here to tell you -don't let that bother you. The fact that something seems untrue doesn't yet make it untrue. The fact that the same seems impossible doesn't cancel out its pos

DAILY VITAMIN - Cheer Yourself Out Of Fear In a world like ours where the greatest epidermic is fear, what sort of permanent solution can be proffered? In fact, it is an overlapped pandemic common to both the man with cancer and even the man with just a cold. It haunts both the rich and the poor alike. It cripples the strongest of men; leaving him to believe he is lesser than he knows he actually is. And not just that, fear, in its sinister state, overwhelms the man, emptying him of every thought of betterness, until all he has left is a mindset jammed with impossibilities, shame and the 'its all over' view of all things. It diminishes the actualization of an achievement that is very much attainable. For instance, when Peter shoved away fear for a moment, he walked on the sea of Galilee....leg on water manifesting upthrust. But at the entrance of fear, this high stander began to sink. The grievous effects of fear are currently ruining nations, states, organizations and fam

DAILY VITAMIN - We Live As We Think "For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9 AMP) It's true to say that in life there will always be good times and bad, but your chances of making both days seem blissful depends on your ability to paint both days blissful by seeing good in all things. Our confessions and perceptions define our realizations and actualization. You are what you see yourself as. Apostle James speaks of how believers should rejoic

DAILY VITAMIN - You Must Finish Well "I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith. [As to what remains] henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor's] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that [great] day--" (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Finishing well isn't an act that always seem as though it would be right from the onset of a task, but by a persistent reminder that it's the only alternative, your willpower to work until you meet the goal stays on top. Whenever you have a task before you, the lacked materials, the unknown exclusive integrated knowledge for such tend to stand as a barrier, creating a siege against your accomplishment of such a task. In this dilemma (of confusion and pressure), the first thing to do to yourself is to remind yourself of how important that task's accom

DAILY VITAMIN - Strive To Thrive "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14) Why do we settle for less? Why do we embrace the meager possibility when we could have it all? We convince ourselves by saying we are being content; when in reality we are actually being scared. We accept the normal life, when God has an extra normal one reservations for us. He says all things are yours (1 Corinthians 3:21); then why do we live otherwise? We claim that it's better than nothing; saying that a living dog is better than a dead lion- and so living an unfulfilled life is better than not living at all. But I disagree. You see, the quote a living dog is better than a dead lion is an excuse of a consolation for mediocrity. God never called us to live mediocre lives. He says we are the lights of the world, but here we are being comfortable with being just mere sparks. We can be more. We can be a fire; but you have to first g

DAILY VITAMIN - Living For Possibilities "All things are possible for him who believes" (Mark 9:23) God has given unto man the key to the labyrinth of possibilities. That is to say, that you as an individual has all it takes to be all you want. You can be anything and everything you desire to become. You possess deep within yourself all things required to get that which is desired. In a simple sentence, you are a treasure of possibilities- a treasure in that it's only in digging deep that you would discover how much you have embedded in your Person. Just like we are, Gideon was a regular wheat thresher, believing all he was good at were threshing and hiding. Oh yes, he thought himself a good hider, since he was so afraid that the sound of the name Midian could aggravate his pulse's intensity. Little did he know that a giant laid within him, a giant who should be scaring away lilliputians, and not running away from them. But not until Gideon received insight of wh

DAILY VITAMIN - It's Only A Test "You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says." (1 Corinthians 10:13 TLB) Just as you know, most times in life God would always put us up to the test; and one major test is the trial of our faith and patience in Him: Your contentment in Him. With many of us, God is going to set up a meeting date, and purposefully He's going to show up late just so that He could see what we are really capable of doing when it seems as though He's absent or not coming any sooner. Saul had the same test. In First Samuel 13:8-14, a meeting was set up between him and God through the person of Samuel the seer, but Samuel never showed up. In an attempt to preserve his ego, Saul carried out the levitical and priestly duties that were forbidden for him to perform. At a period when it seemed like God wasn't around anymore, he decided to take

DAILY VITAMIN - Starting Fresh "Choose this day..." (Joshua 24:15) Seeing that today opens the countdown to the beginning of the 2nd quarter of the year, it is expedient to begin to put plans into place on how you desire to turn tables around, doing things in a better form than you did before, in a way that one could say the coming days is going be better than the previous. So if you desire to start afresh, you must make up your mind to begin today. That is, if you've had so many bad times than good at school, this is that time to make up your mind to cause a change. If you're having a 'ship wrecking' relationship, this is that time to fix it. No matter how much aspirations you have, it needs plans and decisions to manifest. This year is meant to be an opening into a new chapter to your education, marriage, career, relationship etc., but what would be written on those pages depends on you. So, if you desire an imprint of life-impactful tales on these page

DAILY VITAMIN - Making Jesus Your Priority One problem with man is his selfishness. As someone once mused that man is naturally selfish. Everyday we see everybody trying to advertise themselves; it's not like that's altogether bad, but if its against the 'rule of the day', then it is. For instance, we see employees who are paid to advertise their employer rather using their working time to advertise themselves. If it were their spare time, then it wouldn't be that wrong, but with their bought time, that makes it worse than plagiarism. The same thing can be likened to our walk of faith with God- or rather if you like, our Christian walk. Your life today was bought by God, and it is only candid that you use your bought time to advertise more of Him than yourself. The angels proclaimed that God giving Christ to us brought glory to Him, peace to our world, and the goodwill we all now enjoy (Luke 2:14). So the ecstatic life we now live was only possible because God

DAILY VITAMIN - Waiting Out The Storm In this year, as at other times, there are going to be a lot of panic attacks- giving ups on some people's part and discouragements from even those we think wouldn't; but as clearly as the sun comes out at 6, it's an inevitable phase in life. The only difference between its effect on one person from another is the way they handle them. Their attitude is what makes the difference. So, it's never the problem, it is the person. A lot of people are going to say to others as it was said to Joseph 'Let's see how their dreams are going to manifest'; and as to Jesus they would tell them 'Nothing good can come out of here' . As to Jephthah they are going to spew them out because of their petty societal class; and these are really going to shake a whole lot of persons, making them feel unworthy, even to the extent of burying their own dreams with their own hands. David was once in this same situation. He had at various

DAILY VITAMIN - Finding The Pieces That Completes Your Game Only a few set of people can affect us in ways that will spur us to get that which we must to make a mark in our world, but the gambit sometimes is finding and accepting these ones. A lot of people come and go our way everyday of our lives, but our ability to acknowledge and stay acquainted with those that we must meet, and the grace for them to reciprocate, is the defining factor of how well and fast we would receive our long-awaited rising. David had had friends come and go- right from when he tended to the sheep in the desert to when he got enlisted into the infantry ranks, but none of these were as impactful as Jonathan was to him....And Jonathan loved him as his own soul..(1 Samuel 18:1), even to the extent that he aided David's rising to his betrothed throne at his own expense. The same thing with the blind man at Bethesda; he must had received a lot of greetings and alms daily, but on  that day he heard Jesus&#

DAILY VITAMIN - Finding Rest In God And Peace With Men Most times than often, God's will would always clash against our personal will; and at this stage, our rest would be dependent on whose we would choose. A lot of people experience this daily; that is, placing their wills above God's, and though they might get what they intended for, but they lose that soothing peace they relished. They develop a conscientious feeling that haunts them as a result of their neglect of God's best for their best. While some others, despite the loss they may encounter, still choose God's above their's, and as a result even with the losses they acquired still remain at peace and joyous, because they believed God's best is what's best for them. You see, just like you must understand, what's right may not be beneficial, but it definitely leads to where's right. There is nothing more precious to all beings than peace - peace in the country, peace of mind, peace at hear

DAILY VITAMIN - Why You Must Thank God "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP) The most important thing in life is not marriage, neither is it greatness, nor wealth, nor your having a lot of wonderful kids, or a good career with awesome giveaways; all these are graciously nice, but individually they do not constitute the most important thing in life. The most important thing in life is the privilege of life itself; because without life, there wouldn't be any need for a wedding, or a journey to greatness, or more money. Your being alive is the center for the commencement of the accomplishment of these things mentioned. So, instead of waiting until you get a perfect spouse before you thank God, think again and thank Him for the life you still live. Instead of waiting until you move

DAILY VITAMIN - Reacting Right "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaks frowardness" (Proverbs 10:32) How do you react to people's everyday actions towards you? It is true that actions speak loud, but reactions do the extreme. Your attitude in response to the words of a family member, a friend, a stranger, or a foe determines what you get as a by-product of that discourse. It defines who you truly are behind the many debris and aesthetics life conditions have dawned on you. The wise man wrote 'A soft answer turns away wrath' (Proverbs 15:1): and that is to say that the showing off of your self-conceitedness, and the showing up of your humility in response to the daily requests and words that come to you have their individual wages. A humble approach in responding can tame the hidden tiger in a man, but a conceited approach unleashes the unwanted at any time. So, are you a regular participant in the game of harsh w

DAILY VITAMIN - Surrendering All "And he that endures to the end shall be saved" (Mark 13:13) On those words of Jesus that centers on the eschatological era lies the key to a very grave human problem. A lot of individuals find it hard to just accept what God has for them at the moment, having faith in Him, that regardless of whether He changes this present of ours' or not, He's still God; and so in pursuit of respite, they run to as far as the eye can meet just to learn the world's alternative fashion of life so as to get what it offers to its captives, all because they were discontented with what God had in mind for them. When Jesus said....neither should ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given to you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Mark 13:11), it may not be directly pointing towards this subject, but it is likened to saying that sometimes when our human ego keep telling us 'it's not enough', we

DAILY VITAMIN - Emulating Noah In a world which was doomed for destruction; one where the verdict had been passed already; where millions were to be taken away by the floods, Noah found grace. It's like saying he got his name cancelled from the book of the verdict- just him, only him. But why? What made him so different from the populace at that time? Noah was a just man, a perfect man, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:8-9). So, we can say that these criteria can save a man from the billed out desolation, or life recession to come. First, he was just: God desires company with the just (Micah 6:8), and so if He makes the just His friends, it means He would be willing  to keep that friend with Him, safe and sound, regardless of the judgement met by the surrounding world. Recall, Paul's statement, the just shall live by faith, which is to say, they live in God. Second, he was perfect: Haven't you heard that you are made perfect in Christ? So, Noah is likened to a man who

DAILY VITAMIN - Starting At The Bottom "For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored." (Luke 14:11 TLB) If you must become a master who would stand on his feet, you must learn at the feet of someone. At the feet, there is usually no fame, no clear gain at the moment, no titles, but as you master all things learnt from the feet, you become a master able to stand on his own feet. The little things we learn from people who are superior to us are not just some things that happen, but necessary things that shape our lives, if by any means we must be (or even above) where they are now. So, do not hate the feet position, it's the beginning point of greatness. The disciples often sat to listen to Jesus on feet level; and after Jesus had gone, they did greater things. At the feet level, Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah, but after Elijah had gone, he had double his anointing. No matter how defaming or mediocre

Through prayers, lives are blessed worldwide every single day of the year; and this is majorly because there is a true Saviour who hears prayers, and loves to bless as many as come to Him with a sincere heart- willing to heed their call and to weed out their troubles.The subject of prayer can never be overemphasized or undermined; rather it is a key to the complete growth of the believer. Prayer is not just a religious act or some sacramental duty; at least it's not meant to be, it is simply God's way of relating with us as we do with friends and family. In this book, you'd learn how prayer is a victory in itself, and never a waste  of time, because even while we are still praying, God has already started doing something great; and that's why we cannot but call it  blessed-for not only do we meet our blessed savior in it, we are drawn to become more like Him through it. T HE BLESSEDNESS OF PRAYER is now also available on Amazon ( ISBN  978-1090443397) at $15.99. It