The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - What God Desires "My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51:17 AMP) How sorry are you everytime you offend someone close to you? If much, then I'd say you love such a person. Trying to make amends with someone shows just how much you really acknowledge and appreciate them. Next....How sorry are you everytime you wrong God? If much, then I'd also say that you are the kind of person God wants around Him. But note, when I say 'being sorry', I mean unto repentance, unto perfection....and not mere remorse; because that is the basics of a contrite spirit - one that never wants to wrong God, and so when it does, finds no rest until they two are in par again. Little wonder why God delights so much in such an asset. He said....''To this man will I look, even to him.... of

DAILY VITAMIN - Fear God "That you may [reverently] fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, and keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged." (Deuteronomy 6:2 AMP) The impartiality of God is stated clearly in Scripture, when He said 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance'(Mark 2:17), and also when He said through Paul ..'the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men' (Titus 2:11); but regardless of this impartial move of God unto all men, we still find some as saints and others as sinners, despite His coming the first time for the sinner, and at the latter days the saints. By studying the lives of these selected few that are still kept right, we realize that one attribute that made them the selected is written in the scroll of Malachi....''My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to h

DAILY VITAMIN - Like Abraham, Like You "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him when he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many." (Isaiah 51:2 AMP) In the days of Abraham's trials, God arose and spoke the most comforting words he needed to hear at that barren state of his home....the words....'I will make thee a nation'... A man who had no seed was promised he would breed trees with multiple branches; and yet in the midst of disbelief, this man still chose to believe. Note, Abraham's nationhood began twenty-five years after the promise, but was made a reality two generations after him when the twelve tribes were established. But what's important was that God saw it, told him, and he believed. You would notice that he believed not because he outrightly saw the seed, or the tree that was promised: No! He believed, rather on the platform of what he could see of himself through Him who promised, and was also able t

DAILY VITAMIN - Compassion For The Lost "BRETHREN, [with all] my heart's desire and goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved." (Romans 10:1 AMP) In His wrath against the children of Israel, God was willingly ready to disown them, when He used the words ''thy people'' while conversing with Moses, instead of the usual 'My people' (see Exodus 32:7); and at this stage, He was also ready to offer Moses a blank cheque to become the nation Israel was meant to be, and perhaps if that had happened we would have been familiar with the word Mosites and not Israelites as God's people. But note, even at the sight of this massive offer, Moses never failed to remember purpose, to remember what was his obligation to God's people, even to the extent that he indirectly wagered his own salvation on the platter of the conditions that God would forgive the backsliden Israelites (v. 32). He was willing to either be forsaken togeth

DAILY VITAMIN - Embracing Repentance "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15 AMP) The picture of Hansel and Gretel's escapade is a similitude to what God was explaining to Jeremiah as Israel's malady. Hansel and Gretel went through a path in the dark woods close to their small hamlet, placing stones even as they went, just in case they missed their way, to aid their quick returning, but as they went further they discovered they were the more lost; yet instead of returning, they kept on walking until it led them to the cavern house of biscuits of which one could have all of its pleasures, only to be sacrificed later by the old fiery witch inside. Many individuals have the same syndrome; they see themselves derailing from the faith, yet instead of admitting they were wrong and return back to God, they keep on movi

DAILY VITAMIN - How We Must Live As Christians   "The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]" (John 14:21 AMP) A lot of us do not only visualize God's rule as something we personally decide its efficacy, but we also act out this silly idea. In case you never knew, the rule of God is basically Theocracy, not autocratic nor democratic: meaning that He does not force us to the stripes to obey His laws, neither does He expect us to create other laws other than the ones He instructed us to follow; but rather He gives us a word, and expects we do well to comply with it to reap His benefits. In ancient Israel, God picked out a prophet from the masses, and spoke through him...saying..''Obey My voice, and do them, according to all w

DAILY VITAMIN - Living A Spirit-Controlled Life "If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]" (Galatians 5:25 AMP) Almost everyday of our lives, we make decisions based on a 95:5 percent ratio of our own will over the will of God; and oftentimes despite the knowledge of the fact that our chosen option is totally wrong, we still persist on doing it. It's funny, but it's the truth. We have turned the virtue of persistence and perseverance from a gift that can serve as a means to remain firmly in God as He desires into a means to fulfill our own cravings and lusts regardless of how long it may take. I'll give you an example. At the era when Israel had peace all around them, having dealt with their foes, placing Ammon under their control and Syria as their 'tributaries', the Bible recorded that Satan provoked Davi

DAILY VITAMIN - Becoming The Effective Leader God Desires (2) Let's take this as a sequel for our previous study on leadership. With the insight that a leader other than being a visioneer, a thinker, a dreamer, and a doer must also of great importance be a selfless man. For instance, let's study David a bit: At a point when doom spelled upon Israel; pain, death, fear, had so much as crippled the fetus still being formed in the womb, David showed one other quality of a leader that can never be bypassed. Though this evil effect was as a result of David's wrong actions of calling on a census of the people, he took responsibility for his actions.....and so thus, the second great attribute is Responsibility. A leader must always see himself responsible both for things that are directly under his watch, and even those that aren't. He must be willing to say 'I'm responsible' even when it was his subject who hit the rudder in the wrong direction; not because h

DAILY VITAMIN - Becoming The Effective Leader God Desires (1) Regardless of the actions of our earthly rulers, leadership trainers, book writers, the greatest place to find the basics of leadership is in the ever true word of God. It reveals to us what effective leadership truly is all about. And this is important because God loves a leader, and He wants each and every one of us to be one. Note, a leader differs from a ruler; for while a ruler may be selfish, a leader is and must be selfless; a leader is compassionate, a leader is much more inclined towards a lifestyle that is actually 'more of them' than 'more of me'. A leader sees the expectation of his subjects before his; a leader lays down his life for the sheep. And that's why He (God) loves a leader- something which you and I must learn to become, because He Himself was a leader when He delivered Israel before Egypt; a leader when He took the cross we were doomed to carry, a leader even as He leads us dail

DAILY VITAMIN - Made To Meet Needs "To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3 AMP) Many years ago, something happened that made me realize how selfish even the most selfless could sometimes appear to be, even if he never intended to. An acquaintance of mine, whom I needed to see for a particular need of mine, came hurriedly with this glare stuck on her face as she narrated some difficulties she was presently experiencing at that moment, but being under the spell of how important I thought my need was, I became so insensitive as to not see that she ha

DAILY VITAMIN - Living How Jesus Lived "By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]." (John 13:35 AMP) A lot of people cannot comprehend the words Christ spoke at specific moments, as did the crowd that followed Him from city to city. They do not comprehend these words of His not because He spoke with ambiguity, but rather because they find it hard to understand the dexterity underneath most of His instructions. In fact, the human mind and reasoning cannot decipher a logical explanation for such statements; but thank God we are not mere humans, but children of God; not of the world, but of the Spirit: and as Paul said 'they (the words) are spiritually discerned'(1 Corinthians 2:14). So, in Him, we do understand. For instance, Jesus said 'Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who despitefully use you'(Luke 6:28). Note, Jesus didn't concern Himself to encourage them to

DAILY VITAMIN - Speak Encouraging Words "Help others with encouraging words" (Romans 14:19 MSG) One of the most interesting kind of literature and tale is the Fiction; of which we have heard a bit of, or at least imagined when we put ourselves in other men's shoes. And funny as it may seem, these stories often time inspire us even more than those we clearly watch in reality through the lives of men. For instance, there's the story of a young eight year old girl - Kasey, a lass who lived with so much great enthusiasm as though daytime never ceased. At the interesting stage of her infantile life, Kasey was diagnosed with Leukemia; and therefore was bed-ridden far away from the stars she'll did love to sit under the nearby sycamore tree as she watched them glare in their enviable magnificence. But that wasn't the most awful part. Other than being bed-ridden, her surrounding mates, and familiars never gave her any sense of hope, as they all carried their sobb

DAILY VITAMIN - What's God's Presence Worth To You? "I have asked for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance" (Psalm 27:4 GNB) To a lot of people, the presence of God is just a myth, an unreal imagination, an abstract....but for those who have been in situations where they needed a presence to count on, and found His, to them it's a privilege they are never willing to let go forever. Like they say,once you have taste honey,there's no going back. God's presence is more than honey. The Psalm calls it a brewer of joy and pleasures (Psalm 16:11); meaning that you can have it and think of anything better. And so he gives us a hint for how our need for Him supersedes even that for honey when he depicted Him as a savoury delicacy that can't be resisted. He wrote "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). Why did he say that? What me

DAILY VITAMIN - Can You Be Trusted? "I gave my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the ruler of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many." (Nehemiah 7:2 AMP) If the entire world depended on it, could you be trusted? Before you answer with great enthusiasm and self-belief as Peter did, when he told Jesus he could never deny Him, I want you to know that this is not meant to judge you but to help you become more of whom God expects us to be. Alright then, let's start with this: One virtue that is beginning to become extinct on earth is trustworthiness. Even Jesus said that on that day family shall betray each other, not to even talk of friends; but the most astonishing part is that these set of people who are not trustworthy are not so because they got possessed by a demon, but because they got over-possessed by the ambition of self so badly that they forget its them and others on earth, and not just them alone. The

DAILY VITAMIN - Live Above Fear "...Do not be afraid; I will help you" (Isaiah 41:13 GNB) In almost every Bible translation, the statement 'FEAR NOT', or something that connote that appears 365 times: that is one for every day of the year. But for the ordinary everyday man, he asks 'Why would God so all powerful concern Himself with this constant daily instruction for mankind to impede the hold of fear?'. The truth is that God constantly reminds us since He sees it wise because He has shown us from instances that all He has prepared for us is right there before us, but except we take it, it will remain untaken by us; and as if that's not bad enough, it might even remain that way from cradle to grave. He has also shown us that it's not just enough to believe, we must also act out our belief: and this portion of life's activities-action-is what fear fights the most in us, and from us. It is certain that all of our faith is destined to culmin

DAILY VITAMIN - Living Beyond Me "This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest" (Mark 10:43 GNB) One epic reason why men do all they do to have all they will to have is for the sake of self-justification. They want to be known and be heard- an ideology that's primarily centered on them alone. Yet, while this reason might seem totally flawless in their sight, it isn't and shouldn't be for the man who has chosen to be an Arch- a principal instrument in the fulfillment of God's purpose on the earth, or rather was called to be one; because for this set, all they do is for the sake of edification. Some might argue, asking, "Why?"; but the cycle of the cosmic elements teaches us the answer to that question. The sun, for instance, shows us that it doesn't just pop out to shine for the sake of being seen, but to provide light for the children of men, giving them a means of guida

DAILY VITAMIN - Putting Your Life To Proper Use "Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house." (Matthew 5:15 AMP) If I were to ask you a question concerning your present state, I'd like to presume that I will receive a fortunate response. Like for instance, if I were to ask how many times in a year you cry yourself to sleep, a good number of us would respond with a resounding less than one answer. That is, 1 or less in 360+ days a year. But unfortunately that is not the case for some others who hit the everyday mark. That is, some folks around us are so laden with problems that they cry everyday to sleep. A typical philosopher would, at this juncture, argue that if there was a God, why would this set suffer such; but nevertheless the issue here is not the problem, but the effectiveness of the solution provided - in which case today I want you to know that you are. I can hear someone say "Wh

DAILY VITAMIN - The Father's Love "...He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end" (John 13:1 GNB) How can one describe the love of Christ for us? With what extremity or degree can it be depicted or compared with to the understanding of men. What vocabulary will best explain it? And what models will best measure it? With what can it be preferably juxtaposed with? Perhaps as the love of a mother for her child, No! for though that may stand a while, but when far away from the toddler in the fire, it avails little. Or maybe perhaps as the bee's for the honeycomb? But, No! again, for when the southern winds pull all combs down the tree, the bee finds another home. Yet again maybe as the love you have for your closest friend? Yet no again, but rather greater than that, for in death one cannot save even his closest. But Christ, when death had engulfed you and I, He substituted in exchange His life for our death that we may

DAILY VITAMIN - Living The Life Most times when I wish to describe the Christian life, I like to use the  picture of the Flock and the Nomad. You see, a nomad may be outnumbered by his flock, but regardless of what he does to them, they don't retaliate. Does that tell you anything? Okay, let's see.... No matter how hard the nomadic fellow strikes the cattle, it never turns to strike back, rather it continues as it was directed to move. It obeys the unwritten order until it gets to where it must. Little wonder why Jesus lived, as according to Isaiah, as 'a sheep led to the slaugther'. The sheep could decide to run away, just as the cattle could choose to plunge the nomad beneath the fifth rib, yet they choose to do nothing, because they live to serve purpose. They obey even though they have the power to pull off a successful rebellion. In the same vein, the Christian no longer lives as himself, rather he lives the Person of Jesus to the world around him, so that even

DAILY VITAMIN Am I The Judge? "DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves". (Matthew 7:7) Have you ever seen a family scenario where one of the 'tykes' did something appalling, and instead of correcting him, every single one of the unit fumes up in vexation, and cancels the little one out of every one of their minds? Have you ever seen that? Well, the truth is that if that child doesn't have someone to put him back on track, how do you think that child would end up? Distraught, I guess. Well, the same thing applies to our everyday life as Christians and as people in general. Let me show you: As Christians: One day Jesus was walking through the corn field with His disciples who plucked off the corn which they ate while on through the field they walked. The Pharisees saw them commit this felonious act according to the law since it was the sabbath, but instead of calling them discreetly t