Joel Kwesi Baidoo

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27) There is an Italian proverb which says: “Often he who does too much does too little.” One of the enemy’s most successful tactics against us is distractions. He knows you have good intentions to do the right things so he will throw many distractions at you just to throw you off course. Some of the distractions may include, but not limited to, unnecessary arguments and conversations which steal your attention from what really matters, many seemingly urgent tasks which are not vital as far as your vision is concerned, and constant thoughts of self doubt. Beware of drifting into other things after you have received a clear direction from God through His word or prayer. Change not not your focus, and do not settle for less until you have accomplished whatever God has laid

“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Matthew 25:29) When I first read the above Scripture, I was wondering why the person who has will be given more. Is this not promoting inequality? The reality however is that in this life, those who have will receive more. I call it a cycle of grace. A wise person will be attracted to books and events which will increase their knowledge and wisdom, so they will keep getting wiser. The person interested in amassing wealth will also be attracted to things that will help them acquire and manage more riches. The key lesson of today’s message is that we need to be aware of and consciously remain in our cycle of grace. The kind of grace that is upon you will determine what you desire after. If you desire, for example, to teach, mentor, write songs, etc., be intentional about growing in that grace so that you can keep receiving more of it. If you persist

In the late 18th century, Benjamin Beddom, a Baptist Pastor and a son of another Baptist Minister, wrote this hymn to express his zeal to serve His master Jesus. As our world continues to descend in ungodliness, may we be inspired and fired up in holy zeal to serve our beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 If duty calls, and suffering, too, My Lord! I’d follow Thee; As Thou hast done, so would I do, As Thou art, would I be. 2 With zeal inflamed, ’twas Thy delight To do Thy Father’s will; May the same zeal my soul excite Thy precepts to fulfill. 3 Meekness, humility, and love Did through Thy conduct shine; O may my whole deportment prove A copy, Lord! of Thine. 4 Depending on Thy sovereign grace, I’ll tread the heavenly road; With willing mind Thy footsteps trace, And climb to Thine abode. 5 O let me run the Christian race With diligence and speed! God’s word, His Spirit, and His grace, Do all to duty lead. 6 Did Jesus leave the realms of bliss To save from sin and hell? A love so wo

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8) Finally, love never fails. This concludes the sixteen characteristics of love. The strength of love is proved by its permanence. Love that doesn’t bear the features described earlier will not and cannot stand the test of time. The constancy of love is contrasted with that of prophecies, tongues and knowledge. Love is not something that you finish doing. It is rather a nature that you cultivate in you forever. Love must not be like prophecy or tongues which after they have been spoken cease. Neither must love be like knowledge that gets obsolete with time. Love is forever fresh, ever resilient, forever vibrant, and it never ceases to exist. God is love. Therefore, love is eternal and indestructible. Love never fails. Remain inspired!

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2) The Apostle Paul teaches the young Pastor Timothy how to build people. Investing God’s word in people is the way to help them grow. In teaching God’s word, we must be prepared to correct people when they attempt to do the right things but in the wrong way, rebuke those who err, and encourage all who have the potential for growth. In all these, Paul admonishes Timothy that it takes great patience and careful instruction to make a lasting  impact in the lives of people. Why does it take great patience? The real impact of ministry is hardly instantaneous. Ministry is long term, and it takes time to reap its full reward in the lives of people. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the ho

The expression that “ A word to the wise is enough” dates way back to the year 191 BC where the Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC – 184 BC) used the Latin version of it: “Verbum sat sapienti” in his play entitled “Pseudolus”. Various renderings of this saying can be found in many languages today. A similar statement was made by the wise King Solomon who lived about eight centuries before Titus Maccius Plautus. “A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.” (Proverbs 17:10) The wise and discerning in heart are quick to pick up lessons of life even from the slightest pointers. They need not be given lengthy lectures because just a prompt is all they need to adjust their ways and fall in line. Such people can read between the lines and unpack the hidden messages in the circumstances around them. They are quick to notice alerts and warnings and promptly take cover. The fool, on the other hand, will always enroll in the

Indeed in Christ alone our hope is found. About two decades ago, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend wrote the following inspirational hymn. May we be spurred on by the words of this hymn to stand unshaken in the power of Christ. 1. In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found He Is My Light My Strength My Song This Cornerstone This Solid Ground Firm Through The Fiercest Drought And Storm What Heights Of Love What Depths Of Peace When Fears Are Stilled When Strivings Cease My Comforter My All In All Here In The Love Of Christ I Stand 2. In Christ Alone Who Took On Flesh Fulness Of God In Helpless Babe This Gift Of Love And Righteousness Scorned By The Ones He Came To Save Till On That Cross As Jesus Died The Wrath Of God Was Satisfied For Every Sin On Him Was Laid Here In The Death Of Christ I Live 3. There In The Ground His Body Lay Light Of The World By Darkness Slain Then Bursting Forth In Glorious Day Up From The Grave He Rose Again And As He Stands In Victory Sin’s Curse Has Lost Its Grip On Me Fo

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:7) The seventh verse of 1 Corinthians 13 focuses on the four things love ALWAYS does, and the final of them is that it always perseveres. Perseverance is a very strong word. It refers to the sustaining, remaining, enduring, persistent nature of love. In most cases, time is the best examiner of virtues. With time, the true quality of all human virtues is tested. The one that lasts, remains, and is sustained is the one that is genuine. As time passes, good moments and bad ones may take their turn, laughter may come and go, emotions may swing to and fro, but true love will linger. Perseverance also means to continue in spite of challenges and obstacles. Love that has not faced any difficulty cannot be described as persevering. That is why in most wedding vows, the couple are made to confess to each other: “for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cheris

"So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him." (Acts 11:2) Apostle Peter had received a divine revelation to go and preach in the house of Cornelius the Centurion. In fact, he had no doubt that it was God's will for him to go there after he had received the vision. However, when Peter returned to Jerusalem from Cornelius' house, he received fierce criticism from the Jewish believers for going to share fellowship with Gentiles (non-Jews). Here is where conviction is tested. If Peter didn't have a strong conviction about God's leading to minister to the Gentiles, he would have backed off in despair. But he was bold enough to explain to them the reason for his actions. Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened. (Acts 11:8) After backing his explanation with a report of the results of his ministrations which proved God's presence with him, the people had no further objections. When they heard thi

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:2) The more I meditate on God's word, the more I get awed by how packed it is with practical wisdom for life.  In the verse above, we learn how God maximizes His output by applying these two principles: (1) God cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit.  (2) God prunes every branch that is fruitful so that it will be even more fruitful. Here, God shows us the way to productivity. We all have certain things in our lives which are fruitless. They could be certain activities, relationships, events, or things which do not contribute positively to our output in life. In order to be productive, we must cut off the fruitless factors in our lives. Learning to say NO and getting rid of what doesn't augur well for our productivity will allow us time and space to focus on what really makes us fruitful.  We must then invest o

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22) During our University days, there was this friend who contested for a position in the school. He lost painfully to another person after the results were declared. Our friend was distraught. Before we could say jack, he was about to contest for another position. To our utter surprise, we asked him how he could so quickly move on in life. His response was: “Life is continuous.” We found his statement initially amusing, but upon further reflection, it ministered to me and sank deep in my heart. Life is indeed continuous. One season of life quickly flows into the next, and as the seasons change, so we must flow with them. As the earth remains, the seasons of life will never cease. Similarly, as your life remains, the seasons of your life will never cease. There is no pause or break in life. This calls for wisdom. A period of failure and difficulty can easil

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes…" (1 Corinthians 13:7) Love always hopes. Hope is more than a wish; it's an expectation; a certain confidence in the future of someone or something. It is this hope, seeing beyond the present, which keeps love alive in difficult times. The three greatest virtues of life are faith, hope and love. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and love always hopes. Therefore without hope, both faith and love will be greatly impoverished. All our relationships will at certain points in time be punctuated by episodes of hurt. It's hope that enables us to stretch our horizon beyond the hurt we presently feel and embrace the brighter possibilities of the future. Robert Schuller, an American televangelist and author once gave this admonition: "Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future." Memories of the past may instruct us today, but it's our hope for the future that brightens our today. Human love can hard

On 17th December 1903, Wilbur and his brother Orville Wright made the first successful powered flight in history. It all started when their father, Bishop Milton Wright, gave them a toy helicopter when Orville was 7 and Wilbur was 11 years old. This made them start dreaming of flying. Their parents spurred them on to pursue their dream, and the rest of the story is history. Why am I telling you this story? Great things often appear as little and insignificant things in the beginning. That little idea you may have. That little project. That little business. That little talent. They may seem as insignificant as the Wright brothers playing with their toy helicopter. During the insignificant moments, circumstances may try to discourage you and people may even ridicule you out of your dreams. But, stay put. Invest time and effort in building your capacity. Know that it takes time to become anything or to get anywhere. And I believe you can also fly. And make history too. "Who despises

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, considered to be one of the wisest persons in the nation's history once said that "He that speaks much is much mistaken." Franklin's statement could be taken as a paraphrase of the following proverb of King Solomon. "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19) A philosopher once said that "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." Many a trouble and many a disaster have resulted from careless words. Many broken homes, many lost opportunities, many ruined careers have been caused by loose words. No wonder we shall be judged for every idle word that we speak. "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36) The word of God admonishes us to always speak gracious words seasoned with sa

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Your ability to notice scattered sheep is a leadership quality. It's also a sign that you are supposed to provide leadership in that area. It's usually our gifts that open our eyes to the needs around us. And leadership grace makes us notice scattered sheep who need leadership. Whenever there's scattered sheep, it's a sign of the absence or ineffectiveness of leadership. Micaiah's vision throws more light. Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'" (1 Kings 22:17) When Jesus saw the scattered sheep, He quickly went into their aid. Do you notice any scattered sheep around you? It's probably an opportunity for you to lead and to solve problems. Our world will get bett

In order to achieve the Lord's purpose this year, we need His direction. May the following hymn written by Edward Hopper and published in 1871 inspire us to seek God's face in prayer for divine direction.  1 Jesus, Savior, pilot me, Over life’s tempestuous sea; Unknown waves before me roll, Hiding rock and treach’rous shoal; Chart and compass came from Thee: Jesus, Savior, pilot me. 2 As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild; Boist’rous waves obey Thy will When Thou say’st to them, “Be still!” Wondrous Sov’reign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me. 3 When at last I near the shore, And the fearful breakers roar ’Twixt me and the peaceful rest, Then, while leaning on Thy breast, May I hear Thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.” Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21) Remain inspired!

"It always protects, always trusts…" (1 Corinthians 13:7) The thirteenth characteristic of Love is that it always trusts. The opposite of trust is suspicion. When you love someone, you're not quick to suspect or write them off. The Amplified Bible renders it this way: love is ever ready to believe the best of every person. Every strong relationship is anchored on trust. When trust disintegrates, love is shattered. You mostly have a choice: either to believe the best of people or their worst. Love chooses the former. And when we feel trusted, we feel loved. On the contrary, our hearts are darkened when we fill them with negative perceptions about people.  Someone said, "Do not explain yourself because those who love you don't need it, and those who hate you won't believe it." The trust of love doesn't mean it refrains from vigilance and discernment. Neither does it imply being gullible and overlooking warning signs of danger. It only means that unless

On this day in 1809, the French educator, Louis Braille was born. Braille became blind after an accident at the age of three. He was admitted to the Royal Institute for the Blind at the age of ten. At the age of twelve, Braille attended a presentation by Charles Barbier who had invented a system known as sonography to help people read at night. After Braille sat through the presentation, he had many suggestions for the improvement of the system. His proposals were ignored by the inventor because they were coming from a blind twelve-year old boy. Braille took the matter up personally having developed great interest in a technology that could eventually help blind people read. The end of the story is that Braille, at the age of sixteen, invented the Braille (named after him) - a dot tactile writing system which enables the blind to read and write. Today, Braille's work has become the key to literacy and independence for thousands of blind and visually impaired people the world over.

Sometimes, when we see an entire year ahead of us like this, we can easily feel all our big wishes and goals for the year are achievable until suddenly we are halfway through the year and nowhere near the realization of our set goals. We then begin to question how realistic and achievable our goals were in the first place. But taking each day at a time, and making the most of everyday is the surest way to achieve our goals for the year. As someone has said: "Life is not about counting days but making the days count." Let's learn from God. The first verse of the Bible is a summary of the entire creation process. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) When you read on, you realise that God did something specific each day of the creation week. After six days, we can say that God created the heavens and the earth. There are 365 days in this year, but each day spent is not refundable. Make each day count and there's no doubt that

Happy new year!!! "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." (Proverbs 16:3) The first few days of every year are often characterized by the making of new year's resolutions and the setting of goals. These are very vital indeed. Even more crucial is the need to wait upon the Lord for Him to go ahead of you this year. The verse above assures us that God will cause our plans to succeed. This means that God expects us to have plans. And committing our works to the Lord also implies that God expects us to be actively working. However, when we engage the divine, God goes ahead of us and works behind the scenes to cause us to succeed. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127:1) This year, plan well, and work hard, but most importantly, pray that God will always go ahead of you. May you have a fruitful and an impactful year! Remain inspired