Joel Kwesi Baidoo

Our hearts are filled with warmth when we realize that just as we are, tossed about with many conflicts, doubts and fears, we can always come to God and find comfort for our tiring souls. May your soul be refreshed as you brood over this hymn written by Charlotte Elliot in 1834. 1. Just as I am, without one plea But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to thee O, Lamb of God, I come 2. Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt Fightings and fears within without O, Lamb of God I come. 3. Just as I am, wretched, blind; Sight riches, healing of the mind, Yea all I need, in thee to find, O Lamb of God I come 4. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse relieve. Because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come 5. Just as I am, (thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down), Now to be thine, yea thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come 6. Just as I am, of that free love The breadth, length, depth and height to prove, Here

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." (Exodus 20:4) Today, we move on to the second commandment. The first two commandments are not the same. The first one says you shall not have other gods beside the Lord, and the second says you shall not make idols for yourself. The Hebrew word translated idol means a graven or carved image. It is an artifact which represents a deity. God does not care even if that image is intended to represent Him. Any item that symbolizes the presence of God or any other deity in our lives is an idol. It is therefore possible to obey the first commandment by not having other gods beside the Lord but use certain items to represent His presence or power in our lives. And God hates this. When certain "men of God" who are actually wolves in sheep's clothing constantly direct our faith into objects that supposedly carry God's power instead of direct

"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them." (Romans 16:17) Division is a very powerful weapon of the enemy to obstruct any godly endeavour. Paul therefore gave a word of caution to the church to be on the look out for agents of division and to deliberately avoid them. Jesus is the Prince of peace, and one of the key manifestations of His presence is peace and unity. Therefore, people who consistently look for means to sow seeds of confusion and mistrust amongst people are not working for God. Paul made that emphatic point in the next verse. "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people." (Romans 16:18) This calls for discernment. By their fruits you shall know them. Agents of division are agents of the devil whether they are aware of it

"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done." (Romans 15:18) Most probably, in terms of the number of Gentiles reached and converted, the Apostle Paul accomplished more than any of the other Apostles of his time. And here, Paul is describing how Christ accomplished this great feat through him. It was by what he said and did - his words and his actions. Those were the tools Christ used. Our words and actions, working together, are the most powerful tools that Christ uses to transform the world around us. When we speak the right things in the right way at the right time, we create an avenue for the wisdom that we have in Christ to manifest. The more we feed on God's word, the more we are filled with such divine wisdom that can transform lives. When we are silent when we ought to speak God's mind, we hinder the move of God. Our actions directly flow from the condi

As we remind ourselves of this famous hymn written by Horatio Spafford, may it sink deep into your soul that it is well, no matter what besides. 1 When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul." It is well with my soul; it is well, it is well with my soul. 2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control: that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed his own blood for my soul. 3 My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! 4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul. "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:2-3) Our God claims exclusive worship. The first commandment states emphatically that we are not permitted to have other gods aside our God. If you really know your God - how great and unsearchable His power and glory is - you will not dare line up any other gods beside Him. Jesus made it clear that it is impossible to serve two masters and offer them equal reverence. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24) At the base of our exclusive worship reveals our understanding of the majesty of God. It proves beyond all doubts that we do not deem any other deity as worthy of comparison to the Omnipotent God. If you value, esteem, or reverence any other being or thing above God, it's tantamoun

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." (Romans 15:4) If we should study the Scriptures very well, we shall never miss the lesson of endurance. In fact, endurance is sometimes a mark of faith. Whenever you read about Abraham and get impressed with his faith, remember that he waited until he was a hundred years old to bear a son with his wife Sarah. Read about Moses and you will realise how he had to endure a wilderness experience for forty years because he was running away from trouble in Egypt. God finally called him at the age of eighty and used him for mighty works. What can we say about David and how he suffered under the regime of Saul before he finally ascended the throne? In fact, visit the Hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11 and you will see great examples of endurance. At the end, faith combined with patience gives us the enduri

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had." (Romans 15:5) Endurance is a measure of a person's stamina or persistence especially in the face of challenges. To put it plainly, it's the ability to survive hardship. In-between the start of anything worthwhile and its glorious end is a lot of challenges and obstacles. Sometimes, God gives us the wisdom to instantly solve problems. Other times, He gives us endurance and encouragement to survive. It's a problem when people try to project a problem-free Christian life. Such a flawed perception breeds impatience and forces us to run ahead of God, thereby missing His plan.  In reality, God uses both our pleasant and unpleasant circumstances to mold us into the Christ-like character He intends us to be. Someone once said, "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of

"Because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval." (Romans 14:18) It is possible to serve God in such a way that we both please Him and are simultaneously approved by men. The previous verse teaches us how to achieve this. It's by pursuing righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) If we deliberately live right before God, stay at peace with men, and cultivate joy within us at all times, our lives will definitely be a delight both to God and men. Pio of Pietrelcina made the profound statement that, "You must concentrate on pleasing God alone, and if He is pleased, you must be pleased." When God is pleased with us, He is able to make even our enemies live at peace with us. "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with

The words of the hymn below were written by Cecil Frances Alexander and was first published in 1848 as part of her Hymns for Little Children. When we remember that God is the maker of all things bright and beautiful, and that every good and perfect gift comes from Him, we shall never cease to rely on Him everyday of our lives. May our faith be rekindled upon the realization that we serve a God who is able to create something out of nothing. 1 Each little flow’r that opens, each little bird that sings, God made their glowing colors, God made their tiny wings. All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. 2 The purple-headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset, and the morning that brightens up the sky; 3 The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the garden, God made them, ev’ry one. 4 God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty, who h

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) This is a solemn reminder that we are not there yet. God is still in the process of molding us into the image of His Son. We are all work in progress. Don't be quick to write yourself or others off. Neither entertain complacency as though you have already attained it. Bear in mind that God is still working on all of us. It was John C. Maxwell who once said, "Each one of us is a work in progress, with a mission and purpose to fulfill that is uniquely ours." God is the potter and we are the clay. A potter starts to mold when he has an end product in mind. God already has our end in mind - a glorious and a victorious end. As you humbly and eagerly yield yourself to the molding of God through His word, certain circumstances and the people He sends your way, you're definitely on your way to becoming God's beautiful product, carefully made fo

We thank God for a wonderful Easter season. As we exit this special period of the year, let's pick a few lessons from one of the most profound statements Jesus made about His power over death. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'" (John 11:25-26) Resurrection means rising from the dead, thus, overcoming death. Whereas life means the avoidance of death. Jesus says He is both.  If you pay close attention to the passage above, you will notice two kinds of experiences. The first gets to experience death and overcomes it. To such people, Jesus is the resurrection. The second does not get to experience death at all. To them, Jesus is the life. The key point here is that Jesus has power over death whether or not you get to experience it. Herein lies spiritual maturity.  To the person who dies before experiencing the in

Today is Good Friday - the only Good Friday of the year. The true essence of Easter is for us to have a personal encounter with the blessed lamb of Calvary. Such an encounter transforms and empowers us for godly service. The following hymn was written by Barbara Stoddart and published in 1893. May you be inspired by these words to draw near to the blessed Lamb of Calvary.  1 Blessèd Lamb of Calvary, Let Thy Spirit fall on me; Let the cleansing, healing flow Wash and keep me white as snow, That henceforth my life may be Bright and beautiful for Thee. 2 Burn out every selfish thought, Let Thy will in me be wrought; Fan my love into a flame, Send a Pentecostal rain, That henceforth my life may be Spent in winning souls for Thee. 3 Teach me how to fight and win Perfect victory over sin; Give me a compassion deep, That will for lost sinners weep, That henceforth my life may prove That I serve Thee out of love. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of G

As you may have realized, Thursdays have become days of series for us. So as we have ended the series on the Beatitudes, we commence a new one today on the ten commandments.  We are in effect moving in a reverse order because the Beatitudes can be considered as part of Jesus' version or interpretation of the ten commandments. In other words, if anyone genuinely lives by the Beatitudes, they will be fulfilling the requirement of the ten commandments. Let's quickly remember that Jesus gave a summary of the ten commandments as follows: And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Here, the thin line that separates spirituality from religion can be perceived. It is not difficult to understand the cause of the frequent

As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.” (Mark 14:18) One of the many lessons that we have to pick from the story of Jesus' death is the danger of an insider.  The devil often finds the most success when he is able to win the cooperation of an insider as far as his target is concerned. These insiders may or may not be aware of the part they are playing in the devil's grand agenda. To get to Jesus, the devil needed the help of someone close to Him, and Judas Iscariot, being led by his greed, came in handy. At last, after the harm had been done, Judas regretted his actions and decided to take his life. This calls for vigilance and constant prayer for all those close to us including family, colleagues, neighbors, etc. May God protect you from your most dangerous enemies - the ones within your camp.  Remain inspired!

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) God has a plan for you which will surely come to pass so long as you remain faithful and obedient to His word. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) Sometimes, we miss God's plan when we try to get ahead of God and do things in our own way contrary to His word. Gehazi may have become the next great Prophet after Elisha if he had not coveted material things at the wrong time. Judas Iscariot would have kept his place among the twelve Apostles if he had not been misled by his greed. Be careful that ungodly ambitions and unhealthy competition do not drive you ahead of God. For the best place to be is to always be in the will of God.  The will of God goes in tandem with God's timing. By humility and obedience, we shall never miss G

"...I take pride in my ministry." (Romans 11:13) Apostle Paul was very proud of his ministry. He often refered to himself as the apostle to the Gentiles. He understood the purpose of his calling and therefore had great passion for it. No wonder his ministry had such a great impact. One of the ingredients for excellence is to take pride in one's work. No matter what your work or calling is, if you develop a special love and passion for it, you're already on your way to excellence.  It was Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the early twentieth century who said, "Every calling is great when greatly pursued." Your work takes a new turn when you pursue it with zeal. If you see your job as a calling, you will not mind going the extra mile to get things well done. No matter your industry or sphere of influence, it is passion for your work that will lead you into excellence. May God cause you to find passion

"...I take pride in my ministry." (Romans 11:13) Apostle Paul was very proud of his ministry. He often refered to himself as the apostle to the Gentiles. He understood the purpose of his calling and therefore had great passion for it. No wonder his ministry had such a great impact. One of the ingredients for excellence is to take pride in one's work. No matter what your work or calling is, if you develop a special love and passion for it, you're already on your way to excellence.  It was Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the early twentieth century who said, "Every calling is great when greatly pursued." Your work takes a new turn when you pursue it with zeal. If you see your job as a calling, you will not mind going the extra mile to get things well done. No matter your industry or sphere of influence, it is passion for your work that will lead you into excellence. May God cause you to find passion