The Ultimate Woo-er

At a group bible study yesterday, I was reminded of God’s commitment to love us and humanity’s incapability to love the way He does. A lady was confounded by her own inability to love God with complete abundance and felt her love for God was inadequate. Her concern portrayed a desire to go deeper in her walk with the LORD.

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God reminded me of 1 John 4:10-11, which I shared with the lady. The gist is this: we are incapable of love because of sin in our hearts. God loved us first by extending His mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ. As we feed on the love He lavishes on us, we in turn love Him and this love overflows to others without inhibition.

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Yes, we love, but only as human beings do which basically is to love those who love us. However, the love of God extends even to our ‘enemies,’ and strangers and that’s only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.

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Another precious sister explained it further this way: God is the suitor just like any young man seeking to court a lady. Until a young man comes a lady’s way, the lady is not capable of loving him because she doesn’t know him. But as he pursues and the lady chooses to be receptive to the attention and the expressed desire, a love relationship begins and they get to know each other.

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Oftentimes, if all things goes well, there is a desire to commit for life in a marital agreement. In marriage, the journey of knowing each other and loving each other continues. I’ve heard older married couples say that they loved each other when they were young but now that they are old, they love each much more than they did in the past.

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So when you’re stuck and unsatisfied with your ‘level’ of love for God don’t be alarmed. God is not seeking perfect love from you. He is aware that you’re not fully capable of that just yet but you’ll grow in love as you CHOOSE to spend time getting to know Him. All He asks for is your desire. Are you desirous for authenticity and depth? Can the desire translate into a daily choice of pursuit and receptiveness?

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God is in the business of wooing us into a deeper love relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus Christ is the Groom and You are His Bride. Allow Him to woo you. Allow Him to pour out precious jewels of love into your heart. Delight in His love like the beautiful, blushing bride you are! :-)

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Basking in His love,
Lady Akofa.

His Mercy

I've been thinking about God's mercy lately and how undeserving I am of His goodness. Yet He freely gives it... ABUNDANTLY.

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ---Titus 3:4-7 (NIV)

Because of His Mercy I've received His free gift of salvation.

My so-called 'righteousness' couldn't have earned His mercy... in fact, I couldn't have done anything to merit it because I was just incapable of living to please Him. I'm grateful.

Mercy

In deep thoughts lately,
Lady Akofa.

In the News!

I don’t know whether it is because Ghana now has a Domestic Violence Act/ Law thus more people are reporting gender based violence than before or whether it seems we have a few insightful journalists or it’s just an increase in gender based violence in general but about 3 weeks ago I was going through December ‘09 and January ‘10 newspapers for work related purposes and was heartbroken over the reports. Too many gender-based violence reports.

There was a woman seeking justice for having been falsely accused of witchcraft- what her husband's family put her through is quite unimaginable. I dare not repeat the horrific things the report claims this woman went through.

Stories of jealous husbands/boyfriends who had allegedly killed their wives/girlfriends on suspicion of being unfaithful. Some in turn committed suicide… Romeo and Juliet saga, you’d say.

There was a story of a depressed woman who was alleged to have poisoned and killed all her 5 kids. She committed suicide a few days later. In response to the report, an elderly colleague was aghast, “There are many women looking for just one child to claim as their own! Look at this woman, she killed all her five kids like chickens!” The woman was alleged to have left a journal chronicling her sad thoughts.

And of a 9 year old girl raped by a much older man who could be her grandfather.

What did the 9 year old girl do to merits such unspeakable treatment? It is not the old man’s unbridled sexual desire and evil intent that caused this girl’s innocence to be taken rather rudely? If not because of lack of trust, unbridled anger and jealousy, why would a man choose to end the life of the one he claims to love? If only that depressed woman had known that God is the lifter of our heads and could deliver her from the pit then perhaps, at least those innocent 5 kids would have been alive today.

Interestingly, my dad had stopped by my office to look for a specific article in one of the newspapers and as he was going through them, he made a comment, “Look at these” he pointed to several pages in an issue, “there are a lot of rape stories in the papers these days.” He independently made the same observation that I’d made a few days earlier!

This is just Ghana. I know there are all kinds of things happening the world over. And it's depressing to get to read or hear about them. Yet there are many more untold stories that don’t make it to the newspapers, radio, television or the internet. Maybe you have an untold story of a similar nature.

Despite the doom and gloom of such news reports... I do know this: There is HOPE. Where you say? In JESUS CHRIST. That’s the only person I know who offers hope. He can redeem us from self and sin that manifest in such ugly acts and incidents.

While sin and Satan's plans lead to destruction, God's business through Jesus Christ is restoration and life. His business is salvation. His business is complete deliverance and healing. His business is freedom from sin and Satan so that one can live an abundant, Christ-glorifying life. And most of all, his business is making victorious survivors of victims and even perpetrators of such rather unfortunate incidents. (Every italicized word, phrase in this paragraph is a Hope-FULL link, for your encouragement, so check the links out! :-))

As you read the newspapers or listen to the news from now on, see them as tidbits, as it were, for prayer for the people involved and for God to redeem the situation. It doesn’t have to be a big thing as Haiti’s earthquake in January or celebrity gossip that we often hear about. Even if the details of the reports are fuzzy, even so, pray for the people involved so that the Truth will stand out.

Yes, food for thought! Pray for somebody's soul!

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.

On Service...

So.... last year, I was collecting quotes on "service" for my church news magazine and found these online. When we were ready to send our articles to the press I just couldn't find them, lol! Anyway... it's not too late to share on a different forum, right? I share!

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.- Albert Einstein

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.- Sally Koch

Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time. – Marian Wright Edelman

There is incredible value in being of service to others. I think if many of the people in therapy offices were dragged out to put their finger in a dike, take up their place in a working line, they would be relieved of terrible burdens.- Elizabeth Berg

The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. - Leo Tolstoy

Start where you are. Distant field always look greener, but opportunity lies where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service. – Robert Collier

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.