THE MAN WHO LOST ALL HOPE

This is the story of a boy who couldn't cope

But there was a man who gave him some hope

With love, he washed him like soap

Till the depressed was full of hope.

This is the story of the boy who couldn't cope

Till a man came and gave him some hope.

But, then, we heard he died;

That is, the man who gave him some hope.

But how did he die?

We heard he took his own life

Because he, too, couldn't cope...

It's indeed strange, how some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world have deep struggles they share with no one, how despite giving hope to others, they end up taking their own lives, or keep suffering in silence. It's a deep tragedy indeed. Let's also take out time to give joy to those who always do their best to make us happy.

© tokede el-iyanu 2021

IDENTITY

(BY TOKEDE KOLAWOLE)

You are the only ruler in your kingdom. 

Though you may decide to have advisers in form of people you love, respect and look up to, you have sole authority in your palace.

As long as what you believe your convictions and actions are not harmful to your fellow man and not in any way disobedient to God, please engage in it with all pomp and fanfare.

No one is allowed to belittle your unique way of thinking, speaking and acting. Every other person's conviction is not yours.

Your end goal may be the same, however, the path to get there will probably be as different as night and day.

There are no absolutes (except the word of God), only perspectives, for God knows why He made us differently, and variety is the spice of life. Many roads lead to Rome (home.) We all cannot pass the same route at the same time because narrow is the way.

The wide path is for people who have no idea of who and whose they are. Who are unaware of the Royal gene they carry. That's why they want to be like everyone else in their thinking, wording and doing.

I'll say it again and again REVEL IN YOUR UNIQUESS AND FOCUS ON YOUR FOCUS BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE ELSE LIKE YOU.

Those whose words you accept as absolute were able to say their truth. If you look closely, you'll find that they speak their own truth. The other persons you look up to have their own version of the truth. If you decide to accept all of their truth, you'll become as confused as a vegetable. Your voice is as important as any one else's!

Simply because they act like they've got everything working for them (possibly true) is not enough reason for you to doubt your greatness.

Man, know thyself, it'll save you a lot of stress.

Confusion sets in when identity is lacking. Being swayed left, right and center is the not a good position to be in. There's so much decay and rut is in our society because majority want to be like the few they see as successful forgetting that success is already theirs.

What exactly is the meaning of success? When we are able to define what success means to us as individuals, maybe, just maybe we'll know peace and not burn oueselves up trying to meet up with society and media's definition of success.

You are the only ruler in your kingdom. May God grant us the wisdom to revel in our uniqueness.

I say a big Amen.

Article written by my dear brother, Tokede Kolawole Lawrence.

THE MAN WHO KILLED SORROW

Once upon a time lived a man,

Whenever sorrow came knocking

He was first in line

All through his lineage,

They were first in line.

Whenever the sorrow of ages came to town

These were a people who lost their sons

And cried them a river by the tons.

And so the man vowed in his day,

To offer an oblation in that day,

That there be no noise of tears

Or sorrow and beating of chest.

This man stood his ground, he was the first

And sorrow never came around till his last breath.

This man indeed killed sorrow,

And sadness was a thing of the past.

But this brought about a deep darkness

You see, the fates pulled a trick on him

How this played out, you'll get to see

Be careful of your words, it can deceive

But used rightly, you can be healed.

He prayed the gods for no noise in his line

But a coin always has two sides

And his descendants were back to square one

In exchange for the death of sorrow

He sacrificed the joys of tomorrow.

So there was no sadness or no sorrow

But no joy became tomorrow

His lineage were back to square one

Can we say anything really changed?

For what is a life without joy

If sorrow is what it takes to come?

He killed their darkness forever

And gave them rejoicing for never

Indeed, God's sadness will lead to life

And human sadness takes life

And the sorrow of the gods

Will kill afresh each new day

But God is here to save today.

For what is life without some joy?

When those who weep today dance tomorrow

And some even have joy in sorrow!

Imagine the killing the sense of taste

Because bitterness gives distate

How then can one taste sweetness?

O, what a sorry existence..

© el-iyanu 2021

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG PROPHET (1 Kings 13:1-34)

Once upon a time, in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel, there lived a man in the land of Judah, Israel. He was a young prophet called by God to denounce the king in the land of Bethel. And he received an instruction from God not to eat or drink anything in Bethel till he returned to Judah.

The young prophet obeyed and travelled the distance and delivered God's word to the king at Bethel. The king heard the message and tried to have him killed, but his hand was paralyzed as he pointed at the young prophet. Seeing this, he begged the prophet to pray to God for him, and his hand was restored whole again. At this, he invited the prophet to come eat with him, but the prophet refused and went on his way, even passing a different way from where he came.

In the land of Bethel also lived an old prophet, and his sons told him all that the young prophet did, so he mounted his donkey and travelled to catch him, which he did, and invited the young prophet home for a meal with him. The young prophet refused his offer because of God's warning to him, but the old prophet told him that God's angel told him to bring the young prophet home, which was a lie.

He went with the old prophet and ate with him, and as they ate, God spoke spoke through the old prophet to the young prophet, and decreed he was going to die before he got home. That he was going to be killed by a lion because he didn't listen to God's word, and stayed to eat a meal in the land of Bethel.

All happened as God said, and the old prophet heard of the young prophet's death and ran to him and mourned bitterly over his dead body and buried him beside his home, and asked that his body be buried next to the young prophet when be died.

It is indeed a harsh story that sends the chills up my spine, makes me wonder about my life indeed. But perhaps, the message is simple, that God never fails to confirm his promise and word to us, that we should believe his own words to us, not the contradiction of another man. The young prophet avoided the common enemy, but fell into the trap of the familiar friend, even passed by a different route, but alas...

It's a call for us to know God personally, and not allow those 'more mature' in the faith, or even any sphere of life to lead us astray in the name of knowing better or being more spiritual. 

This speaks to me in a lot of ways, and scares me completely in more than one. May God give us the strength to stand strong and do his will for us, rather than what another man thinks is best for us.

The old prophet, in his wisdom, tried to feed an hungry man by any means possible, even lying to him, but unfortunately cost the young man his entire life. May God keep us safe, and help us listen and steer clear of the guile of 'wiser' men. Amen.

Tokede Opeyemi Iyanuoluwa

The Ministry of Paul the Apostle and How Difficult it was for me to Accept

An idea well expressed is like a design of gold set in silver.

               —Proverbs 25:11

The ministry of Paul the Apostle is perhaps among the most talked about in history, and perhaps one of the most opposed. For as he said himself, his apostleship was like a child of strange birth, but that never stopped the move of God in his life.

For me personally, it took a while to warm to his teaching. A long while actually, for I never wanted to believe a word he said, because I didn't trust him to be a true servant of God. If you check the internet now, you'd see those who consider him an agent of darkness, and I must confess that at some point in my life, I seriously considered him so, even with Apostle Peter's endorsement on him and his teaching.

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.

              —Isaiah 30:20

These times in my life I speak of were a turbulent time I would rather not dwell upon, but give thanks to God for what I am today. I ran from pillar to post in the Scriptures, yet at that time seemed to find no peace. It is a terrible thing to have no peace.

Around that time, I also found out that people could be wrongly inspired even while reading the Bible. But indeed I give thanks for everything.

For the matter of Paul the Apostle, after some time of studiously avoiding his epistles while studying, it got to a point I had to read through, can't really remember what caused me to, I think perhaps, our Bible reading in my church society. 

Around that time as well, I was also fortunate enough to be reading the books of Moses in my personal study, and it all came together like butter and bread, backed right on with the synoptic Gospels of Christ. He explained the Law and Prophets in light of Christ, and it seemed as if for me a veil was also lifted, so much that I had to confess that this was a man of God. Indeed, a truly genuine man of God.

And yet I still affirm the same today, and unequivocally so, Paul the Apostle was a servant of Christ. And Christ's servant is a servant of God. Sometimes in life, when we ask for faith, we get doubts to face. May God bless his word in our hearts through Christ our Lord. Amen.

It's why I referenced the first quotation, for indeed he expressed most excellently the message of God in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

el-iyanu 2021

Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.