THE LAST WORDS OF THE SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS

As recorded in The Bible, the following were the Last Words spoken by Jesus as He endured the gruesome hours at Golgotha:

1.      Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

2.      Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

3.      Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).

4.      Eli Eli lama sabachthani? ("My God, My God, why have you forsaken     

       me?”)  (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).

5.      I thirst (John 19:28).

6.      It is finished (John 19:30)

7.      Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

At the time of this special Easter Season, it may be a good time to contemplate these words. It may well be that we have taken these momentous words with apathy over time, not really recognising that they have deeper meanings and have tremendous impact from the moment they were spoken up to this moment!

I dare say that the very first one for example negates the popular belief about the significance of the crucifixion. However, these words point to the real Mission of Christ, His suffering in the hands of ungrateful men and the way that leads to salvation.

Who says money can’t buy happiness?

Here are three ways your money can buy happiness:

1. Buy memories not stuff! You see, the stuff we buy may lose their appeal to us later on. However, when we share time with our loved ones, friends and family, the memories of these people we are happy with lasts with us. So, create memorable occasions with people at lovely places and doing joyful activities together!

2. Spend on others: Very simple. See, when we buy a gift for someone or give to somebody else, we feel happy doing it, don’t we? That’s the way to go…

3. Last but certainly not the least: buy the inexpensive stuff you like. There is really no need to keep up with the Joneses of this world! Buy small things that make you feel happy instead of spending huge amounts on stuff that will end up making you feel remorseful.

MONEY MONEY MONEY!

There is a popular belief that money is the answer to all things! Really?

On the other hand, many erroneously describe it as the root of all evils! A few have dared to live their lives without money; an example being Heidemarie Schwermer, a 69-year-old woman from Germany who has been able to abandon the use of money for over 15 years!

But how are we to treat this matter in a balanced manner?

Definitely, we cannot shun money in this age of the materialists. We do so at a big risk as one can simply be overrun by unscrupulous opponents who will use their wealth to oppress anyone shamelessly. We also need some money to take care of our basic needs, those of our dependants and those we are moved to assist.

However, one enters into the slippery slope of the damned when one makes the acquisition of wealth the sole aim of life. We get distracted from higher and more sublime goals when we cling to the single idea of “making it” which in this case is a code word for acquiring wealth and all kinds of money at whatever cost and by all ways and means.

As the Psalmist says, the earth is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof! We therefore can come to His Table which is always richly spread and take from it in the measure of the abilities and the talents we have been endowed with. Let us achieve positive earthly results by harnessing all the powers and abilities at our disposal to maintain ourselves but at the same time we must not lose sight of that which makes us human which is our spirituality. We need not let our aim to make money or the comfort afforded by wealth send us into spiritual slumber or make us forget our real purpose of life which is  to attain spiritual maturity. Wealth should not be our master but we must make sound use of it for our benefit, that of others and the noble causes we stand for.

On lasting Values

After my post on investing wisely I was told by a member of my Whats App chat group: Complete the sermon by telling us the lasting values so we can pursue them.

I shied away at first. But really it is a serious matter. I will therefore amplify on what was said earlier. We need to engage in what will help us achieve the very purpose of life. I am convinced that the purpose of life is to gain spiritual maturity by recognising the Laws of our Creator and living accordingly.

But the man of today would rather spend and invest his efforts on things that fan his vanity. For example man does not gain in the true sense nor does it hold eternal values for him if he becomes the fastest runner, a skillful boxer, a winner of a beauty pageant or if he knows whether the horse appeared on earth before or after the fly! All of these are what in scripture has been described as chasing after the wind! In all simplicity: they are all about our vanity.

What we need to do in the first place is only that which helps in our spiritual advancement and ascent and thus also serves to further Creation and our fellow men. So by all means be the best at what you do! In all our activities we should ask ourselves what advantage they will bring both to ourselves and to mankind. Let us therefore embrace a high and noble goal in all our earthly activities so that we can be the human beings that are pleasing to He Who gave us life!

INVESTING WISELY

I came across a post recently of a man who built a house with N20Million in 1990 and same year another man started a bank with N20Million! The post then advised that we invest wisely. Very profound. But what the post did not reveal to us is whether each man is still truly happy now with their earlier decisions. The post also silently suggests that one is successful if the world can see their visible wealth. Again, the two men compared have different backgrounds and exposure. One a young musician, the other an experienced and well exposed banker. They could not have acted in the same way. At any rate what I think is important is whether each of us is fulfilling the purpose of our existence on this planet. We owe it to ourselves to find out why we are here and then set to work on this without delay. It will avail nothing to gain the whole world and live a life that is empty as regards the lasting values we are expected to derive and also give to the world!

STILL ON FANTASTIC STORIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers was a famous quote of Jefferson a one-time American President! But what can one say about social media and the many news peddlers who have suddenly found their voice and feel compelled to share whatever comes through the portals of their phones? To these peddlers once the story comes through from another peddler it must be shared whether verified or not!

We have been served with stories of a shoe repairer who put something in the shoe he was hired to mend. When he was thereafter forced to wear the shoe himself, he suddenly disappeared! The story ends with advice that you stay with shoe repairers when your shoes are being mended as most of the repairers are ritualists.

Another story came through as an “Emergency News” announcing the death of a young man after consuming egg and bananas! The story goes on to say that research has discovered that the mixture of egg and banana in the stomach turns into a poison that kills. Amazing!

Now the fact is that a physical body cannot simply disappear without it being moved physically. It is also highly unlikely that a fruit like banana which is rich in potassium, vitamin C and B6, fiber and fats and egg rich in fats, protein and cholesterol would mix up together to form anything toxic.

I think it is better to share stories that are verified, edifying and true. It does absolve you of responsibility for peddling falsehood even if you start your stories with forewarnings like – “copied”, “sent as received” and so on. Let all unverified story stay in the prison cell of your cell phone! Once you share a false story you have joined the unenviable club of those who bear false witness! 

A Precious Secret

Men will most often wish to live up to the expectations of their loved ones especially the women in their lives. The woman may be mother, wife, daughter, friend or companion. Now imagine if women all over the world decide that they will only celebrate men who add value to society through their work, who are noble, honest and diligent. That they will shun men with questionable means of livelihood and character, whose sudden wealth cannot be explained by their valuable input to society. With this I believe men will respond by reappraising their values and society will be the better for it. What are your thoughts?