Yes I am a Christian and by God’s grace I know to a large extent what is required of me in my work for the Kingdom, and as a lover of Christ, His word and His mission on earth over 2, 000 years ago, I too from time to time need some sort of reminder.
‘God is saying to us that He is bigger than the recession we find ourselves in at the moment, that thing we find ourselves passing through isn’t meant to put us down, but to raise us higher,’ said Fr. Godfrey
The Advent retreat started on Monday 5th day in December and would end today, Friday 9th. The advent preacher is Rev. Fr. Godfrey Udeh, C. S. S. R, and all through the days he has climbed the altar to preach, he has had quite a lot to say.
He used the story cited in Gen. 26: 1 – 14 to deliver a heart – touching homily and I agreed with him at various instances.
‘Now there was a famine in the land – the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham”’. [Gen 26:1 – 3]
Youths of nowadays are so guilty of this. In the face of the slightest provocation, struggle or obstacle, they opt for quick schemes that bring only temporal solace.
‘Sometimes the environment we find ourselves in impedes our faith – even though Isaac found himself in a land of famine, he had to obey God and still had to struggle to make it; his time for change came eventually’, said Fr. Godfrey.
‘Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.’ [Gen 26:12]
The size of our harvest depends on our capacity to put in a lot of work into what we do. If you sow a few seeds, you reap the resultant harvest. Be reminded that favor is undeserved access as Christ paid the price in full when he died on the cross.
We are reminded today that our time for change has come, just like the story of Isaac.
When God wants to bless/uplift a family, he blesses/uplifts one person. May we be privileged to witness the change in our family, community and our country.
Amen.