tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87329096412469051612024-03-05T18:28:52.646+01:00Chukwunomnso Diali's Blog!Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-63481983466577376242017-05-10T09:46:00.000+01:002017-05-15T13:17:14.552+01:00We All Win<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX120287379" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{69}" paraid="741449567" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{71}" paraid="1540758275" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“For the kingdom of heaven is like</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> a landowner who went out early in the morning to </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">hire workers for his vineyard.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX159210855" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{73}" paraid="52135095" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">2 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">He agreed to pay them a denarius</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> for the day and sent them into his vineyard.</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{75}" paraid="1118333914" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">3 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">4 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{77}" paraid="1235495419" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">5 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">So they went.</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX159210855" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{79}" paraid="2027100886" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">6 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX159210855" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{81}" paraid="649123436" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">7 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX159210855" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{83}" paraid="304606075" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{85}" paraid="388513876" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">8 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“When evening came,</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{87}" paraid="330885329" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">9 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">10 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">11 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">When they received it, they began to grumble</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> against the landowner.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">12 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of the day.’</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{89}" paraid="206336723" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">13 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">14 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">15 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{91}" paraid="42610736" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<div style="font-family: 'segoe ui', tahoma, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px;">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">16 </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{95}" paraid="1184711297" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">hat</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> seems really unfair, doesn't it? </span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{195}" paraid="1585487578" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{189}" paraid="583626686" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">For a few years now, I've been an of and on football fan. The off part is mainly because the team I love, Arsenal, don't seem to win enough to keep up my interest in football. Some two years ago, my interest was really arrested by some very disturbing news, namely; a newly acquired Barcelona player was in line to win a </span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">C</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">h</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ampions'</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> League medal, despite not playing a single minute of football. I was like "WHAT???? Even Zlatan doesn't have a Champions' medal and that guy's going to get one?".</span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Some may call it foolish and impossible</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX159210855" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But for every heart it rescues, it's a miracle</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX159210855" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">It's nothing less than scandalous</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX159210855" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">This love that took our place</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX159210855" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Just call it what it is, call it grace</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX159210855" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Call it grace</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f25393f3-ef09-4854-b73b-4558a9daa4ba}{149}" paraid="1809368718" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Call It Grace</span><span class="TextRun SCX159210855" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> – Unspoken</span><span class="EOP SCX159210855" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">In that moment, I understood what those workers in the vineyard felt but all of that didn't matter because the rules said he was eligible for a medal. Similarly, God says "Just come". You may feel unworthy or that others are more worthy, still He says "Come! What they think doesn't matter. It's my rules that do, and they say you're eligible for my grace."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">For the glory of God,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">Diazno</span></span></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-522977211554549542017-03-21T17:27:00.001+01:002017-03-21T17:54:27.966+01:00Yours Sincerely<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{17}" paraid="498586531" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I'm going to try to make this post as brief and straight to the point as possible (like that has ever worked). I'd also like to say that I am as guilty of what I'm writing about as anyone else who might get their conscience pricked while reading this. I was reading/studying my Bible this morning and came across a verse I had previously marked out. For some reason I lingered there a while, reading it and feeling God was trying to say something to me through the verse. I read the verse, over and over again till one word in it began to stand out, and that word was "</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">earnestly</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">". What I did next, I </span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">admit,</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> was</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> a bit strange as I thought I had a good understanding of what the word meant but in hindsight, I see it was very necessary. By God's leading, I picked my phone up and searched for a dictionary definition of earnestly and then everything became clearer - my accidental foray into the Book of Hebrews and my fascination with the word "earnestly" all started to make sense to me. The first definition of earnestly I found read:</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{26}" paraid="1999950060" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"...with sincere and intense conviction."</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{26}" paraid="1999950060" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{26}" paraid="1999950060" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I was pretty sure I knew what intense meant so I searched for sincere and came up with, </span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{247}" paraid="1961089576" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{34}" paraid="228055881" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"...free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings."</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{34}" paraid="228055881" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{34}" paraid="228055881" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Almost immediately, I sank to my knees and asked God for mercy, like literally begged for mercy and asked Him to take away everything that was making me seek Him for insincere reasons because I knew I did. I really can't share everything here because some stories are really personal to me but I'm sure if you do some soul searching, you'd quickly relate with what I was going through in that moment. I felt such shame because I knew; I knew that my seeking God wasn't always free from pretense. As a result, my prayer life would almost always come most alive just before my exams or a performance or ministration, simply because I needed God's help to see me through. Or worse still after a major mistake</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">when I needed God to fix things for me, and once He was done I would be gone as far away as possible to be close enough to come back. And all that happened because I wasn't earnestly seeking Him. I was seeking Him quite alright but my search didn't proceed from genuine feelings. I just saw Him as a means to an end and so when things didn't go the way I thought He'd make them go (and that happened quite a few times), I would get upset and pack my bags.</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{34}" paraid="228055881" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{34}" paraid="228055881" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">That's wrong in every way possible and today I </span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">realiz</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ed</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I had been living that way for a while. I was chasing God's rewards which ironically, are meant only for those who seek Him without thoughts of any reward being attached to their followership. </span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{42}" paraid="1664845575" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{44}" paraid="466349770" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{47}" paraid="1804852861" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">And without faith it is impossible to please God, </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{47}" paraid="1804852861" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">because anyone who comes to Him</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> must believe that He exists </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{47}" paraid="1804852861" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{49}" paraid="165599713" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{51}" paraid="46848945" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{51}" paraid="46848945" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br class="SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">God can tell the difference between those who seek Him earnestly and those who do it in return for something. As such, He gets hurts when He's sought after just for selfish reasons and definitely would not reward such selfishness.</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{59}" paraid="153885862" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{63}" paraid="1852998701" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Seek the Kingdom of God</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> above all else, </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{63}" paraid="1852998701" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{65}" paraid="877844465" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Matthew 6:33 NLT</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX4789847" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{67}" paraid="1403262887" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{69}" paraid="790486579" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But first </span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness</span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], </span><span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and all these things will be given to you also.</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{71}" paraid="198168099" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Matthew 6:33 AMP</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{71}" paraid="198168099" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">For the glory of God,</span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{352db7a9-0b0b-4147-a38e-5b96e32b1ded}{77}" paraid="1412498329" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX4789847" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Diazno</span></span><span class="EOP SCX4789847" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-1367196398841498472017-03-19T17:29:00.000+01:002017-03-21T22:02:33.231+01:00Dealing with Failure (1)<br />
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<b><i>"Success is never final and failure never fatal. </i></b><br />
<b><i>It's courage that counts."</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGZcfhXVnmp3SpLujBA0RBVvHuzxCQ04qmNiyXAuD96_KKWbcdtGoiRRpwNnHnKf-85Sn1ifsBhyphenhyphenx6OBO6pLOlvwSDZXLoxjmNgSitVpcwHKuxdcGoXaBc5hMK_e-D6vgwuYEaJ3F7YA/s1600/1000-Failure-Quotes-on-Pinterest--Quotes-About-Moving-On-Quotes--_57d624c03f1e1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGZcfhXVnmp3SpLujBA0RBVvHuzxCQ04qmNiyXAuD96_KKWbcdtGoiRRpwNnHnKf-85Sn1ifsBhyphenhyphenx6OBO6pLOlvwSDZXLoxjmNgSitVpcwHKuxdcGoXaBc5hMK_e-D6vgwuYEaJ3F7YA/s1600/1000-Failure-Quotes-on-Pinterest--Quotes-About-Moving-On-Quotes--_57d624c03f1e1.png" /></a>I was about 8 or 9 when I first read that quote and I must confess, it didn't make much sense to me then. I had never failed an exam or test, was top of my class, (actually, all my classes) and had pretty much succeeded at all I did. Success was a way of life for me and so I wrote all my exams not really bothered about whether I would pass or not. Topping the class had become more or less a norm and my new obsession was getting perfect scores.<br />
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All that was about to change and then only would the quote make sense to me. I left elementary school and got into secondary school (high school) and suddenly wasn't top of my class or year anymore. What a shocker! Well, after a while, that wasn't so bad anymore. The guy who beat me to both top of class and year was my best friend and he's really smart! I quickly adjusted to my new role of second best which was still cool but that even couldn't prepare me for the biggest shock of my life at that time.<br />
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I had begun to develop an interest in music after being shipped along with my brother, who at that time was quite interested in it, to music classes. We both took lessons for a year and at the recommendation of our music teacher, sat for the MUSON Grade 1 Music Theory exam. Looking back now, I'm still really lost for words as to what could have gone wrong. We prepared very well for the exam, got good scores in our practice tests, and as a result, were really confident about getting really good grades. My brother unsurprisingly passed with a Distinction while I failed. I remember my brother breaking the news of my first failed attempt and it was like a part of me died that Tuesday night. I sat on the floor just beside my bed and cried my heart out till I fell asleep. I couldn't talk or eat that night and remained very moody for days. I had never felt that depressed and then the message in the quote became really clear to me. I had had so much success I thought it was final but then failed and had to decide if I would let my failure would be fatal. I almost did. I continued to take music lessons but couldn't bring myself to write any music exams - not till I graduated from high school with my mind firmly set on studying music. Even then, I was still very scared of going back in to write any music exam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuQ1Wff4Vvnidcfw-ZJl8mvpelAjX762yG_RZPp6LaXF8sxZ0DQkWbtlJValzEQAATjtBkidd9DXDv7qvbAW8QO9Kv-OqErkMdSUeF-CmIqelQWsNCO3u6bBVl2Gl5zUAgI3DUCFsWrU/s1600/success-is-never-final-failure-is-never-fatal-its-courage-that-counts35.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuQ1Wff4Vvnidcfw-ZJl8mvpelAjX762yG_RZPp6LaXF8sxZ0DQkWbtlJValzEQAATjtBkidd9DXDv7qvbAW8QO9Kv-OqErkMdSUeF-CmIqelQWsNCO3u6bBVl2Gl5zUAgI3DUCFsWrU/s320/success-is-never-final-failure-is-never-fatal-its-courage-that-counts35.png" width="238" /></a>Anyway, I found the courage the author of the quote was talking about, faced my greatest fear, and wrote the Grade 5 music theory exam. Somehow, I didn't fail. I didn't get any of the good scores I had grown so accustomed to receiving and I was once again disheartened. At that point, I almost quit and said to myself, "Maybe this music isn't really for you". But the voice of truth wouldn't let me. He said, "Go back in, give it another shot!" And I did. I prepared and went back in for the grade 6 exam and passed with a distinction. I saw my actual score - it read 96.5% - and nearly passed out. The rest they say is history. I went on to study on a scholarship from the MTN Foundation, graduated top of my class, took home the top prizes and started teaching at MUSON. By the time I graduated, I had three Grade 8 certificates in three different disciplines from the Associated Board Royal Schools of Music, London and the Trinity College of Music, London.<br />
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In this journey of mine, I've also come to the conclusion that neither success nor failure is fatal. It's truly courage to continue that counts. I hope this post of mine has inspired you to reach beyond whatever failure you've experienced or are currently experiencing for the success that lies on ahead.<br />
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P.s: Please look out for the follow-up post to this. I'll be sharing my perspective of what courage is. Also, feel free to leave your comments below and follow by email to have subsequent posts delivered directly to your email.<br />
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Towards a better humanity,<br />
DiaznoDiaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-75756066904776473792017-03-13T09:07:00.001+01:002017-03-13T09:07:42.132+01:00True Confession<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{105}" paraid="1681694136" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><i>Have mercy on me, Lord and forgive my sins.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{105}" paraid="1681694136" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><i>Sins <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">through </span>my thoughts, words, actions and inaction<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">s</span>. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{105}" paraid="1681694136" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><i>What I have done and what I have failed to do - </i></b></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{105}" paraid="1681694136" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><i>including those I don’t remember. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{105}" paraid="1681694136" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><b><i>Amen. </i></b></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d7ec9be2-2a32-437d-8b8a-8a62b5335284}{24}" paraid="1374906470" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Believe it or not this is how I’ve prayed for forgiveness for a long time, until recently. Looking closely at the above prayer it encompasses everything actually. As a result, I didn’t exactly see the need in telling God that I took extra meat from the pot when I wasn't asked to because I mean, He is all knowing. </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Now imagine if someone overheard me in confession telling God stuff like</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">: </span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{242}" paraid="985001084" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{235}" paraid="542282590" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"<b><i>I lied, so that my brother<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> </span>and not I <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">would be</span> punished"</i></b></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{115}" paraid="846855212" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">or<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{117}" paraid="440455494" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"I wasn’t where I said I was going to be at a particular time." </span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{119}" paraid="2055056445" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX61510722" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{121}" paraid="2075493045" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Wouldn't that be weird?</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I mean, God knows all this already so why prolong the talk</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">?</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{123}" paraid="30271604" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX61510722" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{125}" paraid="1814298997" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, </span></i></b></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{125}" paraid="1814298997" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{127}" paraid="1904407104" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">1 John 1:9</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b><br />
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{129}" paraid="1714766731" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{133}" paraid="755151552" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Confessing our sins, I've come to </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">reali</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">z</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> isn't best done by </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">generali</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">z</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ing</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. We actually should tell God all about it; sometimes even, what you felt during and after. Admitting where exactly we've gone wrong is the first step to total repentance and contrary to popular belief, confessing our wrongs doesn’t make us seem weak before Him. We actually are weak and He's cool with that - promising even to provide strength for us then.</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{135}" paraid="2134705905" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX61510722" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{137}" paraid="512323931" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"If we say that we have not sinned we make Him a liar </span></i></b></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{137}" paraid="512323931" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and His word is not in us."</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{139}" paraid="1195045278" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">1 John 1:10</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{250}" paraid="937464683" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d7ec9be2-2a32-437d-8b8a-8a62b5335284}{1}" paraid="942321993" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d7ec9be2-2a32-437d-8b8a-8a62b5335284}{6}" paraid="1908531986" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">A friend of mine told me recently about how he's currently on a journey of no shame with God. At first, that didn’t make any sense to me but after a while, I began to understand the importance of embarking on such a journey. God wants us to be open in ALL our dealings with Him, just as we would with our closest friends. Imagine hearing gist about your close friend and waiting patiently for them to tell you about it only for them to leave out all the details when they do - details you're already aware of. No one wouldn't feel hurt especially when they've been really open. </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Sadly, that’s exactly how most of us treat God. He knows you enjoyed the sex, so why hide anything while confessing? Tell Him how you only remembered Him and felt bad after the act, or how you felt no remorse lying to your boss. Of course, He already knows<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">, </span>so why not just be sincere<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">?</span> </span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d7ec9be2-2a32-437d-8b8a-8a62b5335284}{6}" paraid="1908531986" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d7ec9be2-2a32-437d-8b8a-8a62b5335284}{6}" paraid="1908531986" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{145}" paraid="129604947" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX61510722" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><b style="color: windowtext; text-align: center;"><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span></i></b></div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX61510722" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{149}" paraid="97714616" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{151}" paraid="723706361" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<b><i><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Proverbs 28:13</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{103}" paraid="1779503897" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{147}" paraid="1769924090" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">We</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> shouldn't be too proud or shy even, when we're with God so go on and tell </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Him about how</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> you’re jealous of your friend’s relationship or how you wished that girl who was rude to you would have fallen off the stairs earlier today. He's not going to share your secrets with others. Tell Him and let Him begin the work of healing you. That’s what He wants most - a perfectly balanced fellowship </span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">characteri</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">z</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ed</span><span class="TextRun SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> by total openness. A give-and-take relationship, you may, where <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">it</span>'s not just <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">H</span>im revealing secrets to us but we're totally unashamed about revealing all our dirty secrets to Him.</span><span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{147}" paraid="1769924090" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Yours sincerely,</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{147}" paraid="1769924090" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">'Nanya</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCX61510722" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">P.s: This article obviously wasn't written by me. I remember reading it for the first time and being like "This has to go on the blog!". I've been blessed by <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">it and</span> I'm sure you too have. Thanks for reading!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX61510722" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b6a1a20f-e83f-4dcb-b7cf-e613a3e06c2a}{147}" paraid="1769924090" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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</span>Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-39125499221011192322017-03-10T17:02:00.000+01:002017-03-11T00:06:19.488+01:00Lesser or Greater<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{18}" paraid="1456649999" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">You know how we've always been brought up to believe that we're the 'best of our kind' and need not play second fiddle to anyone. That whoever some other person is or can be, we also can and sometimes must become. Now I'm not calling out those who have preached this or those who practice it, I'm just saying I don't subscribe to it as a rule anymore and I'd share why.</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Jonathan and David had a truly remarkable relationship which fills me with desire. Desire to have such a friend, desire to be such a friend to someone! You see, we were taught to see Jonathan and David as best of friends - to admire the exemplary bond of love and respect they had for each other. And while this isn't false, in actual reality, they were more than this. They were rivals - yes, rivals for the throne of Israel. David would be the reason Jonathan would not be King and they both knew this.</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{22}" paraid="1988911961" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{26}" paraid="205429217" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{28}" paraid="658187012" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">1 Samuel 23:16-17</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{30}" paraid="1114697536" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Profound! </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">His father Saul was furious at the thought of this. His son, heir to his throne, was willingly going to play 2nd fiddle to the son of one of his subjects. </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Obviously, Jonathan </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">knew</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and understood something Saul didn't - something even we probably haven't yet fully grasped. </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Because even I question if I would be so </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">honourable</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, were I to be in Jonathan's shoes. Would I have helped David as much as Jonathan did? Would you?</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{36}" paraid="1474832324" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{38}" paraid="721764644" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">1 Samuel 20:4</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{40}" paraid="738125933" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{42}" paraid="1648705338" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">And indeed Jonathan kept his word. From covering up for David to helping him escape from Saul who was trying to kill him, he did all he could to make sure David became king of Israel. </span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">God created two lights - two lights. But He created them differently, to serve two different purposes. And in Genesis it's clearly stated that one light was created greater and the other lesser. </span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{46}" paraid="67353955" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{51}" paraid="1821955430" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{55}" paraid="2085305645" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Genesis 1:16</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{57}" paraid="1442516867" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The sun was made to be this big, imposing, always conspicuous ball of fire that no one would miss - the center of the universe - just who many of us would love to be. The moon and stars were created in contrast to be much smaller and tame, in fact with the moon having no light of it's own. Instead depending on the sun for light. Not the center of any universe and I dare say, not how many of us would like to be.</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">As humans, we grow up to love the spotlight - wanting always to be the center of attraction and loving every second we are. We want to be the sun and have the entire solar system revolve around us, consequently, we miss out on the beauty of being the moon or stars. Yes, that's true! I mean literally what has the sun in its fullness to offer that compares with that of the moon. Think of the beauty of a crescent moon and that of the full moon with stars all around: how they fill one with awe and radiate in a truly beautiful manner that though borrowed from the sun, overshadows the sun's light in breathtaking ways. And yes, they're the 'lesser' lights.</span><br />
<span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{59}" paraid="52412056" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Towards a better humanity,</span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{61}" paraid="1601132258" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX167257940" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Diazno</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX167257940" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX167257940" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX167257940" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6e8120aa-5ccc-4cd0-9c6a-bf3503643c1c}{10}" paraid="745447522" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-23424541618575274212016-12-28T18:12:00.002+01:002016-12-28T18:12:23.675+01:00CUP OF WATER IN A DRUM<div class="MsoNormal">
I decided to write this post to offer what little encouragement I can to others like me, who from time to time have to deal with some form of discouragement. Having had quite a bit of experience, dealing with discouragement quite, I think I can say that I understand just how destructive
it can be. Discouragement is a defined as:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvlQ6BObqTJ2es4FtiO9q3taaGLddnI5eL7xw67uv41qW_yPuthIbPs5jfO-KV8GjdQUJ9O00lGCrX93FcXIDIW3IsXncOCh-YL0BY0gisejBXpihtqG8XZpdw9qNRh6ObQmhyphenhyphenvnmqoY/s1600/download+%25282.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvlQ6BObqTJ2es4FtiO9q3taaGLddnI5eL7xw67uv41qW_yPuthIbPs5jfO-KV8GjdQUJ9O00lGCrX93FcXIDIW3IsXncOCh-YL0BY0gisejBXpihtqG8XZpdw9qNRh6ObQmhyphenhyphenvnmqoY/s320/download+%25282.png" width="320" /></a>"<b><i>a loss of confidence or enthusiasm; a feeling of
having lost hope or confidence</i></b>"<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have either heard of or seen quite a few extraordinary
events and accomplishments that make me wonder just how powerful humans are and
just how much we are capable of. At the
2005 Champions League final match, I saw Liverpool turn around a 3-goal deficit
against an AC Milan team that looked set for victory to lift the UEFA Champions League Cup and last year, many of us watched Leicester City do the impossible against a 5000 - 1
odds prediction to win the Premier League for the first time in their club history. I read of and
watched (in the movie 'Jobs') the college dropout Steve Jobs, start Apple
Computer Incorporated in his parents garage and turn it into a global brand. We saw Barack Obama,
backed by what he calls "The Audacity of Hope", somehow win an
election many had said a black man could never win, to occupy a position of authority many
never believed he could. Now, he lives in a house, whose name at first hearing might insinuate was not meant for someone of his color to live in - twice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Oprah was born to extreme poverty in rural Mississippi and
brought up in inner-city Milwaukee, enduring abuse as a child. Despite this, she
is the richest African-American of the past century, with a net worth of 3
billion dollars. Many consider her to be one of the most influential woman in the
world today. John Paul DeJoria was born to Italian and Greek immigrant parents. This
billionaire was forced to sell newspapers before the age of 9 so his family had
food to eat. He also lived in a foster home, was a part of a street gang and
jumped through a number of odd jobs. With a measly start-up loan of $700, he
began what is now known the world over as the Paul Mitchell line of hair
products. His net worth is over 2 billion dollars. </div>
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Haile Gebreselassie was one of ten children born in rural
Ethiopia, forced to run 12 miles every day to get to school and back. He would
later become one of most successful athletes in the world, with two Olympic gold
medals in the 10,000m. Halle Berry was raised by a single mother in Cleveland,
Ohio, even spending time in a homeless shelter while she tried to pursue her
acting dreams in New York. As of 2014, she's still the only black woman to have
won an Oscar for a leading role.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSicS9sVHb3y1BGRl52CGxTfQrey1it13Odz-Kz4e0kCShyphenhyphenEt5hiSKnY7_R45BNGS1Hux7-7KkCC_86AHsFpT37wi5m9ZwIOsci6k0AnG21cA_-xhpaMgx9UN1T1PHqcm-VAOBbDRj0/s1600/download+%25283%2529+gghj.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQSicS9sVHb3y1BGRl52CGxTfQrey1it13Odz-Kz4e0kCShyphenhyphenEt5hiSKnY7_R45BNGS1Hux7-7KkCC_86AHsFpT37wi5m9ZwIOsci6k0AnG21cA_-xhpaMgx9UN1T1PHqcm-VAOBbDRj0/s1600/download+%25283%2529+gghj.png" /></a>Countless other stories of extraordinary deeds performed by
ordinary men and women abound, and after careful study of these stories and the
circumstances surrounding them, I discovered that there is one common
ingredient to all their success stories, apart from the fact that they started off in a disadvantaged
position, of course. I found that ingredient to be hope - hope for a better tomorrow,
hope that things would eventually turn around for them if they worked at it. These remarkable people all believed that where they started from didn't have to be where they would remain
for the rest of their lives, and armed with such strong convictions, 'hoped' enough while working hard to get out of where they are. Today their stories teach us of perseverance, even in
the worst of situations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I read a story about a farmer who lived in Africa, who
through information received from a visitor became tremendously excited about the prospects of discovering diamonds.
Diamonds were already being discovered in abundance on the African continent and this
farmer got so excited about the idea of finding millions of dollars worth of diamonds
that he sold his farm to head out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the
continent as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, his key to wealth,
which he never found. Eventually, he went completely broke, threw himself
into a river and drowned.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTs67_IEnvtF9lJmAh8ntFx6WULDqWrj43TQDgrYEAlJDZpglPl2t2bXfViAbTiUr6bh-b0_Ufi6yJeTfiRGU2hC6dAL6NUdIhf6HDMhPIDDKPdxmqNNuoXwxTPf8CFpdfZEsOM-AIB0/s1600/download+%25281%2529hvccy.fuf.yugIjpl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTs67_IEnvtF9lJmAh8ntFx6WULDqWrj43TQDgrYEAlJDZpglPl2t2bXfViAbTiUr6bh-b0_Ufi6yJeTfiRGU2hC6dAL6NUdIhf6HDMhPIDDKPdxmqNNuoXwxTPf8CFpdfZEsOM-AIB0/s1600/download+%25281%2529hvccy.fuf.yugIjpl.png" /></a>Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual
looking rock about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort
of curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went
into an excited frenzy. He told the new owner of the farm that the funny
looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had ever been
found. The new owner of the farm said, 'Heck, the whole farm is covered with
them' - and sure enough it was. The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond
Mine . . . the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was
literally standing on 'Acres of Diamonds' until he sold his farm. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The moral of this story is simple enough. Let's stop walking
around feeling dejected and discouraged looking for a breakthrough because most
times, we already have all we need. We just need to look within and refuse to give up hoping for a better tomorrow. Every little bit of effort we put into whatever work we do is like a cup of water going in a big, big drum. While one cup may not fill the drum up or do enough to lift your spirit concerning finishing the task soon enough, when we look into the drum, we must realise that every cup of water we've poured in is still in there and surely, with enough cups that big, big drum would be filled and run over. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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For a better humanity,<br />
Diazno</div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-40181684799030716812016-05-16T12:32:00.000+01:002016-05-16T16:47:03.300+01:00Why He Won't Come<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><i>"Make me poor in spirit - wanting nothing<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>So that I'll have no one else but You.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>I'll have no one else but You...<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>I'll have no one else but You..."</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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- Isebiama<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My dear friend and brother, Michael Isebiama David wrote
and taught me that song. I remember just hearing it and feeling so broken,
desperately needing to be poor in spirit. It's been my prayer ever since the
day I heard it and today for some reason, God placed it in my heart to sing to
Him once again and I haven't been able to stop singing it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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God's desire and only aim - His heartbeat if I may - is
for a people whose sole desire, aim and possession is Him. Call Him jealous if
you want to but He's already pointed that part of His nature out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><b>23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord
your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything
that the Lord your God has forbidden you. <br />24 For the Lord your God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God.</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Deuteronomy 4:23-25 (ESV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>13-19 Deeply respect God, your God. Serve and worship him
exclusively. Back up your promises with his name only. Don’t fool around with
other gods, the gods of your neighbors, because God, your God, who is alive
among you is a jealous God. Don’t provoke him, igniting his hot anger that
would burn you right off the face of the Earth. Don’t push God, your God, to
the wall as you did that day at Massah, the Testing-Place. Carefully keep the
commands of God, your God, all the requirements and regulations he gave you.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Deuteronomy 6:13-17 (MSG)<o:p></o:p></div>
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"<b><i>Why is He so jealous?</i></b>" You may ask. "<b><i>Is that even a good
thing?</i></b>" That's not left for you and I to debate on, just to accept that He is
God and that He is jealous, exactly the same way as we've accepted that He's
All-Powerful, loving and kind. He really wants everything else to fade away in the beauty
of His presence and love for us till we get to the point where we'll see just Him - Christ who died and
rose again to buy our pardon. Yes, say and pray "<b><i>Come, Lord Jesus</i></b>" as
much as you want, Jesus won't come if His place isn't ready. In John 14 Jesus shows that He understands the principle of getting a place ready if one invites someone else to come stay with them. </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you
that I am going there to prepare a place for you? </b></span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3 And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am.</b></span></i></div>
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John 14:2-3 (NIV)</div>
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Just look at that! Jesus, the Son of God; the firstborn over all creation going to prepare a place for whoever will believe in Him - lowly creatures He made. How then do you expect a God who has done such for us to be willing to share? He simply won't! He won't come to share your
body, heart, mind or soul with anything! He just won't. That's not how He wants to be treated. It would be very unfair to expect Him to share you; He either has all of you or He'll have none of you. And that's why He won't come just because you ask Him to. He'll first
of all want to know if His abode (your heart) is tastefully furnished,
exactly to His liking. He doesn't 'do' compromises, it's either fine for Him or
it's not. Neither does He manage - He's either totally satisfied and
comfortable or He's not!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTnnXH_48rDX55P6ad_DT4pTO6V-Kc-AIYfsL8Z4w1F6mKd2w6OfjyRa2RbwCIUnm5KWcMa1qCh4u5q-pYppsGkTDRFFbCfK3GgV8W8Q0HvTepEvJvpdz_nLTQMfCwukDHg-uF8EI0Ak/s1600/download+%25284%2529.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTnnXH_48rDX55P6ad_DT4pTO6V-Kc-AIYfsL8Z4w1F6mKd2w6OfjyRa2RbwCIUnm5KWcMa1qCh4u5q-pYppsGkTDRFFbCfK3GgV8W8Q0HvTepEvJvpdz_nLTQMfCwukDHg-uF8EI0Ak/s1600/download+%25284%2529.jpe" /></a>I understand that these are hard truths that we really
do not like to hear. We seem to prefer the image of God in which He is loving and kind...benevolent to a fault...our very present help in
trouble...our shield and defender. While these images of God are very heartwarming
to say the least, they do not accurately capture every aspect of His being for
He's also a consuming fire and a Righteous Judge who judges with fairness and
can't tolerate double standards. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So no, He won't come just because You asked Him to, He'll come because a place has been made ready for Him. <b><i>"How do I get my heart ready for the Lord?"</i></b> It's very simple - surrender.<b><i> Surrender your will, your thoughts, your life even; surrender it all to Jesus and accept that He's in charge. He's not going to compete for your attention with TV, and Instagram or money or career, a boyfriend or girlfriend, an iPhone or parties or even sleep. He'll simply stay where He is till He sees that your heart is ready to house Him - the Lord of all the earth.</i></b> So right now I ask you <b><i>"Is your heart ready to
receive Him?"</i></b> If you are willing, please pray this prayer and believe it
with all of your heart:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>"Lord Jesus, I thank You for loving me even while I was
lost in sin and wanted nothing to do with You. I thank You for dying on a cross
at Calvary to save me. I accept Your sacrifice of love and believe that You
have the power to save me. I confess my past sins and renounce my old way of
living, I accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ over my life. Please write my name in Your Book of Life and help me to live a life that pleases you. Amen"</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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If you prayed this prayer wholeheartedly, you just made
heaven rejoice. You'll need to find a Bible-believing church to become a part
of so that your growth will be assured. Welcome to the family of believers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you're already a believer but for some reason have
reneged on your earlier profession of faith in Christ, it's time to return to
God. Put away ever hindrance and prepare your heart to receive Him once again.
Talk to God right now and sort things out with Him. I'm sure He'll be
super-excited that you're back and won't hesitate to receive you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Maranatha!<o:p></o:p></div>
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God bless us all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For the glory of God,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Diazno<o:p></o:p></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-10400083534766310892016-05-10T06:09:00.000+01:002016-05-11T14:12:41.164+01:00The 4th Man<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>23 and these three
men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>24 Then King
Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t
there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>They replied, “Certainly,
Your Majesty.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>25 He said, “Look! I
see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth
looks like a son of the gods.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Daniel 3:23 - 26(NIV)<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Right now, I'm trying to imagine what kind of thoughts could have
been going through <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">King Nebuchadnezzar's mind. They couldn't have
accidentally thrown four men into the furnace. He Himself gave the order and
watched it being carried out. More so, no one would dare defy the king! Except
of course those three Hebrew men. And even if they somehow were four, how come
they are walking around in a furnace. WALKING, I say! I mean, we all know what
fire does or at least, what it's supposed to do. How then do they walk about in
it. The fire was obviously burning for it had killed the men who had gone to
carry out the king's order. So, how come the fire no longer burns? And where
did this 4th man come from?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>"When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you;</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>and when you pass through
the rivers, they will not sweep over you.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>When you walk through the
fire, </i></b><b><i> </i></b><b><i>you will not be burned;</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i> </i></b><b><i>the
flames will not set you ablaze."<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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King
Nebuchadnezzar was obviously not aware of this text. I believe the Hebrew men
were and were willing to put all on the line on the basis of their
belief. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">"14 </span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the
image of gold I have set up?</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">16 </span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King
Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this
matter. </span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">17 </span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve
is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your
Majesty’s hand."</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">More than that, they were willing to pay the ultimate price
in the event that things didn't go according to plan knowing that God's ways
sometimes aren't ours. Such love! Such devotion! From men, I dare say did not
know Christ nor bear witness to the resurrection power. I read Daniel 3 and I
see that they were well aware of all the facts. Not that they would be thrown
into the fire if they didn't bow to the image of gold King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up for the king's word is law but that God, the King of the heavens and
earth had commanded: </span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“You shall
not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or
on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down
to them or worship them; for I, the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> your
God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to
the third and fourth generation of those who hate me..."</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Exodus 20: 4 - 5 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I really do not envy the position that their belief in and
obedience to God had placed them in - piss off the earthly king and die
by fire or disobey God and be considered as one who hates Him. Tough choice
right? But they chose right. And even though they did get thrown into fire
which was 7 times hotter than normal and which killed the men that took them in
while everyone watched, the expected didn't happen for in that fire, that same
fire that was supposed to kill them, a 4th man appeared; one who even the
heathen king Nebuchadnezzar realized was no mere mortal. He looked every part
like</span> <b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">"<i>a
son of the gods</i>"</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">, walking in fire as though He
created it - for indeed he did create it- in whose presence no form of bondage
remains for the three men walked around "...<b><i>unbound and unharmed...</i></b>". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">That is the Son of God, Most High, the very essence of God
Himself responding to deep acts of love and reverent devotion! Save he did save
those Hebrew men,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">26 Nebuchadnezzar
then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come
here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, </span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and
royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not
harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not
scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">to the glory of His name, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">28 Then
Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in
him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives
rather than serve or worship any god except their own
God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or
language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be
cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no
other god can save in this way.”</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">rewarding them for their devotion. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego in the province of Babylon.</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">What will you do today to call down the presence of the 4th
man?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">For the glory of God,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Diazno<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-2193054494912115882016-05-10T06:05:00.000+01:002016-05-11T15:15:17.087+01:00Goshen is Still Egypt<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><i>31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's
household, I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers
and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to
me.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have
brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.'<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your
occupation?'<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>34 you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock
from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed ti
settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the
Egyptians."</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Genesis 36: 31 - 34 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The land of Goshen is
named in the Bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by Pharaoh to
dwell in during the famine. The region of Goshen is located in northeastern
Egypt, in the The Delta of the Nile River, where it empties into the
Mediterranean Sea. It's been quite a while since I studied geography but I
remember enough of what I studied to know that Goshen was a very fertile land
to live in. In fact, looking it up on the internet I discovered that most of
early Egypt's economy was built around the Nile Delta and the Egyptians thrived
as a result of the fertile lands of the Nile Delta.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In a time of severe famine, during which Israel (Jacob) and his
descendants journeyed to Egypt to be reunited with Joseph their kin who was now
Prime Minister of Egypt, Goshen represented a huge upgrade with several
opportunities in store for them to settle in and prosper. Much so that this
line:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>"Then you will
be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians" <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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didn't seem to mean much to them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I would think that they would have been be put off by such a
statement or at least been put on guard, and would endeavor not to stay longer
than necessary knowing that they were not just only being tolerated but were
DETESTABLE to their new hosts. Instead, they made the mistake of lingering in
the land in which they were not only strangers but were DETESTABLE strangers,
long after the famine which drove them there had ended they lingered and paid
the price for it all because for a while they prospered there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation
died, </i></b><br />
<b><i>7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly,
increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to
power in Egypt. </i></b><br />
<b><i>9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become
far too numerous for us. </i></b><br />
<b><i>10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will
become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight
against us and leave the country.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with
forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.</i></b><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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Exodus 1: 6 - 11 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></div>
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We all get to places that serve as Goshen for us - a huge
upgrade from where we are coming from, holding immense possibilities for us to
prosper in and though we know that those who "own" those places
find us detestable, we opt to stay there for survival but make the sad mistake
of lingering because we find some measure of prosperity there, instead of
working towards leaving as soon as possible. For whenever you get there, I'd
like to remind you that Goshen is still Egypt and that your Promised Land is
still somewhere ahead waiting for when you're bold enough to rise and leave
your Goshen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Towards a better humanity,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Diazno<o:p></o:p></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-67155916377699135812016-05-10T02:42:00.002+01:002016-12-29T16:09:02.715+01:00Roundabout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQXVUTx9TVyB5MJU7m5b2gJzMk6XahfsjQOXQipjnF6WUZRWCdpZsJwAzB2gyNC4dNxxpMpaBMZwfJ8Dobfu0Ej7EWPxnQzgMivHIgr1uNlGIznJUYT_pylVqq8zZ07jfcXfiAI777sw/s1600/download+%252816%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hjdaDNt3QZ88rD7KYyWZMYc5iwZ0gR8ydC0_ZgYoXRrq6mWiORjyDPogrlFi1WKtG6cvaXQOO_62mmGzAteR7tYMXGxdQ4fBwaxcGXke6NpUkUN_Ppz4p5Wff2Kavr7VIlweydTK1jE/s1600/images+%252822%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hjdaDNt3QZ88rD7KYyWZMYc5iwZ0gR8ydC0_ZgYoXRrq6mWiORjyDPogrlFi1WKtG6cvaXQOO_62mmGzAteR7tYMXGxdQ4fBwaxcGXke6NpUkUN_Ppz4p5Wff2Kavr7VIlweydTK1jE/s320/images+%252822%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
One pleasant Sunday morning, I was heading to church in Surulere, with dad in the car (yeah, it's a car story again). I was feeling very calm and in my 'church mood'. That morning, I was seeking to do good to some random person, just for the fun of doing it. So as we drove to church, I was presented with the perfect opportunity to do so. We got to one of the numerous roundabouts on the Lekki-Epe Expressway (I believe there are 10 of them), just about the same time another car was completing their turn at the roundabout. Now, as a "Lagos Driver", the expected course of action is to speed up and 'chance' the other driver (then probably give that smug "I'm a sharp guy" look) even though traffic laws clearly state that vehicles at the roundabout have the right of way. But not that day, (I'm not confessing that I do it on other days o!) because on that day, I had decided to drop the 'sharp guy' image and be the 'nice guy', (which I actually am). So I do the unthinkable - I stop to let the other car go first!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQXVUTx9TVyB5MJU7m5b2gJzMk6XahfsjQOXQipjnF6WUZRWCdpZsJwAzB2gyNC4dNxxpMpaBMZwfJ8Dobfu0Ej7EWPxnQzgMivHIgr1uNlGIznJUYT_pylVqq8zZ07jfcXfiAI777sw/s1600/download+%252816%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQXVUTx9TVyB5MJU7m5b2gJzMk6XahfsjQOXQipjnF6WUZRWCdpZsJwAzB2gyNC4dNxxpMpaBMZwfJ8Dobfu0Ej7EWPxnQzgMivHIgr1uNlGIznJUYT_pylVqq8zZ07jfcXfiAI777sw/s1600/download+%252816%2529.png" /></a><i>"WHAT??? How could you do such a thing??? This is Lagos, people don't stop to let others go first."</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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I'm sure the driver of the other car had similar thoughts because strangely enough, he/she didn't move an inch. Not even after I brought the car to a complete halt so they would know I was indeed stopping for them. In order to avoid having a mini <i>Mexican Standoff, (</i>or should I say Lagos standoff) I motion to them, urging them foward. Only then did then move, after which I carried on behind them. Now this isn't a story about how much of a nice guy I am (even though I am one). I probably wouldn't remember the story if not for the very unusual response of the other driver. My first thought after they refused to move when I had given them right of way, was a very Nigerian "Move now!!! I'm running late for church", because I really couldn't understand why they didn't jump at the offer. Much more when it's their right.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gpriRNk9GtC-1Y2G7Q4l_Dp-GabQfac6gHB5aR7AYpX5GUVtTiYJmyeWgTZ6VzS0zei4DeIKqFusq49hL3NasuAS5CPh7zWUZYXvYIGlRPweVlZsFkURyjCXt0GlBOsOSyk_JjD9Iyw/s1600/images+%252820%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gpriRNk9GtC-1Y2G7Q4l_Dp-GabQfac6gHB5aR7AYpX5GUVtTiYJmyeWgTZ6VzS0zei4DeIKqFusq49hL3NasuAS5CPh7zWUZYXvYIGlRPweVlZsFkURyjCXt0GlBOsOSyk_JjD9Iyw/s320/images+%252820%2529.png" width="320" /></a>There and then it dawned on me. They probably know that they have right of way at the roundabout but have come to relinquish that right because by habitual actions, other drivers have taught them to.<br />
<br />
This lifestyle, the<i> "I-Can-Do-Whatever-I-Want-Even-When-I-Know-It's-Wrong-Because-There's-No-One-Around-To-Stop-Me"</i> lifestyle, I believe is the reason there is so much evil in the world today. The evil we face today didn't just start with people detonating bombs or raping helpless women or even abducting defenseless kids. No, it started with little acts of defiance here and there - people refusing to do what is right simply because it's the right thing to do. Now, it has blossomed into the menace we face in society today. Writing this, all I long for, is for a time when people would do the right thing not because some reward is promised them for doing so or because some punishment awaits them for defaulting, but because it's the right thing to do. I wish our children would be taught to act right; that our young ones would be courageous enough to stick to what they know is right, even in the face of immense peer pressure trying to get them to do the opposite. That our fathers and mothers, and leaders in society would not lead the young ones coming up behind them astray by wrong deeds born out of selfish motives. Then, and then only, could we all truly be happy and content. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmleUnypvm3L4ult5Cfr3aWMAT8XSF1mJegXe4GFfMvAw6H5tOTUPJm8Zs0aSvqvKM0X4m7z3ncvYKXNbXMd0_OMS8mmzvZAjfwLtGFNIR792IcsviHORv8vV9m_c-3uz12EfVTZVTU8/s1600/download+%252817%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmleUnypvm3L4ult5Cfr3aWMAT8XSF1mJegXe4GFfMvAw6H5tOTUPJm8Zs0aSvqvKM0X4m7z3ncvYKXNbXMd0_OMS8mmzvZAjfwLtGFNIR792IcsviHORv8vV9m_c-3uz12EfVTZVTU8/s1600/download+%252817%2529.png" /></a></div>
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A wise man once said, </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"<i>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"</i> <br />
<i><br /></i></div>
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and I agree with him on that. I also think that it's very interesting that I learned this lesson at a <i>roundabout </i>because indeed, </div>
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"<i>What goes around, comes around</i>"<br />
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Towards a better humanity,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Diazno</div>
</div>
Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-89725722457781463052016-04-07T14:50:00.000+01:002016-04-07T14:50:12.587+01:00Glitters<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
It was a bright Sunday afternoon. I
had stopped by at a KFC restaurant for a small mid day snack but ended up
getting more than what I bargained for. Shortly after I arrived a family
arrived and took a table just by me. They proceeded to have lunch and in
between their meal I saw the mother try to hand the oldest a 200 naira note and
ask her to go get another drink but before the money could change hands
properly, the youngest son grabbed it from his mother and refused to let go.
All pleas to get him to let go of the money fell on deaf ears - he just held on
tightly with his little fingers while his mother tried to retrieve her money
from her little boy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdQZWluK5SIUcF7p8fWdGeoGc-Hx2UzfyhMLeUdxBoGcLJbikUjHycoAFyMsY5UpUIPebR_Kb6gaXL4xgO311xeG6M37TfYrBM0FgC95h45MP_G5nW8PGXOZtpioyfVrs4l83xqAdL8I/s1600/images+%25289%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdQZWluK5SIUcF7p8fWdGeoGc-Hx2UzfyhMLeUdxBoGcLJbikUjHycoAFyMsY5UpUIPebR_Kb6gaXL4xgO311xeG6M37TfYrBM0FgC95h45MP_G5nW8PGXOZtpioyfVrs4l83xqAdL8I/s1600/images+%25289%2529.png" /></a>By now, everyone on their table was
running out of patience with the little boy and his mother finally decided to
forcefully pry the money out of his hands. This didn't go down so well with
him, and he began to do what all little children his age do in situations like
this. It started with little sobs and grew into full blown crying when he felt
he wasn't getting the needed response. You can guess that at this time I wasn't
concentrating much on my meal anymore (<i>amebo</i> mode activated). A second round of
begging had begun now as the little boy's cries was beginning to garner he and
his family quite a bit of attention from surrounding tables. In a bit to keep
him quiet and not cause a scene, his mother reaches into her bag and pulls out
a shiny, brand new 10 naira note, and hands this to her son. <i>"Have this
instead"</i>, she says. <i>"See, it's newer and more shiny"</i>. This
seemed to do the trick as the little boy's tears died up instantly and he
refocused his attention on his unfinished meal. </div>
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I stared in disbelief at the mother
and her child wondering what term to give to the scene I just witnessed some
moments ago. Do I call it deception on the part of the mother or just myopia'
on the part of her child. I left shortly after finishing my meal and thought
long and hard about those words: "Here, have this instead. It's newer and
it's more shiny". I tried to think of how many times I was that little
boy, being short-changed and giving up real substance for glitters. Oh! How I
regretted those times. But then, I blamed myself for not being mature enough to
distinguish between substance. Reading this, you also might recollect times in
the past when you caught the glitter bug and unknowingly exchanged something
you should have held on to with something else of very little worth. You
probably regret it and wish you had someone to blame - "I only trusted
what he/she said. Is it now a crime to trust...?" No, it isn't and while I symphatize with you just like I did with the little boy in the story I must
point out that it's also not a crime to ask reasonable questions - even of
those we love. It also isn't a crime to weigh options carefully even when the
one offering is a trusted friend or family member. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGheg8mW5ZDd1gub77Qf2wREQiTOzYlEIjgObXXWqvz9G0SEvD-D1DzIq6TSnU6-bu8L_SQsnAdJKJoG36XOiWtdKEcnIxu1bm-Z2IuSsmbnjvNwNaNPgMunt_Jf7-2k395mRrSloSS1w/s1600/images+%25287%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGheg8mW5ZDd1gub77Qf2wREQiTOzYlEIjgObXXWqvz9G0SEvD-D1DzIq6TSnU6-bu8L_SQsnAdJKJoG36XOiWtdKEcnIxu1bm-Z2IuSsmbnjvNwNaNPgMunt_Jf7-2k395mRrSloSS1w/s1600/images+%25287%2529.png" /></a>Lastly, if we were to carefully
review our state of mind while making those choices we end up regretting in the
future, we will most likely discover that at the heart of wanting something
newer and more shiny is the age-old desire: greed. It caused the fall of man
and ever since then it has caused the fall of more men (and women alike). So
what's the solution, you ask? Contentment! Contentment and a great deal of
discernment. Sometimes what we really need isn't something newer or more shiny.
Sometimes all we need is the maturity to discern between gold and mere glitters,
and the courage to respond to an offers of glitters with a "<i>No, thank
you</i>". (You can add an "<i>I'm touched by your generosity but I think
I'll hold on to what I have for now</i>" for a little effect).</div>
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Towards a better humanity,</div>
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Diazno</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-76644257015862320072016-03-06T23:14:00.004+01:002016-03-06T23:14:35.977+01:00Confessions of a Supermarket Christian <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W2CsJpPlOS16erQ-WlJ0iJcH-vR77X9CpJrKYDMpqIFJzkcuw2hg1it7Rb-cVnT4YHCJWApxBYV_pHqMk6BwWpHyjsggmYM2SGpAnPOrL2qjc7Xgl7Pk-_qO1UoEXWKw1pvImXEhRSo/s1600/download+%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W2CsJpPlOS16erQ-WlJ0iJcH-vR77X9CpJrKYDMpqIFJzkcuw2hg1it7Rb-cVnT4YHCJWApxBYV_pHqMk6BwWpHyjsggmYM2SGpAnPOrL2qjc7Xgl7Pk-_qO1UoEXWKw1pvImXEhRSo/s200/download+%25284%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Hi! Welcome to the start of a new series which I'm super-excited about writing. Growing up and living life in Nigeria has taught me one very important lesson, and it's not that corruption is real and that it's effects are devastating. It's that every original has a fake - most likely already present somewhere in Nigeria.<br />
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It is with a clear understanding of this trend that I pen these words down - my confessions.<br />
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Please don't judge me because I won't judge you.<br />
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Christians are probably the most impersonated group people on earth and I for one am absolutely fascinated at how fashionable being a Christian has become. It's like everywhere I go I'm destined to meet 'Christians' but then what fascinates me most is how distinctly different Christians are from other Christians. This amazes me to no end because I thought the whole point of a common noun being used to describe a group of people is that there are striking similarities - COMMON traits.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F_4AEH4UuGEVgXj69VicdapkHA-6oLpFyeCBYP6OI9fpMStI5fI5MHRrHjdpib55RF_EZ_wFQdm31TaWZ-z6OGMmH0tWn0klv_nL820sFiEiYb2_pgwyWpMiCRjcoiTRkwu8txx-2lA/s1600/images+%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F_4AEH4UuGEVgXj69VicdapkHA-6oLpFyeCBYP6OI9fpMStI5fI5MHRrHjdpib55RF_EZ_wFQdm31TaWZ-z6OGMmH0tWn0klv_nL820sFiEiYb2_pgwyWpMiCRjcoiTRkwu8txx-2lA/s200/images+%25285%2529.png" width="200" /></a>Now my aim for writing this piece isn't to condemn or judge anyone, neither do I claim any form of righteousness except that which I have in Jesus. At best, these are just the confessions of one who at a point in time found himself to be quite different in mindset and lifestyle from other Christians, and knew who failed to measure up - himself. The million dollar question is "Who is a supermarket Christian?". It indeed is a tough question to give an answer to so instead of trying to coin a concise definition for the term "<i>Supermarket Christian</i>", I'd give traits I noticed were present in my life at that time and hope that you can relate to them.<br />
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First, I'd like to talk about the Supermarket Christian's relationship with the Word. The Supermarket Christian is very and I mean VERY selective in respect to 'buying into' what's written in the Word. Just like the average shopper would walk into a supermarket list-in-hand, not hoping to buy everything the supermarket has in stock but to specifically get what they want/need at that point in time. They quickly skip over parts/sections that don't appeal them. They can't be bothered by 'trivialities' such as trying to find out what else the supermarket has, they need only Product X or Product Y.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgceoBNhyUtIWXezZTy2ArO5_baJcKBMnjnGpw0zB5QK9ou19BDuHn6fpy-KE6C4mwUSsqNGabBMUyZ6O6NWbaRclauInU_7u9yVWfM9BYiRNWr3X8SDtK0mzFqGjWDecZX3-UOzLGDVA/s1600/Supermarket.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgceoBNhyUtIWXezZTy2ArO5_baJcKBMnjnGpw0zB5QK9ou19BDuHn6fpy-KE6C4mwUSsqNGabBMUyZ6O6NWbaRclauInU_7u9yVWfM9BYiRNWr3X8SDtK0mzFqGjWDecZX3-UOzLGDVA/s1600/Supermarket.png" /></a>Like the regular shopper, the Supermarket Christian is eager to go to the Bible not really because he's super-excited about Bible as a whole - to him/her it's a matter of necessity. They quickly dive in, skim through all the surrounding products earnestly searching for a 'quick fix' to their immediate problem/need and once done, it's '<i>bye-bye supermarket</i>' till they're in a similar situation, needing another 'quick fix'. This is their lifestyle - from one quick fix to another. They only remember the Supermarket when they have run out of their last supply or do not possess an item they believe they need. And guess who decides what they shop for? Themselves!<br />
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They decide what they want, when they want it and in what quantity they want it - the Supermarket is to them, merely a means to an end. Can you relate?<br />
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- Diazno<br />
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<br />Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-40966379249590773422016-02-15T08:04:00.002+01:002016-02-15T08:04:39.713+01:00The Perfect Life<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<b><span class="text Matt-19-16" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">16 </span>Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23779O" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23779O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>?” </i></span></span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">17 </span>“Why do you ask me about what is good?”</span> Jesus replied. <span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” </span></i><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">18 </span>“Which ones?” he inquired. </i><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="text Matt-19-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Jesus replied, <span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23781R" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23781R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,</span></span> <span class="text Matt-19-19" id="en-NIV-23782" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">19 </span>honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” </span></i><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">20 </span>“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” </i><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">21 </span>Jesus answered, <span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“If you want to be perfect,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23784U" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23784U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23784V" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23784V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and you will have treasure in heaven.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23784W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23784W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Then come, follow me.” </span></i><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">22 </span>When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.</i></b></div>
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<b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Matthew 19: 16 - 22)</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The conversation above was one that ensued between Jesus and a rich young man as recorded in Matthew 19. At first, the young man asked Jesus about eternal life and it's requirements, sincerely seeking to know about the mystery of eternal life. Jesus listed out the requirements to those to him. The interesting thing to note though is that he (the young man) was still the one who pointed out that he was still lacking, even after doing all he needed to do to have eternal life - it was NOT Jesus who pointed out that he was lacking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus' reply to his 2nd question, "What do I still lack?" was so profound. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>"<i>If you want to be PERFECT, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, there's a difference between having eternal life i.e salvation and being made perfect. Perfection is attained simply by letting go of our dearest possessions, all we cling to, all that could potentially take the place of Jesus - give it all up and follow Jesus. For the young man, it was material wealth. Maybe that was his only claim to respect as a young man. The older folks had to listen to him and do as he says because he's 'rich'. Maybe he had worked so hard to accumulate that wealth or maybe it was just fear of the unknown (you never can tell when you'll need money), or maybe he was an 'omo baba olowo' - he had been rich all his life and a life of penury wasn't appealing to him. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IsKp3Gt4gfPehT66vMW4Gh-Xqi06nl444BlsSBdZE2HyeHc7OyIyGgf0ULhHq_Hk2evACF69S_6FbYw-pnsFON1jXFurJ6n2x38JJ56veMWP5gBdn2DKH9dvfPJ5uhekKYgy5ezKQ3Q/s1600/12688022_10207414452393835_8849585088004499940_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IsKp3Gt4gfPehT66vMW4Gh-Xqi06nl444BlsSBdZE2HyeHc7OyIyGgf0ULhHq_Hk2evACF69S_6FbYw-pnsFON1jXFurJ6n2x38JJ56veMWP5gBdn2DKH9dvfPJ5uhekKYgy5ezKQ3Q/s200/12688022_10207414452393835_8849585088004499940_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So he refused to let go and missed out on perfection. In the same way, God is asking us to let go of what's dearest to us not because we WANT eternal life but because we HAVE eternal life. His desire for us is that we "...<i>Set our eyes on things above and not on things below</i>" so we can follow Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is God asking you to let go of? What's that thing that wont let you follow Jesus totally? Without letting go, there will be no following (of Jesus). And it's the act of following that makes one a Christian. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">God bless you. I know He'll speak to you in ways that I can't. When He does, please listen and do as he says - do all He says -and believe me, from that point on your life will be made perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yours in Christ,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Diazno</span></div>
Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-88303273655077297972016-02-14T23:37:00.002+01:002017-01-02T14:07:31.450+01:00Eyes on the Road (4) ***THE FINALE***Hi, glad you're reading this because it's the finale!!!! In my last three posts, we've talked about the need to look forward, avoid distractions and deal with obstacles in out way. All this while still maintaining our focus on the goal which is ahead of us. Just in case you missed those posts, here are the links:<br />
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<a href="http://diazno.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/lessons-from-my-childhood.html">Eyes on the Road (1)</a><br />
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<a href="http://diazno.blogspot.com.ng/2016/01/eyes-on-road-2.html">Eyes on the Road (2)</a><br />
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<a href="http://diazno.blogspot.com.ng/2016/01/eyes-on-road-3_20.html">Eyes on the Road (3)</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOBeQ4FRb3Tt_cDHdrZsn3zZqanAUDxa5GzW4uHk4PYbZSRSbkm4lUopaStN9atSDuX2laNJUVD8FXyv4nDt_gvXnsiIKRefXsqj2ZDMoNSAihEm3UEMPxx8Q4s4kSnYxKUJ8wzMsXiE/s1600/Uyi_202791.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOBeQ4FRb3Tt_cDHdrZsn3zZqanAUDxa5GzW4uHk4PYbZSRSbkm4lUopaStN9atSDuX2laNJUVD8FXyv4nDt_gvXnsiIKRefXsqj2ZDMoNSAihEm3UEMPxx8Q4s4kSnYxKUJ8wzMsXiE/s200/Uyi_202791.jpeg" width="200" /></a>To conclude this series, I'll be sharing an experience I had in my early days as a driver, and the lesson I learned from it (yes, it's a driving story...again). It was just before the LCC Toll Gate on Admiralty Way. I had planned to go on the e-tag lane but somehow found myself driving in the far left lane which happens to be the 'wrongest' lane to be in. I urgently needed to make my way from there to the extreme right. I indicated with my trafficator that I'd like to switch lanes (as I was taught in driving school) but neglected to check behind and around me to see what was happening there (as I was also taught in driving school). To cut the long story short, I almost caused a multiple crash, and once again, felt very stupid. In my defense, it was in my early days as a driver, so please don't judge me. I'm sure it won't happen again.<br />
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As I continued my journey, I thought about the incident, trying to figure out what I did wrong. I kept my eyes on the goal (the e-tag lane at the toll gate), I avoided distractions and there were no obstacles in my way. So what went wrong?! After a bit of thinking, I gained some understanding as to why I nearly crashed and subsequently came up with a theory which I'm going to call "<b><i>Diazno's Theory of Drastic Changes"</i></b>. It reads:<br />
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"<i>If you're gonna make a major change, don't be rash. Slow down - stop if necessary - look back, look sideways and be sure you're not going to crash or cause someone else to".</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw34Q50LtRS6rdwlX25jin3eyq0WHXBUpaob-6jUYP3tp5stfTEr_yCPAwSJYNtU2YG8KvQWJAdvXr30WGn2HhESb7u_qL22XcKx1BdaF44juf1VxpqcUl5iPKpuAD4NXzHU3Oj_5QkOs/s1600/download+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw34Q50LtRS6rdwlX25jin3eyq0WHXBUpaob-6jUYP3tp5stfTEr_yCPAwSJYNtU2YG8KvQWJAdvXr30WGn2HhESb7u_qL22XcKx1BdaF44juf1VxpqcUl5iPKpuAD4NXzHU3Oj_5QkOs/s400/download+%25281%2529.png" /></a>I remind myself of this as much as possible so I don't completely forget. Making changes, drastic ones especially, is a major part of moving forward but these changes must be carefully and purposefully effected with a clear picture of what's behind. Once you make that switch, it may be very difficult and sometimes impossible to reverse it or it's effects on those around you.<br />
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Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher once said,<br />
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<i>"Study the past if you would define the future".</i> </div>
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A wise saying from a wise man. If you're in a transition phase, it would be really wise of you to pause and take a very good look at what's behind because once you make that switch you'll need to follow through with a great deal of focus.<br />
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Toward a better humanity.<br />
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Yours sincerely,<br />
DiaznoDiaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-30513132998581840762016-01-25T19:58:00.000+01:002016-01-25T23:11:52.245+01:00Eyes on the Road (3)In my first two posts, we talked about the need for us to NOT look backwards as we strive to move forward, and also to avoid distractions as we go. Just in case you missed both posts, here are the links:<br />
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<a href="http://diazno.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/lessons-from-my-childhood.html">Eyes on the Road (1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://diazno.blogspot.com.ng/2016/01/eyes-on-road-2.html">Eyes on the Road (2)</a></div>
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In this post, we'll be learning about obstacles and no, there's no 'driving-in-Lagos' experience to go along with this lesson.Instead, we'll be relating it to hurdles - the sport, which is a form of obstacle racing. </div>
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Before we proceed, what really is an obstacle? According to the Oxford Dictionary, an obstacle is:</div>
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<i>"a thing that blocks one's way or hinders progress"</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGzTTEPiiokcj4ql1DeXYOqf15pj4pNJc1Q5-pebbV41wjuK-3Hu5HH-5KcLz6vbmxvbWRQ__YPglJhDDBDfcXpNaOChCUAo8d1bKB9D_KjyYlWwzyiU5aoC2A0fVmZln3ql0-f_7hag/s1600/r283297_1204847_edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGzTTEPiiokcj4ql1DeXYOqf15pj4pNJc1Q5-pebbV41wjuK-3Hu5HH-5KcLz6vbmxvbWRQ__YPglJhDDBDfcXpNaOChCUAo8d1bKB9D_KjyYlWwzyiU5aoC2A0fVmZln3ql0-f_7hag/s320/r283297_1204847_edit1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Obstacles, like distractions, come in various forms. They can be physical, economic, political or even cultural. And while we all agree that obstacles - in whatever form they choose to appear in - can be very detrimental to our progress, we must also realize that they are VERY inevitable. The athletes participating in any hurdles event realizes this and don't bother complaining about the obstacles in their lanes. Come to think of it, wouldn't it be absurd to hear a hurdler lament about having to race with so many obstacles in his way? Isn't that supposed to be the beauty of the sport?</div>
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It's quite obvious that the point of a hurdles race is for the athletes to get to the finish line in spite of the hurdles in their way. only athletes who successfully scale every hurdle to get to the finish line can ever hope for a place on the winners' podium. Going under hurdles, side-stepping them or even intentionally knocking them down maybe out of frustration would only get one disqualified.</div>
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We won't be celebrated for our ability to accurately pinpoint the location of each obstacle or give a vivid description of the form of the obstacle. No one cares to read your analysis (at least, not until you're at the end of the race) and surely no one has time to feel sorry for you. We all have obstacles of our own to deal with, don't we?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yVYKDWLIoS9pjSYvD_DH1yYSwMim-GaHp773gWM6O8QmLEvf_caba85G7zcoLoG5UVQMgAmc-GTb7j4qM-t6dEoEy1Ydfuwh-wynebE1c27LIoubhRcuPyERr_cznTit4rDO-D2hAJA/s1600/Obstacles-are-those-firghtful-things-you-see-when-you-take-your-eyes-off-your-GOAL_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yVYKDWLIoS9pjSYvD_DH1yYSwMim-GaHp773gWM6O8QmLEvf_caba85G7zcoLoG5UVQMgAmc-GTb7j4qM-t6dEoEy1Ydfuwh-wynebE1c27LIoubhRcuPyERr_cznTit4rDO-D2hAJA/s320/Obstacles-are-those-firghtful-things-you-see-when-you-take-your-eyes-off-your-GOAL_edit.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is also important to note that even when faced with obstacles, in form of hurdles this time, the hurdler keeps his/her eyes NOT on the hurdle but on the goal ahead. It is their ability to maintain such unwavering focus on the primary goal, which is the finish line, that equips them to scale each hurdle. We also nee such unwavering focus in our lives to overcome the obstacles in our way.</div>
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So once again, keep your eyes on the road (or should I say track this time), try not to knock hurdles over in frustration, do not slow down more that is necessary because that may affect your momentum. Maintain your focus, step over the obstacle in front of you and prepare for the next one ahead. keep doing this and in no time you're at the finish line.'</div>
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Happy running!</div>
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Towards a better humanity.</div>
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Yours sincerely,</div>
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Diazno.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">NB:</u> Please feel free to leave me a comment if you like what you've read on the blog. It's really encouraging to get some feedback from my readers. Also feel free to share this post with others and direct them to the blog. I greatly appreciate the comments on previous posts. <br />
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Thanks for being a part of this.</div>
Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-53535291476786756062016-01-12T17:02:00.000+01:002016-01-16T08:54:02.065+01:00Eyes on the Road (2)In my last post (which also happened to be my first), we established that 'forward' is the right and most natural direction to move in. We also established that as we move forward, we are to keep our eyes on the road ahead of us. Easier said than done, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf5fLWkxwzQC10_AZaxlbC97GnCiDYnfB8CAyKMP8Qo8VRHXvNUqYx096PJz4OD3OYJWJgDBlkNy76EbLjsSwlgsjJK_CrwcRlK6RzW3tN7uZvbGPnGvKWmp-clrf6UIr5kygObpgQpU/s1600/Samsung_EyesontheRoadapp_NewsTN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf5fLWkxwzQC10_AZaxlbC97GnCiDYnfB8CAyKMP8Qo8VRHXvNUqYx096PJz4OD3OYJWJgDBlkNy76EbLjsSwlgsjJK_CrwcRlK6RzW3tN7uZvbGPnGvKWmp-clrf6UIr5kygObpgQpU/s200/Samsung_EyesontheRoadapp_NewsTN.jpg" width="150" /></a>The truth is that we are well aware of the need to keep our eyes on the road ahead but some things just won't let us. They come in various forms, shapes and sizes and are present at every point of our journey. They are known by very many names in different languages and cultures but I have come to know them simply as "distractions".<br />
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The Merriam Webster Dictionary of English Language defines a distraction as:<br />
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"<i>Something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention</i>".<br />
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I recall one Saturday morning when I understood clearly how destructive distractions can be. I was heading to work and as I was driving down Ozumba Mbadiwe, I noticed this new billboard with a face that didn't seem so familiar (and some information I thought at that time was important to me). The bottom-line is that I was driving past the billboard and I did the stupid thing - I took my eyes off the road I was driving on and turned to look at the billboard. I could swear it was just for a second but the resultant effect was a near collision with the concrete barrier in the middle of the road - and when I say 'near collision', I mean NEAR COLLISION.<br />
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My first instinct after my narrow escape was obviously to say "Thank you Jesus!!!" (I'm Nigerian after all). My next instinct was to talk to/scold myself and I honestly did ask myself, "<i>How stupid can you be? Like really??? You turned around to look at a billboard??!! The information there probably doesn't even concern you and you nearly crashed our car for it. God saved you!</i>". I don't quite remember all the details but I think I hissed at myself after scolding myself (also as a proper Nigerian). While all this was going on, I'm sure 'Mr Distraction' was there watching from a distance, saying to himself "Mission accomplished".<br />
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I won't forget that day in a hurry, and I'm guessing that in the past, we all might have had a near-collision experience or worse as a result of one distraction or the other. If we take this experience away from driving and look at it's life application, we'll see that we've made so many good decisions in the past that if we had followed through with would have yielded so many benifits for us. We were doing so well navigating the road ahead until we got distracted, and in what seems like a second we've wasted that business idea, or abandoned our list of new year resolutions, or dropped in the academic rankings in school or even damaged that promising relationship.<br />
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It'll only take a second for "<i>Mission accomplished</i>" so whatever you do as you set your goals for 2016 and work through them, don't take your eyes off the road - even for a second.<br />
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Yours sincerely,<br />
Diazno<br />
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732909641246905161.post-35633247706100583352015-12-31T20:34:00.000+01:002015-12-31T20:39:15.997+01:00Eyes on the Road (1)It was a sunny afternoon somewhere in Surulere, Lagos. Big bro and I were returning from one of his training programs at City Hall, alongside some of his staff. We were reviewing the day's activities and then, it happened! A truck pusher going about his business nearly collided with our car and if not for my brother's presence of mind and expert driving skills, we probably would have been parked on the side of the road re-enacting that all too popular scene that plays out on our Lagos roads.<br />
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My first question, which I didn't bother asking by the way was, "Is that man blind?". It didn't look like he had lost control of the truck he was pushing; it was obviously a case of someone almost ramming into our car for 'no good reason' - that I couldn't understand! But understand I did, because the first statement my brother made was, "Can you imagine? He's moving forward yet he's looking backwards". It was a simple statement that helped me make sense of not just the 'almost-accident' we narrowly escaped from, but also of life in general. And to this day I have never forgotten that statement:<br />
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<i>"He's moving forward yet he's looking backwards".</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62ocBxY3VMQCMISIGwATJJSRhHRhL-2DmhTiRO5fijyRRos5fVKwd_AlM78oT133XD1MrQvC7wYg0snMoARERAm0_AjXC71q2y1qGLj7euqJoZtg9h2rJYyzWW1SiCjzS3bpLJ5dgzb4/s1600/Uyi_202791.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for moving forward in life quotes" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTz3RhDT-zg5rsjJfguczylLnOzQaI07i321lnWOPgNkDtR6XFM" data-sz="f" height="560" name="XGb5-rsA9_XoaM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTz3RhDT-zg5rsjJfguczylLnOzQaI07i321lnWOPgNkDtR6XFM" style="height: 168px; margin-left: -6px; margin-right: -6px; margin-top: 0px; width: 192px;" width="640" /></a>Why do our feet point forward? Why are our eyes in front? Why are the rear view mirrors in cars so small? Why is the front windscreen in cars comparatively larger than the rear windscreen? Why is it easier for us to navigate moving forward as opposed to moving backwards? It's clear that life was designed such that we are constantly moving forward, at least, ideally. So, what happens when we 'focus' on what's behind even when we're moving forward like we should be - we crash into stuff or crash stuff or much worse get crushed by stuff! Not such a nice thing, yeah?</div>
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The sad truth is that many of us are guilty of the 'moving-forward-but-looking-backwards' syndrome. We rightly divine that 'forward' is the right direction and begin to move in that direction but sadly, our eyes aren't pointing in the right direction: feet forward, eyes backwards. It's a new year in a few hours and we all need to move on from 2015, with our eyes forward and on the road ahead of us so we don't crash.<br />
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I wish us all a prosperous 2016 filled with lots of forward motion.<br />
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I will write again.<br />
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Yours truly,<br />
Diazno</div>
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Diaznohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13070480573524628868noreply@blogger.com4