Tribute to the Aluu4 (Chidi, Lloyd, Tekena, Ugonna)

We Remember Them

At the rising of the sun and at its going down,

We remember them.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of Winter, We remember them.

At the opening of buds and in the rebirth of Spring,
We remember them.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of Summer, 
We remember them.

At the rustling of leaves and the beauty of Autumn,
We remember them.

At the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We remember them.

As long as we live, they too will live;
for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
We remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart,
We remember them.

When we have joys we yearn to share,
We remember them.

When we have decisions that are difficult to make,
We remember them

When we have achievements that are based on theirs,
We remember them.

As long as we live, they too shall live, 
for they are a part of us, as we remember them.

--------Author Unknown-----

I know my redeemer liveth

Most of us are familiar with the story of Job. We are quick †o say Job was a righteous man and he endured all the hardship. How many of us have actually sat down †o visualise what Job really went through?

We know how painful it is when we have an injury on our foot or hand, it can even cause sleepless nights. Now, imagine Job losing all his children and properties and then having †o deal with boils all over his body, from his head †o his toes. I can't even begin †o imagine the pains he went through. Many of us Christians expect life †o be so sweet, yes Job's life was very good initially but he had †o go through fire for his faith †o be tested.

 Recently, I went through a lot, I even questioned God, I forgot about all those sermons I preached and how I told people †o always trust God, in difficult times praise him more. I didn't remember †o put those words in practice when I faced that terrible storm. But thank God I quickly repented of those words I uttered.

I remembered the story of Job, even while he was going through a lot, his wife even told him †o curse God, yet he didn't. He said α very good word that I will never forget. He said I Know My Redeemer Lives.

 How many of us can actually say that when we are faced with difficulties? How can our faith be strengthened if we don't go through trials and temptations. We need †o continually apply the word of God in our lives both in the good times and the bad. 2 Tim 2:15 says study †o show yourself approved unto God, α workman that needed not †o be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We need †o be grounded in God's word so that when temptations come we can boldly say like Job I Know My Redeemer lives. Trials are there not only †o test our faith but also †o strengthen us. They are α stepping stone †o our greatness. They prepare us for the next level God wants †o take us.

 I don't know if there is anyone going through α lot and you think that God has abandoned them, just trust God, his ways are not our ways. He will surely deliver you. Amen.

This is a lesson I got from misplacing my phone twice in the same month. 

Sometimes, out of our free will, we walk away from God, we choose to go our own way, to live our own lives, forgetting that we don't own our lives and that we have an owner who created us and every other thing on this earth.

I learnt a valuable lesson about falling away from God when I misplaced my phone twice in the bus. The first time was on a Friday evening in July, I had just finished from work and I was on my way home, I was really tired and exhausted. My landlady sent a mail some few days ago saying that she was coming to take the rent for the month that Friday. One of my housemate called me and asked me to help him pick up his rent. After taking the rent from him, I went to get some groceries then I took the next bus and headed home. When I got home, I wanted to make a call but I couldn't find my phone. It was really an ordeal because I couldn't remember the last time I saw the phone and I wasn't sure where I dropped it. I thought I had lost the phone forever, but then a voice in my told me to pray about it and I did. I just finished praying when I got a mail from my sister saying someone called our dad and said that he found the phone in the bus and he is waiting for me somewhere to come and pick up the phone. I was overjoyed because I thought I had lost the phone and all my contacts too. I was able to get the phone back that day, thanks God who answered my prayers and also to the good man who God used to return the phone to me .

The second time was on a Friday morning, also in July. I was going to work. The phone fell in the first bus I took and I discovered it was missing when I took the second bus. Luckily for me, it was the same company that runs both the first and the second bus, I told the driver about the phone and he gave me the company's number to call them. A kind colleague offered me her phone and I was able to talk to the company and was told that the phone was with them and I should come and claim it. It was a long ride to the company but eventually I got my phone back.

The lessons I learnt from these two experiences are:
Sometimes we fall out of God's plan for us and we think we can survive on our own. God has invested so much on us, he owns us and he doesn't want us to go our own way, he will do everything possible to bring us back to him. he can even use someone ( as in the case of the man who returned my phone) to bring us back to him or he would go the extra mile to bring us back to him(as I went all the way to the company which was quite a distance to retrieve my phone)

God will not say you have gone too far or your sins are too much, therefore I cannot accept you or you are beyond redemption. He will always find a way to ensure that we return to him. he loves us so much and doesn't want us to keep dwelling in sin.