24/03/2017
Day 5 Friday (Morning): Lecture #9
Africa, Do You Know HOW TO SOAR AGAIN?
Scripture: Isaiah 40:28-31; Daniel 4:34, 36
Nuggets:
BOUNCE BACK
Failure isn’t final! You can bounce back and thrive again—IF you respond in humility and repent. After Nebuchadnezzar’s failure and humiliation, God’s grace reversed his misfortunes: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding RETURNED to me… My reason RETURNED to me, … my honor and splendor RETURNED to me. My counselors and nobles RESORTED to me, I was RESTORED to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was ADDED to me” (Daniel 4:34, 36). Don’t be discouraged by the pain, loss, shame, gossip, slander, gloating, and other malicious acts that attend failure. “Lift up your eyes to heaven” and bounce back. That’s restoration (cf. Jeremiah 15:19)! After failure empties your cup, God’s grace can fill it to its brim again!—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
AN EAGLE IS AN EAGLE
"A w**d is a plant whose virtues have not been discovered" (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Those who're quick to dismiss you on account of your past or present circumstances will later discover your worth. Oprah Winfrey was fired from her TV reporter's job and advised: “You're not fit for TV.” Steve Jobs was forced out of the Apple company he founded, but returned 15 years later to rescue it from near bankruptcy. Today’s defeats are the feats of tomorrow. Rejected now? You’re still God’s eagle. A wounded eagle is still an EAGLE, and not a chicken or a turkey! Through God’s grace and mercy wounded eagles can heal to soar again (Isaiah 40:31; Proverbs 24:16; Micah 7:8-10, 18-20). An eagle is an eagle. You!—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
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Day 5 Friday (Evening): Lecture #10
Africa, Do You Know YOUR FINAL STEP?
Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:3
Nuggets:
GOOD NIGHT or GOOD MORNING?
Can there be a good morning after a bad night? Joy after sorrow? Jubilant songs to replace our mournings? From the morning we’re hatched from the womb, till the night we’re dispatched to the tomb, our lives are matched with pain and grief. But we ought not despair when our days are dark or when we bid farewell to our loved ones! Good night shouldn’t be goodbye, for there’ll be a good morning. A song reminds us of a glorious day coming, “When no heart aches shall come …No more clouds in the sky…No more tears to dim the eye” (John 5:25, 28-29; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:4). With Christ, the laments of our dreaded “Good Night” can be replaced by the songs of “Good Morning!” Morning, not mourning!—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
THROUGH THE VALLEY
Of the many valleys in life, death is the deepest and most dreadful. One out of every one person will walk through this lonesome valley. David confirms and offers hope: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NASB). Death is an “even though” reality, not an “if or maybe” event. Green pastures DO turn into gray, deserted valleys. But the God who is with us in our valleys of death will also be with us during our other tragedies of life. In the lion’s den, we will be safe. In the fiery furnace, we won’t be burned. In the deep waters, we shall not drown. And in life’s journey, we shall walk THROUGH the valley. Emmanuel (“God with us”)!—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
