SINGLE MOTHER TODAY.
A contributory article to Ohekwuru Lovecares Foundation.
Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you for this sum up the law and the prophets.
The golden rule is the principle of treating others as one’s self would wish to be treated. The rule can be considered an ethics of reciprocity.
All of us have our yesterday, today and tomorrow. The three phases are connected, what you are today may be as the result of what happened yesterday or what you will become tomorrow may be as a result of what happened today. In most cases, you may not have the ability to decide what will happen to you but you have to decide how you respond to it.
The painful concern is how the society reacts and treats the victim. Also how individuals play god and judge using their own standard without given the victim an opportunity to tell the real story. One sad thing is that, for you to become a victim means another person is involved and most times the society is not careful enough to look for the person that makes the other a victim.
A single mother is a girl that has been put in a family way by a male that refuses to accept responsibility for the act. The refusal puts the girl in a position to alone cater for the child.
The single mother today was the same girl yesterday that was young, promising girl that was smart, good looking, very active in school, very dedicated in church, belongs to a serving unit in the church, proudly used by the community as usher in the town hall launching ceremony, very obedient and respectful to all elders, friendly and considerate among his peers, and a wife material.
The single mother today is a girl that few months ago was impregnated by a male who either forced or seduced her with unsuspecting promises or bewitched her with unsustainable gifts, who was abandoned by the same male that she trusted to be her friend, and now faced with the responsibility of catering for a child she is not mentally, emotionally, financially mature to handle. The condition forced her out of school, not accepted in the family, abandoned by her peers, stigmatized by the society, branded as good for nothing and worst still not loved by the church.
The single mother tomorrow is the same girl that will be a semi-illiterate because she dropped out of school, will be carrying a child as an extra luggage, will not find a responsible man to ask for her hand in marriage, will not find her correct footing in the society and worst still in the church of the living God who caused his rain to fall for the sinners and the saints.
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care and show love for victims of circumstances either brought upon themselves by ignorance or mistake or evil men. Amen.
2. SINGLE MOTHER TODAY. (part 2)
A contributory article to Ohekwuru Lovecares Foundation.
Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you for this sum up the law and the prophets.”
A single mother is not a devil or demon imported from the blues. She was that innocent girl that was impregnated by a male that refused to take responsibility.
Let’s face the fact, if we in Igede claim to be a Christian society with multiple godly programs and the abuse of a girl-child is on an increase, then we speak to our shame.
By our calling in the Foundation, we owe our clients the responsibility to guide their information with sacred confidentiality. We have tangible information and are provable in any domain, that:
Orphan girls that are helpless are being abused sexually by close relations that offered to assist. At times these facts are known in the neighborhood and nobody will dare to talk about it, because it will amount to casting the girl out of her help zone.
Girls that are carried as maid are being used as assistant madam by the husband and threatened to be killed if she dares mention it.
Girls welfare and school fees are denied because they refuse to yield. We have taken sponsorship of many of such cases.
Girls are impregnated by pastors of churches and are forced to commit abortion to protect their ministry, at times such abortions resulted in a permanent damage to their womb. A waiting casualty for an innocent man that will marry her later.
A network is created in our schools by men to know any fine girl that is struggling with WAEC/NECO registration. Such is assisted, and the reciprocal payment is sex.
Girls are forced by parents to marry while in school because they cannot afford the school fee. Girls are literally pushed by their parents outside their homes if they refuse to yield.
Girls that are bold to report some unwholesome advances by husbands to their mistress, are given thorough beating by the same mistress and pursued out of home and branded as enemy of their marriage.
Like we said at the beginning, Igede land is becoming a worst place that a girl child can survive. With all our cultural values and religiosity, when have we arrived at this pitiable trend. On whose vehicle do we ride to get to where we are now.
We have tangible fact to all the claims above and again we write to our shame. Shame to male that desire to marry decent girls and don’t want to have a society with decent girls. Shame to male that will not like this kind of thing to be done to their daughters. Shame to those male that assist vulnerable girls for sex. Shame to those male that forced a girl to do abortion to protect his so called name. shame to all female that are aware of this kind of thing and took their eyes the other way. Shame to all mothers that looked the other way when womanhood is being threatened on a daily basis. Shame to all that have the form of religion and still do such thing.
According to a saying, “The world may not be destroyed by evil people but by good people that refuse to talk.”
We in LOVECARES FOUNDATION feels duty bound to alert well-meaning stakeholders at every level to act fast before it gets worst.
3. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
James 1: 27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”
The teacher asked the pupils to tell the meaning of loving-kindness. A little boy jumped up and said, “Well, if I was hungry and someone gave me a piece of cooked yam in my hand that would be kindness. But if he put in a plate with a stew and a seat to make me look not like a beggar that would be loving-kindness.”
It may sound a little funny, but an important lesson to learn from it. Some of us are generous but we must push our generosity to a pattern of God with loving kindness. The kind of gift that will not rob the person receiving of his dignity. Let us take a careful look at things we enjoy from God, even our life, look at the freedom we have in receiving from God.
This year is almost coming to an end. Let us take stock of how many we have helped? And how many have we laid unannounced expectations on them? How many of us will be excited to help again if the person you assisted walked passed you in the market square without greeting? How many of us will be humble to ask and confirm if actually he/she saw us and deliberately walked pass? How many widows and orphans have we assisted and allow them to be without occasionally making reference to them when talking with others? How many of us will be comfortable to have Christ making reference to all the assistance he rendered for you or even some sins he did not allow you to face the full consequences?
1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.”
Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Let us travel back to the heart of true religion.
4. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
James 1: 27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”
Love for each other is the badge of Christianity. There is nothing wrong when people put on the symbol of the cross, put Christian stickers on the cars and love symbol at the entrance door of the house. But we will be a little shocked, if Christ should walk among us and he is asked- what is the mark of a Christian, or what will set them off and help the world to know that they are truly your follower?
His answer would be- “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. LOVE for each other is the badge of CHRISTIANITY. Even the symbol of the cross is a reminder of where God proved his love for humanity.
1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
God’s absolute fullness of life and truth and beauty and goodness and all other perfections is such that he is not only self-sufficient, but also in his very nature overflowing. He is by nature a giver, a worker for others, a helper, and a protector. What it means to be God is to be full enough always to overflow.
Our love for each other is the way faith expresses itself and proves in life that it is real. Without love, all our exercise of faith in prayers, fasting, giving, church program attendance, speaking in tongues and laying of hands for miraculous signs are dead. Love is the greatest, without it the heart is dead and the individual hearts that make up any fellowship is dead. The home truth- the church is dead without love. Where love is absent, it is a dead zone no matter what else is happening. Love among Christians is the mark of Christ in the church. By this will all people know that we are truly followers of Christ.
Our society is permeated with a spirit of hatred and mean-spiritedness, where professing Christian will see a needy Orphan, widow, the poor and the aged and look the other way. Our Christian morality has become so blunt that we don’t see as Christ saw even when we claim that we are his faithful followers.
Let our prayers be like Paul in Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.”
Our prayers, fasting, singing, giving and even preaching on Sunday will be shown to be authentic by the way we treat others with love on Monday to Saturday; especially, those that are in need like the orphans, widows, the neglected aged person in your neighborhood.
Each different occasion we show love in our lives add to the authenticity of our love for Christ or subtract from it if the other way.
Let us travel back to the heart of true religion.
5. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
The implication of our wrong response to the popular “Golden Rule” and the subtle removal of the “God factor” in making the holistic interpretation of Matthew 7:12
Matthew 7:12 “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the laws and the prophets.”
This came up because of a conversation I had with a woman and a middle aged man. The woman is an ardent believer and a core disciplinarian when it comes to breach in Christian virtue. She has been at the fore front and an advocate of severe discipline to any parent that neglect their parental responsibilities and allow their girl child to be pregnant outside wedlock. She advanced a case that led to indefinite suspension of a girl, the mother and the father because the girl was caught with a boy in the very act of sexual immorality.
But recently something happened, her only daughter got pregnant and worst still went ahead and abort the pregnancy. What worries me is the change in the tone of her prayers, ‘now she had been praying and fasting for the mercies of God, quoting all passages from the Bible about the grace of God to forgive and his unfailing compassion that locates people like Rahab and the woman caught in the very act that Jesus freed. She is now crying to the God of a second chance.
The middle age man though a Christian believed in this activities of the witch doctors that comes to the village to indict persons through ordeal using a popular passage “Suffer a witch not to live”. What worries me is the change in the tone of his prayers now that his own mother is indicted and sent back to her father’s house for safety”. Why is he calling on God now to have mercy on his mother and not the regular suffer a witch not to live?
When our interest is not at stake, God is a consuming fire, but when our interest is at stake, that same God is a merciful God. It brings out our selfishness and wickedness.
How does our understanding of the golden rule play out in our relationship in our homes, offices, church and the society? How do we pray if we have weaknesses? How do we pray if we see weakness in others? How do we want God to react to others situations? Is our reaction a demonstration of love or wickedness? Do you ever realize that there is no registration form to collect and fill to be enrolled as a widow or orphan or a single girl? Do you know that your prayers and request towards another person out of wickedness does not change God’s will but rather change your standing with God?
Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Getting back to the heart of true religion. Amen.
6. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him.”
The manner of love is that which God particularly exercises in regard to his own children and is distinguished and peculiar. It is an unchanging love. This is so because the love cannot be changed, it is constant and without season. There is no slightest degree of turning according to James 1:17-18 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”
Our father has not tried to hide this truth from us, we must not ignore this wonderful love. He has loved us before the foundation of this world. That is why he said “I the Lord do not change, so you descendants of Jacob are not destroyed” Malachi 3:6.
If out of his grace He has set his love on us, He will always love you and nothing will ever be able to separate you from that unchanging love.
Paul listed in Romans 8:35-39 seventeen things which cannot separate a believer from the love of Christ. Tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angels, principalities, power, things present, things to come, heights, depth nor any other creature.
If these cannot separate you from that love, nothing can, for nothing else exists outside of this list. What manner of love.
Brethren, how shall we escape God’s judgement, if we neglect such great love?
7. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
The purpose of HIS LOVE- “that we should be called the sons of God.” We may go a little further to look at the effect of this love. We are now, presently, the sons of God by the grace of regeneration and adoption, we have been given the divine nature and have been brought to the family of God.
First, and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. We sons are made pure by the redeeming blood of Christ applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Then we by the grace of God’s grace purifies ourselves by confessing and turning from sin, hating the works of darkness, walking in the light and loving righteousness. We maintain the purity by means of prayer, study of the word, and attendance of fellowship with other sons of God.
Second, another effect of this love- the world does not know us. The world is entirely unaware of the happy state of a genuine Christian, his position, privileges, possession and of his real dignity and destiny. These and all others are foolishness to the world. Why this ignorance? It did not know him who has adopted us. How?
John 1:10-14 “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The world was ignorant of him. He was in the world, and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. They have proof enough, but they desire not the knowledge of him and are without excuse.
The world would not believe in him. He came to his own and his own did not believe in him. He is the light of the world and the world love darkness because their deeds are evil. The world gave many excuses for its unbelief, but the main reason is that it loves sin. There was no ground for this hellish hatred. They finally crucified the Lord of Glory. For that, it is no surprise that the world does not know us or hate us. As one that the Father has bestow the wonderful love to become his sons, let us therefore not crave for this world’s love, approval, promotion, or friendship. For friendship with the world is enmity with God.
The Father knows his children and they know him and we are not in this world to be pampered and promoted by it, but rather to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
May we act like the sons that we really are- Behold what manner of Love?
8. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
Behold what manner of Love that God will come and dwell among us.
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.”
In what sense is Christ GOD WITH US? In His incarnation united to our nature — God with man — God in man. He is God with us to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in time of temptation and trials and in the hour of death, and God with us, and in us, and we with and in Him to all eternity.
Christ AS GOD WITH MAN; to live with man, to die for him; to rise from the dead for him, to ascend and intercede for him.
GOD IS WITH HIS PEOPLE. He is with them in their lives, in their labours, in their trials and afflictions, in their worship, in death and in glory.
A story was told of a missionary who went to preach to the slaves. He found it impossible for him to carry out his design so long as he bore to them the relation of a mere missionary. They were driven into the field very early in the morning, and returned late at night with scarcely strength to roll themselves into their rooms, and in no condition to listen to instructions. He determined to reach the slaves by becoming himself a slave. He was sold, that he might have the privilege of working by their side, and preaching to them as he worked with them. Do you suppose the master or the pastor could have touched the hearts of those miserable slaves as did that man who placed himself in their condition, and went among them, and lived as they lived, suffered as they suffered, toiled as they toiled, that he might carry the gospel to them? This missionary was but following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who took on Him the nature of men, came among them, and lived as they lived, that He might save them from their sins.
Behold what manner of love. As we remember his birth, let us in love willingly lay down all we have to reflect his lifestyle and be useful in his project of Salvation. Let us respond with the same love to him and let it be shown to our fellow humans that they will glorify our Father in heaven.
How will you escape God’s judgment if we neglect such great love that has come to be with us?
9. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE:
1 John 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him.”
With the word “behold” the inspired apostle appropriately commands our earnest attention to the enthralling theme of the father’s love. Though the subject of the greatness of God’s love exceeds all human comprehension, he, nevertheless, here exhorts us to look at it, to ponder it, to study it, to weigh it, to meditate upon it and to rejoice in it, because out of the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ we have already experienced upon ourselves the bestowal of it.
This love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice and miracle working power have little effects without love. God cannot even let his power down in high volume today because of the absence of love. God fears that his power in the hands of an unmerciful and unloving person can be dangerous. We focused on the revolutionary command of Christ, that changed the law- love your neighbor as yourself to a new version which is loving one another as I have loved you. The question is, do every one deserved to be loved? Let us even forget about others, do you as a person deserved to be loved in a first place? The difference between a wretched sinner and saint is the restoring love of God. This love emphasized nothingness from our side and sufficiency from God. It is the love that flourishes on the soil of continual dependence. Our survival and growth is premised on continual asking for guidance and breaking of our ignorance at the fountain of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
To love as he loved us should be our heart desire.
10. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
In order to grasp the meaning of the goodness of our father’s love, we must consider the purpose of his love. It is that “we should be called the sons of God”.
We see the purpose of this love fulfilled when sinners are made sons of God. When rebels against heaven are made children of the heavenly father, and when the enemies of God are by grace transformed and brought in to the blessed family of our redeemer.
Called sons-who calls us?
The father calls us son- it is the father’s love which has made us sons, it is the wonderful bestowal of his love on us. He delights to acknowledge us as his sons- that we should be called the sons of God.
The sons of God, our Lord, calls us Son-Hebrews 2:13 ‘Behold I and the sons which God has given me’. In this our Lord acknowledges his redeemed ones as the gift of his father and calls on the whole world to witness it.
The Holy Spirit calls us Sons, John 1:12 ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.’ All the children of God have these two things. They have both the leadership of the Spirit and the witness of the Spirit.
The Angels calls us the sons of God, Hebrews 1:14 ‘Are not all angels ministering Spirit sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? In ministering to the heirs of salvation, the angels happily acknowledge every child of God. The angels know whom we are and are therefore assigned the task of not only ministering to our needs, but also of gathering and separating on the last day and will throw the imitators or “fake sons” into the fire.
With all these affirming our Son-ship, why care about names others may call us? What more can we want? What can separate us from this wonderful love? What shall we give in exchange for that love? What is so dear that we cannot let go because of that love? May we not act like the sons of devil, while God has called us his son- Behold what manner of Love?
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