DAILY HOMILIES

But the day you decide to make God your number one, you are faced with a tough choice, either to break loose of your family bonds or to remain there unable to grow spiritually. This is the division Christ is speaking about. It is a division from the world but at the same time, it will bring Peace to your soul, a peace that the world itself does not understand.

It would be shameful if after preaching to you to live your best life today and be prepared for death (which can come at any time), I fail to prepare for my own death. The sad truth today is that a lot of us, preachers, know the bible but we do not know God.

Luke was a doctor yet he served in the vineyard. Let me ask you: What skills do you have? Do you know you don’t need to be a pastor to serve in God’s vineyard? Luke was not an ordained priest but look what he did for the history of Christianity! You too can do something!

What does it mean to be rich towards God? It is refusing to live according to the passions of our flesh or following the desires of the flesh and the senses. To be rich towards God is to place priority on the things that pertain to God over and above the things that bring about our material comfort. It is taking care of our souls rather than our flesh only.

Take in a deep breath for instance and say a prayer to the Holy Spirit. It may be a short prayer and as you exhale the air, say another short prayer. Doing this little exercise can catapult you to a higher realm and make you conscious that you are not alone in this life. God is with you right here, right now. Feel his presence in the Holy Spirit.

How do we acknowledge God before people? By putting God first in every decision and choice we make. Get used to doing what is right especially in secret and you will not have a problem acknowledging God publicly.

To say holiness is impossible or that it is not easy to live differently from the world is to act like the proverbial beggar sitting on a stool of pure gold, yet asking for crumbs from passers-by.

Is it easy to crucify the flesh? No. However, the secret of overcoming these strong desires of the flesh is feeding (strengthening) our spiritual being through daily meditations, prayers, bible study, daily masses and other spiritual activities. When we feed our Spirit, the results we get include “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Etc. (Galatians 5:22-23)

If only we make efforts to clean our insides, we would not only live happier and healthier lives, God himself would be more pleased with us.

Jesus did not perform a sign there and then for this crowd because that would be vain glory. As a minister, do I perform miracles or give testimonies to exult myself or for the genuine good of the people?

Due to Elisha’s refusal to accept the gifts, Naaman received two miracles; the miracle of the skin and the miracle of the soul (conversion, wholeness). This is what God desires of us, that we worship in spirit and truth. Even if you have nothing to offer, no money to put in an envelope, know that the thanksgiving God is interested in is your repentance from sin.