Would you as a human being say with certainty that you really know, the person who is indeed your partner or neighbor to the point of accommodating, tolerating and interacting wholesomely? Can you create a space for possible human unpredicted ability to reduce the shocks? Can you wisely install your bodily shock-absolvers ahead of time or at take off time? Does tolerating, accommodating your partner’s, opponent or neighbour’s mean helping him or her or helping yourselves to be happy to live long and healthy? How do you react periodically or regularly to male or female ego, mentor or mentee ego whether in politics or in marriage or any other human relationships? According to United States of America President – Donald Trump, “show me a man or woman without ego, then I will show you a person who is a failure in life. No matter how humble and lowly you are, there is a cord on your ego that often reacts. Peace must be based on justice if it must be durable and honest.
“However if someone is a failure or abysmal failure, failure is only possible if you park at your failure. Please keep moving to your avowed relative success. Is it not true that there is no one who has not failed at one point or the other in life before achieving greatness. Greatness comes by Give and Take” or “take and give”. No one has ever succeeded without a helper or mentor mentee.
Do you really know your partner, spouse, mentor or mentee in the presence or absence of quarrels and needed fights? Does fully knowing your spouse/opponent eliminate family or political interference from both sides? Can you get married to a man and insist that you don’t want to see his people or structure around you? Will this be helpful and safe for the continuity of the man’s family? Does just “am sorry” solve a problem in marriage, business, investment, alliance or political crisis without corresponding repentance and sincere change in behaviour or relationship?
Is it proper to accept your spouse, business or political associate and reject everything about his own structure or interests, gifts, ingenuity, family? What if you do not want to stay put in such a association, partnership, marriage? Perhaps you can as well stay on your own. Even if you don’t want problem or trouble, trouble must search for you in any human endeavour.
Is it proper to become troublesome to the point where you carelessly destroy someone’s name, image, reputation, hard earned integrity cherished proven ideologies, achievements, values, family, father, mother, siblings or even ethnic group all in the name of economic or political differences? Where then would you stand in the future? Remember that changes are bound to occur now or later because time – heals wounds.
Is it not proper and healthy to recognize your opponents dexterity, peaceful disposition or diplomacy individualism, lastituteness, creativity, innovation, kindness, acumen, love and respect, if you really mean business with such relationship as the case may be? Is there not a time in life when you can drink-milk and there after chew-bones as a sign of maturity, in confronting or embracing tough resolutions as a proof of growth and steady social spiritual, marital, economic and political development? Tough time today could give birth to joy and tomorrow’s celebrations. Tread carefully so that you don’t destroy those who would give you a befitting burial or celebration in the future.
A parishioner according to a story once went to the senior priest for, personal confession on her moral rise and fall and the unfortunate unexplainable challenges of rising and falling were very uncomfortable.
In her honesty and coded confession before the new Bishop, she said “your Lordship, I fell.” The previous Bishop had instructed his members to just state, “My Lord, I fell” as a summary of confession of their moral lapses before he was transferred to a new Diocese.
A new Bishop who later succeeded the transferred Bishop was amazed when another confessor – member came to him for confession and just stated again “my Lord I fell”!
The new Bishop who knew the City Mayor, immediately wrote a passionate litter to the Mayor to help to construct the pathway that has created a “falling spree” to his members reminding the Mayor that “his own wife also fell” as a result of the dangerous local pathway within the city.
The Mayor was angry and immediately constructed the road thinking it was just a physical thing. The new Bishop later realized that “my Lord I fell” meant a moral lapse in the life of the members and started to reconcile issues spiritually. Another story was that, there was a case of a member in a church who visited periodically. He gave a parcel designated as sugar through the usher for the leader of the church denomination and gave another gift of two hundred thousand naira to a serving faithful usher.
The church usher delivered the parcel to the priest also informed the Pastor that the same man gave him the cash amount mentioned above. The church leader become furious and retrieved the cash donation from the humble usher and handed over the parcel of sugar to the usher. He wondered why a reasonable person could donate just a packet of sugar to him and give the N200,000 cash to the usher. The usher went home with the parcel labeled sugar. On opening the “parcel of sugar”, he found three thousand dollars ($300) in cash.
What do you think the usher should do in this case? Return it to the greedy pastor or use the dollars? In case the pastor discovers this, should he force the usher to return it to him? What if the usher refuses, what do you think should be the way out? What is your opinion?
Greed can make us to miss out or even destroy or throw javelins at the gallant warrior “David that would protect us, “ Let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ”, it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) I once during a lecture gave an assignment to theological students in training to locate where in the gospels our Lord Jesus made the statement quoted by Apostle Paul. I promised to give a big cash or kind award for the winner within a week.
None could locate it in the gospels. Remarkably these words quoted by Apostle Paul were not recorded in the gospels. You can also do your own research and disprove me.
How and where did Paul get this citation that is frequently quoted by all and sundry to support the Christians and preachers on giving and taking?
Obviously, the statement is good and Biblical but I must confess and state that not all of Jesus words were written down or documented (John 21:25), the reason being that the whole world can’t contain every word or statements Jesus said, taught and did while on earth.
The citation Apostle Paul quoted could possibly be given to him when Paul was transported to the third heavens where he had a powerful encounter and audience with the Lord Jesus Christ.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Acts 5:1-16
ANANIAS AND SAPHIRA:
1) Where is the place of divine grace in this incidence? How cheap is grace?
2) Critically – God can show his open disapproval of deliberate sinful life in this world of compromise. THE God of grace is also the God of justice and equity.
3) Why? So that others who follow Christ at least might know God’s mind on an issue that is evil. (Leviticus 10:1-7; Joshua 7:1.15 (Achan) (Nadab – Abihu) – Lit strange fire in the camp. Was the giving voluntary or compulsory or competitive in nature? (Acts 5:1 – 8).
4) Does God accept which of the two and why? Were the givers (spirit-led) to give?
5) Was there pressure mounted on the givers and by who?
6) Were givers manipulated, induced to give? Eg. Barnabas? Acts 5:4 – was Barnabas induced to sell his property to donate the proceed to the early Church?
7) What about Ananias and Saphira? They were not induced to sell their properties or bring the 100% sale price to the common early Church fund
8) Would not the other percentage of the sale price be accepted if they had both resolved to keep the other part for themselves?
9) Even at that they could have been recognized as good givers for themselves
10) Even at that they could have been applauded by the early church.
(b) NATURE OF THE SIN – ACTS 5:4
The sin was an “acted lie” and spoken deceit as Ananias + Saphira wanted to stand shoulder (deceit) to shoulder with Barnaba (generous) Ananias and Saphira desired/sought for human glory – which will fall under strong divine condemnation and divine judgment.
Ananias and Saphira planned deliberately for a way to keep their financial reserves secret yet desired to acquire the reputation they desired – ie an acted lie. Lie can be spoken and acted. Saphira = a back up by an untruth deliberate (Acts 5:8) the lie was to – God though they planned to act before men (Holy Ghost)
It was a dangerous craving – and desire to oppose God or tempt the spirit of God. Like the Nation of Israel in the Wilderness. In God’s presence, (Exodu 17:2) have been passed on orally through Jesus Apostles who were eye witnesses during his early and later ministries on earth before he ascended triumphantly to Heaven.
It should also be noted that though Apostle Paul was not one of the earliest twelve Apostles who worked with Jesus Christ, he had an extensive divine spiritual and physical encounters even to the extent of being a dynamic visionary who encountered to the third heavens where he had powerful discussion with the Lord of all flesh – Jesus the Christ. He get more revelations, visions, perhaps than any other Apostle of Christ. It is possible that better raw manifestations of the operations of the Holy Ghost can be more experienced and show cased outside the church settings than inside it.
Has the Holy Ghost ever convicted you on the size, where and phase of your giving and taking on any issue in life? A person’s stinginess or generosity can easily be revealed through his or her GIVING EXERCISES. This can affect our time, talents, skills, resources, brokenness and peaceful dispositions.
Is your God so beggarly that you can insult him by your – attitude behind your giving? Is it not a divine privilege from God for us to show him our attitude to accept Our giving?
Find this from – Kings Cyrius – Ezra 1:1-11, Darius (Ezra 6:1-14) and Emperor Artaxerxes – Nehemiah 1:11; 2:1-20.
Can you honestly determine how much of your HEART IS DEVOTED and SURRENDERED TO GOD? Your stinginess is an expression of belittling our great God by means of our stinginess and self centeredness in all areas of our lives. Does our God not own virtually everything there is in the whole world – ranging from breathe of life, career, political career cum leadership, favour, money, wisdom, gifts, skills, talents, opportunities business breakthroughs, intellectual, prowess, children, unprecedented achievements. Let us be generous and Godly in our giving and taking or taking and giving in this life.
Can you examine your heart now because behind your giving whatsoever falls within the ambits of giving and taking or taking and giving.
Who do you think did during his leadership an extensive, infrastructural and perhaps less human development? In our State(s) or Nation?
Who do you consider in your view that has done so much to develop or empower citizens severally in technology, religious concerns, civil servants – cum service and less infrastructure with a stable leadership peaceful stance in this our state or nation?
Each did his human best but God did the greatest. Hence the “problem is there is no problem” as we succumb to our Almighty God who has the final say. Let us continue to take and give or give and take as the living God is the ultimate giver and answer so far everything will end in praise as we pray in faith for solid answers. God is Great – so he must destroy the apparently subsisting “curses” or “yokes” of “predecessor against successor” syndrome and vice versa in Rivers State –? check out from Odili to Amaechi to Wike to Fubara. Is there no need to cleanse, deliver and anoint this seat of power?
Instead of all manner of protests and courter protests over people and issues we deeply know little or nothing about in statistical details. There are possible secrets we never can know or understand in full among our Excellencies more so when political elephant engage in a fight to finish. Our greatest desires are peace, stability, justice, equity and robust economic growth.
Without peace no mortal being can see God yet alone enter God’s paradise. After the heavy storm there shall be peace, tranquility. The best is yet to come. Even if the spirit is gone, let the body that carries the spirit remain, Amen!
“Being an enemy to America is dangerous and becoming a friend to America is fatal”- (Henry Kissinger). Is fuel subsidy removal not causing more harm to the Nigerian citizens? Perhaps it is instructive to adhere or key into the view of Roland Reagan, former President of America stated (2004) concerning the USA economy thus-” if USA economy moves, tax it, if it keeps moving, then regulate it, if it stops moving then subsidize it.” Which principle did we apply and why? What did we give and what did we accept or take?
Where do we stand now in our country’s economy? Can’t our national leadership demonstrate political strength by apologizing first because strength is shown in apologizing first. Our citizens’ bravery must be shown in forgiving our leaders first. Righting the wrongs committed is very crucial for forgiveness. Repentance must go with reconciliation because absence of contrition in our present national situation borders on hypocrisy.
Equally I must state that genuine forgiveness is not a loss of real memory. It is wrong to eulogize the dead who died (by perhaps hunger, starvation, unemployment, economic or political deprivation/marginalization, banditry, kidnapping, broad day robbery, electoral fraud or manipulation, denial of due promotion in establishments, discrimination of sort, religious cum spiritual intolerance, economic-pen-robbery, maladministration, undue favoritism, nepotism, godfatherism, moral depravity and addictive behaviors etc.) and then say the dead should rest in peace when indeed such should have lived in peace before death. What an irony?
May be we should not judge a book by its cover but its contents?
In my sojourn on this earth and in this clime, I have found out that you are powerful as a politician or leader/ruler mainly while you are in power. You become powerless when you are out of power. At best you can talk, criticize, advise and condemn with caution. So learn to protect yourself very very well. Have we not had enough for our NEEDS but not enough for our GREED? Every new chapter in life has hope because without hope, life is useless. (Ezekiel 37: 1 – 10).
Remember there are things we hear and learn best and these are the things we do best. Words are cheap but action is costly (James 4:17) to know is to do; and to know and not to do is not to know.
I weep daily for our beloved states and nation why?
When plunder becomes a way of life, the offenders create for themselves a legal system for such and follow it up with a moral code that glorifies it. Nigerians must be united in our earnest prayers for faithful EFCC operatives as they are being overstretched by many discoveries and pursuits of corruption- ridden billions and trillions of ill gotten wealth by those whose consciences have been sealed with hot iron. Is it not true that politicians use two weapons to cage us namely (I) use us as tools (ii) and make us enemies of each other. Let’s be careful and discerning.
I found it difficult to believe that some public and private offices are devilishly anointed with greed, avarice, embezzlement and selfish aggrandizement. (lcor. 13:5) “if you refuse to give and take or take and give what is true, honest now your future aspiration and ambitions will be an illusion and a futile attempt to make holistic and durable progress in life as there is no peace for the wicked (Job 20:15). God in his own ways will push and force the wealth that is wrongly dishonestly swallowed out.
No one is so rich that he/she cannot received or so poor that he/she cannot give – Prof. Charles Soludo, then Central Bank Governor and presently Anambra State Governor.
Some years ago, it was reported in the media that one Mr. Osai Success Ovie who served as an Assistant to Delta State Governor allegedly felt disappointed that one Mr. Rema donated the sum of N105m to Christ Embassy without giving his life to Christ or being born again which according to him was the best gift to God. The question that arose was whether the alleged gift or donation was to God Almighty or to Christ Embassy specifically for soul winning or erecting superstructures. Can this be seen as spiritually a futile gesture or such that can resonates with God?
Is there not a higher calling in terms of career than public service which promises a chance to make a difference in citizens welfare or lives and to improve the world around us? why are we still begging for respect from the other countries instead of earning our own respect by strongly being productive in our economy? Who will rescue our land. If we can’t walk with the foot men, how can we then run with horse-men? According to Dr. (Mrs) Betty Akeredolu “when dishonesty is prioritized, simple things would become difficult”. The reward for good work demands more and better works”.
The time before us is an arduous one in both Rivers State and Nigeria. Palpable fear is here and real across the breathe and length of our precious Nation. I do believe as a thinker, theologian, psychologist, Lawyer, counselor, author and solid humanitarian (please forgive me for magnifying my office like Apostle Paul in the New testament and Dr. C. A. J. Chinwo) what we really need most is not political and religious loyalty but intentional and clinical – ethical clarity.
Needless to defend or support any of the feuding politicians. Let us stand to defend the human journey that no doubt includes human imperfection, error, weakness, change and potentiality of liberation and redemption.
It is no doubt possible that incidents can be (objectively) separated by time and legal context, they do get fused into the national imagination in order to just form a single powerful narrative of suspicion. Should we spend time to seek to know the psychology behind the prevailing stinginess, selfishness, corruptive adherence and the unwillingness to take and give or give and take not just the facts?
Why is our public attention presently reignited perhaps because of 2027 elections? Is our country and people not being battered with chronic and blatant lies and inflated titles that demand entitlements resulting in great struggles? Are we not facing unannounced crossroads experiences?
I believe that there are still incorruptible judicial officers, judges and justices who would do the right thing at the right time in our judicial system in Nigeria. With sound legal scholars/practitioners in Nigeria, who can confront matters in need of justice and equity, and the emergency rule in Rivers State (18th March 2025) and with reference to sections 305 (3) (a)-(b)-(c)-(l) of 1999 constitution CFRN (as amended). Also part 1 s.1 (1) of the same constitution (supremacy of the constitution of Nigeria), 110, 117, 179, 180, 188 and 189 of the same constitution are to instruct and guide our juries as we cover them up in earnest prayers, even the Sole Administrator who is not a now Military Administrator, they need our love and prayers for divine wisdom in all their operations. Give and take or take and give must be citizens and leaders overriding principles.
