God appreciation activities

Christians know that whatever happens is within God’s permissible and/or perfect will. Human efforts are limited, especially on spiritual matters, yet humans have immeasurable power when they take charge through the authority given to them by God in the name of Jesus Christ. This is a voluntary privilege that is open to anyone. The Bible is clear that the way to God no longer goes through someone else but is open to everyone who wants to engage with the Lord directly as symbolised by the tearing of the veil of the temple according to Matthew 27:51. This is however not to say that the clergy (religious leaders) is not needed anymore.

Some of the duties of the clergy (priest, minister, pastors, deacons, elders, apostles, bishops, councillors, etc.) are to guide, support, intercede, lead, perform religious activities and foster community cohesion. None of them have power of their own to save or heal, bless or curse a soul. It is therefore important to go beyond the physical and appreciate the main source of power that manifests as the clergy is at work.

Below are six suggested practices that I strongly believe God would find appreciative of His deeds from His followers:

1. Worshiping God alone. It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8). You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24), if your practices compromises your Christian life for the sake of money, you have missed it.
2. Sharing with the needy. According to Matthew 6:1-4, giving that is pleasing to God is done in secrete. Giving is relative to the affording capacity of the giver yet any measure is acceptable. Material giving that includes money, food and clothes are so much needed in our society today. If we go out in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with these items, people will glorify God for having provided through us.
3. Preaching to lost souls. Winning souls for God is not only a mandate given to believers but also a wise thing to do according to Proverbs 11:30.
4. Spending time in religious practices. Attending services, prayer meetings, Christians corporate activities, reading the Word (Bible study), teaching others about the Christian faith, fasting, praying and many more count as expression of love for God.
5. Living a holy life. This is the act of validating through God’s will on one’s desires, wants and needs to make sure they align with His will.
6. Exhorting one another. It is right to be a brother’s keeper. When a brother goes astray, take courage to warn them so that they do not get deceived by sin and hardened against God (Hebrews 3:13).

As already mentioned that the clergy plays an important role in the life of a Christian, yet I do discourage brethren from relying on them for their Christian livelihood. Christians should not be lazy to go directly to God in prayer to get guidance for their lives. Believers should search scriptures to learn the deep things about the God they serve. It may be a bit challenging to go alone in doing God’s work yet it is possible when you source your strength directly from Him.

Be blessed.