What I've learned...

I’ve learned-‎
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.‎
‎‎
I’ve learned-‎
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned-‎
that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do. (2nd Cor10:2)‎

I’ve learned-‎
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned-‎
that I need not struggle for what others have the grace to do....e.g Singing‎😋😋

I’ve learned-‎
that I should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned-
that I can keep going long after I can’t.

I’ve learned-‎
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
‎‎‎
I’ve learned-‎
Godliness with contentment is great gain
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I’ve learned-‎‎
that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that God is good all the time but you have to be good too. ‎‎
‎
I’ve learned-‎‎
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.‎
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
‎‎
I’ve learned-‎
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
‎
I’ve learned-‎
that God is God anyway, irrespective of what you think.

I've learned-‎
that it's possible you've learned something from what I've learned

‎

The Old Picture || Olurotimi Emmanuel-Agbeja

Recently I went to my parents' house and during one of our discussions, I found myself fondling with my mum's phone. When I went to her WhatsApp chat, I found my profile photo there is the one I had over a month ago because the last time she came online and we chatted was sometime in March. Then, I thought: the only memory of you in the minds of some people is your past!

Many persons have no idea how you have moved on with life, how you managed some life-threatening situations, how you got your healing, how you became a better person, how you acquired a new skill, how you improved, how you got you got your miracle, how your life has changed!

So?

So when people speak of you, don't be surprised if they got it wrong, don't be surprised all they have are old info...since they chose not to update the app called "you" in their minds, leave them to struggle with the shocking realities they see with their own eyes.

While they still see the larva, turn into the beautiful butterfly and leave them astounded!

In the same vein, as rightly contributed by my friend, you should also be careful of making conclusions about people when all you have is as old and outdated piece of info!
 In fact no one has all the info, so, we all have no right to make conclusions about people.

#StayMotivated.

Olurotimi Chris Emmanuel-Agbeja

What God says about impossibilites...

Approximately one week ago, I was feeling so overwhelmed by the cares and stresses of life. I felt that I had more than my share! It was one thing after another, some of which caused me to spue negative emotions towards persons that I care about.

But now I see how the stress was a major form of distraction that was sent my way to test my faith in God once again, and the big fat lie the enemy wanted me to believe that God gives us more than our share or more than we can bear.

So today, I bring to you the evidence of truth that God never gives us more than our share and that all things are possible with Him when we faith in Him.

A major aspect of that faith is trust: to trust God that nothing is impossible with Him; that He will take care of all that we cannot; and to trust God in His wisdom that He will bring us all to salvation.

Here then are —Bible verses that I hope you will find invaluable on life’s journey for truth and what God’s word says about all things are possible

1.)  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26 ESV

2.)  For nothing will be impossible with God. ~ Luke 1:37

3.)  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13

4.)  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:27 ESV

5.)  He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20 ESV

6.)  And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. ~ Genesis 11:6 KJV

7.)  I know that thou canst do every [thing], and [that] no thought can be withholden from thee. ~ Job 42:2 KJV

8.)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ~ John 3:16 KJV

9.)  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]. ~ Mark 11:24 KJV

10.) Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ~ Isaiah 41:10 KJV

11.) Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee: ~ Jeremiah 32:17 KJV

12.) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ~ Romans 8:31 ESV

13.) In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6

14.) No temptation has overtaken you that is not comman to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

15.) Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? ~ Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

Never think it's not possible if you desire it and trust God -Awesome EmmyG
Happy New Week!

7 English Words Nigerians Use Everyday Which Don’t Exist In The Dictionary

Here are 7 words Nigerians use every day which don’t exist. These are the kind of words you type into your phone or computer and it draws a red line underneath it. Please read on and educate yourself.

(1.) GO- SLOW

Although the word ‘go-slow’ appears in the dictionary, it is wrongly used by many Nigerians. The word go-slow means a form of industrial action in which work or progress is deliberately delayed or slowed down. It does not mean congested traffic, so it is wrong to use it in that way.

(2.) INSTALMENTALLY

There is no such word in the English dictionary, this word exists only in the Nigerian edition dictionary (if such a book exists). The correct thing to say is ‘in installments’

(3.) OPPORTUNED

How many times do you say ‘I was not opportuned to come’? The correct variants that exist are ‘opporteune’ or ‘opportunity’. The word ‘opportune’ has no past tense.

(4.) CUNNY

“That guy is very cunny”. This is wrong, the word is ‘cunning’, not cunny. If you want to refer to someone who is sly or deceitful, use the word ‘cunning’, ‘cunny’ simply does not exist.

(5.) WAKE-KEEPING

I’m sure most people will argue with this, but argue as you may, what you will find in the dictionary is ‘wake- keep’.

6.) SCREENTOUCH PHONE

Oyinbo people made these devices and called it ‘touchscreen’, by the time the phones go enter Naija, we rename them ‘screen touch’

(7.) DISVIRGIN

No, you did not dis virgin that babe, you deflowered her, you took away her virginity, but you certainly did not disvirgin her, because the word ‘disvirgin’ simply does not exist!

The Woman On The #20 note

This is Ladi Kwali (1925 - 1984), the woman on the Nigeria N20 note. She was born in the village of Kwali, Gwari region of Northern Nigeria, where pottery was a common occupation among women.
She was so skilled that her work became known in Europe, Britain and America. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, her work was displayed in London at the Berkeley Galleries.
She became Nigeria's best-known potter, was awarded a doctorate and was made MBE in 1963 despite not having a formal education.

The Wonders of Sacrifice | Read Facts

....A sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing unto God (Phil 4:18)

Every child of God should know what sacrifice means! God delights so much in the sacrifices of His people. Each time we see another day, month or years He expects us to respond to the gifts by offering to Him sacrifice in various form! There is nothing we have that has not been taken care of! SALVATION IS FREE TODAY BECAUSE JESUS PAID FOR IT! There is nothing in life that is free! Jesus Christ was offered to God as a sacrifice! He had to die for us to live! WONDERS TAKE PLACE WHEN WE OFFER SACRIFICES UNTO GOD!

1. Abraham's sacrifice was Isaac his only son. God was moved and gave him back what he has given and also gave him so much more than he could imagine!

Do you want God to do exceedingly, abundantly? You need to give God your Isaac! We should not be asking for Abraham's blessings without seeking to know how he got the blessing! He discovered the wonders of sacrifice! He gave all! He gave his best! He gave the first issue! God demands the best from us today! If He had done so much for us, we should be ready to offer Him our best! GIVE HIM YOUR ISAAC.

Nothing moves God than our sacrifice! Jesus Christ was a sacrifice of God to reverse the impending judgement that is coming to the world! God gave His only begotten Son! He gave HIS best. There is nothing we give God that is in vain! You cannot experience regret for giving your best to GOD! Infact, God will not only give you back what you have given to Him, but HE will also bless you in hundred folds!

 Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice! If you could not have gotten here by your own power, then you need to offer God a sacrifice.... Give God what He deserves from you!

What are the wonders of sacrifice?
 Every sacrifice is a covenant. Each time you give God your best, you are consciously or unconsciously entering into a covenant relationship with God! Noah did that after the flood, God gave a rainbow as a reminder that such will never happen again!

2 Every sacrifice attracts God blessing and blessing! God cannot but bless a man who gives Him is best! You cannot miss His blessing!

3 Sacrifices avert evil! Dont forget the fact that in most cases, when we give God our best, Evils are averted! It nullifies what could have affected us negatively! It nullifies judgement, evil and danger!

4 Your sacrifices affect your generations! Every seed of the best quality that is sown today is for the generations yet unborn! Abraham is in heaven today but we are still enjoying his blessings! Your sacrifice today will determine the fate of the next generations!
1 Give God your best!
2 Give Him your Isaac!
3  Give Him a more excellent sacrifice!
4  Give Him your all!
5 Give Him what will touch Him at this season!
He delights so much in your sacrifices! He is always waiting to have it.
May all your sacrifices this year be acceptable unto Him in Jesus name!

What are the major differences between Smartness, Intelligence, Brilliance & Genius?

 

 

These are just words, and they don't have generally-agreed-upon specific meanings.

I'm going to try and wing it as I go along so forgive any contradictions that creep into the answer. Also, I suspect I'm going to need Venn diagrams for this exercise. Let's begin:

Intelligence is something that's acquired by reading books, through academia and it implies knowledge, retention and recall. If I were to plot knowledge vs application on a graph, Intelligence would gravitate more towards the knowledge side of it.

Smartness is the ability to improvise given the limited resources at hand. The resources can include information as well. Smartness – from the perspective of word's dictionary meaning –  alludes to wit, and being quick on the uptake. So maybe smart people can learn quickly and therefore acquire intelligence.

Brilliance, in my opinion, is simply a higher degree of smartness. Someone who is really really smart is automatically labelled brilliant.

Genius is perhaps the intersection of all of these.

I'd say, roughly speaking, that many people use "smart" and "intelligent" as synonyms when referring to someone who is above-average in terms of knowledge acquisition, problem-solving ability, or creativity.

"He has a 4.0 average! He's really smart."

"She has speaks seven languages. She's really intelligent."

People tend to use "brilliant" and "genius" to mean "super-intelligent" or "way above average." As with "smart" and "intelligent," many people use "brilliant" and "genius" as synonyms.

"Shakespeare was able to write the best plays in the English language because he was brilliant."

"You'll never be able to understand Stephen Hawking's work. He's a genius!"

But, again, these are trends or tendencies. A particular person might say, "I think of 'smart' and 'intelligent' as different..."

I am full of "theories" -- one of my theories is that intelligent people have more chances of survival in the face of an apocalypse than educated people.... seems a bit hard to see in the beginning, however there is a great comedy show that shows this theory to perfection.

-- In the Big Bang Theory, Dr. Sheldon Cooper's character is extremely educated, however when he is facing situations where he has no background knowledge, he fails or has to try very hard to begin grasping the knowledge of how it works, or what decision to take.

-- Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a genius. He has inmense knowledge on many different fields. In one episode he was to face someone else on a basketball match... none of the two people had ever even touched a basketball, and both are very well educated. - To make the long story short... none of them was even capable of bounce the ball on the floor successfully -- Now in the other hand, if the person in the same position as Dr. Cooper was his neighbor "Penny", whom he considers and is portrait as a little bit of a "air head" and not well educated at all, would have figured out how to bounce that ball within seconds.

---- This is one of the examples why I say, the human race will survive on Intelligent people, not educated ones. --
Some people are on complete extremes, very well educated to extremely intelligent... some are fortunate enough to have both in a good balance, but others are not so lucky.

Fortunately, Intelligent people solve their handicaps" by getting educated.... (A lot of intelligent people have issues studying and learning with the same ease as others do, in their mind there is a lot of information out there that is not necessary to get the job or task done - so their 'intelligent' brain bypasses that "junk" information and grasps the concept quickly - they use their common sense!) - educated people have a much harder time getting that common sense' that come to smart people so easily! - Yes educated people can gather all the necessary information and make a more 'educated' decision than the intelligent ones.... however if you are facing mayhem, the time you take to make that decision is crucial.

- One last example..... if both the intelligent and the educated people are standing on the ground and the ground is crumbing under their feet, and they find two paths... one of roads will be on safe ground that won't crumble into an abyss, the other road will disintegrate and kill the person who chose it. The intelligent person will go with their gut and make a decision... this means they have a 50% of survival.... the educated person on the other hand, will stop and consider what are the conditions on the two choices and thinks about which one has the highest chances of survival.... however, in the time that it takes them to think, the ground would have crumble under them, and they will certainly die... giving them 0% of survival. - so yeah... humanity's future is in the hand of intelligent people.. not educated ones... so gloat all you want about your "Book Smarts" - that is not what is going to save you in the end....

What type of person do you think you are? - no need to post your answer just think about it... where do you tend to lean towards the most? Are most of your first reactions correct, and you confirmed it when things went wrong because you took another route after over analyzing it? Or are you most of the time right because you go with that first instinct or "gut feeling" you get?

What are the major differences between Smartness, Intelligence, Brilliance & Genius?

 

 

These are just words, and they don't have generally-agreed-upon specific meanings.

I'm going to try and wing it as I go along so forgive any contradictions that creep into the answer. Also, I suspect I'm going to need Venn diagrams for this exercise. Let's begin:

Intelligence is something that's acquired by reading books, through academia and it implies knowledge, retention and recall. If I were to plot knowledge vs application on a graph, Intelligence would gravitate more towards the knowledge side of it.

Smartness is the ability to improvise given the limited resources at hand. The resources can include information as well. Smartness – from the perspective of word's dictionary meaning –  alludes to wit, and being quick on the uptake. So maybe smart people can learn quickly and therefore acquire intelligence.

Brilliance, in my opinion, is simply a higher degree of smartness. Someone who is really really smart is automatically labelled brilliant.

Genius is perhaps the intersection of all of these.

I'd say, roughly speaking, that many people use "smart" and "intelligent" as synonyms when referring to someone who is above-average in terms of knowledge acquisition, problem-solving ability, or creativity.

"He has a 4.0 average! He's really smart."

"She has speaks seven languages. She's really intelligent."

People tend to use "brilliant" and "genius" to mean "super-intelligent" or "way above average." As with "smart" and "intelligent," many people use "brilliant" and "genius" as synonyms.

"Shakespeare was able to write the best plays in the English language because he was brilliant."

"You'll never be able to understand Stephen Hawking's work. He's a genius!"

But, again, these are trends or tendencies. A particular person might say, "I think of 'smart' and 'intelligent' as different..."

I am full of "theories" -- one of my theories is that intelligent people have more chances of survival in the face of an apocalypse than educated people.... seems a bit hard to see in the beginning, however there is a great comedy show that shows this theory to perfection.

-- In the Big Bang Theory, Dr. Sheldon Cooper's character is extremely educated, however when he is facing situations where he has no background knowledge, he fails or has to try very hard to begin grasping the knowledge of how it works, or what decision to take.

-- Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a genius. He has inmense knowledge on many different fields. In one episode he was to face someone else on a basketball match... none of the two people had ever even touched a basketball, and both are very well educated. - To make the long story short... none of them was even capable of bounce the ball on the floor successfully -- Now in the other hand, if the person in the same position as Dr. Cooper was his neighbor "Penny", whom he considers and is portrait as a little bit of a "air head" and not well educated at all, would have figured out how to bounce that ball within seconds.

---- This is one of the examples why I say, the human race will survive on Intelligent people, not educated ones. --
Some people are on complete extremes, very well educated to extremely intelligent... some are fortunate enough to have both in a good balance, but others are not so lucky.

Fortunately, Intelligent people solve their handicaps" by getting educated.... (A lot of intelligent people have issues studying and learning with the same ease as others do, in their mind there is a lot of information out there that is not necessary to get the job or task done - so their 'intelligent' brain bypasses that "junk" information and grasps the concept quickly - they use their common sense!) - educated people have a much harder time getting that common sense' that come to smart people so easily! - Yes educated people can gather all the necessary information and make a more 'educated' decision than the intelligent ones.... however if you are facing mayhem, the time you take to make that decision is crucial.

- One last example..... if both the intelligent and the educated people are standing on the ground and the ground is crumbing under their feet, and they find two paths... one of roads will be on safe ground that won't crumble into an abyss, the other road will disintegrate and kill the person who chose it. The intelligent person will go with their gut and make a decision... this means they have a 50% of survival.... the educated person on the other hand, will stop and consider what are the conditions on the two choices and thinks about which one has the highest chances of survival.... however, in the time that it takes them to think, the ground would have crumble under them, and they will certainly die... giving them 0% of survival. - so yeah... humanity's future is in the hand of intelligent people.. not educated ones... so gloat all you want about your "Book Smarts" - that is not what is going to save you in the end....

What type of person do you think you are? - no need to post your answer just think about it... where do you tend to lean towards the most? Are most of your first reactions correct, and you confirmed it when things went wrong because you took another route after over analyzing it? Or are you most of the time right because you go with that first instinct or "gut feeling" you get?

The most Googled product in Nigeria is "Wedding"

In popular culture, certain countries are stereotypically associated with certain products — beer in Germany, carpets in Turkey, electronics in Japan. 

But those things aren't what people are really searching for. 

Earlier this month, the cost-estimating website Fixr.com put together a map of the world with the most-Googled for object in each country, using the autocomplete formula of "How much does * cost in [x country]."

While the results are far from scientific — since Google autocomplete results vary based on the searcher's history, the time of search, and the place of search — they do say at least a little bit about how countries are perceived. 

It is quite interesting to know that Nigerians are more curious about the cost of a Wedding over anything else.

Read the rest of the story on Business Insider 

Factspirational!, You'd Love to Read This

FACTSPIRATIONAL

-You were born in a first class clinic, I was delivered at home but we both survived.

- You went to a private school and I went to a razz government school, but we both ended in the same varsity/ college.

- You woke up from the bed and I woke from the floor but we both had a peaceful night rest.

- Your outfits are all expensive, mine are all simple and cheap but we both still cover our nakedness.

- You ate fried rice and roasted chicken, I ate pap and akara but we both still ate to our satisfaction.

- You ride on lexus jeep and I use public transport but we still got to our various destination.

- You may be reading this post from your sony xperia, q10, Iphone6+ and I typed it with my outdated nokia x2, but we still see the same thing.

Dear readers, life is not a competition and there are different ways to get a lot of things done; different lanes all leading to the same destination, just because your neighbor is doing things faster does not mean you are failing. Happiness doesn’t come from having everything, but from making the best out of what you have, it’s all about how you see yourself. Stay on your own lane and forge ahead.  Stay Blessed.

Some of Nigeria's Best Gospel Artistes...

Gospel music is a kind of African, motivational Christian music that has become a major part of Nigerian music. In the 1960s the Evangelical Church of West Africa Choir was popular, and in the early 1970s Bola Aare, Sola Rotimi, Good women Choir, Ebenezer Obey and later, Panam Percy Paul, Onyeka Onwenu, Lanre Teriba (ATORISE), Tope Alabi, Asu Ekiye, Keffi, and Sammie Okposo were notable. Also, in the early 1970s & 80s Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa‘s choir, The Christian Redeemed Voices were known for their gospel sound. He the late Bishop, would purchase instruments for the choir and each one of them would be mastered by skillful musicians. The Bishop would challenge his student pastors and young adult church members to pick up instruments and play them. Play them…they did, no training only the gift of God deposited and called out by the Bishop. There was a lady by the name of Minister Dorothy James (Evangel Temple, USA) and Rev. David Mporampora(Uganda)they transformed gospel music in West Africa. Nigeria in particular. I would say without a doubt, they laid the foundation of the sound we now hear. Many students were from other West African nations and they took that sound and passion for Gospel music back with them. Jackson Tugbeh (Liberia), now (Lagos) Rev. Lesley Tex (Ghana) were students and a part of the influence.

The Arts, the worship dance saw its start in Africa in the Church of God Mission. Thanks to Arch Bishop Idahosa who was open to all God had for his people, the gospel sound would never be the same. The fusion in music and the gospel he bought to Africa is still amazing.
A number of gospel artistes have released albums that are quite commendable such as Ty Bello, AMAA (Abimbola Awolumate’s Everlasting Arms), Foluke Umosen, Soji Israel, Segun Obe, Samsong among others. Artistes like Rooftop MCs, The Bossman, BOUQUI, Frank Edwards^[1] and Segun Ogundeko(The Lord’s trumpeter) are also very well known for their gospel hip hop styles. They have released singles and albums that have won several awards.

Besides the above mentioned gospels artistes, we have some others who have made national and international impact. They include: Kunle Ajayi, Buchi, Sinachi, Yetunde Are among others. There are also some notable church choirs that have distinguished themselves especially with contemporary music. Worthy of mentioning is Oyo Province 4 Mass choir of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus Embassy, Christ Embassy, Oke Bola – Ibadan, Nigeria.
Also, there are many Nigerian gospel artists based in other parts of the world whose music has a strong influence on Nigerians, home and abroad. Such artists include Jide Arowolo (UK), Dayo Bello (UK), David Ojo (USA), Funmi Williams (UK), [1] Oluwakemi (UK), Gbenga Wise (USA), Martin Adu (Netherland) Peter Onu De-Nice (Germany), Osene Odia-Ighodaro (USA) and el Mafrex (UK) who recently got nominated for the 2012 MOBO Awards.^[2]

Best Nigerian Gospel Artists
Now Christian rock artistes like Frank Edwards, Joe Praise and Eben are joining the forum of Good gospel artistes. Frank Edwards which is the hottest of them all and can be called the best gospel artiste in Nigeria for now is making waves with his music as he brings people to another dimension of rock and worship with his songs. Nigeria’s Gospel music is still rising fast with the emergence of gospel artistes like Psalm Ebube, Tb one, to mention a few.
Coming up hot in the industry is the family oriented team known as Grateful Family, featuring Architects Chidi and Erica Nwanyanwu. Based in the North American City of Toronto, the Economic nerve center of Canada, these two God loving entrepreneurs with an enormous time schedule have mastered the art of balancing Business and society life, with Christian ministry. Their twelve track record album billed for release in early January of 2014 promises to be a bombshell and will take the Nigerian gospel music industry by storm. Here is a sample of their song on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geUEiPqOMq8
Their venture into the gospel music industry is for two reasons, one, to be able to tell the story of their salvation and their life journey. Two, is to raise funds and awareness to support their project “COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER” to be built in several locations in Nigeria Africa.This is a project initiated under their Canada based (Government registered) non-for-profit organisation, “MY ROOTS FOUNDATION” -Source: Wikipedia

Listed here or not, Who is your favourite?

Here are some "scary" facts for you

 
George Barna wrote The State of the Church in 2002. Barna conducted a survey of self-pronounced Christians and here's what he found about their knowledge of the Bible.

Now, remember these are Christians...

- 48% could not name the four Gospels.

- 52% cannot identify more than two or three of Jesus' disciples.

- 60% of American Christians can't name even five of the 10 Commandments.

- 61% of American Christians think the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham.

- 71% of American Christians think "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse.

Listen, you may or may not be an American, I don't know.

But the point is, you don't want to be a so called "Christian" but doesn't know what God's Word is.

You and I should consistently read, memorize, and meditate scriptures.

This way, we're ready to defend our faith and encourage others through God's Word.

If you feel some guilt with the message today then NOW is the time to change.

Get your Bible and start reading.

Good Morning!

Straight From The Book: Some Amazing Facts About The Sabbath and Sunday.

WHY keep the Sabbath day? What is the object of the Sabbath? Who made it? When was it made, and for whom? Which day is the true Sabbath? Many keep the first day of the week, or Sunday. What Bible authority have they for this? Some keep the seventh day, or Saturday. What Scripture have they for that? Here are the facts about both days, as plainly stated in the Word of God:

After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1.3.)

This stamped that day as God's rest day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day. To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day thus becomes his birthday. So when God rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Sabbath, day.

Therefore the seventh day must always be God's Sabbath day. Can you change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born? No. Neither can you change God's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still God's Sabbath day.

The Creator blessed the seventh day. (Genesis 2:3.)

He sanctified the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11.)

He made it the Sabbath day in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:1-3.)

It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced till after the fall.

Jesus says it was made for man (Mark 2:27), that is, for the race, as the word man is here unlimited; hence, for the Gentile as well as for the Jew.

It is a memorial of creation. (Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate that grand event.

It was given to Adam, the head of the human race. (Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.)

Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations. (Acts 17:26.)

It is' not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before ever there was a Jew.

The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God's holy rest day.

Evident reference is made to the Sabbath and the seven-day week all, through the patriarchal age. (Genesis 2:l-3; 8:10,12; 29:27,28.etc.)

It was a part of God's law before Sinai. (Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)

Then God placed it in the heart of His moral law. (Exodus 20:1-17.) Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable?

The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)

Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (Exodus 31:18.)

He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (Deuteronomy 5:22.)

It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)

God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times. (Exodus 34:21.)

God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (Ezekiel 20:12, 13.)

It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (Ezekiel 20:20.)

God promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:24, 25.)

He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it. (Nehemiah 13:18.)

He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation. (Jeremiah 17:27.)

God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it. (Isaiah 56:6, 7.)

This is in the prophecy, which refers wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See Isaiah 56.)

God has promised to bless all who keep the Sabbath. (Isaiah 56:2.)

The Lord requires us to call it "honourable". (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the. “old Jewish Sabbath,” “a yoke of bondage,” etc.

After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down "many generations,” it is to be restored in the last days. (Isaiah 58:12,13.)

All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.

When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (Luke 4:16; John 15:10.) Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?

The seventh day is the Lord's Day. (See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)

Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her (1 Peter 3:6.)

He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man's good. (Mark 2:23-28.)

Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed. (Matthew 12:1-13.)

He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was “lawful” (Matthew 12:12.)

He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection. (Matthew 24:20.)

The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (Luke 23:56.)

Thirty years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit' expressly calls it "the Sabbath day,"(Acts 13:14.)

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it the "Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?

Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 13:44.)

The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (Acts 13:42.)

In the great Christian council, A.D. 49, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "sabbath day." (Acts 15:21)

It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day. (Acts 16:13.)

Paul read the Scriptures in public meetings on that day. (Acts 17:2, 3.)

It was his custom to preach upon that day. (Acts 17:2,3.)

The Book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4. 11.)

There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.

In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it?

But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?

The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament fifty-nine times, and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, “the Sabbath day.”

Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind.

God has never given permission to any man to work upon it. Reader, by what authority do you use - the seventh day for common labor?

No Christian of the New Testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day. Find one case of that kind, and we will yield the question. Why should modem Christians do differently from Bible Christians?

There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day.

As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the restitution. (Isaiah 66:22, 23.)

The seventh-day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai. (See Exodus 20.) When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.” Matthew 5:17

Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same tune they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men.