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My Redeemer liveth! I may be a lump of clay today, but watchout!!! I am having a do-over. I am in the Potter's Hands!!!!

"The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over". - Jeremiah 18:1-4

As I ran this marathon journey called life often times bedevilled with unexpected hurdles, sometimes unavoidable detours and distractions that slows me down. There had been several occassions and various seasons in my life when I took stock and audited my personal progress. During each of these specific time periods under self-review; be it physical, relational, spiritual, professional, emotional, social, etc, many atimes I conclude and judged that I have fallen short of my personal life goals and expectations. During some of these times, I conclude and judged that I've not only fallen short of my own personal expectations and goals, but more greviously, I conclude and judged many times that I've fallen short of the expectation of my Creator.

Being a little bit idealistic, my natural tendencies at those times use to be that I'll beat myself down, and down and down, sometimes into brink of depression, self-rejection, etc. During many of these times of personal reviews, I've fought hard against thoughts and incontestable facts starring me in the face with solid evidences that I've failed and fallen short of satisfactory progress!!! Many times these evidences are so graphic and incontestable that it pains deeply, and tends to 'paralyse' and 'immobilise'. Especially, when I compare myself to my peers who have and are leaving me behind in making remarkable progress in their own areas of endeavour either similar to mine or in their respective realms.

However, the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter always rescued me from myself. Giving me comfort, making me to see that as long as I'm not yet expired here on Earth, things will improve and get better. Many atimes, I'm made to recognise that compared to where I am coming from, I've made tremendious progress in life and ministry. Compared to how and where I started out, compared with the resources with which I started out, compared with the time when I started out, God has really brought me far! I've really come a long way. Many times in life, we are blinded to these facts and we focus more on where we think we ought to have been, or what we ought to have become instead of appreciating where we used to be, and where we were coming from compared to where we are today. A major reason why the greatest Psalmist that ever lived was so grateful to God always was because he deliberately and consciously remembered where he was when God took him, before being catapulted into the palace as the King of Isreal. David will always say:

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?"  - 2 Samuel 7:18b (NLT)

Just like God Himself said to David through Prophet Nathan:

"Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel."  2 Samuel 7:8 (NKJV)

Many times, it had been the power of praise and thanksgiving that had brought me from the depth of perceived personal short-comings and failures; from the brink of personally imposed depressions, to being thankful for and in my situation. The scriptures says in everything, give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). At such times, I've always being reminded of the lessons I learnt many years ago from the praise and thanksgiving book series of Merlin Carothers such as "Prison to Praise", "Power in Praise", "Praise Works", "Victory on Praise Mountain". The good news is that facts can and do change!!! Yes, under pressure from the power of praise and thanksgiving, facts do change. Its only truth that never changes, but facts do change. So the facts may be that: as at today,  I am not yet where I am supposed to be; today, I may not have become who I am supposed to have become; but hey, these are facts. Facts are subject to change. Facts are not as powerful as the truth. The truth is that facts can change.

Many times I felt like a crushed lump of clay, broken and crushed by situations and circumstances, but hey watchout! I am still in the Potter's Hands. Many times, I felt as if I've not turned out as the Potter had hoped, so He crushes me into a lump of clay, and He had to start all over. As painful as that may be, the good news is that, I am still in the Potter's Hand. When others see me in my crushed lumpy state, I may be written off as a failure, but watch out, I'm having a make over; I am still in the Potter's Hands. Today, the facts may be that because of my lumpy clay state, I'm rejected and not found fit, but the truth is that I'm having a do-over, I'm in the Potter's Hands. Today, the facts may be that peers and colleagues may have left me far behind, but the truth is that I am having a make over from the Potter. I am in the Potter's Hands. The Potter's  purpose for me is very different from those of my peers and colleagues, therefore, this crushed lumpy clay called me is having a do-over, I am in the Potter's Hands!!!

"The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over". - Jeremiah 18:1-4

My Redeemer liveth! I may be a lump of clay today, but watchout!!! I am having a do-over. I am in the Potter's Hands!!!! Its a privilege to be in the Potter's hands, for underneath me are the everlasting arms!!! (Deuteronomy 33:27)

From a scientific and cosmological point of view, the natural seasons of life are brought about by the relative positioning and distance of the Earth to the Sun as the Earth revolves around the Sun. The north and south poles of the Earth are so cold and icy throughout the year because their positions on the Earth shields them from receiving the fullness of light rays from the Sun. Similarly, as the Earth rotates on its axis, it determines whether we have light from the Sun therefore determining day or night. All these cosmic events work together to determine signs and seasons, days and years as pre-determined by the Creator Himself.

What else does light do?
Firstly, light is luminous energy that illuminates. It help us to see clearly, identify, appreciate and hold objects and the material world in the right and proper perspective. The light of the day gives us the ability to do so much which we cannot otherwise do at night when the relative position of where we are on the Earth during the night time shields us from receiving any sunlight. Have you been to a place for the first time at night, and you formed an opinion of that place based on your 'nighty' perspective? Then in the morning, you got a much more better perspective of the place which may be extremely opposite to the previous night's perspective and therefore changes your opinion about the place either for better or otherwise. This is the power of illumination. Light brings to the fore what is hidden, light informs a better and more accurate perspective of things and issues. Light is illumination!

Secondly, light is energy which can be transformed into other forms of energy. In science, we say that "energy (or matter) can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one form to the other". For the most part, light energy is mostly felt by its transformation into the radiant or heat energy it produces. The heat energy from the Sun allow plants to photosynthesize, warms us up, and keep all of life going. Contrary, at night, when there is no light, it is usually cold or cooler than the day. Everything tends to slow down, some things actually stop working at night because there is no light energy to drive them! Our bodies begin to slow and wind down, getting ready to sleep when and if we can. Light energy can be transformed to all other kinds of energy. Solar panels absorbs the luminous power of the sun and converts it to electric energy to power a lot of equipments and machines. Plants transformed the luminous or radiant energy of sunlight to power photosynthesis. Radiant heat from the Sun permits water to evaporate, ascend into the atmosphere which comes back to us much later as rain. The whole ecosystem is dependent on the level and intensity of light received from the Sun.

Consequencies of lack of Natural light
In the absence of sunlight for a protracted length of time, cooler temperatures creep in and take over; water coalesce and form ice, animals that cannot thrive in the cold hibernates, die or migrate to warmer climates. Man dresses up and/or find ways to keep warm, else the physiological systems slows down gradually until the circulatory system becomes too sluggish to support life, the brain dies leading to death. These and many more are the consequences of lack of natural light! Lack of light can altimately lead to death.

What Season of Life are you in Personally?
My pastor once asked me, "what season of life do you think you are in right now?".  At that time I had no immediate answer because I had not previously given thought to this question. In actuality your recognition of the current season of your life will help you in choosing your responses to life's events accurately and appropriately; and will help you prepare for the current season and the next. Can you imagine its winter time, and you have no warm clothing and no heating system in your house? So I will re-pose my pastor's question to myself and to you here again: What season of life do you think you are in right now? Whatever seasons of life you think you are in right now, the levels of divine light you have will determine whether you remain in the current season or you make satisfactory progress towards the next season of life that God has for you. Can you imagine 12 months of winter like they have at the north and south poles? Some folks may not mind having 12 months of summer, but can you imagine the drought and famine that will bring upon the nations and the earth? Seasons of life must change, but the progression and direction of this change can either be divinely or humanly programed and phased. Divinely paced and phased, if you move on in life with God's timetable for your life, or humanly paced and phased if you slow down or completely abandon God's plan and program for your life because of lack of light.....to be continued.

Dear Friends and Well-wishers,

I on behalf of the John Family in Nigeria and the USA announce the passing away to eternal glory of my beloved father, Elder Macaulay Oluwafunmi John on June 1, 2010 in Lagos, Nigeria.

As some of you may be aware, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 16 months ago in February 2009. By God's grace, he was with me here in the USA from April - November 2009 before he returned to Nigeria. While here with my family and I, he went through a series of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. But now he is with his Lord and savior free from the excruciating pains of cancer.

I was opportuned to speak with him yesterday evening and prayed with  him just before he went into a coma from where he woke up this morning in the presence of the Savior.

We have opened an online condolence register and memorial in his honour at:
http://www.valleyoflife.com/mojohn 

You may wish to sign the online condolence Register. Information about his funeral arrangements can be found at:

http://www.ebjohn.net/mojohn .

Thank you all for your prayers and support for the John Family.

Regards,
Emmanuel B. John,
Silver Spring, MD, USA
 

The scripture declared that the creation earnestly awaits the revelation of Christ in, and through the sons of God (Romans 8:19-22). The fall of Adam brought severe consequences of destruction and deterioration to the world we live in!

 ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. - Romans 8:19-22

It was not only man that suffered the consequencies of the fall, everything in and around us groaned as well according to Romans 8. The whole creation, including man, animals, plants, aquatic creatures, birds, etc (the whole creation) are all under the oppression of the demonic might of Satan; and therefore looking for a savior or saviors! Prophet Obadiah indeed prophesied that in the last days, God will cause saviors to arise out of Mount Zion (the Church) and will turn the Kingdom back to our God.

²¹ Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
      To judge the mountains of Esau,
      And the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. - Obadiah 1:21

In the fulness of time, God released the savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came and defeated Satan and his host on the cross of Calvary. He came and He took captivity captive, setting the captives free! For he who the Son sets free is free indeed!  For the scripture says, if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory, who came and restored many sons (and daughters) to glory!

³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

But now we do not yet see all things put under him. ⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.    
¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. - Hebrews 2:8b-10

The Lord Jesus Christ came and restored the lost glory of man, the glory with which God crowned man in the beginning:

³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
         The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
         And the son of man that You visit him?
 ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 
 ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
         You have put all things under his feet,
 ⁷ All sheep and oxen—
         Even the beasts of the field,
 ⁸ The birds of the air,
         And the fish of the sea
         That pass through the paths of the seas. 
 ⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth! - Psalms 8:3-8

The Lord Jesus Christ has restored the glory of man, but that glory will now only be revealed through us and in us. The whole creature will continue to groan and moan under the oppression of satanic might until there is the rising up of matured sons (and daughters) of God. Christ is indeed 'encapsulated' and 'imprisoned' so to say in every born-again believer, but the 'caged' Christ in us is crying to be revealed to save a dying and deteriorating world. It is the Christ in us that is the HOPE of a glory to be revealed. God want saviors to arise out of Zion! Its time to allow the glory of Christ to be revealed through you and I. Before I go further discussing the topic of discussion for today, Christ in you the Hope of Glory:, let's listen to a message I was privileged to deliver a couple of years ago (08-24-2005) at the Praise Chapel Christian Fellowship in Kansas City, KS, USA. Let's listen, then I will be back to continue this discuss. My prayer is that, Christ will be revealed FULLY in us as we eagerly await His coming!

 Christ in You the Hope of Glory - Emmanuel B. John