Happy Reformation Day!
Happy Reformation Day!
This day, October 31 in 1517 brought forth an event that changed the world forever. On that day 499 years ago, a monk and teacher and professor of biblical studies posted the document he had worked on to be the basis for a debate as was the manner in those days for a matter to be discussed at the University by the supporters of the matter at hand. Normally, this would have been as normal as any other event but for two things. First the matter to be discussed which was the sale of indulgences by the Church to the people and the presence of the printing press.
On the matter of the printing press, this new technology was invented around 1440 [] and it was such a greatly received equipment as it simplified the manner in which books could be acquired and copies of documents could be made without paying skilled people to copy a small book for a huge sum. So on this day that the writing which contained 95 items for discussion (that is why it’s called the 95 thesis) was posted, people were able to make copies and distribute them rather quickly and so the document spread far quickening the interest of many people around. The issue then became an issue of The authority of the church rather than over indulgences. On the previous matter, it was commonly preached to the people that the purchase of indulgence guaranteed respite for the souls of their beloved in purgatory so they could purchase for their departed or for themselves.
As Luther was an academic, he set up this discussion to happen among fellow academics. These questions raised in this document brought more awareness to the issue and certain things that had become common place but found no place in the word of God.
Today is a day of remembrance and celebration of a man who stood for the word of God and with God and history was changed.
He did not find it easy and had his opposition, some were so disgusted by him that the declared “He alone is right”
Martin Luther wrote a lot of books and said a lot of things driven by his passion for the word of God. He was not perfect and none of us is but as much as he could, he spoke his mind and tried his best to align with the word of God.
Below are some of his words
“If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I”
“Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds of reasoning…then I cannot recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience…here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen!
“These verses and others like them demonstrate that everyone is subject to sinful lust and must daily resist it. Although the struggle is neither pleasant nor relaxing, it is still a work that pleases God, and for us that should be consolation enough”.
Happy Reformation Day!
Value of your Talent
November 29, 2016 by Jide Ajayi • Issues, Life • Tags: Talent •
The Value of your talent
Talent is a word that we use to describe the natural born skill or developed expertise at doing things that to most people requires effort and some level of difficulty in an easy way. It makes the difference between an expert and amateur and make the world around us beautiful and functional. We have all been given talents or skill to work with and succeed in life. Some have the very obvious skills that people want and some have the skills that make things work even though a lot of people do not identify such as a skill given by God. By the strength of our various skills and talents, we are able to bless the name of God, bring honor to his name and bless our fellow men, even as they partake of the gift that God has granted and given unto us.
Talent then in this sense, is not what we come across in the KJV bible, it is not the story of the rich man that gave his servants money (talents) and asked them to hold on to it until his return we are talking about the general meaning of the word today which is the God-given natural ability.
To evaluate the value of your talent to your generation, a few things will be evaluated 1. Understanding the scope of your generation 2. Understanding the value your talent holds 3. Developing and securing your talent.
Understanding the scope of your generation is the easiest of the three, it is simply the combination of all the people born and living about the same time as you. While it is seen primarily as those people that form your age group, experience shows that some who are older and some who are younger will be greatly blessed by your talent. This means you have to take out the time to decide how you will bless them, how you will encourage them as you don’t want to discourage them or cause them to sin by your actions.
The next thing that comes up is understanding the value inherent in your talent. This is can bring you liberation from challenges and situation, it can help you achieve your goals by applying your skill and putting your mind and effort into it, it can bring opportunities to people around you even when you do not know those people, China as a nation decided to focus on engineering at all levels and ended up becoming the manufacturer of the world. Your talent can also change the identity of your nation from where it is into a better one.
The last part is developing and securing the talent. Your talent is a part of you, it reflects who you are and gets better when you become better. A big component of becoming better is developing your character, it affects everything about you, it includes your virtue and temperament. It also includes understanding your responsibility to society and those close to you, the fame that your talent will bring may tempt you to become irresponsible, do not yield. The most obvious point is to keep practicing and to keep getting better. You do not stop because you have attained a primary success, it may bring accolades, but to sustain and maximize that which God has granted to you, you have to keep practicing as you get better the more you do it.
The talent you have is a gift, it is unique to you, but others exist who have similar gifting, do not become conceited as a result of the attention it has brought to you. Rather, enjoy it and help others around you to enjoy this wonderful gift and talent that God has chosen to bless his people with through you.
Always remember that your talent is valuable and useful, thank the Lord for it everyday.