OLUSEGUN ISAAC BLOG

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  (Genesis 1:12) The banana tree is a unique plant. Unlike other fruit trees that bear fruit seasonally and continue to grow, the banana tree grows to its fullest, bears one bunch of fruits, gives rise to at least one seedling in its place, then dies. Thus it reproduces its own kind not by its fruit, but by bearing its young! Almost all other fruit trees reproduce themselves through dispersal of their seeds.       The Almighty God has blessed all creatures living on earth to reproduce themselves so as to perpetuate their species. The bible says, 'Then God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ' (Genesis 1:28). With us hum

 ' And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.'  (2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP)   Have you watched a full-grown, completely formed butterfly emerge from it's pupa cocoon and immediately fly away? Scientists call it complete metamorphosis - a progressive change in stages from egg to larva to pupa to adult. But the change only ultimately produces another butterfly, not a moth, showing no shift in nature. A grain of corn can grow to become a cob of maize, producing more corn, but a piece of wood when burnt in fire becomes charcoal, an irrevocable change. The Merrien Webster dictionary defines paradigm shift as a change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way. Example is the experience of Apostle Paul when he had an encounter w

'Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?' (Proverbs 6:6-9 NKJV). I have often watched ants in action and I believe what the bible says of them. Once as I sat on the paved steps leading to my garden chewing coconut, a few crumbs fell by my side and I planned to pick them up when leaving later. Minutes after when I looked, I saw a number of ants carrying the crumbs away to a far off hole in the pavement. To encourage them, I threw more crumbs on the spot and to my amazement, a larger contingent arrived and were carting the bounty away, some carrying pieces much bigger than their own size! And it all started with one single ant on patrol which found food and ran back to base, not empty-handed, but took with it a piece of the food and brought others back to the discovery

  'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV).      Jamaican star Usain Bolt was the fastest man on earth, at least till the 2016 Rio Olympic games when he ran the 100 meters sprint in 9.58 seconds. Some call him 'lightning bolt'. At 32 years of age he was already worth $24 billion according to the Forbes Index. Many know him as a sprint star alone, but he is also a footballer, dancer, coach etc. When asked the secret of his success he made these statements among others: "Those seven guys behind you in that track want it much as you want it. So you have to want it more. This is why you train harder." And another statement by him: "It doesn't matter where you start, as long as you finish strong. There are better starters

" If a country divides itself into groups which fight each other, that country will fall apart.  If a family divides itself into groups which fight each other, that family will fall apart." (Mark 3:24-25 GNB).                 Chickens are the fox's favourite meal, and chickens live in dread of the fox. But there's the story of a pack of chickens that killed a fox. The fox entered the fold of the chickens through a hatch door which automatically shut the fox in. The fox panicked and the chickens saw it; they became bold and turned vicious. The whole pack charged forward and aggressively attacked the fox until they pecked it to death. The old maxim remains true - there's power in unity!         There is power in unity. The enemies of any community cannot prevail if the dwellers stand in solidarity. Solidarity signifies continued fellowship whether in gain or loss, in honour or dishonour, in victory or defeat. Among people, it is the concerted effort geared towards t

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4:19 )      The word Mentor originated from the Greek fables. It was the name belonging originally to a trusted friend of Oddyseus assigned by him to raise his son while he was away fighting in the Trojan war. A mentor has thus become defined as a trusted trainer, a teacher or counsellor who imparts his knowledge or skill to an apprentice called a mentee.       A discipler does more than mentoring. He teaches his mentee to teach others. He trains one to train others, and the chain continues unbroken. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others (2Tim. 2:2)        That was the method of our Lord Jesus Christ to spread the Gospel. He trained twelve disciples to train His followers to bring people into His Father’s kingdom. Then He saved another disciple, Paul, and empowered him specially to take salvation to the Gentile world.   

  Worship Devotional.  Sunday May 26, 2024 _Foremost Names and Titles of Jesus_  SON OF MAN _And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”_ (Matthew 26:63-64 NKJV)       My late father left us in Lagos in the late nineteen forties to resume work at the newly founded University of Ibadan. When he had settled down, he brought his whole family to him in Ibadan and we lived in Oke Bola among his friends. We had always addressed him fondly as 'Dad' and the appellation soon spread around the friendly neighbourhood. So everyone called him 'Dad', and called us 'Omo Dad', meaning Son or Child of Dad. That became our family identity!      Jesus's conception was by the Holy Spirit and He came on earth a

 Worship Devotional. Sunday May 12, 2024   _Foremost Names and Titles of Jesus_  SON OF GOD    _“...The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God"._ (Luke 1:35 NKJV)       There's this familiar Nigerian joke we sometimes crack when a boy or man we were just talking about suddenly turns up unexpectedly in our midst. We declare, "You are the true son of your father"! I am not sure the joke applies to women or girls!        When Jesus asked His disciples whom they say He is, Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16:16). After the baptism of Jesus, God pointedly announced Jesus as His beloved Son for the world to hear, adding that He is well pleased with Him. In my view, that pronouncement by God Himself, clearly heard by the people during Jesus' days on earth, was enough to convince anyone that the Saviour of th

 _Foremost Names and Titles of Jesus_  KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS   _'And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'_ (Revelation 19:16 NKJV).       Children's Day, presently celebrated every May 27 in many parts of the world, Nigeria inclusive, started as Empire Day, a day observed throughout the British Empire since the first decade of the twentieth century. It was a day set aside to honour the British Queen as the imperial head of the British Commonwealth, Nigeria being a member. As schools children, we had the privilege of being lined up on the streets waving our mini British flags, a.k.a. 'Union Jack', cheering and hailing the sovereign Queen of Commonwealth nations. Today only relics of the British Empire remain. And it is the same with other kingdoms of this world.       A verse of scripture states, '... “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign fo

IMMANUEL   _“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”_ (Matthew 1:23 NKJV) Here's a chat with a young father: "You named your son Emmanuel, any particular reason?" "We bear English names in my family. My father gave him the name. Mine is John." "Emmanuel is not an English name, it is a bible name." "I know. I love the name; I chose the name among many that were given the boy." "Do you know it's meaning?" "Not really, I just love calling my son by that name!" "Why?" "It sounds religious, I'm sure you know I'm a Christian." It is obvious from this chat that many are yet to know the truth behind the name and person of Jesus. This is because not every Christian is a true believer in Him, although one prays it was so.        'Immanuel' is translated 'God with us', and is the fulfilment of an

MESSIAH  “ What about you?” he asked them (His disciples), “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. ”  (Matt.16:15-16 GNB) .          In 1960 as a young lad stepping into the magnificent edifice of Christ Church Cathedral, Marina, Lagos for the first time  I couldn't stop marvelling at the superb, intricate Gothic architecture, hardly able to concentrate on our confirmation through hand-laying ceremony that was going on. Of greatest interest to me was the glass-stained colourful picture of Christ on the cross prominently displayed up above the back of the altar. To me it was like really seeing and knowing the Person of Christ, the Saviour of the world!       We read in John's gospel, 'One of the two who heard John speak, and (who) followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus

ALPHA AND OMEGA “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 22:13).      The first letter in the Greek and Hebrew alphabets are 'alpha' and 'aleph' respectively. In the animal kingdom, the first in any group of the same species is named the alpha, and is usually the dominant male. He is the head of the herd, the respected and acclaimed leader whom all the others fear and to whose authority they submit. Like the king, the alpha male rules, defends and judges the others in the group, quick to free the innocent from the oppression of the wicked, and punish the guilty one. He stands in the forefront and defends their territory in the event of  any external attack. He is the image of Jesus Christ in that animal kingdom. Jesus is the King among men, His own kingdom. He is The Alpha!       Jesus is also The Omega - the last letter in the Greek alphabet, thus He will be the end of it all! By the same setting, the dominant male would

  LOVING " Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  " (I John 4:7-8 NKJV)       The loving nature of God was illustrated by Jesus in the story of the prodigal son. The younger one of two sons walked up to their father one day and demanded that all his own inheritance be given him. The father gave him, he left home, went abroad and squandered his fortune. After living in penury for a while, he came to his senses and went back home. The father, who all the while had been longing to have back his lost son, sighted him first, ran out and welcomed him back with tears and open arms. The father slaughtered his treasured fatted cow (most likely to atone for the sins of the lost son) and threw a party.         Writer James Banks, in Our Daily Bread devotional, quipped, "God doesn't love us for who we are, what we have done or haven't done. His love i

  Painting by Tolunimi Ojosipe-Isaac GOD IS MERCIFUL   And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord  God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth..."  (Exodus 34:6 NKJV) ‬‬       One Saturday decades ago, the annual Intercollegiate Debate in Western State took place in a foremost secondary school in Ibadan, and because of the well-groomed girls usually in attendance, four of us broke bounds from our boarding house in Ijebu Ode and came to the attractive gathering on our own, not as part of the school's team. On Monday morning to our chagrin, we were arraigned before the principal during morning assembly. Normally the  offence attracted two weeks suspension at home, but instead we were sentenced to weeding our overgrown athletics field, for which I was still thankful! Else, how would I have explained my rascality at home?        In the bible, the Lord God described Himsel as "...keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving

Worship Devotional.  Sunday March 17, 2024.   GOD IS JUST‬    Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.  (Acts 10:34-35 NKJV).      There is this saying, 'Spare the rod and spoil the child', but I was not that sort of father to my children while bringing them up. I introduced a practice that meted out punishment commensurate with the offence. For instance, acts of disobedience, mischief, 'two-fighting', beating or bullying your younger one, breaking or spoiling something valuable in carelessness all fetched punishments depending on the gravity of each offence. And we all accepted the practice as fair!       The Hebrew word translated as justice - Mishpat , actually means more than just fairness in court. It describes God as just – because He is Holy, He sets the ultimate standard. He determines the beginning from the end and right from wrong.

  Worship Devotional.  Sunday March 10, 2024 GOD IS SELF-EXISTENT  Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.    ( Psalm 90:2 NKJV)                We dug a fish pond on my site, then let water into it and treated the water ready for stocking with fish. I asked the fishery attendant when we will do the stocking, and he said when enough micronutrients had come up in the pond. I asked him when and from where and he said, "I don't know; they come from nowhere; they just appear!" True to that statement, in a few days, the water started turning green before our eyes until it was ready for stocking with fingerlings!        Scholars define God’s self-existence as His Aseity, derived from the Latin words _'a'_ and _'se'_ which may be translated 'non' and 'being', saying God's existence is derived from Himself, having no source. That describes the exi

  Worship Devotional.  Sunday March 3, 2024.    GOD IS IMMUTABLE   “ For I am the Lord , I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob... " Malachi 3:6 NKJV.       The dictionary defines immutable as 'not subject or susceptible to change, unchanging through time; unalterable; ageless.' The immutability of God is His constancy in character, purpose and utterances. He does not waver nor veer in His ways.        I remember one incidence in my student days in the UK. It was late Saturday night and we were returning from an all-night party when suddenly a police siren started blarring behind our car driven by one of us, the owner. One of the two policeman politely asked our driver to follow their car to the police station. He brought us before the desk officer and reported that he found our car "veering dangerously on a major road". To check that we were not riff-raffs, they asked to see our ID cards, then tested us for alcohol. Even though only two

   GOD IS OMNIFICENT   The Lord is the One who by His power made the earth. He is the One who by His wisdom established the world. And by His understanding He spread out the skies. Jeremiah 10:12 NET.               If you ask the average American who the world's greatest inventor is, He will easily say, Thomas Edison. He would justifiably be right, for Edison himself who developed many devices in fields such as the incandescent light, electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures, was quoted as saying, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."         But deeper thinkers and historians would name Thales of Miletus who lived in the 6th. century before Christ as the world's greatest inventor of all time. A Greek philosopher, mathematician and astronomer from Ionia (now Turkey), He was perhaps the first to define the substance or substances of which all matter was composed, which he identified as water

1. GOD IS OMNIPRESENT   'Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are  there.' (Psalm 139:7-8 NKJV).       Have you ever intentionally done something wrong, then foolishly thought the Lord couldn’t see you or wouldn’t take note? The truth is, God is watching everything everywhere. Like a complex spiritual closed circuit system, He has the whole universe continually under His gaze. He sees both the evil and the good (Prov. 15:3). The darkness we hide in is as light to Him—we will never escape His loving, caring and correcting presence (Jer. 23:24).       The Greek word 'omni' means 'all'.       Omnipresent means all present, so to describe God as omnipresent is saying He is everywhere. When the bible says in Matthew 18:20: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” The young believer begins to ask, 'Can God