Mr Olumide's Blog .com |
- Interesting Traits of A Truly Humble Christian
- Want To Know About Fruit of the Spirit?
- EFCC To Reopen Corruption Cases Of 14 Ex-Governors... See Their Names
- Seriously? Strange Snake Swallows N36m Cash In JAMB Office
- Victorious Moment Man Won The Lagos City Marathon, Takes Home $50,000
- Dismissed Policeman Posing As EFCC Staff Nabbed
- How I Died But Woke Up On My Way To Mortuary - Comedian Julius Agwu Shares Touching Story
| Interesting Traits of A Truly Humble Christian Posted: 11 Feb 2018 01:04 AM PST  "Clothe yourself with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time…" (1 Peter 5:5-6). A Facebook friend said, "I'm very proud of my humility." (But) Humility is not a subject most of us would claim to know much about. In fact, we would shy away from anyone claiming to be humble. The very claim contradicts itself. In fact, by the paradoxical nature of this trait, a truly humble person would be the last to know it. So, when told that, "You are a genuinely humble person," the appropriate response might be something like, "Who, me? Thank you. I wish!" Now, there are few traits more attractive in a leader than humility. The Lord of Heaven and earth stooped to wash the feet of His disciples, in so doing forever disallowing His preachers from playing the royalty card (John 13). "'The Son of Man did not come to be ministered unto,' He said, 'but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many'" (Matthew 20:28). Biblically. Anecdotally. And personally. The evidences of a truly humble person are no secret. Not that this list is exhaustive, but the traits of a humble person would surely include the following seven traits… 1. An overwhelming sense of the blessings of God. His generosity. His grace. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for HIs wonderful works to the children of men!" (That exclamatory bit of praise comes from Psalm 107 where it is repeated in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31.) God is so good to me. Far better than I deserve. "I feel like I'm God's favorite child," a friend says. "My cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5), said King David. Words you will hear a lot from the truly humble: "Thank you!" 2. A corresponding and equal awareness of our own unworthiness. The two go hand in hand. "He must increase, I must decrease," is how John the Baptizer put it (John 3:30). More of Him means less and less of me. The best instruction on humility for my money is the parable our Lord gave in Luke 17:7-10. When we have done all the things He has commanded us – imagine that! we've fulfilled everything He instructed – we say to ourselves, "I am only an unworthy servant. I'm just doing my duty." Each of us has to give ourselves a little talking-to from time to time. The ego will not give up the drive for recognition and awards easily, so it must be continually put in its place. Words you will never hear from the truly humble: "I'm entitled." "I deserve." 3. A daily repentance prompted by a strong sense of my sinful heart. "I need Thee every hour" as the hymn puts it. "It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps," said Jeremiah 10:23. We know that to be true. Not only in the initial moment of salvation do we pray the publican's prayer of Luke 18 – "God be merciful to me the sinner!" – but every day of our lives. There has never been a day when I did not need the Lord's mercy and forgiveness. Words the truly humble will be heard praying often: "Lord, have mercy on me!" (The opening words of Psalm 51 should be heard in our prayers often.) 4. A humble person is teachable. The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8 asked Philip, "How can I (understand the Scriptures), unless someone teach me?" Then he "invited Philip to come up and sit with him." (Acts 8:31). Ever since, the signal hallmark of a new believer and a true one has been a teachable spirit. No one among us knows it all. We are impressed by this trait in the flaming evangelist Apollos who arrived in Ephesus to great acclaim. He was "mighty in the scriptures" and "fervent in spirit." But there was a problem. "When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." And how did he respond to this? He took their counsel and advice gladly and became even more effective for Christ. "He greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ" (Acts 18:24-28). We pray: "Lord, show me the way." And, "Search my heart and know me, O God. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). 5. A constant desire for greater obedience. I want to serve Him better than I've been doing. Obedience is a huge thing in the Word. The man who built his house on the rock, said Jesus, was the one who heard the Word and did it! (Matthew 7:24). "For this purpose I wrote to you," said Paul to the Corinthians, "that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things" (2 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus said, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not the things which I command you" (Luke 6:46)? And, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17). No one is truly humble before God who is not doing all he can to serve Him. "I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:7). 6. Compassion for others. A humble person is not preoccupied with oneself. The humble person sees the fallen and backslidden in light of his own wicked heart. He is not judgmental or condemning. He is neither harsh or unforgiving. He does not insist that the sinner should get what's coming to him. He believes what our Lord said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7). I have sat in the back of the funeral home when another preacher was eulogizing a person who did harsh and cruel things to me. And I prayed, "Father, please forgive him. I forgive him." Knowing the truth of Matthew 5:7, I figure I'll need all the mercy I can get when I stand before the Lord, and so want to show it to others. 7. And perhaps the biggest surprise of all: The humble person has a healthy self-esteem. The wonderful 1 Corinthians 13 says, "Love does not brag and is not arrogant," then adds: "Love rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (13:4,6-7). Which is to say, "The loving person is a well-rounded, self-confident person but neither self-centered or egotistical." I disagree with those who say a low self-esteem is the biggest problem for people. From my somewhat limited knowledge of humanity – I know my own heart and several other people! – I believe more people struggle from inflated egos than otherwise. Their world revolves around themselves. Scripture has more to say about denying ourselves and humbling ourselves than about loving ourselves. God knows His creation. But when the Lord Jesus Christ saves us and the Holy Spirit enters our lives, we see ourselves as children of the Living God, loved from the foundation of the world. Nothing gives us a healthier self-esteem than that! The saying goes something like this: "A truly humble person does not go around thinking down on himself; he doesn't think about himself at all." The reason all this is important: God has big work for you and me to do. And only the humble will agree to do it: –Only the humble will drop to his knees and seek the face of God. The rest will be too proud for such. –Only the humble can apologize to those he has wounded along the way and seek reconciliation. The rest will insist they were wronged and deserve an apology from others. –Only the humble are willing to give sacrificially. The rest will feel they deserve the finer things in this life. –Only the humble are willing to leave father and mother and go to the ends of the earth – or down the road a mile or two – to spread the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. The rest will say they're entitled to their own plans. –Only the humble will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The rest will be willing to give the Lord the leftovers after they have used the strength and energy and resources the Lord grants them. Only the humble will be in Heaven. The rest will be allowed to go their own way, the way which leads to destruction. [written by Joe McKeever]  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Want To Know About Fruit of the Spirit? Posted: 10 Feb 2018 07:44 AM PST  Yes, like you, I want my life to bountifully overflow with the fruit of the Spirit. But focusing on the result of the Spirit's presence and activity in our lives is like trying to grow apples without first planting and tending an apple tree. Like the apple naturally grows on a healthy tree, the fruit of the Spirit will naturally grow in the lives of Christians who allow the Holy Spirit to freely do His work in and through us. Here's Apostle Paul's letter to the Christians in Galatia that lists the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23) In Galatians 5:22, the word "fruit" is translated from the Greek word karpos. According to Mounces Complete Expository Dictionary, karpos refers to the natural product of a living thing. Primarily used to describe the literal physical product of trees, vines, and crops, karpos is also used metaphorically to refer to the natural product of a spiritual being. Paul used karpos to help us understand the natural product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. The fruit of the Spirit then is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian. Obviously, an individual cannot display the "fruit of the Spirit" unless the Spirit is present in that person's life. The Bible tells us that when a person places his or her faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, God provides and guarantees their salvation by placing His Spirit within them (Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit takes up residence or "indwells" every person who has a saving relationship with Jesus. If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living within you (Romans 8:9-11). Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds and disease to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the "weeds" of our sinful natures that want to choke out the work of the Spirit. The great news is, the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those sinful desires and yield our wills to what the Spirit wants in our lives. We can say "no" to sin and accept the "way out" God faithfully provides (1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit's leading. Then, as we give the Spirit more and more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do. The Spirit's endgame – His primary goal – is to shape us and grow us to look like Jesus: "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) From the moment of salvation until the end of our lives on this earth, the Holy Spirit works to transform our nature and character to reflect Christ's. Since God's goal for all His children is for us to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29), the Holy Spirit constantly works to rid our lives of the "acts of the sinful nature" (Gal 5:19) and display His fruit instead. Therefore, the presence of the "fruit of the Spirit" is evidence that our character is becoming more like Christ's. Significantly, the Greek word karpos is singular, showing that "fruit" is a unified whole. The Expositor's Bible Commentary suggests we think of the fruit of the Spirit as a "bunch of grapes instead of separate pieces of fruit." For instance, the Spirit won't display patience in our lives and ignore gentleness or self-control. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ – fruit of the Spirit – will be manifested in our lives. What does that fruit look like? Paul uses nine characteristics to describe the fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians. Here they are:
[written by Kathy Howard]  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| EFCC To Reopen Corruption Cases Of 14 Ex-Governors... See Their Names Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  The sums of money in the corruption cases involving the said former governors, their family members and some influential Nigerians are put at over N183 billion. It would be recalled that in July 2016, the minister of Justice and attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, had written to both the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practicies and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) requesting the case files of 31 former governors being investigated or prosecuted by the anti-graft agencies. Leadership gathered that Senate President Bukola Saraki (former governor of Kwara State); a former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, and Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio who was Akwa Ibom State governor are some of the names of people facing corruption charges. Others are: former governors Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), James Ibori (Delta), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo) and Peter Odili (Rivers). Of these corruption cases, according to a source, only the cases against former IGP Tafa Balogun and PDP stalwart, Bode George, were concluded. A source said: "But the cases were not extensive in my opinion because if they were, more heads should have rolled. The pension thieves and subsidy cases should top the list, but they seem to have become secret cases of sorts, which no one is following up on anymore. But the commission will pursue these cases to the letter." "Since 2007 when most of these cases started, many of them are still at interlocutory stages. Some of the cases have gone as far as to the Supreme Court and are now back at the high courts where they started," another source said. On Tuesday, September 22, 2015 the EFCC arraigned former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, his two sons Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido, Aminu Wada Abubakar and Batholomew Darlington Agoha. They were docked before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 27-count amended charge bordering on corruption and money laundering. Also, on Wednesday, July 9, 2015, EFCC made a string of simultaneous arraignments of four governors, their sons and other accomplices on charges of diversion of public funds. The EFCC arraigned a former Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako, his son Abdulaziz and two aides, Zulkifk Abba and Abubakar Aliyu, before a Federal High Court in Abuja on charges of embezzlement of state funds. The EFCC also arraigned former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, on a three-count charge in a different court for conspiracy and money laundering. The next adjourned date for trial is September 28, 2018 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The EFCC had on Monday March 18, 2013 arraigned the former governor of Kogi State, the late Prince Abubakar Audu alongside a former director-general of the Directorate of Rural Development in his administration, Alfa Ibn Mustapha, before Justice A.O. Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. They were arraigned on a 36-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over N10 billion. A top official at the EFCC decried the slow pace of the cases, noting that the commission had already called three of four witnesses and is close to its final addresses on the matter. Former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, had a rough time with the EFCC even before the end of his two-term tenure in 2007. His travails started when the anti-graft agency investigated the finances of Rivers State, and he was alleged to have diverted over N100 billion of the state's funds. The case was stalled when presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, heeded Odili's request and granted a perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from probing him. Recently, EFCC chief executive, Ibrahim Magu, confirmed to the media that indeed the judge had granted perpetual injunction in Odili's case and said the commission's quest to appeal the matter was being frustrated by the Court of Appeal since 2008. According to the EFCC, the case of Odili will be re-opened. Another high profile case is that of the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu, who was a former governor of Bauchi State. Mu'azu has a pending case with the EFCC. His case borders on alleged mismanagement of N19.8 billion when he was governor between 1999 and 2007. Former governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye, has a running battle with the EFCC after he was alleged to have siphoned about N1.2 billion of the state's Ecological Fund. He was being prosecuted on a 23-count charge of diversion of funds into private accounts and money laundering. According to an EFCC document, he is also alleged to have diverted about N204 million meant for the state's treasury to Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, ERV – a company linked to him. Dariye's ordeal with the EFCC began after he was unceremoniously removed as governor through impeachment by the state assembly. Another governor facing a corruption case is Alhaji Saminu Turaki. According to the EFCC, Turaki is alleged to have misappropriated N36 billion. He is charged with criminal conspiracy, stealing, money laundering and misappropriation of public funds. Turaki was Jigawa State governor between May 29, 1999 and May 29, 2007. Up until now, his case with the commission, which began more than 10 years ago, is still pending in court. He was said to have broken down in tears when he was arraigned in court for alleged corrupt practices. A former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, is being prosecuted alongside his former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Hosea Agboola, and a businessman, Mr. Femi Babalola, for a N11.5 billion fraud in 2012. Also, the EFCC accused the former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, of diverting the state's N5.6 billion while in office between 1999 and 2007. He was arraigned in July 2007 on a 107-count charge of money laundering, official corruption and criminal diversion of public funds. His case is one of the cases that have gone as far as to the Supreme Court and is now back to the high court for trial. Former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, was dragged to court on a 28-count charge of fraud and embezzlement preferred against him and three others by the EFCC. Also, a former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has also been accused of corruption by the EFCC. Daniel is being prosecuted for alleged mismanagement of state funds between 2003 and 2011. He is facing trial on a 38-count charge of stealing and fraudulent conversion of public property as well as false declaration of assets to the tune of N211.3million. Stella Oduah, a serving senator, also has issues with the EFCC. She was a key member in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as minister of Aviation. She is being prosecuted by the EFCC over alleged purchase of two armoured BMW cars for N255million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on her watch. On August 26, 2015, she obtained an interim injunction stopping the EFCC from prosecuting her on the matter, a position the anti-graft agency challenged. These and many cases, Leadership gathered, would soon be revisited by the EFCC.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Seriously? Strange Snake Swallows N36m Cash In JAMB Office Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  According to report, the mystery snake was said to have sneaked into the account office of the Board in Makurdi, a number of time, and made away with the N36m. According to The Sun, a sales clerk, Philomina Chieshe, told JAMB registrar and his team that she could not account for the N36m she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards. In the course of interrogation, Philomena denied the allegations that she stole the money. She however confessed that it was her housemaid that connived with another JAMB staff, Joan Asen, to "spiritually" steal the money from the vault in the account office. Philomina, in her confessional statement, said that Joan Asen and her accomplices confessed that they have been stealing the money "spiritually" through a mysterious snake that always sneak into the office to swallow the money from the vault. Her words; "It was a mystery to me too. I have been saving the money in the bank, but I found it difficult to account for it. So I started saving it in a vault in the office. But each time I open the vault, I will find nothing."  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Victorious Moment Man Won The Lagos City Marathon, Takes Home $50,000 Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  Herpha Guta of Ethiopia also won the women's edition of the race. She did it in 2hrs 38mins. Participants defied an early morning rain to run in the race which started at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The rain which started at about 5am. did not hinder participants who turned out in their thousands to participate.  NAN reports that over 100,000 people participated in the IAAF Bronze Label Race which offers 208,000 dollars for grabs.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Dismissed Policeman Posing As EFCC Staff Nabbed Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  The suspect, David Lohbut Nimdul, was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Nimdul was reported to the Commission by a petitioner who alleged that he was introduced to him as an EFCC Staff. Based on the introduction, he requested Nimdul to assist in the recovery of a loan of N15,300,000.00k (Fifteen Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira only) he offered one Patience Amaewhule, a banker with an old generation bank in Port Harcourt. The banker allegedly obtained the loan from him and promised to pay back in 120 days. However, she failed to keep faith with the promise and Nimdul came on the scene to assist in the recovery of the loan. To demonstrate to the petitioner that he was indeed an EFCC's Staff, Nimdul allegedly went with the petitioner to Amaewhule's office to arrest her. He even recorded a Statement made by the banker and collected her house's documents. He ordered the banker to commence the repayment of the loan to the petitioner and directed her to pay an initial sum of N250,000,00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) into his (Nimdul) bank account, promising that the money would be payed into EFCC's loan recovery account. The petitioner later found out that Nimdul was an impersonator and reported him to the Commission. Investigations by the EFCC showed that, Nimdul was a mobile Policeman dismissed in 2012 after an Orderly Room trial occasioned by allegations of corrupt practices imputed to him and for which he was found guilty. Before being dismissed from the Nigeria Police, he worked as a seconded staff to the EFCC and had since been disengaged from the Commission. Nimdul was also found to have sent several text messages to different individuals claiming to be an EFCC's operative from the Abuja office. Investigations have been concluded on his case and he would soon be charged to court.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| How I Died But Woke Up On My Way To Mortuary - Comedian Julius Agwu Shares Touching Story Posted: 10 Feb 2018 04:59 AM PST  The ace comedian and comic actor, said he died but woke up on his way to the mortuary, adding that while he was being unconscious, he saw his father who had died so many years back, chasing him back to the land of the living. He said, "The truth is that I would not have been alive if not for God. I died and woke up; I literally died and woke up. I say that authoritatively because I know that I had an encounter with people that I know had died during that period. I saw my father who died about 12 years ago; he was the one that came and chased me back to the world because it was not my time. I died here in Nigeria but woke up when they were taking me to the mortuary. "That was the first time I had a seizure in my house but my wife stood by me. God would keep on blessing my wife; I believe that God gave me my wife and I always thank him for her. I bless God that she stayed despite everything that happened to me. "They were taking me to a mortuary but to God be the glory, my hand moved and that was the point they returned me to the hospital. Here I am today. The encounter made me realise that there is nothing as good as rest. It is very important to sleep. I work so hard and I believe that of all comedians in Nigeria, I am the only one with so many brands, I have Crack Ya Ribs, Laff for Christ's Sake and Festival of Love." Julius Agwu told The Punch that he need to have a second surgery because he didn't have enough rest after the first one. So at a point he had a relapse: "What happened was that they did an MRI scan and they detected that I had two growths. They removed a tumour at the back of my head which was the size of a golf ball and the other tumour was close to my brain. They advised me that if they touched the other tumour, it could be fatal. They gave me drugs to shrink the tumour but I did not rest well and that is why it came back last year. I did not rest at all, after my surgery in America, I resumed doing my shows. I thank God for everything. "The truth is that I am back and better. I just want to use this opportunity to tell the people that God is great and this is a time we should all reflect on our life. I would not lie to you, things are not easy in the country and many people are running away from Nigeria. 'Crack Ya Rib' was the first Nigerian show that went to London and after that, everybody started taking their shows there. I thank God that 'Crack Ya Rib' paved the way for other shows," said Julius Agwu. The comedian also said that a lot of people believed he was being attacked spiritually because he had shown interest in becoming the governor of Rivers State at that time. In his words: "We live in a country where people are funny. Remember there was a time I made it public that I wanted to contest as a governor for my state, now, people have advised me not to try it again because they believe that my illness was a spiritual attack.   culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mr Olumide's Blog. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Post a Comment