WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE?

Proverbs 3:27: “Withold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”

How many times have you ignored the very people who, perhaps indirectly have helped to make your life what it is. God has spoken clearly through the Bible that we should be there for others and give to him that asks of us. Bob Gass related a story of an American Navy pilot, Charles Plumb who fought in Vietnam.  

                

After 75 missions his plane was shot down and he parachuted into enemy territory.  He survived for 6 years in a communist prison. Now he lectures on his experience.   One day a man came up to him and said, ‘You are Plumb! You flew jet fighter from the air craft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!’ Plumb replied, ‘How in the world did you know that?’ Smiling the man said, ‘I packed your parachute, I guess it worked.’ 

The story goes on to say that that night Plumb could not sleep. He kept wondering what that man might have looked like in uniform. How many times he had walked past him without speaking because he was a fighter pilot and the man just a sailor?     Plumb began to wonder how many hours this sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silk of each parachute, holding in his hand the fate of someone he didn’t even know.

If Plumb’s parachute were faulty he would have never survived the war! The question is, ‘Who packed your parachute?’ Who has helped you to arrive where you are today? In Romans 16:4, Paul mentioned people most of us would never have gotten to hear of like Pricilla and Aquila, ‘Who for my sake risked their necks.’

Bob Gass makes us know that there are no self made people. For the higher you go the more dependent you become on others. ‘Everyone who has ever done a kind deed or spoken a word of encouragement has entered into the make-up of our character, our thoughts, and our success; says George Matthew Adams. Don’t be self centered and look down on others. Find out who packed your parachute? Be Christ-like and do appreciate others.

PRAYER/CONFESSION: LORD I WILL LOVE OTHERS EVEN AS YOU HAVE COMMANDED.

CULLED FROM: DAILY NUGGETS BY PASTOR (MRS) PHILOMENA UMA UKPAI

THE PLACE OF LOVE IN MARRIAGE By Elder Kunle Solanke (Prepared by Yusuf Rufa’i)

1)   Love means lifelong togetherness.

2)   Love means whatever happens to your spouse happens to you.

3)   This concern towards each other is true and lasting love.

4)   Love is expressed in GIVING.

5)   Love is expressed in FORGIVING and FORGETTING.

6)   Love is SACRIFICIAL and CONCEDING.

7)   Love is praying together. A family that prays together stays together and a family that stays together prays together – Philippians 4:6

§  As a family Supplicate together to God.

§  As a family Thanksgiving should be done to God at all times.

Note: A husband is a LEADER and not necessarily the HEAD. If you claim to be the Head, the wife can say she is the NECK; and you know the Head is nowhere without the Neck.    A man who does not have the backing of his wife cannot make it in life. If you want to be a leader then you need to learn the tenets of leadership – Leadership to your wife and children. Leaders lead by example.

Extra Take Away:

Husbands, you must love your wife with all her blemishes.

Wives, you must submit to your husband with all his weaknesses

(Genesis 2:25, Ephesians 5:32-33, Colossians 3:18-19).

HOW TO FIND A WIFE (SPOUSE) Main Text: Genesis 24:1-7 (Mathew 7:7-8, Proverbs 16:3, 9; 18:22; 31:10)

Introduction

·         It is God’s idea to leave and cleave.

·         It is God’s will for one to marry.

·         Marriage is a good thing and a blessing from God.

·         Marriage is honourable and makes you honoured – Genesis 2:21, 24, Psalms 68:6, Ruth 3:1 (CEV), Hebrew 13:4, 1 Corinthians 7:2, 9, 38a, Ephesians 5:32-33, Colossians 3:18-19.

Biblical Marriage Eligibility: A Single Man or Woman or Parent that is unmarried; A Widow or Widower.

Biblical Marriage Ineligibility: A Divorcee; Temporarily Separated Person.

1)   Before you start to find pray to God for a wife, ask for:

a)   A wife who fears (that is, loves) the Lord – Proverbs 31:30, Ruth 1:16.

b)   A virtuous (that is, good) wife – Proverbs 31:30, 12:4, 11:16a.

c)   A prudent (that is, gracious) wife – Proverbs 14:1; 19:14, Ruth 3:11.

d)   A beautiful wife – remember, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. For some, beauty is character or manners, or diligence, or intelligence or physical etc – Psalms 20:4, Proverbs 11:23a.

      Then find among your “Country” and “Kindred” as gleaned from main text:

a)   Country means family of God – A Born again Christian.

b)   Kindred means  the catchment area or your immediate location in the family of God e.g., your church, your church service group / department, your work or business place, your vicinity – Genesis 24:4, 7, 1 Corinthians 7:39, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

2)   Do not be parochial when finding a wife e. g., She must come from my tribe or nation etc – Romans 3:22, 29; 10:12, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11.

3)   You can ask for proof or confirmation or sign or testifying or conviction or inward witness from the Holy Spirit (this is optional) – Genesis 24:12-14, Romans 8:16, Acts 5:32, 2Corinthians 1:22; 5:5.

4)   As you find wisely as enumerated above God will put your wife in “your space” for you to “see” her – Genesis 2:22; 24:15; 29:9-10, Ruth 2:2-3, 5.

5)   And when you “see” her, approach and declare your intentions to her. And if she declines and says NO, go back to God and report and He will tell you to wait or be alert and shine your eyes as He sends another one – Genesis 2:23; 24:33, 49.

6)   Note: Have a heart for God, love and walk with Him and He will give you a spouse even without you praying about it because God loves you in return and has your best interest at heart – Boaz and Ruth loved God, so God brought them together – Ruth 1:16; 2:4.

7)   Note: It can also be the other way round where the woman does the finding and obtains favour from God. It is scriptural, all you need to do is find wisely as enumerated above and pass out the signals discreetly or even broach it to him – Ruth 3:3-6, 9, 11, 16-18. 
8) And when you have found, give thanks to the Lord – Genesis 24:26-27, 48, and 52. 

10 POWERFUL MARRIAGE LESSONS By Pastor Michael Erubami (Prepared by Yusuf Rufa’i)

Introduction

Marriage is the primary foundation of life. It is a step to success and sadly it is also a step to destruction because of incompatibility and lack of knowledge – Amos 3:3.

Divorces are majorly as a result of incompatibility. Because Knowledge was lacking before stepping into marriage, many marriages suffered. Once there is incompatibility, which is a function of DISAGREEMENT, a marriage can hit the rocks. Even when human blood is of the same group and genotype, there are still cases of incompatibility (disagreement) and thus such blood cannot be donated to another and vice-versa. Wrong marriages pack up and sometimes lead to death because one partner was carrying an emotional burden or pain; and burdens kill more than HIV or Cancer. Disagreeing to agree, agreeing to agree is the game changer and miracle wand. AGREEMENT will lead to Understanding, Peace and Harmony in the physical and in the spirit.

What you must know BEFORE STEPPING INTO MARRIAGE

1)   Seek God’s face first and pray for confirmation from God.

2)   Put it at the back of your mind that even if God chose for you, your partner is not perfect because of human nature.

3)   Study your partner and their background.

4)   Ask of or know your partner’s customs and traditions.

5)   Understand the health status of your partner.

6)   You must Endure and Tolerate. Endurance and Tolerance is the result of understanding. Understand each other in order to perfect agreement.

7)   You must ask of or know each other’s past truthfully.

8)   You must understand the Do’s and Don’ts of each other, that is, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses.

9)   Find out if your partner is the only Son or Daughter of the family – or else you may also be marrying the family who may be overly worried or concerned about their offspring.

10)               Don’t go into any relationship because of the tele-guiding of your leader – Pastor, Boss, and Relative etc. take responsibility!