Global warming is the result of a human-made introduction of greenhouse emission gases into the environment. The gases are rapidly increasing global temperatures, which in the absence of decisive remedial actions, it would be impossible to reverse the damage done.

The United Nations is stepping to the plate to save the planet, but in analyzing and comparing data, we certainly have a long way to go. Humans still have difficulty halting carbon emissions to the atmosphere; hence, the consistent temperature rise has indiscriminately set the earth on its path to extinction.

The impacts of global warming are apparent. Imagine you are out there in the space staring at the planet earth; you’re probably going to shake your head in pity as the breathable air level reaches its low 2.6 miles depth. You are likely to say, “There’s no much air left for those folks!”

In keeping it real about the status of our planet earth, one must admit that the depletion of oxygen rate is alarming. Earth does not have the luxury of excess air.

Our activities have steadily kept us on track to replacing the oxygen needed for surviving with carbon dioxide (which is primarily the end product of global warming).

Scientists have long recognized the impact of global warming, and have sounded an alarm. We are told the earth is “wobbling” about its orbit (The axis on which it spins in the solar system). Scientists explained the earth wobbling had left us with those factors that we consider as natural disasters – earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, extreme dryness, and extreme coldness.

Scientists are loud on this subject, but they are not the only voices raising a concern. The environmentalists, Christians, and other people of faith also weigh into discussing this subject. Christians, especially, are stating the situation of global warming is a sign of the end for our planet earth.

You may expect that science and the Bible would clash. Of course, they did, but both the theory and belief agree that this earth will go to extinction!

Bible does not buy into the scientists’ idea that humans will torch the earth into extinction, but they both point to the conclusion that this globe has come closer to its end.

What Are The Means To The End For Our Earth Planet?

Is man the means to the end, or God?

Science has its reason, but the Bible has since predicted the current and ongoing natural disasters as a sign of the end for the planet earth.

Someone might say, “That’s global warming leading us to extinction,” but wait before you celebrate, how have Christians interpreted that?

Bible – Christians’ holy book- emphasized that, just before the return of Jesus (second coming), the earth would experience alarming natural disasters such as earthquakes, outbreaks of diseases (like Covid-19 Pandemic), people would suffer from rare famine, and other horrors (Matthew 24:3).

Lovers of our planet earth- Christians, scientists, and environmentalists may have opposing views on global warming, but in most cases, they share a common interest in saving the earth planet.

Whether faith plays into this fact or not, it is evident that irresponsible human actions will speedily make the earth un-habitable and ultimately goes extinct unless some decisive actions are taken.

The digging on the subject of global warming continues, and I am committed to publishing the findings on https://jamestaiwo.com. Consider subscribing for an update at https://jamestaiwo.com/newsletter.

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The post Does Bible Support Global Warming? appeared first on Inspirational Quotes & Articles of James Taiwo.

“And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of them all is love’ (1Corinthians 13:13 KJV).

Just as the scripture says in Proverb 4:7 that, “wisdom is the principal thing,” we can also say of the above scripture that love is a principal thing. 

Love is important, and everyone responds to it. It is not a mere feeling. It’s a verb, an action. It connotes giving. God demonstrated this when He sent His beloved son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sin.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV)

The scripture above told us of certain love- God’s love for humankind. But it wasn’t just that love. With that love comes a gift. He gave his only begotten son because he loves us, so that we may be saved. 

The value of real love cannot be substituted for any other virtue. In fact, the scripture stated,

 “Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised” (Song 8:7 NASB)

Lesson on the True Love of God

Love is paramount and important for all people. God is love and wants every Christian to have a real love for other people. Unfortunately, some people abuse love, and they mistakenly conclude that some personal gains must always be obtained from when it is practiced.

However, love is not selfish. Whatever a person considers as true love must not be self-centered. God gave a commandment in Mark 12:30-31,

“And thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. The second is like, namely this, thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 KJV)

If you profess Christianity, or at least you honor the word of God, then you wouldn’t hurt your neighbor. 

If we start acting according to the word of God and we build our lives around His commandment, then every form of backbiting, slandering, gossip, jealousy, hatred will be replaced with the fruits of the spirits, which are, joy, peace, patience, love, kindness, gentleness, fruitfulness, and self-control. 

Having these fruits does not mean we won’t have differences, disagreement, or misunderstanding, but we will be able to deal with them in the most appropriate ways. 

Love is not desperate and self-focus. It does not only consider things of its own. Love thinks about others and seeks their welfare. Of course, love does not mean that a person should ignore himself and be completely sold out to others. While he cares for himself, he must also be relevant to others. Loving your neighbor does not mean dying to self or denying yourself as if you need to destroy yourself. 

As a matter of fact, you need to love yourself before you can love your neighbor, because the scripture says, 

“love your neighbor as yourself.” This means you must love yourself first before you can love your neighbor. 

There is a measurement in that scripture. The length to which you must love your neighbor is how much you love yourself. 

You cannot give what you do not have. If you have no love in you, you can’t give it out to others. Jesus came to die for each and every one of us. He valued us enough to go through what he went through; therefore, we owe it to him value ourselves. To value what he values. 

He loves us, and we need to love ourselves as well. But we must remember that when we love ourselves, we must not be self-centered about it. 

In short, whoever claims to have true love must not be consumed in him or herself only.

Also, love does not equate to sexuality. Love is selfless, caring, impartial, and godly.

Therefore, everyone must evaluate whatever he or she regards as love.

If the result of the evaluation does not satisfy God’s criteria of righteousness, then it is not love!

The word of God remains alive stating:

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10 NKJV)

Ask God today to flourish your heart with genuine love – real love – that will benefit other people and me. Also, ask that the demonstrations of your love result in the glorification of his name.

Ask for that love that is selfless, impartial, truthful, and fruitful!

Prayer for Real Love of Christ

Dear God, please flourish my heart with genuine love – real love – that will benefit other people and me.

Also, let the demonstrations of my love result to the glorification of your name.

Let my love be selfless, impartial, truthful, and fruitful!

For in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

The post Covet Real Love: Love is the Principal Thing appeared first on Inspirational Quotes & Articles of James Taiwo.

God Never Fail Promises: He is Ever Faithful

One of the mysterious things about God is that he has never failed and will never fail. He’s not a man that lies or breaks promises.

People change, but our God does not change. He is the same today, tomorrow and forevermore.

Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. (Psalms 119:90 KJV)

He is ever faithful. A man can make a promise today only to wake up tomorrow and change his mind. Our God isn’t like this.

Unlike man, God is consistent and one-faced. He’s always true to His words, no matter the circumstance. He is ever faithful; he keeps promises.

God will remain true to his words, and he will keep them under whatever circumstance so that all people can glorify his name.

Yea, there are times when it seems what God has said concerning you isn’t coming to pass, or you can’t see the manifestation of what He has promised. This only happens when you have failed to do your own part. Yea, there is a part you to play: you need to have faith in him.

The Reiteration of God’s Faithfulness

A direct reference to this topic can be read from the Bible when King David witnessed many goodnesses of God and recounted some of them in return appreciations (to the Creator).

King David, the man of God recounted Jehovah’s efforts that lead Israelites out of the land of Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land – A land flowing with “milk and honey.” David stated,

“When they went from one nation to another, And from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.”(1 Chronicles 16:20-22 NKJV).

God’s faithfulness can also be traced to his relationship with the Hebrews/ Jewish people.

Thousands of years ago, He made a covenant with Abraham and that still holds till today.

Let’s take a look at more examples of God’s faithfulness in the Bible.

To Noah – God made a covenant with Noah that he would protect him and his family when he wanted to destroy the earth. God said,

And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shall come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. (Genesis 6: 17-18)

To Moses

And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. (Exodus 19: 3-5 KJV)

Remember: God is ever faithful and he keeps his promises under whatever circumstance.

God is far stronger and better than any human being.

Perhaps one out of many contrasts between a man and God is that man is fallible in nature, but God is not.

Man can make a promise today and change his mind tomorrow, but God does not change his mind! He keeps his promises always.

God’s has reiterated his faithfulness several times in the Bible. For example, He said,

Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. (Deuteronomy 7:9 KJV)

As humans, some tough situations and challenges of life may want to shake us or plant the seed of doubt in our mind, but as Christians, we must always remember that God will remain faithful to us, his children – come rain come shine.

God will do whatever necessary to fulfill his promises on us (his people) – even when any situation appears very bad.

Depending on any situation, God may or may not require our efforts before he fulfills his promises. However, something very important in any situation is that we must trust him always.

Be Rest Assured That God Is Ever Faithful!

Believers are encouraged to keep their faith in God and remain hopeful for the fulfillment of his promises.

Jehovah will fulfill his promises over us. He will do whatever he has promised!

God has promised his people his divine healing and protection during any period such as Coronavirus pandemic.

He will keep us safe and heal those who are sick. Truly the sky may look dull and dark as if a terrible situation will never cease, but the good news is that a tough time will not last for a child of God.

Jehovah will stand by his children like a mighty warrior to make his name glorified. He will help his children in the time of trouble, and he will honor them beyond any human comprehension.

God is ever faithful. Trust him, and his promises will stand sure on you.

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The post God Never Fail Promises: He is Ever Faithful appeared first on Inspirational Quotes & Articles of James Taiwo.

Many people live their lives to please others. They are obsessed with what people think of them. They are very cautious about their way of life because they want everyone to praise them. Some even give up on their goal because they feel if they fail, there are a lot of people waiting to criticize them. 

Let me put this straight to you – whether you fail or succeed, people will always see fault in you. It isn’t because of your flaws, but because that is the nature of man.

Sometimes, people will lash their tongues because they are jealous of you.

The real purpose of your living isn’t to please others. It’s just embracing that person you are and walking the path where your passion and desire lead!

If you live your life in such a way to avoid judgment and criticism, your journey will be full of aggravating moments. And this will lead to depression. When you start seeing these signs, it means you have put off those things that your soul yearns for. 

You should always expect criticism because people don’t understand your journey. The real person who truly knows your life journey is you, and the real person who can be inspired to live it appropriately is you! 

Sometimes, some criticisms are good for us. There are times when we need them in order not to forget who we are.

We can’t ignore people’s opinions every time just because we don’t live our lives for them. Criticism can sometimes help us gain valuable insight into our actions and help us see those things we are missing.

Use these 14 tips to confront and overcome criticism

1. Don’t take criticism personally
2. Focus on the road, not the wall
3. Don’t respond immediately
4. Respond calmly
5. Assess criticism and the critic
6. Understand their point of view
7. Respond on your terms
8. Are they qualified to criticize you or your work?
9. Step back to see the big picture
10. Let go of your ego
11. Look for the nugget of truth
12. Shield yourself against unwanted negativity
13. Practice to ignore criticism
14. Leave, think, and return

Beat your critics with some proper actions. Get better and get stronger!

Cheers!

The post 14 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO DEAL WITH CRITICISM appeared first on Inspirational Quotes & Articles of James Taiwo.

Emotion or Real Praises?

The last time you attempted to praise God, did you do it out of emotion, or you did it out of reasoning? You don’t have to respond loudly, but you were likely got caught up with emotion and based your praises on it. Continue reading Should Emotion Drive Your Praises?

If this month is considered as Pastors’ Appreciation month, how would you appreciate your pastor? Does your pastor deserve an appreciation, and how much of it would you offer him?

Your pastor is your church leader who watches over your soul and leads you in the way of the Lord. Pastors’ job is much more involving than it appears on the surface.

Pastors share the responsibility of their church members. They are all out there trying their best to help those in need.

If any comparison would be suitable, consider comparing your pastor to the president of a country who has an enormous burden to care for the citizens of his land.

Your pastor has a lot on his plate to deal with. Just imagine that your pastor is not only dealing with your issue; he is also dealing with the situations of other members of the congregation.

If any member has a problem, it also automatically got your pastor involved. He has to be there for such an individual. He has to stand in the gap by praying and providing other supports.

Your Pastor Is Human

Your pastor, who is often pressured to help solve other people’s problems, also has his own personal life with issues to address.

Your pastor, just like every other human being, has to care for himself and his family.

Perhaps, your pastor even has more problems to shove aside while he’s trying to solve yours!

Always remember that your pastor is a fellow human being who puts his problem aside to try to be of help to you.

Never take the kindness of your pastor for granted – Appreciate him!

Your pastor has a spiritual responsibility to watch over your soul. He watches over you in prayers. He feeds you with the word of God. He also tries his best to offer you moral support and other help whenever you need one.

Appreciate Your Pastor

Get this fact straight: your pastor is not God; you must not worship him!

You must give all glory to God, for he deserves it! However, never forget that your pastor, who represents God in your life, must be appreciated!

Hebrews 13:17 (NIV) rightly addresses this,

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” – Hebrews 13:17 (NIV)

Don’t Be Insensitive About Your Pastor

Your pastor is not an angel. Most times, people get it wrong, thinking their pastors are all-sufficient ones. They are not.

Even if everything is going well with your pastor, you should always consider it important to encourage and minister to his needs.

Pastors are human, just like everyone else. They have needs, and they need some encouragement.

How Well Can A Pastor Be Appreciated?

Some pastors get paid some stipends to care for their needs while some others don’t get any payment.

Under whatever condition, you, as a church member, must understand that you have the personal responsibility to take care of your pastor!

Take it or leave it, no pastor can be well compensated for his services because the title carries enormous responsibility with ranging impact of brain drain, emotional impact, and psychological impact.

How May I Appreciate My Pastor?

As a church member, step-up to the plate and shoulder your responsibility. Do your due diligence for your pastor!

1. Pray for your pastor

• Your pastor is another human being who has needs. He needs your prayers to keep energized as he continues to serve the Lord.

2. Encourage your pastor

• Some good words can help to make a difference in the life of your pastor.
• Have some words of encouragement for your pastor whenever you get the chance.

3. provide for your pastor

• Money and materials can help.
• You may have thought that your little offering cannot make a dent; you might be wrong! Guess what? Your “widow’s mite” may worth a million to your pastor.
• (Remember that any good thing you do to your pastor is technically being done to God).

What You Must Not Do To Your Pastor

1. Don’t sabotage the efforts of your pastor.

• Don’t negatively influence his work.
• Keep your mouth shut and don’t say anything whenever you don’t have any positive word.

2. Don’t back-stab your pastor

• (Unfortunately, this has to be mentioned among the believers!)
• Understand that your wrong words and back-stabbing can affect the work of God.
• Always remember that words and actions will be rewarded on God’s day of judgment.

3. Don’t expect your pastor to always please you in speech and deeds.

• Your pastor is not just a friend; he is your mentor!
• Your pastor is not a motivational speaker; he is God’s messenger.
• Only expect your pastor to tell you the Bible-principle truth.
• Don’t expect your pastor to always say whatever you will like to hear.
• Suck your pride whenever your pastor tells you an inconvenient truth.

Obey the word of God spoken by your pastor so that you can prosper on earth and inherit God’s kingdom.

Respect your pastor, appreciate him, and remember him in prayers.

As you do all the good things discussed in this post, I believe and declare that you shall prosper in all your ways!

Shalom!

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The post How Is Your Pastor Doing? appeared first on Inspirational Quotes & Articles of James Taiwo.