Fruitful Living
Resurrection life (Part 1)
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:18-19
Introduction:
As we celebrate Easter this year, I’d love for you to join me in studying these thought provoking devotionals from Oswald Chambers called “My Utmost for His Highest”. It is my prayer that God will touch our hearts in a special way. He says He’s doing something new and so let us embrace what He has for us.
THE CONCENTRATION OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. – Galatians 6:14
If you want to know the energy of God (i.e., the resurrection life of Jesus) in your mortal flesh, you must brood on the tragedy of God. Cut yourself off from prying personal interest in your own spiritual symptoms and consider bare-spirited the tragedy of God, and instantly the energy of God will be in you. “Look unto me,” pay attention to the objective Source and the subjective energy will be there. We lose power if we do not concentrate on the right thing.
The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing etc., but we are not to preach any of these, we are to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God’s centre in your preaching, and though your crowd may apparently pay no attention, they can never be the same again. If I talk my own talk, it is of no more importance to you than your talk is to me; but if I talk the truth of God, you will meet it again so will I.
We have to concentrate on the great point of spiritual energy – the Cross, to keep in contact with that centre where all the power lies, and the energy will be let loose. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings the concentration is apt to be put not on the Cross of Christ, but on the effects of the Cross.
The feebleness of the churches is being criticised today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this concentration of spiritual energy; we have not brooded enough on the tragedy of Calvary on the meaning of Redemption.
“AND EVERY VIRTUE WE POSSESS”
“All my flesh springs shall be in Thee.” Psalm 137:7 (P. B. V.)
Our Lord never patches up our natural virtues; He re-makes the whole man on the inside. “Put on the new man.” i.e., see that your natural human life puts on the garb that is in keeping with the new life. The life God plant in us develops its own virtues, not the virtues of Adam but of Jesus Christ. Watch how God will wither up your confidence in natural virtues after sanctification, and in any power you have, until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life Jesus. Thank God if you are going through a drying-up experience!
The sign that God is at work in us is that He corrupts confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but remnants of what God created man to be. We will cling to the natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us into contact with the life of Jesus Christ, which can never be described in terms of the natural virtues.
It is the saddest thing to see people in the service of God depending on that which the grace never gave them, depending on what they have by the accident of heredity. God does not build up our natural virtues and transfigure them, because our natural virtues can never come anywhere near what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every bit of our bodily life into harmony with the new life, which God has put, in us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristics of the Lord Jesus. “And every virtue we possess is His alone.”
MORAL DIVINITY
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His resurrection.” – Romans 6:5
Co-Resurrection: The proof that I have been through crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a decided likeness to Him. The incoming of the Spirit of Jesus into me readjusts my personal life to God. The resurrection of Jesus has given Him authority to impart the life of God to me, and my experimental life must be constructed on the basis of His life. I can have the resurrection life of Jesus now, and it will show itself in holiness.
The idea all through the Apostle Paul’s writings is that after the moral decision to be identified with Jesus in His death has been made, the resurrection life of Jesus invades every bit of my human nature. It takes omnipotence to live the life of the Son of God in mortal flesh. The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a Guest in a house. He invades everything. When once I decide that my “old man” (i.e., the heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit invades me.
He takes charge of everything; my part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals. When I have made the moral decision about sin, it is easy to reckon actually that I am dead unto sin, because I find the life of Jesus there all the time. Just as there is only one stamp of humanity, so there is only one stamp of holiness, the holiness of Jesus, and it is His holiness that is gifted to me. God puts the holiness of his Son into me, and I belong to a new order spiritually.
To be continued…
For further enquiries please contact us on
Tel Nos. 0268130615 or 0243588467
Email: saltnlightministries@gmail. com
Website: saltandlightgh.org
By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author
Fruitful Living
Polygamy in Islam
Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah, Who has blessed us with guidance in every aspect of our lives, including marriage.
We thank Him for providing us with a system that upholds fairness, justice, and compassion.
We send blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who exemplified love, patience, and justice in his family life. May Sallah (SWT) enable us to follow his example in all our relationships.
Introduction to Polygamy in Islam
Servants of Allah, today’s khutbah is on Polygamy in Islam – a topic often misunderstood but rich in wisdom and compassion when viewed through the lens of Islamic teachings. Polygamy in Islam is not a mere cultural practice; it is a regulated structure rooted in social responsibility and fairness.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself practiced polygamy under divine instruction, setting an example of responsibility and compassion. Through polygamy, Islam offers solutions to social needs and supports a framework that prioritises justice.
Today, we will explore what Islam says about polygamy, the conditions attached, the responsibilities of the husband, the blessings it brings, and the challenges it may entail.
What does Islam say about Polygamy?
Polygamy is permissible in Islam under specific guidelines aimed at ensuring fairness and justice. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
“Then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one…” (Qur’an 4:3).
This verse clearly places conditions on the practice of polygamy, allowing it only if the husband can be just and fair. Polygamy is therefore not a right but a responsibility that requires honesty and commitment.
Islam’s allowance for polygamy provides a solution to social circumstances such as caring for widows, orphans, and cases where multiple marriages serve the greater welfare of the community.
The Example of the Prophet (PBUH):
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) practiced polygamy later in his life, and his marriages were largely motivated by social and humanitarian reasons. He married widows, older women, and women who had been previously divorced to provide them with protection, social standing, and support.
His actions illustrate the spirit of compassion and responsibility that underpins polygamy in Islam.
One notable marriage was to Sawda bint Zam’a (RA), an older widow. This marriage provided her with security and respect, highlighting the Prophet’s (PBUH) empathy and commitment to supporting women who were vulnerable or marginalised in society.
References:
• Qur’an, Surah An-Nisa (4:3, 4:34, 4:129), Surah Al-Baqarah (2:83)
• Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud (2133), Sunan Tirmidhi (3895)
(To be continued)
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, 1BN – Michel Camp
Features
Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship launches project to transform young lives
The Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Ghana has launched the Senior High Schools and Colleges Project (SCP) aimed at empowering and transforming the lives of young people.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Mike Ocquaye, the former Speaker of Parliament, emphasised the need to catch them young and train them as the current times were challenging.
He lauded the project, calling on all to support it, saying “In fact, it’s very important to catch them young, train them, lead them, guide them, and mentor them because the times are indeed rough,” Prof. Ocquaye said.
Mr Ekow Egyir Dadson, the Director, Schools and Colleges Directorate, stated that since its inception in 2018, the SCP had reached over 70 educational institutions with countless testimonies of transformation.
“We began with the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) Legon, and now in 2024, we have visited 74 schools and impacted the lives of over 100,000 students, some of whom were personally mentored and now have graduated from the universities.”
He explained that the SCP, a vision by FGBMFI Ghana, was a bold outreach programme designed to call young people to Christ, train and equip them for the future.
He cited testimony-sharing, mentorship, career guidance, entrepreneurship and counseling as some of the unique approaches to be used in reaching out to the targeted students.
Mr Emmanuel Baba Mahama, the National President of the FGBMFI Ghana, launched the SCP Manual, which would help the FGBMFI Zonal Family Chapters across Ghana in order to adopt schools and colleges within their catchment areas.
The Schools and Colleges project is making a great impact; we have had first-hand testimonies from school heads, teachers, and students (mentees) about the SCP. This project has come to stay, Mr Baba Mahama assured.
He, therefore, called for more volunteers and partners to help the SCP shape the next generation of leaders and citizens.
Findings by the FGBMFI revealed that Ghana’s senior high schools, colleges, and university students face growing challenges like addictions, indiscipline, poor academic performance, pornography, homosexuality, broken homes, and a lack of godly guidance.
That had been a concern to many parents and society, “but the FGBMFI believes there is hope to rescue and restore these young students,” Mr Mahama said. –GNA
