Efe obaro's thoughts

All for His pleasure

2009-06-05T22:49:00.001+01:00

R 4:11 says everything was created by His desire, by His will, for His pleasure. It just occurred to me, that the purpose of all creation was and still is for the personal profit of the Creator.

He existed before everything else J1:1 and was complete in Himself. However, He decided to create and relate with creation G 1:27 and this relationship is personal M6:1-18 and the tighter this bond is the happier He is G5:24, G610. In the same way,

He is very unhappy when we turn our backs from him. Very unhappy.This got to a head once when God looked down on the earth and saw how wicked everyone on earth was and He was sorry that He ever made man. Imagine that. God was once full of regret that He created man. The source of this sadness was man's sin...period.

Now, we have decided to come back home and relate with the Father once more, but the thing is, are our lives giving Him pleasure? We must all make this second reconciliation. Its not just about relating with the Father.....is it giving Him pleasure?

Bible maths

2009-06-05T16:58:00.002+01:00

I guess this might be considered stretching things a bit, but i just saw something now and i really need to put this down in "ink" for two reasons....firstly so you can see it and be reassured of His abilities and secondly as a record.

Looking through the 4 gospel records, only one miracle of Christ is covered by all - the feeding of the 5 thousand (minimum numbers).

From the account of John, Philip's response to the LORD's enquiry into feeding the lot was "for everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins to buy enough bread"... not bread and fish, just bread.

Now the amazing thing is, how much this was and i want to try to bring this to today's value (too many NPV calculations moving through the brain). A silver coin, at that time was the daily wage of a rural worker (Mathew 20:2). Some translations have the 200 silver coins to represent a man's annual wage which would be reasonable if you calculate that no work was done on the sabbath and i guess during festivals and other holy days and time off from work. In the UK of today, a rural worker would probably earn about (£5.7 X 8 hours) ~£45 a day...hence i think it would be safe to assume that a silver coin would be roughly £45 today. 200 silver coins would thus equal £9,000.

Ok, so the bill for the entire feast was about £9,000 (if my analysis above makes any sense at all) and Jesus and the disciples had 5 loaves and two fish between them. At £1 for a loaf of bread and about £2 for fish, the LORD had about £9 to work with.

Now lets have some fun with these figures

cash per head £9/5000 = 0.18p

rate of return £9/£9000 *100 = 0.1%

Budget deficit £9,000-£9 = £8,991

Daunting to say the least.

In the face of this, Jesus, took the (£9) gave the Father in heaven thanks and then started utilising the (£9) without thinking twice. Right before their eyes, the ratios increased, the deficit was settled and at the end was surplus. I don't know how much a basket of fish and bread would be worth but assuming that each basket held just the equivalent of 5 loaves and 2 fish (extraordinary prudent estimate), then the final equation is

£9 - £9,000 = £108

It doesn't matter what the problem is, or how little you have, take it, give God thanks and utilise it...... as joint heirs with the Son, we can .

Waiting on the Lord

2008-09-11T21:54:00.004+01:00

I am currently going through a phase of spiritual understanding. This understanding is centered around the limits of the Lord God's powers and His interests in my well being. I have to admit that going through the fire for purification purposes is not easy, but i know it is worth it.

I now know, that there are no limits to His powers and the love He has for my well fare is awesome and by the Spirit, positive changes are effected.

In line with Isaiah 60:15, "Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.", I have seen the glory and power of the Lord time after time after time manifest in my life. I am however still trying to fully come to terms the ending of Isaiah 60 "I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly" which means i have to fully trust in the Lord with all my heart, without doubt, in His ability to act on my behalf at the right time.

It takes a lot of work and totally against my human nature but i guess that i why i have to put away this body, for the sake of the Spirit.

I thank God for His deeds in my life, especially in the past couple of weeks, and i will forever proclaim that "He is the living God".

To my dear friend, Tena Desiree

2008-08-21T16:48:00.002+01:00

I still cannot forget the moment i heard the news of your passing and the grief i felt at that moment has really not subsided. You were one of the truest friends i have ever had, and i thank God for giving me the chance to know you.

Four academic years together gave me a chance to know the intelligent, beautiful, cheerful and extremely God fearing girl you were and i will always hold those days dear to me.

Thinking back, i know realise how much you matured spiritually over the years and how much you were at peace with yourself.... yet never compromising.

I will always hold you dear to my heart.............till we meet again.

Sleep well my friend, rest well TTD.

We all thank God for your life

Another start to Life

2008-08-21T16:37:00.002+01:00

Call it a second wind, a new lease on life, male menopause or whatever............ my life has started anew. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to seek the understanding that makes life worth living.

Without this understanding i have made mistakes, i have wasted time and resources chasing shadows and storing mountains of fools gold. Exposed my self to harm and harmed others because i did it all my way.

I now know that my way isn't the path i was meant to walk on. I wasn't created to clear my own path in life, untested and unprotected, without a destination. A path was made for me even before my first breath and i now know that that is the path i must follow. That is the path which leads to a destination of peace, joy and prosperity and which i now follow.

I will continue to thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity!

Repeat?

2008-08-01T23:27:00.004+01:00

Im thinking about finding love once more...... hopefully at the right place this time. My fear of getting hurt however makes me to re-consider.

For those who havent been hurt by love gone sour, it hurts, really hurts.

I still cant describe the pain when you know that the person your heart yearns for is nomore...... not dead.... alive but is she? Its a feeling that only we fools called lovers know only too well, yet cant stay away from.

Its worse than broken bones or burning flesh.... worse than an ulcer......quite unlike muscular tears...........or supporting the arsenal lately (lol).... its really bad.

When i balance the rewards of love with the risk of hurt, the scales always tip in favour of love....... but my dear, its really difficult....

I have decided to give love one more chance.... not now..... in the near future

Failed love

2008-07-22T14:05:00.004+01:00

There is no pain like it.

To love someone and not receive it back in like measure is a hunt for fools gold. Its a consuming emotional experience, which can only lead to the ruin of the first and confusion of the other.

She doesnt love me and she cant tell me otherwise. So why exactly am i still holding on to hope? I had thought it possible, that my love for her would be enough to see us through it all. But now i realise that the decision to go into and stay in a relationship must be made by both parties centered around shared love. The absence of love from one party contaminates the essence of the bond shared and this can only rectified by her....... i cant do it for her....... not because i wouldnt do it if i could...... but i cant......My love cannot be enough for two.

In my bid to make things work, i have become someone else....... a bad replica. The best i can be is the best me. I cannot be you, or you but me, the best me and nothing more.

If the best me isnt good enough for you, then i guess it wasnt meant to be. If it is and you are able to love me...... meet me half way in the shared bond of love, you know where to find me.

Just my thoughts at the moment...... nothing more.

Love

2008-07-12T11:01:00.004+01:00

..........is a bitch. period!

It gets really sad to see people in love, do all the things that lovers do, for people who dont love 'em.

He keeps calling her, she doesnt pick up the calls.
He calls her friends, they get tired of the calls and then stop taking them
He calls his friends, they also get tired......

and he still gets on a flight, last minute, to see her.......... grrrrrrrr!!!(singing...why do fools fall in love)

Q: Did he get to see her
A: nope because she doesnt love him............duh

This isnt my story, but i cant say i havent exeprienced such.

My wish....

All eligibles were listed, male and female, in seperate rows. All i have to do, is search for my name on the list and see who i have been paired with. The infallibility of the system would ensure that whether that name be a Barbara, a Jessica, a Bukola or an Ijeoma, a Halima or a Catherine, it wouldnt matter cause the system was perfect

just my thoughts on love at the moment

Life in reverse - Racism

2008-04-05T03:10:00.002+01:00

Its generally understood, most times, that racist behaviour isn't proper. Though this applies mostly in public, discrimination based on race is on its way out - so i thought.

So much focus is given to bias against non-white people that it may seem that that's the only form of racism that exists. Being of Africa descent living in a cosmopolitan city in Scotland i know that this form of bias does exist, but i have also experienced racist behaviour directed towards white people - strange but true.

A specific incident comes to mind.

A friend (white) of mine was once denied entry into a club. Not because the club was full, or the club was closing but because he wasn't Asian. Yep you heard me!!! a white boy was denied entry to a club because he wasn't Asian, because of the way he looked, because of the colour of his skin.

I think i was more devastated than he was as i tried to make sense of it all with him and as he walked off i wondered what Dr King would have said about this????

I don't pretend to give explanations for what i think about or what i experience..... i just call it as i see it.

Is it really a man's world?

2008-03-19T22:15:00.003+01:00

I'll get straight to the point on this one - ok!!!

Why is it wrong for a man to "toast" ( for my non-Nigerian readers - woo) more than one girl at the same time yet no-one blinks an eyelid when a woman has 10 different suitors without discouraging any of them.

i can argue from one angle that for the man to be interested in a woman, it has to be for a particular reason and its that reason that underlies his wanting to be with her "till death do them part". I can also follow up this argument by saying there can be 10 different men that see the same thing in this one woman - hence the 10 different suitors. The climax of this argument is that its for the woman to, when she is ready, pick the best deal for herself.

But please, somebody, anybody, tell me why its ok for a woman to encourage all ten suitors, drag them along for an unending ride of movie dates, flower bouquets and free taxi services and then choose the best of the lot but a man cannot cast his net far and wide and also seek the best deal for himself? The man is instantly branded a cheat while the woman is said to be protecting herself.

As far as i am concerned there should be no difference between a man actively searching and a woman passively seeking.

Its just a thought oh!!!

Power - or lack thereof

2007-04-13T18:46:00.002+01:00

Iraq, currently in the throes of debilitating civilian chaos, has intermittent power supply. Some parts of the Capital is supplied with Power for less than 7 hours daily.

Zimbabwe, currently has one of the highest inflation figures worldwide, is currently experiencing power cuts.

Nigeria, ......... ( i don't think folks from 9ja want me to complete this)...

There is something i also don't get...... how do our leaders rate themselves in the light (no pun intended) of the constant black- out- (the use of the term "black outs" would indicate partial power supply. i am referring to totality). No power means the cost of manufacturing, provision of services all go up - increasing the general cost of living. Yet our leaders give themselves great scores on their stewardship.

The saddest part of it all is that, by default, we seem to just take it up the a@#s and move on.

In the words of the late great Fela Anikulapo Kuti " Suffering and Smiling".

Labour pains

2007-02-12T22:12:00.000+01:00

I still feel the pains

Thinking about the call i just received. the gloom from the other end. the troubles i just shared.
Once heared that a problem shared is a problem half solved. i dont think that applies in this case.

Five years (plus) in a sorry excuse for a University, law school and then a year serving his nation and then what ..... N15k a month

Thats right! a Lawyer, earning 15K in month.

15k to put food on the table, a roof over his head, shirt on his back....

brings back memories (2003) of seeing old women in Ijebu Ife (Ogun State) scared about the effects of the recent fuel price hike and thinking how appealing the thought of a socialist community would be to them.

My friend called to ask for a "loan". I knew at that moment that he couldnt pay me back but said yes to his request all the same. couldnt help it.

the truth is, that call brought a bit of reality back on me. i had cried a couple of minutes before cause i had no shoes.......................

Now i know! or at least i think i know!