But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
Ants — diligence and preparation “Go to the ant, thou sluggard…” — Proverbs 6:6–8 “The ants are not strong people, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” — Proverbs 30:25 Lions — boldness and strength “The lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any.” — Proverbs 30:30 This verse praises confidence and fearless strength. Badgers / rock hyraxes — wisdom in weakness “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” — Proverbs 30:26 (Modern translations often say “rock badgers” or “hyraxes.”) Locusts — cooperation and order “The locusts have no king, yet go forth all of them by bands.” — Proverbs 30:27
This reflection probably began about a week ago while I was thinking about Agur — not Accra, but Agur from Book of Proverbs 30.
What is interesting about Agur is that he appears near the concluding part of Proverbs, even though Solomon is traditionally associated with most of the book. Agur is introduced as “the son of Jakeh,” yet very little is known about him. We do not fully know his background, his position, or exactly how he related to Solomon, but one thing is obvious: he carried wisdom.
And perhaps that is why his words remained preserved in Scripture.
One day while coming back from work, I looked out through a window and suddenly human beings looked like ants to me. It was a strange moment, but it immediately brought the book of Proverbs into my mind.
Consider the Ant
In Book of Proverbs 6:6–11, Scripture says:
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”
The passage explains that ants have:
no master,
no overseer,
no ruler,
yet they prepare diligently and gather their food in season.
Then again in Proverbs 30:25, Agur says:
“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.”
That phrase stayed with me: they prepare.
Ants are tiny creatures, but they possess wisdom, structure, and diligence. They function collectively without constant visible rulership. If you study ants closely, you realize how extraordinary they really are.
Now, I will not pretend that I fully understand every insight I had that day, and honestly, some knowledge should be handled carefully because wisdom without character can easily become dangerous. Knowledge in the wrong hands can be used wickedly. So I share these thoughts cautiously.
Solomon, Kingdoms, and Multitudes
What also came to mind was Solomon himself.
Solomon ruled not just a single people, but a vast kingdom connected to many nations. Through alliances, trade, foreign relationships, and marriages, he governed enormous populations and multiple cultures. He understood administration, order, diplomacy, and the complexity of human society.
So when Agur writes about ants and locusts, it almost feels like wisdom connected not only to nature, but also to governance and human systems.
Large populations begin to resemble colonies.
When nations become massive, it becomes increasingly difficult for any one ruler to truly oversee everything happening within them. The larger the population, the more decentralized reality becomes.
That is one of the hidden observations within the imagery of ants.
The Wisdom of Ants
Ants exist in enormous numbers and scattered colonies, yet they maintain coordination and survival through structured cooperation.
They do not appear to rely on one visible ruler directing every movement. Instead, they operate through collective order, instinct, preparation, and division of labor.
This becomes interesting when thinking about large nations.
Countries with enormous populations often struggle with centralized control because no single authority can realistically oversee every detail of society. As populations increase, people naturally organize themselves into groups, systems, tribes, communities, industries, and networks.
In many ways, large societies survive through structured cooperation more than direct control.
The Locusts and Unified Movement
Agur also mentions locusts in Proverbs 30:27:
“The locusts have no king yet go they forth all of them by bands.”
That is another fascinating image.
Like ants, locusts move collectively. But unlike scattered ant colonies, locusts often move in highly unified formations.
This made me think about different kinds of nations and societies.
Some nations are highly diverse, containing many ethnic groups, languages, tribes, and cultures operating in structured but separate systems.
Others appear more unified and coordinated in collective movement and national direction.
The distinction is not necessarily about superiority, but about different forms of organization and cooperation.
Ants represent distributed structure. Locusts represent unified movement.
Both survive through cooperation.
Wisdom Hidden in Creation
One thing Scripture constantly reveals is that creation itself teaches wisdom.
Agur observed tiny creatures and drew profound lessons from them:
preparation,
diligence,
cooperation,
structure,
survival,
and order.
Sometimes wisdom is hidden in things people overlook.
A colony of ants may seem insignificant until you observe how efficiently they build, gather, organize, and sustain themselves. The same applies to locusts moving in disciplined bands.
These are not merely random observations about insects. They become reflections on human behavior, leadership, society, and even nations.
The Challenge of Governing Large Nations
The larger a nation becomes, the harder it becomes to govern every part of it directly.
Massive populations naturally create:
subgroups,
alliances,
networks,
local systems,
and decentralized forms of order.
This is why cooperation becomes essential for survival in large societies.
Without shared discipline and preparation, large populations become unstable.
Perhaps this is part of the wisdom Agur wanted people to see: strength is not always found in size alone, but in structure, preparation, and unity of purpose.
Final Reflection
What fascinates me most is that Agur looked at the smallest creatures and found lessons for human civilization.
Ants teach diligence and preparation. Locusts teach coordinated movement. Both teach survival through cooperation.
And maybe that is why wisdom literature remains timeless.
So, I want to use time to look for trouble from the Romans (Joking):
Dog returning to vomit — repeating foolishness (Clears throat) “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” — Proverbs 26:11
Bear robbed of cubs — dangerous anger (Roman numeral MV who goes about shouting about his pet Called Bear) “Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.” — Proverbs 17:12
Ox — productive strength comes with messiness (Roman numerals MM) “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.” — Proverbs 14:4
I will leave the badgers, lions and others for you to discern. Think of it as an assignment.
Book of Ezekiel chapter 17 is fascinating because it combines both a parable and a proverb. It begins with the house of Israel, and honestly, sometimes I feel stirred to simply preach the Word of God when I read passages like this.
The chapter opens with the imagery of a great eagle with large wings, full feathers, and diverse colors. The eagle crops off the top of a cedar tree and carries it into a land of merchants and trade. Then it takes “the seed of the land” and plants it in a fruitful field beside great waters.
Immediately, this symbolism stands out.
We know from the teachings of Jesus that seed often represents the Word of God. But here, Ezekiel specifically says “the seed of the land,” which points toward the seed of Israel itself — the people, the kingdom, and the lineage taken from the land.
The seed was planted in a fruitful field by great waters. Throughout Scripture, water symbolizes life, nourishment, cleansing, and spiritual flourishing.
This reminded me of the words in Book of Psalms 1:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.”
A tree planted by rivers is stable, nourished, and blessed.
The Vine and the Branches
Ezekiel says that the planted seed grew into a vine of low stature, and its branches turned toward the eagle while its roots remained under him. The imagery of the vine immediately connects to the words of Jesus:
“I am the vine, ye are the branches.”
The vine survives because it remains connected to its source. Jesus taught that apart from Him, we can do nothing. In Ezekiel’s parable, the vine’s dependence on the eagle reflects political and spiritual dependence.
But then another eagle appears — another great eagle with large wings and many feathers. This time, the vine bends its roots and branches toward this second eagle so that it might water it.
Watering is symbolic throughout Scripture. It represents nourishment through the Word of God, spiritual growth, and even cleansing and baptism.
The imagery also reflects the parable of seed planted in good soil: receiving the word honestly, keeping it with a good heart, and bearing fruit.
So Ezekiel presents what almost feels like two conditions of Israel:
one vine brought low,
and another reaching toward greater fruitfulness and development.
One remains limited and dependent, while the other seeks nourishment elsewhere.
Will the Vine Prosper?
Then God asks an important question:
“Shall it prosper?”
He asks whether the vine will survive if its roots are pulled up or if the east wind strikes it.
This introduces another layer of symbolism: wind and storms.
In Scripture, winds often represent trials, judgment, instability, or upheaval. In Gospel of John 6:18, it says:
“And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.”
When strong winds come, waters become troubled. Storms reveal whether roots are deep enough to endure.
In the same way, God was questioning whether Israel would remain stable under pressure, hardship, and covenant testing.
Would the vine still stand when adversity came?
The Eagles Explained
Ezekiel later explains the meaning of the parable directly.
The first great eagle represented the king of Babylon.
He took the highest branch of the cedar — the mightiest and noblest of the land — and carried it away. This corresponds to the captivity of Israel and the taking of its rulers and princes into Babylon.
The eagle’s “diverse colors” symbolized the vastness of Babylon’s empire and the many nations under its power.
The king of Babylon took “the seed of the land” and planted it in a fruitful field. This detail appears earlier in the chapter and reveals that Babylon did not initially seek to destroy Israel completely, but rather to bring the kingdom into subjection.
Ezekiel says the kingdom was brought “to a low estate.”
That phrase is important.
Israel became weakened politically and nationally under Babylonian rule.
Covenants and Broken Oaths
The chapter then moves into the issue of covenant.
The king of Babylon made a covenant with Israel, and Israel entered into an oath with him. Yet later, the king of Israel sought to break that covenant by turning to Egypt for help.
He sent ambassadors to Egypt, hoping to escape Babylon’s authority.
But God took this very seriously.
What stands out in this chapter is that God was not merely addressing political strategy. He was addressing the breaking of an oath.
God declares that the covenant would not simply disappear because people changed their minds. He says that despising an oath and breaking a covenant carries consequences.
This becomes deeply relevant even beyond Israel.
The Weight of Covenants
Ezekiel 17 speaks powerfully about the seriousness of agreements, covenants, and promises.
Whether in:
marriage,
business,
leadership,
friendships,
alliances,
or spiritual commitments,
God pays attention to the words people bind themselves with.
Modern culture often treats covenants lightly. People speak as though agreements can simply be discarded whenever they become inconvenient. But Ezekiel reminds us that covenants are not merely witnessed by men — they are witnessed by God.
God says clearly that He will recompense the breaking of covenant.
That is a sobering statement.
And yet this should not be misunderstood as a call to remain trapped in abuse or danger. There are situations involving violence, manipulation, and harm where people must seek safety and wisdom. God is not glorified by abuse.
Rather, the chapter highlights the spiritual seriousness of entering agreements carelessly while ignoring the weight of our words before God.
The Restoration of Israel
The second eagle also points toward restoration.
As Israel returns to hearing the Word of God and becomes fruitful again, the imagery shifts toward renewal and growth.
God ultimately reveals Himself as the One who raises up kingdoms and brings them low.
He says that people will know:
“I the Lord bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree…”
This is one of the great themes throughout Scripture: God humbles the proud and lifts up the humble.
Kingdoms rise and fall under His authority.
Final Reflection
Ezekiel 17 is far more than a political prophecy.
It is a chapter about:
dependence,
spiritual roots,
covenant,
testing,
and restoration.
The vine could not survive disconnected from its source. Israel could not prosper while breaking covenant. And storms revealed whether roots were truly established.
The chapter ultimately reminds us that God takes seriously both the relationships we form and the promises we make.
In an age where words are often treated casually, Ezekiel 17 calls us back to reverence, integrity, and the fear of God.
Today’s sermon title was Father’s House. Strangely enough, I did not even feel like going to church at first. I was resting, reading my Bible quietly, because in that moment I felt more at home simply being in the presence of God.
I opened to Gospel of John chapter 6, and what I encountered there felt deeply personal. The night before, I had spoken honestly to God about how tired I was — tired of laboring in my personal life, tired of striving, even tired in my walk with Him. Then I read the words of Jesus:
“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.”
It felt as though God was answering me directly.
The Miracle Beyond Human Wages
John 6 begins with something symbolic. Jesus asks about bread for the multitude, and the response comes that even two hundred pennyworth of bread would not be sufficient to feed five thousand people. That amount represented wages — human effort, human earning, human limitation.
Yet somehow, in the middle of impossibility, a little boy appears with five loaves and two fishes.
What struck me was that Jesus never began with sufficiency. He began with surrender.
The miracle did not come from abundance. It came from what was willingly placed into His hands. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and multiplied it. Then afterward, He instructed the disciples to gather the fragments “that nothing be lost.”
That statement appears more than once in this chapter, and I do not believe it is accidental.
At first, it refers to bread. But later, Jesus reveals a deeper meaning:
“Of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing.”
The fragments become symbolic of people.
In many ways, we ourselves are like fragments gathered into Christ’s hands — remnants preserved by the Father so that nothing given to the Son will be lost. This is why the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son matter so deeply. Heaven values what the world overlooks. God does not casually abandon what belongs to Him.
Even the twelve baskets remaining afterward seem prophetic — reflecting preservation, fullness, and the gathering of God’s people.
Laboring for Bread That Endures
One thing that became clear to me is that God does not measure provision according to human standards. We often focus on salaries, wages, and visible resources, but God looks beyond what we earn in order to reveal what only He can do.
And this is where many people struggle spiritually.
Jesus rebuked the crowd because they sought Him merely for temporary satisfaction. They wanted bread for the body, but He was speaking about bread for eternal life. He redirected their attention away from what perishes toward what endures forever.
Yet ironically, even within religious spaces, people are often taught to depend entirely on human labor and financial effort while being told to “have faith.” Sometimes we know how to collect wages, but we do not yet understand how God multiplies loaves and fishes.
Jesus was teaching something deeper: there is a kind of labor that exhausts the soul because it only sustains temporary life, and there is another kind of pursuit that leads into eternal life.
“Thou Hast the Words of Eternal Life”
One of the most profound moments in the chapter comes when many disciples begin to leave because Jesus’ teachings offend them. Then Simon Peter responds:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Not merely life — but eternal life.
That distinction matters.
Jesus later says:
“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Words that carry the Spirit carry eternal life. Truth may offend people at times, but truth still leads toward life. Christ’s words are not temporary encouragements; they are eternal realities spoken into human existence.
This is why John repeatedly emphasizes Jesus as the Bread of Life.
John 6:35
John 6:41
John 6:48
The repetition is intentional.
Jesus was showing humanity that He Himself is the sustenance the soul truly needs. The Word became flesh, and eternal life took visible form.
The Bread from Heaven
The people listening to Jesus judged Him according to His earthly background. They asked:
“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph?”
They saw a carpenter’s son. They saw familiarity. They saw earthly identity.
But Jesus answered them with eternal truth:
“Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.”
He repeated this idea several times throughout the chapter. The manna sustained physical life temporarily, but it could not conquer death. Christ, however, presented Himself as the true Bread from Heaven — the bread that gives everlasting life.
Again and again, Jesus emphasized belief:
belief on Him,
believing in the One sent by the Father,
receiving eternal life through Him.
This repetition reveals the heart of the Father.
The Father’s Will and the Father’s House
As I continued reading, something else became clear to me: there is a distinction between the Father’s will and the work done in the Father’s house.
Jesus says:
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing.”
Then He says:
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.”
These statements reveal two connected dimensions of Christ’s mission.
First, as Shepherd, Jesus was entrusted with people whom He would preserve so that none would be lost.
Second, within the Father’s house, He calls people into belief so they may receive eternal life.
The work of ministry and the will of God are connected, but they are not always identical.
The work involves preaching, gathering, teaching, and serving.
The Father’s will reaches deeper: that none be lost, that hearts believe, and that people are raised up on the last day.
This is why Jesus later says:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
Taught of God
Another verse that stood out deeply to me was when Jesus said:
“They shall all be taught of God.”
What a powerful statement.
Jesus explains that every person who truly hears and learns from the Father comes unto Him. In other words, salvation is not merely intellectual agreement — it is divine drawing.
No one comes unless the Father draws them.
This means that behind every genuine encounter with Christ is the invisible work of God Himself.
Flesh, Blood, and Shared Life
Jesus then speaks in even deeper spiritual language:
“My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
His flesh becomes the bread. His blood becomes the drink.
Through this imagery, Jesus reveals complete spiritual union and dependence upon Him.
Then He says:
“As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”
This may be one of the most beautiful revelations in the entire chapter.
The Son lives by the Father. And we live by the Son.
Life flows from the Father to Christ, and from Christ into us. We are not meant to exist independently from Him. We become extensions of the life we receive from Him.
Final Reflection
John 6 is ultimately not just a chapter about bread.
It is about preservation. It is about eternal life. It is about the Father gathering what belongs to Him. It is about Christ becoming everything necessary for the soul.
The chapter begins with human insufficiency — wages that cannot feed the multitude — and ends with divine sufficiency found entirely in Christ.
And perhaps that is the lesson I needed most.
When human labor reaches its limit, heaven introduces another kind of bread.
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.” – Psalm 22: 3
I finished praying, and this scripture says, “When Solomon made an end of praying, fire came down from heaven” — not just Elijah, who called down fire from heaven — “and consumed the burnt offering” (the fruit of our lips; the sacrifice of our hearts). Then the glory of YAH filled the house (us).
The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. When Yahweh indwells us, His glory is seen in us (2 Chronicles 7:2). Then people can see it, just as the children of Israel saw how the fire came down (like the Day of Pentecost), and they bowed their faces to the ground upon the pavement and WORSHIPPED, PRAISING GOD, saying that the Lord is good and His MERCY endures forever (2 Chronicles 7:3).
True worship is offering our bodies as a willing sacrifice, but praise is where God inhabits. He uses the fruit of our lips, thanksgiving, and our hearts — from where we obey God. That is how the glory of God fills us: people, the church, the children of Israel — similar to the Day of Pentecost. Worship comes where praise ends (2 Chronicles 7:3).
The orchestrator of praise was King David, and his son Solomon used it to build the first house for the Lord. Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord. The inner court is likened to where the Spirit of the Lord dwells, while the middle court is likened to where the soul dwells. This court segment is where Jeremiah was moved so he could get bread from the house of Jonathan, where he would have died if he had stayed there.
Thus, the sacrifice of praise, giving, and self (dying to self bodily) is all delivered to the house of God for His glory. The Levites, who had no inheritance and worked in tandem with the priests, had instruments of music of Yahweh. King David was both a priest and a king, like Christ. He understood praise, and he understood worship, which is why the ecclesia exists. So praise precedes worship.
King David understood that mercy and gladness with thanksgiving opened the door of his house. Thus, he says, “Praise Yah, because His mercy endures forever.” The priests and Levites understood worship because it demands consecration, bodily sacrifice, and holiness.
When you go to a hospital and a patient shout at you, yelling their fears and complaints, you don’t hear anything, and most likely you did not listen to what they said, because for listening to happen, you have to hear, assimilate, and then listen to reason. Hence, we have a popular Jewish phrase: Shema O Israel (listen, hear, and obey).
Luke 8 talks about a type of hearing of the Word of God, the Word of God being the seed.
It says some hear the Word of God, and the devil (as the fowl of the air) devours the word before it reaches the heart. It talks about the Word of God as a seed falling on rocks, that is, falling away in the time of temptation. No wonder it is written, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil,” and “There is no temptation that has overtaken man that God won’t make a way for you to escape.” It sees the Word of God fall on thorns, i.e. the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life choke the Word of God out of the heart. So the battleground is the heart. Jesus finally says this person receives the Word of God on good ground, i.e. he honestly receives the word, keeps the word in his heart, and with patience bears FRUIT.
The interesting thing for me is this verse, Luke 8:18: “Take heed how you hear.” Why? Whoever hath the Word of God, to him it is given, and if you don’t have the Word of God in your heart, even that which you seem to hear will be taken away.
So, to hear God is to have Him honestly in your heart, holding on to Him with patience. Indeed, there is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed.
“I work as an accountant now (I became many things for the sake of Christ), and one of the hardest things to do is to keep an audit of my own life, not others — mine. And reconciliation of accounts is hell, thank God he didn’t care to count all our sins against us, because as I attempt to reconcile everything in our account as see why God reconciled us in Christ Jesus, it’s a lot easier to group things. But then God is God.
I bumped into the story of King Saul at the end of last month, and I wondered why this story. How, on his first assignment, half-obedience cost him everything with God. At the time, I couldn’t understand it.
But I stepped into someone’s life yesterday, and I would rather show mercy to his failure. That’s when I realized that I had kept a minute amount of money meant for God and gave it to my mom instead.
Then I opened to Acts 5 and read how Ananias chose to keep part of the money meant for the church — half-obedience, just like Saul. And it was as though God was saying, “If you don’t release My money, I won’t release yours.”
As minute as the sum was, God kept reminding me that it was to be used for His church, yet I was holding it back.
“We ought to obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:29
I forgot that my obligations to God are more important than my obligations to man, even my parents, especially at the start of the month. And King Saul did exactly the same thing — he listened to the voice of men rather than the voice of God.
Many times, we are so careful to avoid sin, not knowing that sin is still present within us. If someone says, “I’m not charging you for something,” but uses the fact that they are not charging as a way to guilt-trip others into giving, it is still sin.
Cutting the long story short, we are all unworthy, and that is why mercy exists. When we recognize the truth about ourselves, grace helps us change.
That’s why when someone said I should condemn a preacher yesterday, I refused. I condemn the sin and expose the sin, not the person.
“And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” — Acts 5:38–39
Many kings started well. For example, Josiah did what was right in the sight of God, yet many before and after him turned away from the Father’s will. Preachers too may start well and later turn away. Ultimately, only God can judge.
What we can do is reprove sin without condemning the sinner.
The Bible says if your brother offends you, tell him privately first (Matthew 18:15). However, we should expose evil deeds being done in the church — not destroy the sinner, but address the deeds being done.”
Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.”
The Lord God hears me when I call. He backs me up, He heals me, and He redeemed me with His blood. I am already in love — can you not see it?
As Solomon would say, “He is altogether lovely” and the fairest to my soul. (Song of Solomon 5:10–16) He calms my storms, so I ask: what do you mean you feel sorry for Christian single women? Didn’t you already know we are married to Jesus?
I sit here preaching, trying to convert souls. Why? Because of what Isaiah 54:1 says:
“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.
The child born to a Christian woman is not just a physical child, but also one born in the Spirit — a converted soul, born again, as Jesus would say. (John 3:3–6) Born of a new spirit.
So if you cannot love a God you cannot see, how can you truly love another?
1 John 4:20 says: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
That is why the commandment says to love God first before loving your neighbour. (Matthew 22:37–39) How can I love you with my fickle kind of love if I do not first love a God I cannot see?
It is from Him that love flows. It is from Him that love learns patience, mercy, sacrifice, and truth. Without God, love becomes unstable because human emotions change like the wind. But the love of God teaches us how to love people rightly.
So no, I am not empty because I am unmarried. I am already loved. I am already known. I am already chosen. I am already in love with Jesus. See the defense around me, the rock of ages, the chariots of fire, the army of soldiers. 2 Kings 6:17-20 ” Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
Psalm 18:1, January (1): 18
Even if you leave, he will send me another helper. As I end with this: Song of Solomon 2:7 “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Song of Solomon 3:5 “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Song of Solomon 8:4 “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”
Today, we will be looking at the Kingdom of Heaven, readiness and wisdom, which is synonymous with oil, sleep, and slumber in Matthew 25.
Every time I read Matthew 25, I am convicted, especially if I haven’t done the work of God and have been pursuing my personal things.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus likens it to the parable of the ten virgins. He likens it to readiness and wisdom. Readiness means that there is oil of gladness for the things God has given to us. Wisdom is in terms of not sleeping and slumbering, to observe, to watch, and pray because of the times we are living in.
When we get to where the Savior comes, He will not say, “Verily, verily, I say unto you , I know you not.” This was Matthew 25:12. We know not the day nor the hour that the Son of Man cometh.
The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a group of people also. It has two faces. It talks about readiness, wisdom, which is likened to oil of gladness, and sleep and slumber, which has to do with readiness and wisdom. It means that if your oil finishes, you have to get another oil.
May God help us. When I read these verses, I reflect like I am not doing enough, like I’m not the best of myself.
The Kingdom of Heaven is also likened to talent, given according to abilities. Talent, in my opinion, is something that you develop. Natural abilities are things God gives to you that come naturally.
In the book of Daniel, the Bible says that Daniel was given the ability to learn tongues. He could speak languages and he excelled in all kinds of science. He wasn’t just given a talent; he had an ability.
Here, we see that what God calls a good and faithful servant is one that He would give something, an ability or talent, and they would be able to use it for something. He doesn’t want us as Christians to be wicked and slothful, trying to reap where we didn’t sow.
We go to money exchangers. Even if it is just a piece of talent, we trade it out, not to be an unprofitable servant in the Kingdom of heaven notice not of God.
Sometimes I really feel like an unprofitable servant of the Kingdom of God. Every time I read these verses, I feel like God is telling me, “Look, you’re not putting as much for Me as you are putting for your work.”
One of the things that we have to be predominantly prepared for, at least for me, is that I always like this scripture that says, “Cast out the beam from your own eye, then you can preach to others, lest you yourself be guilty of the same sin.”
As we prepare for these last days, we know that when the last days come, we have to be watchful, set apart, to do what God wills. We prepare ourselves to do what God has commanded us to do.
One of the things He has said that we should do in the time that we wait is to feed the hungry. This could be someone that is literally hungry, physically hungry, for food.
The people that are thirsty, give them drink. Strangers, open your heart to them wisely. And clothe them with righteousness. Those that are sick and in prison, you come to them.
Many of us are in prison in our minds. Some of us are in prison physically. Some of us are sick in our minds. Some of us are sick physically.
There is not much good in speaking outwardly if you don’t do it inwardly. Real change comes from the heart.
When I read Matthew 25, I can see a lot of flaws in my own life. It is a very difficult passage to preach because it convicts me first that I’m not doing enough.
Like, I always feel like, “Okay, let me now come out and do something for God.” Maybe this is the conviction in the right direction. It’s only God that can convict the human spirit to see the wrong from the right, and the right from the wrong.
And I pray that whatever talent and ability we have, we use it to serve God. And that there is a readiness to know that He is at the door. He is at hand. So let my trade my talent to the exchangers….
One thing with oil is that it is useful for lots of things.
If you think about oil, the first place we saw oil was in the time Elijah went to the woman who had nothing. (1 Kings 17:8–16)
Elijah was sent to a widow in Zarephath during a time of famine.
He asked the woman what she had, and she said she just had a handful of flour and a little oil in a jar. (1 Kings 17:12)
He told her to bring vessels, more vessels, and God multiplied the oil, so it did not run out until the famine ended. (1 Kings 17:14–16)
Elisha also had a similar encounter with the widow whose husband left them in debt. (2 Kings 4:1–7)
He instructed her to gather empty vessels, and as she poured, the oil kept flowing until every vessel was filled. (2 Kings 4:3–6)
Both Elijah and Elisha had miracles connected to oil, showing provision, multiplication, and divine supply.
If you look at the book of Proverbs, wisdom is often associated with oil and preparation, especially in the call to seek wisdom diligently. (Proverbs 1–4 themes of wisdom as preparation and light)
The idea of oil also connects symbolically with readiness and spiritual preparedness.
In the Song of Solomon, there is imagery of beauty, fragrance, and anointing oils, showing intimacy and value. (Song of Solomon 1:3; 4:10)
Typically, oil was used for beauty, fragrance, and care of the body, including hair and skin in ancient times.
We also see the anointing of oil in the woman with the alabaster box. (Luke 7:36–38; Matthew 26:6–13)
She poured expensive oil (perfume) on Jesus, which was seen as preparation for His burial. (Mark 14:8)
Oil in the Old Testament was also used for anointing priests, kings, and sacred objects. (Exodus 30:25–30)
When you put the general picture of what oil is together, it was used for anointing, healing, honour, preparation, and worship.
I am saying the body of Christ because literally it means the church. (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22–23)
If it is used to anoint His body for burial, it is called perfume or ointment, but it still represents preparation and honor.
You kind of understand that it is supposed to be an anointing.
Some people say it is an anointing, some people say it is a perfume.
You kind of understand that the body of Christ is supposed to have oil.
The body of Christ is the church.
So it is no wonder that Jesus would say in this parable that He is looking for oil. (Matthew 25:1–13)
(that’s when he steps in, when the task ahead seems bigger than you)
To Save Your Life Is to Lose It The statement, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will keep it,” was made by Jesus in the New Testament, specifically in Gospel of Matthew 16:25.
This teaching is also found in Book of Jeremiah 38, where King Zedekiah of Judah was seeking a word from God. In Jeremiah 37:3, it is stated that Zedekiah was looking for help from Pharaoh’s army to save his nation from the Babylonians. He refused to surrender his nation to the Babylonians, even after receiving a prophecy from Jeremiah that he would lose the city.
This led to Jeremiah being separated from the land of Benjamin. Jeremiah was accused of deserting to the Babylonians, beaten, and imprisoned. Yet, even in prison, the word of God did not change.
King Zedekiah, though he knew God, secretly asked Jeremiah for any new word from the Lord, hoping the prophecy against Judah would change. However, Jeremiah informed Zedekiah that he would still be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah then questioned how he had offended the king or his servants. He stated that he was the king’s servant and asked why he had been put in prison. He also asked what offense he had committed, or what the people of Judah had done to warrant such treatment, resulting in his imprisonment.
After this, Jeremiah was moved from the house of Jonathan to the court of God, where he was given a loaf of bread daily, symbolizing a “bread of life” or salvation. This is illustrated in Jeremiah chapter 38, where Jeremiah’s relocation to the court of God signifies a transition from death to life.
Jeremiah was willing to die, yet he still spoke what God had commanded. He gave up his life so that he could speak the word of God, and God sustained him. Even when the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, Jeremiah remained in custody, yet he was preserved.
The narrative in Jeremiah 38 highlights that positioning matters. Moving from the house of Jonathan to the court of God signifies a place of sustenance and life.
This also connects to the idea that Jesus is the Bread of Life, and Bethlehem, meaning “house of bread,” is where grace is found in the body of Jesus.
Jeremiah was eventually moved from the house of Jonathan the secretary, where he had been confined, to the court of the guard. There he was given a loaf of bread daily for as long as bread remained in the city. Though surrounded by judgment and famine, God sustained him. This detail carries deep spiritual significance. While the nation was collapsing, God preserved the prophet who remained faithful to His word. Jeremiah was willing to lose his comfort, reputation, freedom, and even his life in obedience to God. In return, God sustained him in the middle of the siege.
The contrast between Zedekiah and Jeremiah is striking. Zedekiah clung to self-preservation and lost everything. Jeremiah surrendered himself completely to God and was preserved. This mirrors the teaching of Jesus centuries later. The person who desperately tries to save their life apart from God ultimately loses it, but the one who yields fully to God finds true life. There is also a beautiful symbolic connection in Jeremiah receiving bread daily during his confinement. In the New Testament, Jesus declares Himself to be the Bread of Life. Even the name Bethlehem means “house of bread,” pointing believers toward the sustaining life found in Christ. Jeremiah’s journey from imprisonment to preservation reminds us that positioning matters. Safety is not always found in resistance, human strategy, or control. Sometimes life is found in surrender to the will of God, even when that surrender appears costly. The prophet was willing to die in order to remain faithful to God’s word, and because of that, God sustained him through the darkest days of Jerusalem’s fall. In the end, the principle remains the same: Whoever seeks to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for God’s sake will find it.
if he is how is he choosing who he heals and does not heal (the house of bread, eat of the bread of salvation, I have burned my share of bridges, I have learned to tuck my tail as Jeremiah and run.)
Recently, I haven’t been feeling well. Even now, I’m still not perfectly fine, but God has been so merciful. I opened the book of Zephaniah, and I could see that God has been with me, even though this sickness. You know, I’ve had some of my strongest moments before, but lately God has been dealing with me about being an unprofitable servant. So, I’ve just been praying, “God, have mercy on me.”
Then I opened the book of Mark, chapter one. I think it stood out to me more because, while I was sick, I kept seeing advice on what to do to get better. So, when I read Mark, it struck me differently. It was the first time I really thought about it this way—that Mark seemed to write with a kind of medical precision, almost like a physician. And it made me see that Jesus is the Great Physician—there’s really no better way to describe Him.
Mark begins with the words, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths” (Mark 1:3). He talks about the remission of sins, and it made me think about how, even in medicine, doctors check the condition of a person before treatment—like examining blood levels and overall balance. In the same way, remission of sin points to something deeper: a spiritual check, a need for repentance, a restoring of balance within a person.
Then he speaks about baptism—how Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened, and the Spirit descended upon Him. After that, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and afterward, angels ministered to Him.
When you think about it, what do doctors do? They administer treatments, provide care, and guide recovery. The sequence in Mark 1 almost reads like a process—a pattern of diagnosis, cleansing, treatment, and restoration.
As we move further, in Mark 1:24, Jesus encounters a man with an unclean spirit. Throughout the chapter, there’s this recurring theme of what is clean and unclean. The man recognizes Jesus, and Jesus commands the spirit to be silent and come out of him—and it does.
It reminds me of how, in a hospital, there’s always an emphasis on cleanliness. You’re asked if your hands are clean, if things are sterile. But baptism shows us something deeper—it’s not just outward cleansing, but an inward transformation. It represents death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. So, the cleansing is both external and internal—what doctors do outwardly reflect what God does spiritually within us.
We also see Jesus’ healing Simon’s mother-in-law, who had a fever. After He healed her, she rose and began to minister to them. That stands out to me. When people are healed physically, they often thank the doctor—and rightly so—but here, her response was service. Healing led to ministry.
Jesus continues—casting out demons, healing all kinds of sicknesses. Then in verse 41, He meets a man with leprosy. The man says, “If You are willing, you can make me clean.” And Jesus responds, “I am willing; be clean.” Immediately, he is made whole.
This brings everything together—cleanness is not just about the outside. A person may be physically unclean, like the leper, but there is also a deeper need: the cleansing of the heart and spirit. When we talk about baptism, about the washing of water and the Word, it points to this total cleansing—inside and out.
That’s really what repentance is: the cleansing of the heart. And sometimes, it takes going through something like sickness to truly see this.
But in all of it, one thing is clear: Jesus Christ is our Great Physician. And there’s something about the Gospel of Mark that reveals this so powerfully.
