SPEAK WITH THE TONGUES OF MEN AND OF ANGELS... TEXT: 1 COR 13: 1 UNITY CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH SAMENESS OF LANGUAGE: THE INCIDENCE OF TOWAL OF BABEL ATTESTS TO THIS FACT. WHEN A PEOPLE SPEAK ONE LANGUAGE, UNITY AND PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE ARE INEVITABLE. PAUL, WHEN ADDRESSING THE JEWS, SECURED THEIR ATTENTION MORE WHEN HE STARTED ADDRESSING THEM IN THEIR OWN TONGUE. INTERACTIONS AND RELATIONSHIP ARE MOST EFFECTIVE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE THAT SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE. MEN NATURALLY ARE ATTRACTED BY LANGUAGE. TO CONQUER A MAN MAY BE ACHIEVED BY RELATING WITH THROUGH HIS TONGUE. WE, THEREFORE, TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT NO LANGUAGE, NO RELATIONSHIP: ACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH A TONGUE AND YOU WOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE GROUP OF PEOPLE YOU CAN RELATE WITH AND HELP MORE EFFECTIVELY. THE MAN IN OUR TEXT, UNDERSTANDS AND SPEAKS BOTH THE LANGUAGES OF MAN AND THAT OF ANGELS: I SEE A MAN THAT CAN RELATE WITH MEN AND ANGELS. HE HAS RELATIONSHIP WITH HEAVEN AND ALSO WITH HIS FELLOW MEN. BEING ABLE TO SPEAK WITH MEN'S TONGUE CONNOTE THAT THIS MAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS ENVIRONMENT IS INTACT. I SEE A MAN THAT IS NOT REMOVED FROM HUMANITY. HE HAS FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL AROUND HIM; HE IS NOT A MISERY AND MISTRY TO THEM. HIS COMPANY IS ENJOYED BY HIS FELLOW MEN. LIKE JESUS, THE PARTEN MAN, THIS MAN RECEIVES SINNERS AND EATS WITH THEM. ANOTHER THING ABOUT THIS MAN IS THAT HE COULD SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS: HE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH ANGELS. HE COULD RELATE WITH GOD VERY WELL. HE DOES NOT FIND IT HARD TO KNOW WHAT GOD IS SAYING. THIS IS A VERY GREAT MAN. ANYTIME GOD IS INSTRUCTING HIM, HE GRASPS EFFECTIVELY THE MESSAGE AS A MAN WOULD THAT UNDERSTAND A LANGUAGE WELL. HE DOESN'T NEED TO LEARN HOW TO HEAR GOD FOR HE HAS BEING SO WIRED THAT HIS SPIRITUAL EARS CAN'T MISS OUT OF ANY SINGLE SENTENCE FROM ABOVE. WHAT A MAN! I SEE HERE A VERY BALANCED MAN: WITH GOD HE IS GREAT; WITH MAN HE IS SETTLED. LET US KNOW THAT IF WE HAVE FUNCTIONAL AND VIABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, IT WOULD REFLECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MEN ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT IS SHEAR PRETENCE TO HOLD THAT WE LOVE GOD'S PRESENCE WHEN WE CAN'T ENDURE THE SIGHT OF OUR FELLOW MEN: ANY MAN THAT STANDS ON OUR WAY WE WANT HIM TO "FALL DOWN AND DIE" AND WE COULD TURN TO GOD AND SAY WE LOVE HIM! THIS IS NOT NORMAL. 1 JOHN 5: 1 SAYS HE THAT LOVES HIM THAT BEGETS ALSO LOVE HIM THAT IS BEGOTTEN. HERE IS THE POINT: YOU CAN LOVE THE FATHER WITHOUT LOVING THE SON. IN THE SAME WAY, NO MAN CAN CLAIM LOVE FOR THE CREATOR WITHOUT LOVE FOR THE CREATURES. ABSALOM WAS SUSPENDED BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH: HE DIDN'T GO TO HEAVEN AND HE DIDN'T COME DOWN TO THE EARTH. HIS WAS A SORROWFUL END. HE NEVER HAD A PROPPER BERIAL AS PRINCE HE WAS. WE MUST NOT ONLY BE ONE-SIDED IN OUR DEALING. LETS LOVE MEN AS WE LOVE GOD. LETS BE USEFUL ON EARTH AS WE ARE TO HEAVEN. USEFULNESS TO HEAVEN IS ONLY MEASURE BY HOW USEFUL WE ARE TO HUMANITY. AFTER JACOB FOUGHT WITH THE ANGEL ALL NIGHT, IN THE MORNING, THE ANGEL TOLD HIM THAT AS PRINCE HE HAS POWER WITH GOD AND MEN AND HE HAS PREVAILED. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT JACOB HAS FOUGHT WITH GOD AND PREVAILED LIKE WISE WITH MEN. HE HAS INFLUENCE AMONG MEN AND ALSO AMONG ANGELS: WHAT A MAN! JESUS IN ATTEMPT TO FEED THE MULTITUDE, ASKED HIS DISCIPLES TO GO AND "MAKE THE PEOPLE SIT DOWN" THEN COME GET THE BREAD FOR THEM. HERE IS A VERY CRUCIAL PRINCIPLE IN SHARING THE BREAD OF LIFE: JESUS IS THE ONE WITH THE BREAD, HE IS THE OWNER OF THE BREAD OF LIFE, INFANT HE IS THAT BREAD. HE HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH BUT HE WOULD NOT DO THE DISTRIBUTION BY HIMSELF: HE WOULD NEED MEN TO DO IT. THOSE MEN ARE MEN THAT HAVE MADE OTHER MEN TO "SIT DOWN." ANY MAN THAT YOU HAVE NOT MADE TO "SIT DOWN" JESUS CANNOT GIVE YOU BREAD FOR HIM. WE MUST HAVE INFLUENCE ON MEN, OUR LIFE MUST MAKE THEM RELAX EITHER US. WE MUST WIN THEIR CONFIDENCE IF NOT JESUS WOULD NOT RELEASE BREAD FOR THEM. WE ARE HERE LARGELY FOR MEN. SO AS WE MEET MEN EVERY DAY, LETS KNOW THAT THEY ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND CHARGE. MAY WE SIGN OUT LIKE CHARLES WESLEY: A CHARGE TO KEEP I HAVE A GOD TO GLORIFY A NEVER-DYING SOUL TO SAVE AND FIT IT FOR THE SKY. WHAT SHALL WE SAY TO ALL OF THESE? LET BROTHER LOVE CONTINUE. BE NOT FORGETFUL TO ENTERTAIN STRANGERS....REMEMBER THEM THAT ARE IN BOND, AS BOUND WITH THEM, AND THEM WHICH SUFFER AFFLICTION AS BEING IN THE SAME BODY...DISTRIBUTING TO THE NECESSITY OF SAINTS, GIVEN TO HOSPITALITY....MIND NOT HIGH THING BUT CONDESCEND TO MEN OF LOW ESTATE...DON'T ACT BIG AND SUPERIOR...KEEP HUMANITY IN THE PICTURE...FOR THEY ARE MADE IN THE SIMILITUDE OF GOD'S IMAGE...MAKE THEM SIT DOWN: MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE. SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE! _________________ Emeka Joe Uzosike
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