THE WORD SIROCCO
Friday, May 1, 2020
Month Theme: The Sons of Oil
Topic: Sonship 1
Scripture Reading: Luke 9:50-56
Main Text:
Acts 4:36
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,.
The issue of sonship or daughterhood is one of the most pressing needs of humankind. It defines our identity, nature and ability. Knowing one’s identity brings confidence and inspiration. If we know who our parents are, we can discover our character (nature) and potential (abilities) by considering theirs. We are likely to have what our parents have – if they are creative, we may have the ability to be creative. If we wish to know what we can do, we should consider what our parents are doing now.
I will use the word “sons” in the generic sense to describe both sons and daughters of God. It refers to individuals with divine or spiritual virtues like consolation, peace and passion. Barnabas was called the son of consolation because of his character (Acts 4:36-37 AMPC). He offered people encouragement and comfort in hopeless situations where they had no expectation of good things. He was skilled at encouraging and comforting to the highest level. Someone can only be called the son of consolation if his ability to console and encourage others becomes unparalleled.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus Christ referred to peacemakers as the children or sons of God (Matthew 5:9). Peacemakers have an unimaginable ability to have peace with God, peace within themselves and peace with others. The apostles James and John were called the sons of thunder apparently because of their fiery enthusiasm and confrontational nature (Mark 3:17). On one occasion, these sons of thunder threatened to command fire from Heaven upon Samaria because the people did not receive Jesus Christ in the appropriate manner (Luke 9:51-56). Jesus Christ corrected them by pointing them toward the non-violent spirit He sought to impart to them.
Prayer: Pray and declare that no negative trait of your earthly parents will show up in you because you are born of God.
Recommended Reading:
“The Sons of Oil” by Eastwood Anaba
( Find e-books at http://www.amazon.com)
http://www.eastwoodanaba.com
