In the knot

I woke up one rainy morn
To discover that I am married
I didn’t plan for it
Neither was I ready to wheel its chariot
But I took a dive

The race of life is unending
Whether you choose to run or a spectator
For sure, the run you must partake
To be a victim or a victor
The race is inevitable

Sit on the fence, never an option
The peaceful battle must yet be fought
Wounded or broken, you must strive to win
Or take a defeated journey beyond the seven seas

How did I get here?
It all started with a whisper
Loud enough to break the eardrum
Then the web of passion encapsulate me
Led me to the gallow, a sheep for the slaughter
Hand stains, mouth stains
Can’t deny the meal
Eaten to satisfaction or not
But here I am
Loop in the knot

Life did plan for me
What I didn’t plan for myself
I must plan to have the world else the world has me.

ANALYSIS
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
The poem opens up with a thought by the poet persona who was astonished to find himself where he had not imagined. It likened the situation to someone who is married even though he had not plan to get married.
He sees himself as not being ready to take such big step but has drifted into the world of marital realities.

He likened the world to a race, a track event where both the athlete and the spectators all run the race. He noted that both the winner or loser all run the race together. This underscores the fact that in life, it is either you pursue something or something pursues you. You must run.

He uses an oxymoron to illustrate that the battle of life is not one fought with weapons of mass destruction but involves mental battles coupled with physical effort to win whether one is hurt or dejected.

The poet persona returned to himself questioning how he got to the point in his life as he found himself where he never envisaged. He conceded that he must have listened to his passion or appetite to taste or undertake what was enticing to him but not expedient.
He had been lured into doing things for instant pleasure ignoring the future consequences or effects of his actions.

Whether he had justify the pains he goes through is immaterial. He is now facing the realities of his actions.

In closing he realized that life does not harbour a vacuum. If a man fails to plan his life, life will plan his life for him. If he consciously plans his life, he will decide what happens to him but if he allows life plan his life for him, then he will lose control of the major incidents in his life.

FIGURES OF SPEECH:
METAPHOR:
Neither was I ready to wheel its chariot
But I took a dive
The race of life is unending
Sit on the fence
Or take a defeated journey beyond the seven seas
Can’t deny the meal
Loop in the knot

OXYMORON
The peaceful battle must yet be fought

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
How did I get here?

PARADOX
It all started with a whisper
Loud enough to break the eardrum

PERSONIFICATION
Then the web of passion encapsulate me
Led me to the gallow, a sheep for the slaughter
Life did plan for me
I must plan to have the world else the world has me.

ANTITHESIS
Hand stains, mouth stains

THE CREATION STORY by Lawal Olajide

The first five books of the bible was believed to be written by Moses through inspiration from God.

In Genesis 1 and 2, there are two accounts of the creation story. The first one is in Genesis 1 and the second in Genesis 2.

The first story of creation as recorded in Genesis 1 states that God created everything with the words of His mouth in six days.
On the first day, He created light – Genesis 1:3-5
On the second, He created the sky. He separated water in heaven from the water on earth – Genesis 1:6-8
On the third day, God separated water from land and made vegetation. Genesis 1:9-13
On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon and the stars. Genesis 1:14-19
On the fifth day, God made the birds and the fish (animals) in the sea. Genesis 1:21-23
On the sixth day, God made the land animals and man. Genesis 1:24-31
On this day, God blessed man and gave him dominion over everything He has made. So man became in charge representing the authority of God on earth.
On the seventh day, God rested. Genesis 2:1-3

This account shows that:
1. God is omnipotent: He is all powerful.
2. God is organized. He is a God of order.
3. God is omnipresent. He is everywhere
4. God is sovereign. He controls all things and not under the control of anyone.
5. God is omniscient. He is the all-knowing God
6. God loves man above all the things He has created

THE SECOND CREATION STORY
In Genesis 2, the Bible records the account of the second creation story. It states in Genesis 2:4-6 that God had not sent rain on the earth so there was nothing except streams that came from the earth to water the whole surface of the ground.
In Genesis 2:7, the Bible records that God made man from the dust and breathed into him the breathe of life. This made man to become a living soul.
This underscores the fact that man is
1. a spirit
2. lives in a body
3. has a soul

God made the body
Breathe His spirit into the body
Man became a soul

So when man dies, three things will happen
1. the body will return to dust,
2. the spirit will go back to God and
3. the soul will be judged either to go to heaven or hell.
May our souls not be dragged to hell in Jesus name.

Then God planted a garden where He put man. Then God made all kinds of plants and different trees bearing fruits. And in the middle of the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:8-9
It is not everything that we see that we must consume. God has prepared a table before us and when He tells us to refrain from some things, it is for our own good.

God directed man to take care of the Garden and to eat of all fruits except the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He warned him that the day he eats the fruit, he shall die. Genesis 2:15-17
Every man that is made is made for a purpose. Nobody is an error. The moment a child is born, he is born for a reason and God has chosen his path and work for him.
Read Jeremiah 1:4-5

In Genesis 2:18, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone and that he needs a help suitable for him. So God brought all the animals he had created to Adam to see what he would call them and maybe find a mate for himself. Adam named all the animals but found none of them a suitable partner for him. Genesis 2:19-20
This places responsibility on every man to search for a woman who fits into the plan of God for his life. Everyman must know the purpose of God for his life before he thinks of getting married to a woman who understands that purpose. Never marry anyone when you have not found your choice. Adam didn’t choose any of the animals because none of them match his choice but nowadays we have some men and women sleeping with animals for evil reasons. That is being possessed by evil spirits.

In Genesis 2:21-25, God made Adam fall asleep there He performed the first surgery operation. He made man to sleep and brought ribs out of man and made a woman from it and covered the part with flesh. God brought the woman to him and he saw that she looked more like him and so called her,
“the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman”
And God gave the first order that man should leave his parents and be united to his wife and they shall be one.

Everybody is not your wife. Not everything that wears skirts is a wife. God has made a special woman for you and you have to be able to identify her. A woman must fit into the rib of the man..this means every woman should fit into the purpose of God for the life of the man especially if he has discovered his purpose if you agree to marry him.

At this point, Adam and his wife were naked and they were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25.
This means that the man and the woman hides nothing from themselves including their strength and weakness and they are not ashamed.

PRAYERS:
1. Oh, Lord, create a perfect life in me.
2. Oh, Lord separate me from anything that does not conform to the purpose of God in my life.
3. Oh, help me locate the people you have made to make the journey of my life fruitful Genesis 2:23
4. Oh, Lord help me to walk in obedience of your word. Genesis 2:17
5. Oh, help me know the relationship that is meant for me and the ones I need to distant myself from. Genesis 2:21-23
6. Oh Lord help me not to hide myself from those who is capable of helping me. Genesis 2:25
7. Oh Lord help me to discover my purpose in life early in Jesus name. Genesis 2:15-17

The Word by Lawal Olajide

The word is an utterance from the mouth of God or man to fulfil a particular purpose. Word is the foundation of everything that happens on earth and even in heaven.

The Bible says in John 1:1-5 that, ‘In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. It was by him all things were made.

We also discovered that in Genesis 1:2-3, without the word of God, everything was shapeless, void and empty.

Types of Word:
1. Words of God
2. Words of men

Word of God is the foundation of everything. It is the word that has its basis from the Bible.

QUALITIES OF THE WORD OF GOD.
1. The word of God is powerful – Psalm 29:4 – 8
2. The word of God is potent. – it always performs everything it is sent to. Isaiah 55:10 -11
3. The word of God is spirit and life. Anything God speaks into becomes life John 6:63.
4. The word of God is light. Psalm 119:105
5. The word of God is based on faith. – Romans 10:17

QUALITIES OF WORD OF MAN
1. Word of man is wicked
2. Word of man brings pain Genesis 27:34
3. Word of man is unreliable Lamentation 3:37
4. The word of man is based on what you see around you or what you’re experiencing
2Kings 6:14-17

WHAT CAN THE WORD OF GOD DO?
1. The word of God can destroy every stumbling block of the enemy Psalm 29:5
2. The word of God gives life. John 1:4
3. The word of God creates. John 1:3
4. The word of God gives direction Psalm 119:105
5. The word of God keeps us from falling into sin Psalm 119:11

PRAYERS:
1. Oh God speak your word of life into my life. John 1:4 John 6:63
2. Oh God, by your word, recreate my life John 1:3
3. Oh Lord, let your word give direction to my life. Psalm 119:105
4. Oh God, send your word and heal all my diseases Psalm 107:20

The Second Voyage

On the cardboard laid on stink
A clear call, I can’t but concur

In the comfort of all luxuries
My tainted body lie with no lack of wealth

On a public bad
Attended to by professionals
Life support failed to keep the night watch

On whichever river I am made to swim
The rogue is gone
The safe is empty

All past and present no longer significant
All qualification, the job does not require
Whether good or bad, history is made
The voyage to the unending began on shores

If I had known, the milk is spilt
Corrections of records, impossible to attain
Lowered into the safe of eternity
Dissolved only to add nutritional value to the dust

On the other side of the shores
In a city laid with gold
May I appear before the Pilot
Whether I be a goat or a sheep

A second voyage I begin to embark
Now not alone, but with a host of attendants
Whether or not celebrated in this phase or next
I am he who I make myself to be.

©Lawal Olajide

ANALYSIS:
This is a metaphorical poem which compares the transition in life to various areas of life.

The poem started with the different types of people, ranging from the poor, the rogues and the elites who has the best of medical attention at their disposal. It states clearly that no matter which group one belong, no one is not immune to death.

It compares death to a rogue who comes to steal that valuable treasure which is life, leaving the safe empty. The empty safe connote a lifeless body.

It moves forward to state that once death is recorded, all work is ended, all pursuit of various certification is a futile exercise and the life of such person now becomes a concluded history.

This exit opens up the new journey. This journey marks the belief of life after death where one can no longer undo what has already been done.

The human body becomes useless to man but only useful in the sense that it becomes manure to the soil.

The religious belief of paradise is acknowledged here where the city is laid with gold. At this point, everyone appears before God who is addressed as the Pilot.

The poet used allusion in highlighting the separation that takes place in Matthew 25:31-46, where the goat is separated from the sheep. The goat represent to bad or sinners while the sheep represent the righteous.

This marks the beginning of the second journey which is welcomed by a host of angels who resides on the other plane.

He ends the poem by saying what you become or on which side of life you find yourself is a product of your own actions or inactions.

FIGURES OF SPEECH:
Dominant figure of Speech is metaphor
The rogue is gone
The safe is empty
the milk is spilt

ALLUSION
Whether I be a goat or a sheep

ALLITERATION:
A clear call, I can’t but concur
Now not alone

EUPHEMISM
My tainted body lie with no lack of wealth

WEEK TEN
CRS LESSON NOTE SSONE THIRD TERM

HIV/AIDS
a.Meaning of HIV/AIDS
HIV is an acronym which means Human Immunodeficiency Virus, while AIDS is an acronym which means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This is a deadly disease that destroys the immune system of a victim and ultimately leads to his untimely death.

b.How people can be infected by HIV/AIDS and symptoms
People only get HIV/AIDS by coming in contact with some specific bodily fluids of someone living with the virus. These bodily fluids include; blood, semen, breastmilk, vaginal fluids and anal mucuous.

HIV is transmitted in the following instances:
1. A person has unprotected sex with an infected person
2. A person shares injecting equipment like syringe with an infected person
3. A mother may transfer the virus to her unborn child during pregnancy
4. A mother can also transfer to a baby at birth
5. A mother can also transfer it to her baby through breastfeeding
6. A person can be infected through contaminated blood transfusion.
HIV is not transmitted through other bodily fluids like saliva, sweat or urine.

SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms of this deadly disease may include but not limited to:
1. Fever (raised temperature)
2. Body rash
3. Sore throat
4. Swollen glands
5. Headache
6. Stomach upset
7. Joint ache and pains
8. Muscle pain
9. Dry cough
10. Fatigue
11. Loss of appetite
12. Malaise
13. Abnormal sweating
14. Nausea
15. Opportunistic infections
16. Severe loss of weight
17. Diarrhoea
18. Ulcers

c. Prevention of HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS can be prevented with the following measures:
1. Use condoms during sex. However the safest way is to abstain from sex until you are married and married couples should stick to their partners.
2. Do not share injected equipment like needles and syringe
3. Blood must be tested or screened for HIV before transfusion is administered
4. Body tissues or organs should also be properly screened before transplant takes place
5. Use PrEP, a course of HIV drugs which prevents HIV infection from breaking down the organs of the body
6. Take HIV treatment if you are a new or expectant mother living with HIV
7. Health workers in contact with bodily fluids should constantly wear hand gloves regularly and dispose sharp and especially injecting equipment.

d. Cure for HIV/AIDS (People who are sick, Jesus cared for them)
There is no cure for HIV although antiretrovireal treatment can control the virus. Most researches are looking for functional and sterilising cure where HIV is either reduced to undetectable and harmless level or eradicating it from the body completely.

InJohn 4:46-54, the Bible records the story of a royal official who begged Jesus to come and heal his son. Although Jesus scolded the people for not believing except they see a sign, He healed the man’s son without even going there. Also in John 5:1-8, it is recorded there how Jesus healed a man who was sick for thirty eight years by the pool of Bethesda. Furthermore in John 9:1-7, Jesus healed a man who was born blind by spitting on the ground. He made mud with his saliva and put it on the man’s eyes and instructed him to wash in the pool of Siloam (which means ‘sent’)

Although, a cure has not been found for HIV/AIDS, Jesus has demonstrated the power of God in healing all kinds of diseases and can also heal HIV/AIDS.

12. Revision of the term’s work

The Loss

The pillar of the house is broken down
The lion has been called home
All wears a gloomy face
Who will make us wise again?

The tales of the wise by moonlight
The scold when our excessive burgled in
The treat of barbeque and the game
Who will champion the wild excitement?

The father of the whole world is gone
Now I am so lonely without comfort
Like a fish lost in the river the sky wept for me
May I ever find a compass again in life?

©Lawal Olajide

THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This poem is a dirge which mourns the demise of the poet’s benefactor. It is a sad poem which the poet uses to lament his predicament.

He introduces the deceased as the person who holds the family in place. He also compares the deceased to a lion who rules the home with so much courage. He states that he will be missed because of the role he played in their lives.

The poet also drew attention to the stories he told them, the kind rebuke when they did wrong, the constant give of goodies which the children love and all the exciting moments they shared together.

The poet draws the attention to the fact that he extends his love beyond his family. He emphasize the fact that he would miss the company of the deceased. He compares himself to a fish lost in the river and see himself in a pitiable situation to say even the sky wept with him.

As in the preceding stanzas, he uses rhetorical questions to emphasized the extent of his loss.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

METAPHOR
The pillar of the house is broken down
The lion has been called home

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
Who will make us wise again?
Who will champion the wild excitement?
May I ever find a compass again in life?

PERSONIFICATION
The scold when our excessive burgled in

HYPERBOLE
The father of the whole world is gone

SIMILE
Like a fish lost in the river the sky wept for me

FORM
A twelve line poem divided into three Quatrains

Ruminating on the true essence of life
Why the struggles, pains and tears?
Was man made mainly for battles?
Was man made to meandre through the woods of strife?
What was the plan?
To bring forth for trouble? This I doubt

I searched through histories which are sure precedents
The horror of struggles roared at me like a hungry lion

I ran to words of human wisdom
To see whether any great man ever lived has a clue
To know the reasons for our travail on this earth
Their theories and findings abandon me in an ocean of desert without compass

Then I turned to the scrolls, the Ancient Words
Which have their roots dipped in ocean of inspirations from above
The ones rejected by intellectuals for lack of scientific explanations
Whose stories are incomprehensible to terrestrial wisdom

Simple complexities in all respect, I discovered
That precept upon precepts
Line upon lines
The essence of every man is uniquely tied to a divine assignment

My task however is to believe and unravel
The box of duty which has my identity imprint
Never to follow after the lost crowd
But pick my tools and run my personal race.

The journey terminates at the same destination
But my route is my route
My decision I must make
But must be subsumed in the Master’s will

Life is not a struggle
For a man who discovers purpose
For each step you take in that light
Marches you towards unravelling the mysteries of life

To every door, there is a key
Until you consciously search and find this key
Entering into Rest is only a mirage, at best a dream
Which can never bring you the realities of the Kingdom

The Kingdom we earnestly wait and hope for
Is not anywhere on this space and time
But Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost
That is the Kingdom of God, the true essence of life.

©Lawal Olajide A. (LLB)

ANALYSIS
Figures of Speech

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
Why the struggles, pains and tears?
Was man made mainly for battles?
Was man made to meander through the woods of strife?
What was the plan?
To bring forth for trouble?

PERSONIFICATION
The horror of struggles roared at me
Their theories and findings abandon me in an ocean of desert without compass

SIMILE:
The horror of struggles roared at me like a hungry lion

METAPHOR
Their theories and findings abandon me in an ocean of desert without compass
Entering into Rest is only a mirage
My task however is to believe and unravel the box of duty which has my identity imprint

METONYMY
Then I turned to the scrolls, the Ancient Words (Refers to Religion)

OXYMORON
Simple complexities in all respect

Thematic Analysis
The poem addresses the issue of finding fulfilment in life. It started by stating that thinking process of the poet persona trying to discover the essence of his life.

The subsequent stanzas looks at the struggles of mankind to discover purpose. He turns to history and philosophies of men but couldn’t find answers rather he became more confused.

He then turned to the Holy Book and discovered that the struggles men go through is not needed after all. He discovered that man’s purpose is revealed as he progresses one after the other. Each man has his unique purpose and must seek to fulfil his own bit.

He also stated that for a man who discovers and walks in his purpose, life is never a struggle but for a man whose purpose is not discovered, life is an endless struggle.

He finally stated that wisdom is the ultimate and a fulfilled life is characterized by living right, having peace within and without and having the joy of fulfilment and satisfaction with what you have and you are achieving.

WEEK NINE
Lesson Note for SS1 CRS THIRD TERM
THE RESURRECTION AND SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
Resurrection is the act of arising from the dead and becoming alive again. According to the Bible, after Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, He rose again on the third day.

i. THE ACCOUNT OF THE RESURRECTION (Matthew 28: 1-8, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11)
According to account of Matthew in Matthew 28:1-10, the Bible records that on Sunday being the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. On getting there, there was an earthquake as an angel of the Lord came down and rolled the stone away and sat on it. He eyes shone brightly and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards became sore afraid and became like dead men. The angel turned to the women and told them that Jesus whom they were looking for has resurrected and no more in the grave. Seeing where he was laid empty, the angel charged them to go and tell His disciples all that happened. They left immediately and while they were on their way, Jesus met them. They ran to Him, took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Jesus instructed them to go and relate the event to His disciples.
In verses 11-15, the Bible records that the guards went to the chief priests to relate what happened to them. The chief priests agreed among themselves and gave the soldiers a huge amount of money to give false account of the incident that while they slept, the disciples came and stole him away. They promised to persuade the governor and defend the guards from punishment. This news spread among the Jews till this day.

According to Mark’s account in Mark 16:1-8, the Bible records that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome went to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body with sweet spices very early. They were contemplating on who will roll the stone away from the mouth of the tomb but when they got there, the stone had already been rolled away. When they entered, Jesus was no longer there. Rather, they met an angel in form of a young man dressed in long white robe sitting by the right side. The angel told them that Jesus has risen and that they should go and tell Peter and the other disciples, that Jesus has risen and was on his way to Galilee. Out of fear, they ran out to go and meet the disciples.

However in Luke 24:1-11, the Bible records that the women included Joana and not Salome. Luke stated that when they got there, they saw two men in shining robes who told them that Jesus has risen. When they saw the men, they were afraid and bow with the faces to the ground. Then the men asked why they were looking for the living among the dead. They told them that all these things were ordained to happen; the arrest, the crucifixion and the ressurection as Jesus had told them. They remembered his words and went back to tell the others all that transpired even though they were not believed.

ii. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESURRECTION TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
1. It confirms the fact that Jesus is the Son of God
2. It confirms the truth of what Jesus had told them
3. It confirms that Jesus is the Messiah they were expecting
4. It gave the disciples confidence in whom they believed
5. It exposes the hypocrisies of the pharisees, saduccees and the chief priests
6. It reveals the Omnipotent power of God.
7. It established the basis of the Christian faith.

iii. WOMEN ACTIVITIES IN THE STORY OF RESURRECTION TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
1. The women were the ones who attempted to preserve the body of Jesus
2. The women were the ones who spread the news of the resurrection of Jesus
3. The women demonstrated loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus, the Saviour

WEEK Eight:
Lesson note for SS1 THIRD TERM

IMPARTIALITY
i. Meaning of Impartiality (James 2: 1- 13)
Impartiality is the quality of being fair, treating all parties or rivals equally. It means that one is not partial or biased. In James 2:1 – 13, advised all Christians against being partial towards people especially at the expense of some less privileged ones.

He gave an analogy that if a man who is well-dressed and gorgeously looking with expensive jewelries and another poor man looking shabby come into our gathering, we would be tempted to give the good looking man a better place to sit and the poor looking man a bad or degrading place to sit. This shows partiality. He shows that we have already judged the content of their minds by the way they dressed.

In James 2:5, he stated that God has seen those we call poor in the world tonbe rich in faith and made them heirs of the kingdom of God. He highlighted in verses 6 and 7 that it is these rich men that oppress us and drag us to court. It is these same rich men that blaspheme or slander the name of God and Jesus Christ by whose name we are called. It is these same rich people that win our favour despite all they do to us.

He stated in verse 8 that we should fulfil the royal law which is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ and if we show partiality, then we commit sin and we are guilty of breaking the law by favouring some people over others. He stated that anyone who obeys all the laws but break a tiny bit of it is as guilty as a person who breaks all the laws.

In conclusion, he stated that we should know that judgment is without mercy and he who shows no mercy cannot receive mercy. However, mercy triumphs over judgement. This means that if we show mercy to others we shall also receive mercy.

ii. The Golden Rule (Matt 7:12, Luke 6:31)
In Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31, the Bible records Jesus saying that ‘Do unto to others whatever you want them to do to you.’ This emphasized the fact that if you won’t like something to be done to you, then don’t do it to others.

iii. Negative effect of Depotism, Favouritsm and tribalism on the society
Depotism is a system of government where one single authority, person or tight-knit group rules the people with absolute power especially in a cruel way.
Favouritism is an unfair way of favouring a person or group at the expense of others.
Tribalism is a feeling of identity and loyalty to one’s tribe at the expense of others.

Negative effects of these practices include:
1. Only one tribe or group will be favoured above others
2. Expertise and professionalism will be played down. This means that people who can do a particular job better will be denied the opportunity because they do not belong to the favoured group or tribe.
3. It may lead to jealousy, envy and strife
4. It may trigger off terrorism
5. It can lead to uneven development. One tribe develops and improves at the expense of others
6.It will discourage healthy competition
7. It may lead to social stratification (class society)
8. It can also lead to oppression of the minor tribe and abuse of power.
9. It may result in social and economic instability
10. Development will be slow as ideology will be traded for sentiments.

Week Seven
Lesson note CRS SS1 THIRD TERM

CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TO WORKS
Jesus message on love of enemies (Matthew 5:38-48)

CHRISTIANS ATTITUDES TO WORK
People work in order to earn a living and to make ends meet. People has different attitude to work. Many people are just interested in their salaries and what they get out of the work. As Christians, our attitude must be different.

In Colossians 3:22-23, Paul admonishes us as servants to obey our masters in all things. We should avoid eye service rather we should work to please God and not men. We should do our work whether we are supervised or not to the best of our abilities. He said we should work willingly with all our heart without being pushed.

In Colossians 3:24, he added that it is from God that we receive our reward for whatever we do. This underscores the fact that if God is happy with us, we will win the favour of men. This also means that if God qualifies or honours us, no one can disqualify or dishonour us.

Finally in Colossians 3:25, he stated that God is not a respecter of man. He is not partial and does not have favourites. Anyone who has done wrong will be punished accordingly for the wrong he has done.

CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE TO OTHERS
JESUS MESSAGE ON LOVE OF ENEMIES (Matthew 5:38-48)

Jesus, while He was on the mountain teaching the multitudes stated that it is natural and according to the laws of Moses that you should love those who love you and hurt those who hurt you. But as Christians, He advised us to love our enemies. He stated that if a man slaps us on the right cheek, we should turn the left and if a man sues for our coat, we should allow them take our shirt too. This underscores the fact that we should not retaliate evil deeds done to us.

In the same chapter, Jesus said we should give to anyone who asks from us and not refrain from lending to people. He says we should treat everyone the same way whether they are our friends or enemies because this is the only way we can show that we are children of God.

In conclusion, we should make ourselves different from others in a good way so that we bring praise to God. He admonishes us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.