GREETINGS:

Hello parishioners, peace be with you all today am here once again to share with you the word of God. Things happen and do that at it right time and when the times are hard where do we normally go.

A wise man defined Dedication as deadly commitment and I can't agree less.

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SOURCE

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Dedication is rugged, drugged, unrelenting commitment towards a person, course or goal.

Dedication is key to emerging a giant in any of life's pursuit. Greatness is at the mercy of dedication.

Without dedication, one can't achieve much in life. What you ain't dedicated to, you can't shine in. What you ain't dedicated to, you can't be great at.

A most dedicated Jesus Christ has this to say :

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit. -John 12:24

What this means is that every seed has the potential of becoming a tree and then many trees and then a massive forest but until it is ready to die in the ground, this greatness potential won't see the light of the day.

So is every individual on the earth today born of God. Massive potentials of greatness are embedded inside every one of us waiting for our dedication to come alive.

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Jeremiah 24:3

Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou,
Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very
good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten,
they are so evil.

Jeremiah 24 begins with God showing the prophet two baskets - one filled with good, delicious fruit and the other filled with worthless, inedible fruit. The Lord, apparently wanting Jeremiah to know the importance of the vision He'd given him, asked, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"

God went on to explain to Jeremiah the significance of the vision: He would bless the "good" exiles who had been led out of Judah to the land of the Babylonians. On the other hand, He would judge those in Judah who had led the people into sin and idolatry and had brought judgment on the nation.

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Jeremiah 35:13

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel;
Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken
to my words? saith the Lord.

In Jeremiah 35, God addressed the Jews using a contrast between the Rechabites - a clan that closely followed the instructions of their father - and the nation of Judah, which had refused to listen to and obey the words of their God.

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Ezekiel 8:12

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou saw
what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the
dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for
they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath
forsaken the earth.

In Ezekiel 8, God showed the prophet vivid pictures of the behaviour of the leaders of both Judah and Israel, the two kingdoms that had at one time comprised the nation of Israel. It was far from a pretty picture. The leaders of Israel had begun engaging in terrible, sinful behaviour, all the while convinced that God was no longer watching: "They say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.'" In other words, they were more concerned about their reputations than about their character. That's the nature of "hidden sin," isn't it? It's too easy sometimes to excuse our sin, convinced that since no one knows about it, we must be doing all right.

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What reasons did He gave to seek public approval

Jesus was hated by the world, but it is more painful that member of His family, who should be most impressed by His blameless life, did not think much about Him. Are you disturbed that your siblings or children have refused to become Christians?. Do not lose heart, continue to pray for them, James and Jude, two of Christ's brothers soon became disciples
(James 1:1, Jude 1)

Conclusion

Occasions will come in our lives when we also must choose whether to continue in the faith or not. Can our Lord rely on you even if others desert Him?. Why do you think that people feared to freely express their opinion concerning Jesus? Are you bold enough to tell others what you believe about Him?