S2E07 - A Proverb on STANDING OUT - "Àparò ò ga ju ara-a wọn lọ, àfi èyí tó gun ebè"

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Àparò ò ga ju ara-a wọn lọ, àfi èyí tó gun ebè." INTERPRETATION: "No partridge is taller than another except for those standing on earth mounds." (Earth mounds are little heaps of soil usually made with a hoe; in the farm, crops like yam and cassava are planted into the heaps.)  MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: Usually, this proverb is said of a group of people among whom there is none that stands out. We, however, considered the proverb from the perspective of laying emphasis on the latter part of it. Yes, partridges are alike when they are all standing on the same ground, however, if one of them goes on to stand on an earth mound, such will stand out among the rest. We considered this from the angle of SALVATION BY GRACE. All humans are alike (like partridges) in the sense that we are all sinners. Irrespective of our varying levels of self-righteousness, they all amount to filthy rags relative to God's standard of righteousness. The only way to be acceptable to God, therefore, is to stand NOT in our righteousness, but in HIS righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus made this possible by His atoning death and triumphant resurrection. Anyone who believes in Him, therefore, has, proverbially speaking, "climbed the earth mound" that makes such a person STAND OUT among others. In the same vein, both in our secular work and our spiritual service in God's vineyard, we need to always ask ourselves, "what earth mounds do you need to climb to stand out of the rest?" As Anu urges us all, we must endeavour to avoid limiting ourselves to people's perception of us in our service to God and to men; as long as we stay in tune with the Holy Spirit obeying His every prompting, we will always stand out among our equals. BIBLICAL REFERENCE 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:12-13 MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE Martin Luther and the Reformation 95 Theses LINKS TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ✥ My Website — https://www.josephkolawole.org/omoluabi/ ✥ Other Platforms — https://pod.link/1550735589 FOR MORE RESOURCES FROM JOSEPH & ANU OLA https://linktr.ee/josephola https://josephola.disha.page/