WISDOM FOR THE DAY DEVOTIONAL
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
FRIDAY 16TH JANUARY 2026
TOPIC: SEEK TO KNOW THE TRUTH
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:3–4 (KJV)
Beloved, salvation is only the beginning of your journey with God. One thing is to be saved; another is to know the truth. Many believers stop at salvation and never press on to know the truth that brings freedom and maturity in Christ.
When I started out in ministry, I didn’t know what I know today. We served God sincerely, but with limited understanding. We practiced certain traditions and cultural rules genuinely, but not scripturally. And beloved, sincerity alone does not make something right. You can be genuinely wrong if you don’t know the truth.
However, when light comes and you discover error, humility demands that you embrace change. I told my congregation from the beginning, “I may make mistakes, but if I ever teach you something that is not in line with the truth, I will not be ashamed to correct it.” That commitment to truth has shaped our journey and our growth.
In the early days, we were deeply religious. In our services, men sat on one side, women on the other, even married couples. No one wore ornaments or makeup. But soon I began to notice that after the service, the same people who covered their heads and faces would step outside, remove their head ties, and fix their makeup. I was frustrated and asked God, “What is going on?”
Then the Lord said to me, “You can never legislate righteousness.” It’s not about rules and regulations, it’s about transformation through the Word. He said, “Preach the Word! Preach the Gospel!”
Only the gospel has the power to transform a person from the inside out. Show people how merciful God has been to them. Remind them that they were on their way to destruction, and Christ intervened out of love, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 (KJV)
Salvation was God’s idea, not ours. You had no hand in it. So stop trying to add human effort to what Christ has already finished. If we could save or sanctify ourselves, then Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come.
Beloved, rest in what He has done, and keep growing in the knowledge of the truth. For it is only through truth that transformation comes.
Further Reading: Romans 5:1-19, John 8:32.
Daily Bible Reading: Morning – Genesis 39-40, Evening – Matthew 11