Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
Dr Hamilton Ekeke, on Sunday, urged men to rely on the abounding grace of God to maximise their impact on their families and the larger society to build a better nation.
The cleric observed that the position of fathers in the family was fundamental to building strong family ties and raising children to be worthy ambassadors to society.
Ekeke, Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa Ecumenical Centre, Igbogene in Yenagoa, gave the advice while preaching a sermon on Man of Grace to commemorate the 2023 Father’s Day.
The cleric who is also a scholar spoke at the Fountain of Life Parish of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Amarata in Yenagoa.
Speaking on the sermon drawn from 1 John 3:2 and Ephesians 2:8 and Romans 5:20, Ekeke noted that the grace of God enables a man to go beyond limitations and achieve outstanding results.
He noted that his accomplishment in academics which saw him from a humble background from the Anibeze community in Bayelsa to teach postgraduate students at a University in the United Kingdom can only be by the Grace of God.
“I am one example of God’s Grace, from a very remote community called Anibeze in Bayelsa to rise to teach postgraduate students at a University in the United Kingdom many years ago speaks of God’s grace.
“I realised this one day and became visibly emotional to the point of shedding tears and my colleagues wondered why I was crying.
“I told them that God has taken me from obscurity to global limelight and I attributed the feat to the grace of God upon my life and it has been my experience in all that I do,” Ekeke said.
He noted that becoming a man of grace requires character, and integrity to show forth the power of God in making a visible impact in one’s field of endeavour.
Ekeke explained that fatherhood comes with enormous responsibilities including parenting and leadership roles at the family levels to impact one’s family and community in a positive way.
According to him, these responsibilities make it imperative to depend on God to draw inspiration and become a man of grace and hence radiate the goodness of God for all to see.
“It is not in making claims but living a life of character and integrity, people around us should see our lives as a reflection of what we believe and teach.
“The life of a man of grace should stand out from the crowd and the impact be felt from the family level to the larger society,” Ekeke said.