If Everybody Will Be Flogged What Good Is It If Your Flogging Is Delayed? -By Joe Dauda

In this story, my flogging was delayed — but it did me no good. Make sure your case is different.

I was once in a situation where my flogging was delayed. I had a Doctor’s Report that exempted me from hard labour due to an ailment I had at the time. Rather than serve as a blessing however, this Doctor’s Report isolated me from the crowd and made my punishment more thorough — because it was supervised by the Vice Principal.

As students, we feared our Vice Principal (Academics) more than the Commandant himself. This was a school owned by the military, which was why it was run by an active duty Military Lt. Colonel rather than just any “bloody” civilian with a Master’s degree.

Once in a while, all the students of my school are flogged — right inside the Assembly Hall! It may happen when the noise level is high, or some unruly behavior is noticed during the usual morning General Assembly. When the civilian VP Academics was on stage, it was always wiser to keep our mouths shut because this woman was as fierce as she was tall.

On this fateful morning, a large number of students seemed to have had a hearty breakfast and were in a particularly jolly mood. So they just couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Hence, the hall was a bit noisy — even with Mr Akingbade on the stage! This was nothing but trouble and Mrs Akingbade soon ordered the uniformed military men to use their whips and cane every single student within the very large Assembly Hall.

It was like a slaughter house. Only that, in this case, instead of the shrill sound of sheeps, the voice of wailing students filled the air. Of course it was the female students that were crying out the most but the whipping was serious enough to bring down the tears even from the boys, who liked to pretend they were tough.

When it got near my turn, I dutifully approached Mrs Akingbade and showed her my Doctor’s Report, which exempted me from labour on Fridays. Labour was a time for students to clean up the school environment.

With her temper high and her patience running thin, Mrs Akingbade stole a brief glance at my well-worn Doctor’s Report and confirmed my greatest fear. She said whipping me (like every other student was being whipped) was not the same thing as “hard labour” and that, since the Doctor’s Report only exempted me from hard labour, I was going to be whipped.

I couldn’t refute the cold logic of this “wicked” woman. (Disciplining students is not wickedness please: but I’m sure you get the point).

I looked at Mrs Akingbade with eyes calculated to draw out some sympathy. But the woman was already angry and couldn’t be placated. So she gave the Army Sergeant the order and I was whipped under her supervision.

That was almost 30 years ago.

Jesus Christ died at the age of 33.5 years but completely fulfilled His assignment.

Long life is not the issue sir/madam.

What matters is fulfilling your destiny. If we are sure of one Person Who completely fulfilled His destiny/purpose, that Person is Jesus Christ. The point is that He did so in less than 34 years.

So I ask again: if all of us are going to die anyway, what good is it if your death is delayed by 2 years or 20 years? Remember my delayed flogging? It did me no good.

Yes; the only good to be gained from delayed death will be if that extra time is used in the fulfillment of your purpose. If it isn’t used for the fulfillment of purpose, it would have proven a waste and even provided grounds for a more painful death. Remember that I was whipped under the supervision of the VP Academics. Chances are that the Army Sergeant may have descended on my backside with more vigour because of this. My isolation was thus a curse rather than a blessing; my delayed flogging only made things worse. If only I had known that my Doctor’s Report would fail to save me in the case of flogging (as it often did in the case of Friday labour), I would have kept it in my pocket and calmly accepted my six strokes. But I did not know.

Stephen Covey was more of a gospel preacher than he may have realized. He is credited with saying “begin with the end in mind” echoing the words of Wise King Solomon who said “the end of a matter is better than the beginning.”

Don’t worry about living long — in other words, delaying your death. This world will come to an end even if you are given Methuselah’s lifespan. So don’t seek any delay. Focus your whole attention on fulfilling your destiny. And remember that righteous men can die at the hands of evil men. Think of John the Baptist. He was the cousin of Jesus Christ; he was the “greatest among men” according to Jesus Christ Himself; yet he was beheaded like His God does not exist.

The most important destiny of every human being is to make peace with God while they are still alive. If you fail to fulfill that part of God’s purpose for your life, nothing else will matter. And I mean nothing in the most absolute sense of the word — your life on earth would have been a waste.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord . . . longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Nobody should perish; everybody should repent.

Why?

I’m almost 100% sure you know why.

Your tithe, and church attendance, and fasting, and working in the church, and praise and worship — and whatever appears to be service to God — will matter eternally only if you make peace with God. And there can be no peace with God until you admit that you have offended Him by sinning, and then accepting His free offer of forgiveness. Although this forgiveness is free, it was made possible by the extremely expensive sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

May God have mercy on all of us.