The lifestyle of many believers today can be likened to an organization’s Finance Manager who has a 2016 goal to donate all the company’s assets to a charity organization in his village. Why do I say so? Your response to these two questions may help determine where your loyalty lies: How many people made a decision to accept Christ last year because of your ministration? What is your plan and prayer regarding soul winning this year?
I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) says “…You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price…” If we truly agree that we do not belong to ourselves, has the one who owns us influenced our plans for the year? The answer to this question can be determined by our current goals. Either our priorities are things we want to achieve for ourselves, which we are asking God to rubberstamp, or the ways God has revealed His intention to bless the world through us.
It may interest you to note that after salvation, believers got qualified for heaven (Philippians 3:20) but God left them here primarily because of what they have to give to the world. For God so loved the world that he gave ‘us’, so that other people can come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through our interactions with them. This is the purpose of God for every believer and it is very clear in scriptures (2 Corinthians 5:18, Ephesians 4:11-12, I Peter 2:9). You are a gift to the world. Your time, intellect and resources should be spent primarily for the cause of Christ, and you are to use the platforms (work, school, sports, neighborhood, etc.) He has given you to make His power visible. For too long, people have seen us “working for God” in our own strength and wisdom, now its time for them to see Him working through us. This is the only way people get attracted to God’s kingdom, when they see His power at work doing what only He can do.
Although many of our New Year messages may have been centered on us, we can revise them by taking a cue from Jesus. Acts 10:38 (NLT) says –“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good …”.The anointing, power and grace we have received from God is to enable us go around doing good. One of the finest way to measure this “good” is by how many saved people caused the angels in heaven to rejoice (Luke 15:7).
Beloved, I admonish you to take a second look at your goals for the year, and ensure that the “selfie goals” (if any) are upgraded to “Godie goals”.
Tope Aladenusi
