Joshua 1:8
Quoting a tract I read: “He could have lived a missionary, he decided to be a millionaire. Early in life, you would have thought a John was in making, but he ended up being a Judas. We thought he would be another Paul, but he became another Pilate.”
Adding to the above choice that led to a life of tragedy – A church was committed into his hands, but he opted to be an international evangelist. She was called to take care of the children church, she chose to join the choir. Invited to teach on Spiritual Growth, he turned the message to Financial Growth.
Where is he now? He owns a beautiful house abroad. He rides an expensive car. His business is booming. He is very popular that he even dines with the President.
What about the ministry given to him by God? He is now busy arguing on the mysteries of the kingdom of God rather than winning souls into the kingdom. Having numerous business appointments, she rarely has time for her own kids. Evangelism in his local church is now a thing of the past because of his numerous seminars abroad.
The moment one is born again, a ministry is committed into his hands. Be it, public ministry as evangelism or private as performing an activity in the church, God demands faithfulness. If you remain in the faith and be faithful in that which was committed into your hand till the end, kudos – you have earned good success. If you fall out of the faith or deviate from that which God called you, you are a failure. Peradventure the world declares you successful because of the physical achievement they see, lo – you have achieved nothing more than bad success, and there is no reward for that. No, not one!
“…Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life…”
Let us be watchful and prayerful to avoid saying on that day:
“And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” I Kings 20:39-40.
– Okenna Igbokwe
Have you noticed something common among people who would probably be referred to as poor, losers, bankrupt or failures? There is always someone or something they think is responsible for their predicament. If it is not because their boss is wicked, then it must be because their spouse is uncaring, their followers are uncooperative or the government is unproductive. They always find it legitimate to put the blame on others and this has always hindered them from advancing with the right pace.
John Maxwell once wrote, “it is easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success”. Remember Adam in the Garden of Eden. When he ate the forbidden fruit and God questioned him, he gave a nice excuse – “the woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it”. As far as he was concerned, God was the initiator and his woman was the perpetrator of his problems. But that did not vindicate him in God’s sight. His excuses only worsened the existing problem.
Things may not be 100% right in your environment. Therefore, if you are looking for someone or something to put the blame on, the good news is that you will definitely find one. But the bad news is that you will shut your mind from solutions and possibilities, and it will be more difficult to move towards success. But you can decide to get rid of excuses, look inward and overcome the obstacles on your way.
– tope aladenus
| What is the difference between putting on your headlamp during daytime and nighttime? You can imagine it.
Imagine if Moses had parted a stream while the Israelites were still rollicking and frolicking in Egypt; perhaps they would have raised up their thumbs and tell him … “you are good”. But when they had the red sea in front of them and the enemy behind, the ranking of Moses was … “you are God’s”. Exodus 14:31 (MSG) says “the people were in reverent awe before GOD and trusted in GOD and his servant Moses”.
Perhaps if Jesus had turned water to wine when there were still many jars of wine at the wedding in Cana, some people may have concluded – “he is good”. Many may not even notice that a miracle had just occurred. But Nicodemus surreptitiously visited him by night because overtime he had gained the perception that “he is God’s” (John 3:2).
Like the headlamp, it’s the same light producing different external effect at different times.
Proverbs 24:10 (GW) could fit for a ringtone today –“If you faint in a crisis, you are weak”. Absolutely! The outer pressures can reveal the inner person.
What if the person that lives on your inside is Christ? Then you should be experiencing the flip side of the verse above. The effect of the strength on our inside can be better appreciated. People who may have given us credit for just being good can now ascribe the glory to the one who has always been at work within us – God. Let this be your testimony.
– tope aladenusi |
