Life is a school!
In this school of life, every person desires to make a mark of distinction. Indeed the word of God tells us that, distinction is the very essence of our humanity. The Bible opens with the account of creation, and tells us how God spent the first five days of creation, making the entire universe and preparing the earth for His most distinct creature - Man.
You have the seed of distinction in you!
Genesis 1:26 -- God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
Genesis 1:27 -- God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female.
Genesis 1:28 -- God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
Every other creature that God made was given a specific domain outside of which they could never thrive nor hope to survive. Take the mighty whale or great shark out of water and they would soon be dead. Confine the majestic eagle to the ground and you make the eagle a prisoner. Relocate the fearsome tiger to the sea and it would lose all its fearsomeness in a failing struggle to swim or sink. But God distinguished humans by giving them dominion over the creatures of the other domains; sea, air and land.
It is impossible to dominate a creature, without first dominating its domain. That is why today, men have made great scientific advances that have enabled them to swim to the deepest depths and exploit the resources of the sea; fly beyond the clouds into space and use the weather for their good; and harness the abundant treasures above and beneath the earth's surface for human survival.
Despite this seed of distinction in man, the bulk of humanity still wallows about in confusion, uncertainty, indecision and misdirection. We still wander about wondering what life holds in store for us and asking how we can hit that mark of distinction that we so desperately desire. Most of us look at our gifts and talents, the enormous store of potential that God has put within us and cannot understand why our reality is so different from such potentials.
Since we cannot reconcile who we desire to be with whom we are, we end up worrying. We worry about what to eat, what to wear, where to live, who to marry. We worry that we do not have children, we do not have jobs, we do not have cars; and that we are not successful. But God says all our worries are because we have failed to put things in their proper perspectives:
Matthew 6:25 - "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
Matthew 6:27 - "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?
Matthew 6:28 - All this time and money wasted on fashion - do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop,
Matthew 6:29 - but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
Matthew 6:30 - "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
Matthew 6:31 - What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.
Matthew 6:32 - People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Matthew 6:33 - Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
It is your dedication to God that makes for your distinction on the earth!
How dedicated are you to God?
If your status must change then you must change your position with God. If your life must change, then you must change your pattern with God. If your story must change , then you must change the way you relate with God. It is your change in position that would determine how God would place you in your own position in life!
God has no problems blessing us, if only we would dedicate our lives to Him. He said, "I know you need these things: I know you need clothes. I know you need houses. I know you need cars. I know you need better life'. Then He says ( in Matthew 6:33), 'Do not bother about these things, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things: marriage, houses, money, promotions, family shall be added to you'.
God does not expect you to worry or beg for any of the things you desire to make your life colourful. What He expects is for you to seek Him. Do not spend your life worrying about the additions when you should be seeking the One who brings the additions! Seek Him and all the things you now seek shall be added unto you.
Some would argue by asking; Is God that important? Do not people who do not believe in God have wealth and riches? Watch how such a person would end. Never mind their loud arguments, 'Is it only those who go to church that will make it?' Just watch the end of such ones.
If you take God for granted, you will end up grounded.
Why do I say so?
They that do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupt with flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall do exploits. - Daniel 11:32
When God becomes your living focus, He makes you a living evidence; you become a proof wherever you are found. If your heart will go all out for God, you will have a change of story beginning from now. God will make you a living evidence of His faithfulness. Blessing you is not a problem to God, all He is looking out for is whether you have a heart for Him.
How would you know you have a heart for God? It is when you are blessed and within you there is something driving you to say, 'I am not complete, except I serve God.' Many persons do not have that kind of heart, that is why when we face a little challenge; we instantly declare that we will no longer go to church. Such a person never really loved God; but only pretended to love God because of what he/she was after. No wonder the word of God says, God cannot be mocked by our actions.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. - Galatians 6:7
I heard a story about someone, a powerful Nigerian, they say he makes a mockery of Jesus Christ. He would say: 'Did you know why they killed him? He was a 419 (advance free fraudster)! That is why they crucified him.' And I learnt that, the man is in a scandal of fifty-four million naira; and I said his end has come. That crisis in your life today is probably because, you have been attempting to mock Christ.
When you see a man growing angry at God and running away from church because of challenges, know that such a person never loved God. Such a person was only coming to church because of that thing that made him/her become angry. But if you live your life for God's kingdom, He makes you a king on earth. When God becomes your delight, he makes you to become delightsome. When the totality of your being pants for God, He makes you a showpiece on the earth. It is your heart for God that determines the mark you make on the earth and where you place God in your heart, determines where He places you on the earth. He says "my son, give me your heart. That means, you must place God first in your life, be alive to Him and dead to self.
Deuteronomy 6:4 - Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only!
Deuteronomy 6:5 - Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
It is your deadness to self that makes you to be alive to God. This is through dedication, deadness to self and alive to God. If you are dedicated, it will show. You cannot be sold out to God and not make a mark on the earth. Our problem is that, we are pursuing men instead of pursuing God. And the Bible says, 'cursed be the man that puts his trust in man.' So God does not expect you to put your trust in man. But so many of us cannot put our trust in God, because we are busy trusting man. The reason so many of us are running after men is because we are not running after God. But you cannot run after God without the world running after you, because He gives you the solutions to the world's problems and you become a sort after.
Daniel 1:8 - But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king's food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet.
Daniel and his friends dedicated their lives to God and He gave them uncommon understanding and wisdom that made them the preferred of the king.
Daniel 1:17 - God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life. In addition, Daniel was gifted in understanding all sorts of visions and dreams.
Daniel 1:18 - At the end of the time set by the king for their training, the head of the royal staff brought them in to Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 1:19 When the king interviewed them, he found them far superior to all the other young men. None were a match for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel 1:20 Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom put together.
Joseph chosed his dedication to God over the allure of Portiphar's wife. No wonder God could entrust the secret to Egypt's deliverance from famine to Joseph and elevated him to prime minister in a land where he was a slave.
You have a glorious future, you have a great destiny. All you need to access it is to dedicate your life to God, and I tell you, if you do that, heaven is your limit. Let the totality of your being be devoted to God. It is devotion to things that have robbed so many people of their devotion to God. They are so devoted to the things of life, work and other things that they have. No time for the things of the one who created them.
But I want to ask, is your life in your hands? The longest anyone can live on earth is a hundred plus, and even then you could grow so old that your children start praying for you to die; because you have become a liability. So how can you invest your all into such a transient existence with no thoughts for eternity?
Some of live as though life ends here. We pursue money as though it is the only thing in life, and work from Monday to Sunday without breaks or time for God. They work from Monday to Sunday with no time for service, prayer meetings or anything of God, and they like it. They said they are making money; money that will make you mourn. I say, that kind of work, even if they are paying you a million dollar, I would resign because, that kind of work can take you straight to hell. Any work that will not allow you to serve God is an express way to hell.
God said his blessing makes rich and adds no sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). So by the time you are doing a work and it is full of sorrow, no time for God and your family; instead you are always working. Just know that Satan gave us the work to trap you but you can get loosed today. There are some people who work and they do not have time for their children. They work from morning till night and their children never get to see them, because they live for work before their children wake up and return from work after the children have gone to bed. Sometimes it is so bad that members of the family, parents and children are too busy to have time for one another. There are families where the father lives home by 5am, mother lives home by 5am, and children live home by 5am with money to but food. The father returns at about 9pm, mother too returns at about the same time. They have no time for church or family, and live the children without proper care and exposed to all kinds of influence from all manner of television programs, films and friends. They live the welfare of their children in the hands of house helps and later cried that the devil is after them when things begin to go wrong. And I asked which devil? You have left your children without parental care and you are complaining about the devil.
It is hightime we conducted self-appraisal and dedicated our lives to God. Dedication is the key to distinction. Always remember that :
The best from God are always reserved for the best of God.
Share your thoughts below. .
Our number goal as Christians is to spread the gospel of JESUS. Don't postpone going out to share the message of Christ to people. There are many lost souls out there. The fields are ripe for harvest. Have a burning desire for souls and God will reward you as well. Remember, he that winneth souls is wise.
SELAH!!
This post is dedicated to @steemchurch. I believe it will be useful and profitable to the brethren in the household of faith and to the church at large. I also want to take out this time to commend this people @sirknight @sniffnscurry @adedoyinwealth @dwayne @abiye and a host of many others, even the congregation, for their labour and hardwork to take @steemchurch to a greater level. ..
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