I want to share and at the same time inspire you to one desire of Christ for you. And that is FRIENDSHIP with you. Jesus came not just to save us but to create friendship with humanity which will culminate in the reflection of the nature of the Godhead.
Many believers do believe that the ultimate of receiving Christ is going to heaven while others believe that receiving Christ is a means to receiving all the blessings God has in store for them. This may be true, but it is not the ultimate. The ultimate of Christ work on the cross is to restore the friendship man lost with God right in the Adam. As Christ’s Kingdom citizens, we must come to the point of awareness that Christ wants us to grow in our relationship with Him. He does not want us to just serve Him, but ultimately wants us to be His friends. He does not just want to bless us, to make us His friends.
God’s Word says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16). Our salvation is a product of God’s love which He demonstrated in sending us His only begotten Son. However, I would us you to understand that love naturally produces friendship. Hence, hidden in the sacrificial love God in Christ Jesus is the desire of true friendship between man and the Godhead.
Now Jesus said: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15: 13)
The sacrificial love of Christ has within it a call to friendship. This is because love is deeply expressed to a friend. There is this friend that sticks closer than a brother, and to him you can demonstrate this type of love.
To Jesus, the greatest love is in a man laying down his life for his friends. Now Jesus laid down His life for us out of love. This means hidden in the laying down of Jesus’ life is a desire within Him for us to be His eternal friends. His sacrificial death on the Cross did not only pay the price for our sins and purchased our redemption, it equally pay for our friendship with the Godhead. Christ desired more than anything else a holy friendship between the Godhead and man. He desired that our relationship would be rooted in friendship that last eternity.
Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15: 14)
May I quickly state that Jesus has paid the price for this holy friendship He so desire of us. He has concluded His part of the deal. Our part is left. Hence He said “ye are my friends, if . . .” For Him to use “if” it means He has fulfilled His own part and a condition is placed on us to fulfil in order to experience this kind of friendship.
Our part in making sure of this friendship is to do whatsoever He commands us. Our obedience to His commandment is the responsibility placed on us to enter this friendship.
One thing I must say here is that this friendship is actually a product of love. It is the outcome of His love for us. Why do I say so? This is because Jesus said “if ye love me, keep my commandments.”(John 14: 15) And His commandment is “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15: 12).
Now He is saying “if we do His commandments then we are His friends”. This means, the friendship Christ desires of us is a product of His love that is flows and lives within us. Remember, however that this love is carried and shared abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5: 5).
To love God is to keep His commandments. Keeping His commandments make us friends to Him. This is the ultimate of our blessed relationship with the Godhead.
All branches in the vine do serve the purpose of the vine which are creating canopy over the area the vine is planted, producing leaves, flowers and fruit. In the real sense all branches are servants in the vine and of the vine.
Relatively, we as branches are servants in Christ and of Christ. We are strategically and righteously positioned on the earth to serve the purpose of Christ which are producing His life and bringing the world under the government of His heavenly kingdom.
But beyond the servant nature of the branches, the branches still exist as friends of the vine in that they share one purpose, mind, love and intention. The vine and the branches are in friendship because they are labouring towards one goal.
This means there is more to the servant nature of the branches in the vine. I call it servant-friendship. This is serving as a servant and at the same time living as friend. This is what Christ is seeking for. He wants us to come to a servant-friend relationship.
Jesus said, “Henceforth I call you not servants . . . but I have called you friends. . .” (John 15: 15) Calling us friends do not dismiss us from our initial role as servants, but brings us to the highest form of servanthood. Abraham was a servant of God, yet a friend of God. David was a servant of God and still a friend of God. Servants who are friends are better, stronger and closer that to the master than mere servants.
Beyond servants is the friendship we are heading towards. However, it is expedient I say that it all begins from being a servant. The degree of service and loyalty a servant renders determines whether he will remain a servant or become a servant-friend.
Jesus said “ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15: 14). This means, our obedience to serve the purpose of God makes us His friends. Doing whatever He says from the heart is the route to this great friendship which is the intention of Jesus.
But, this is not all. How can you do what you do not know or what you are not told? I am aware that the Bible is the written commandments of God. Doing them therefore brings us to friendship with him. We must know that God is living and He is not static. He may take what is written to give us an instruction that may look different. So God tells us beyond what is written and we refer to them as revelation or inspiration.
For instance, Abuja is no where in the Bible. But that was where God wanted me to start our ministry. For me to get it from God’s heart I needed a hearing of His voice. Now Jesus said “Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15)
Being a mere servant alone has a limitation. Mere servants don’t have the full knowledge of what the master is doing. Servants have limited access to the information that the master operates with.
But servant-friend on the other hand has access to the hidden information of the master. As a matter of fact the master consults such servant-friend just the way God related with Abraham (Genesis 18). For this reason Jesus does not want us to be mere servants, but servants who are also friends.
However, from Jesus statement, we are only servant-friends when He confides on us. He said “I have called you friends; for all that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you”.
The greatest desire of Christ is that you become His eternal friend. This is the glory of the gospel of Christ. Will you join this friendship of Christ? It will bring you to another level of experience in all your life.
God bless you, and remain a friend.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
VISION AND RESOURCES
One of the most powerful driving forces upon the universe is that of vision. Behind every personal, corporate or societal accomplishment is vision. Vision has been the result of the transformation and development the world has hitherto experienced.
The world over, we were ushered into the 21st century with amazing impact of visions. From technology to communication, from business management to corporate leadership, politics to spiritual life, from the academics to the industries, one could vividly see the effect of vision and (unfortunately) the lack of it. From all walks of life, no achievement is made outside vision. That is why it is said in the scriptures that “where there is no vision, the people perish”.
If we are where we are today by the force of vision, then we would need vision to move forward progressively. It also means that the lack of vision would incapacitate us from achieving all that our potentials could. The place of vision in the pursuit of purpose has become very necessary that it is a subject of consideration both in the personal, corporate and societal levels.
However, it must be accepted that vision can only be accomplished using the right materials or tools. This means, it is one thing to have a vision, while another thing entirely to know the right materials required in making it a reality. I sincerely believe that the most frustrated person, corporation or nation is that which has a vision but lacks the right materials in bringing the vision to pass. Vision is power but its purpose and benefit is made possible only by using the right material.
In the building industries, resources or building materials are very essential in bringing the building from its architectural design to a standing structure. While the building plan determines the materials to be used, the materials in turn would determine its beauty, durability, strength, usage and value. For instance the materials used in erecting a 4 bungalow structure would not be the same for erecting a skyscraper. Even though all are buildings, but the materials set the difference in all.
The relevance of a material to a particular structure makes it a resource. This means what may be a resource in the construction of a bridge will never be a resource for building a hut. This also means resources are relative.
This principle is perfectly applicable in the pursuit of vision. Vision is built on relevant resources. A material becomes a resource when it is only relevant to the realization of your vision. Many people have trapped the beauty, worth and future of their visions on the laps of false materials which they mistakenly thought was resources to realizing their visions.
Now, for instance, two important resources for realizing your vision are information and people.
No vision is achieved in the isolation of information. Information is the wheel of every vision that would be achieved. However, as important as information is to the realization of vision, it must be accepted that not all information would be relevant to every vision. One must be careful to identify the information that is relevant to his vision. The relevance of the information to achieving your goals and vision makes it a resource to your vision. This understanding would help us go for the best information which is relevant to realizing our vision.
People are wonderful in the pursuit of vision. You never accomplish anything on your own. You would always need people at all levels of your vision. But this does not mean you need everybody. At a particular time, there would be people that you would need to accomplish a particular phase of your vision. If you are ignorant of this and probably not selective, you may gather people who will help you destroy or frustrate your vision rather than build it up.
One of my mentors once gave a story how he quit an MBA programme just because of one lecturer. The professor came to the class that fateful day and said he would be teaching them on how to make money. Ironically, he never looked like one who could make or has wealth from his appearance. So, my mentor said, you cannot give me what you do not have. So he quit and took another programme. You see, while that professor was good, he was not relevant to the realization of my mentor’s vision.
Don’t just gather people in the pursuit of your vision; go for those that are relevant. Their relevance makes them resource to your vision. You see most often than not, we abuse the theme ‘human resources’. I have come to appreciate the fact that no person becomes a resource to anybody, corporation or society until he or she is relevant in the realization of some set goals.
I want you to reconsider what you call resources today in the pursuit of your vision. You could make a drastic change of your resources for the better realization of your vision.
To your vision pursuit
The world over, we were ushered into the 21st century with amazing impact of visions. From technology to communication, from business management to corporate leadership, politics to spiritual life, from the academics to the industries, one could vividly see the effect of vision and (unfortunately) the lack of it. From all walks of life, no achievement is made outside vision. That is why it is said in the scriptures that “where there is no vision, the people perish”.
If we are where we are today by the force of vision, then we would need vision to move forward progressively. It also means that the lack of vision would incapacitate us from achieving all that our potentials could. The place of vision in the pursuit of purpose has become very necessary that it is a subject of consideration both in the personal, corporate and societal levels.
However, it must be accepted that vision can only be accomplished using the right materials or tools. This means, it is one thing to have a vision, while another thing entirely to know the right materials required in making it a reality. I sincerely believe that the most frustrated person, corporation or nation is that which has a vision but lacks the right materials in bringing the vision to pass. Vision is power but its purpose and benefit is made possible only by using the right material.
In the building industries, resources or building materials are very essential in bringing the building from its architectural design to a standing structure. While the building plan determines the materials to be used, the materials in turn would determine its beauty, durability, strength, usage and value. For instance the materials used in erecting a 4 bungalow structure would not be the same for erecting a skyscraper. Even though all are buildings, but the materials set the difference in all.
The relevance of a material to a particular structure makes it a resource. This means what may be a resource in the construction of a bridge will never be a resource for building a hut. This also means resources are relative.
This principle is perfectly applicable in the pursuit of vision. Vision is built on relevant resources. A material becomes a resource when it is only relevant to the realization of your vision. Many people have trapped the beauty, worth and future of their visions on the laps of false materials which they mistakenly thought was resources to realizing their visions.
Now, for instance, two important resources for realizing your vision are information and people.
No vision is achieved in the isolation of information. Information is the wheel of every vision that would be achieved. However, as important as information is to the realization of vision, it must be accepted that not all information would be relevant to every vision. One must be careful to identify the information that is relevant to his vision. The relevance of the information to achieving your goals and vision makes it a resource to your vision. This understanding would help us go for the best information which is relevant to realizing our vision.
People are wonderful in the pursuit of vision. You never accomplish anything on your own. You would always need people at all levels of your vision. But this does not mean you need everybody. At a particular time, there would be people that you would need to accomplish a particular phase of your vision. If you are ignorant of this and probably not selective, you may gather people who will help you destroy or frustrate your vision rather than build it up.
One of my mentors once gave a story how he quit an MBA programme just because of one lecturer. The professor came to the class that fateful day and said he would be teaching them on how to make money. Ironically, he never looked like one who could make or has wealth from his appearance. So, my mentor said, you cannot give me what you do not have. So he quit and took another programme. You see, while that professor was good, he was not relevant to the realization of my mentor’s vision.
Don’t just gather people in the pursuit of your vision; go for those that are relevant. Their relevance makes them resource to your vision. You see most often than not, we abuse the theme ‘human resources’. I have come to appreciate the fact that no person becomes a resource to anybody, corporation or society until he or she is relevant in the realization of some set goals.
I want you to reconsider what you call resources today in the pursuit of your vision. You could make a drastic change of your resources for the better realization of your vision.
To your vision pursuit
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