Running with a Vision!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. 1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 26 (NLT)
If there is any man who is enjoying a great time at the moment, it would be the man whose name and record-breaking feat strikes like a thunder bolt, Usain Bolt."Usain Bolt" who had his 23rd birthday last Friday 21st August. holds world and Olympic records in both the 100 metres and 200 metres and his name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname 'Lightning Bolt'.
But going through his biography, he said and I quote him, “Well I have been running good since I was 15, so this is no surprise to me. I am sure it is no surprise to a lot of people because I have been doing this from when I was young. I have been doing tremendous things from when I was young. So, this is no surprise to a lot of people”
After breaking the world records in Berlin, he said this in an interview session, “ I keep saying anything is possible. You work hard, you train hard. I still train very hard and running fast races doesn’t change that, but I keep telling you guys my aim is to become a legend”
Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. - John F. Kennedy
The Jamaican sprinter in the Berlin games collected $320,000 in prize money comprising $60,000 for each gold medal and $100,000 per world record. Whoops!!
Do you also know that Bolt’s recent string of world records was clearly not an expected event, it is not only a world record but has made statisticians and mathematicians to go back to the table because they didn’t predict a 9.69 seconds until almost 2030 but Bolt even shattered this by running 9.58 seconds in Berlin in the 100meters. This is awesome to me for a 23-year old.
He broke the mathematical model that had fit 100-meter record data for almost a century, Bolt’s incredible performance could reset how fast researchers believe humans ultimately can run, but Bolt’s records, the scientists say is nowhere near human limit. Meaning it can still be broken!
To me this means there is still room for you and if not on the track and field but in our chosen professions, vocations, careers and ventures to set the pace, blaze the trail and break age-long records but this starts when we have a purpose for living.
Have a purpose for living!
I love to read biographies a lot and reading through the 23-year old life so far I learnt that he started out early in life although with a passion for the cricket at first but his coach spotted his performance on the pitch and encouraged him to focus more on the tracks. I challenge you to have a purpose for living. God is God of purpose and He has created us all to fulfill a mission on earth, however, He has given us the task to discover, find out, locate and identify the innate gift He has bestowed upon us.
God DETERMINES our purpose, We DISCOVER our purpose.
A man without purpose is a tragedy going somewhere to happen. This is because such a person will always be at the wrong place, wrong relationship, wrong job, wrong career and wrong company at every point in time. Oh! How frustrating to be without purpose. Even if the circumstances surrounding your birth seems accidental, you may be born whether out of wedlock, beside wedlock, under wedlock or before wedlock (whatever), God still has a purpose for your living.
A man without PURPOSE is not fit to live- Martin Luther King Jnr.
Characteristics of Purpose
• Purpose comes before creation;
• Purpose is from God;
• Purpose is permanent;
• Every purpose is unique
• Purposes are inter-related and;
• Purpose requires counsel.
Tips on discovering God’s purpose for your Life
We as humans have God as our ‘manufacturer’ and every manufacturer first determines the PURPOSE of a product and its functions before setting out to produce it, hence, the only genuine source for knowing your purpose is to ask from God if you believe He is your creator. However, since it is not all of us that can hear God distinctly, the following tips can guide us in the discovery of our purpose;
• Check out “that thing” that flows from you NATURALLY or EFFORTLESSLY.
What do you do for others or to better humanity without much stress. It could be singing, dancing, events organizing, public speaking, public relations, sports (like Usain Bolt). No one knows you like you. Settle down and find it out, it may be a pointer to your purpose.
• Check out “that thing” that people COMPLIMENT you for the most.
What do people thank you for the most? Have you led a team or a talk so well that people appreciate you so much but to you it seems normal to you? What do people like so much about you?
• Check out that thing that MOVES you the most.
What do you hate to see? Have you ever wished you could take care of abandoned children or children who are victims of broken and shattered homes? For instance, Mother Theresa found this as her purpose and she stood to address the United Nations. What problem do you wish you have what it takes to solve? Do you hate to see our policemen collect bribes? Do you hate to see violence? Are you hurt when children drop out of school because they can’t afford to pay their fees?
What moves you may become what you’re created to move.
Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live! - Bob Marley
Please note: These are tips but it can go a long way in propelling you as you discover why you are here. Don’t just sit down and watch. Young boys and girls are already making striking impacts. When will you be shown to your world?
Shall we pray:
Lord, help me to live a purposeful life on earth. Amen
Your First Love
Thursday, August 6, 2009
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.Revelation 2:3- 5 (NIV)
First-time lovers are exciting sight to behold. From their look, passion, closeness, naughtiness, innocence and laughing-out-loud (lol) expression you can easily identify them. It is arguably quite difficult to forget the first person you dated or gave your love to or gave love to you although the kind of memories that people have about this is another thing entirely as it ranges from regret, hate, bitterness, cheat or even ‘good-old-days’ kind of memories.
Since, I don’t intend to cause a heart-break or hurting of partly healed sores, let me go straight to my thoughts about “YOUR FIRST LOVE”. But before I do, let me echo these three quotes of Oprah Winfrey into your ears,
"Turn your wounds into wisdom"
"We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are"
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure”
Please let go of your past because you cannot unscramble eggs!- Faith Oyedepo
Let me quickly take you briefly through the journey of when you first accepted Christ. You were the first to go to church, you were in all the church units from choir to ushering. You assisted in the children and youth section and even had time to clean the church premises and all these you did with utmost excitement because of your newly found love. Your best song then was ‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!
You were fresh and energetic, you read your bible for longer hours and you were proud to share your newly found truth with everyone who cared to listen, in fact when there was no one to listen, you had an imaginary pew at home were you preached to an imaginary crowd in your head.Like first lovers who share everything with each other even the meaningless things, you told God everything through prayers. You prayed so hard about every and anything to God from money to buy jeans to passing your common entrance or university matriculation exams. All these you did because you were simply in love.
But what has happened to you over the years? What has your seemingly ‘big need’ for job, partner, admission, or child turned you into? Now it doesn’t even freak you to read your bible, quiet time is no longer fashionable because you have a couple of job interviews here and there and you go from one seminar or meeting to the other. You’ve forgotten the lyrics of the hymn you once loved so much. Like someone who felt cheated in a relationship so badly that (s)he doesn’t even want to see the ex-lover, you have simply forsaken your first love for Christ.
That’s why He is sending these words of caution to you;
REMEMBER AND REPENT
In Christ’s warning to the Ephesian Church, He warned “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2: 5 (NIV)
REMEMBER
Before you can re-trace your steps from where you’ve fallen, you need to remember where you have fallen from. Not to fall to the same circumstances again, what were the good things you were doing in the kingdom before now that you have stopped? What service do you render to humanity that you don’t even know why you stopped. But let me say that the kind of memories here is not to cause hurt but not avoid going back to your vomit. Remember!
REPENT
Repentance means taking a U-turn, a detour or simply change of ways. After the appraisal of the height from which you have fallen and a determination to make a change, like the prodigal son, take a definite action to go back to your heavenly father whose arms are always wide open to receive you if you genuinely confess and forsake your sins. But true repentance is not just forsaking the sins but not going back to it again after being forgiven. He says you should repent by doing the things you did at first. Go back to your quiet time, go back to your church unit to serve, start attending mid-week service and rededicate yourself to God. Please don’t let God remove your lampstand- your source of light, your shinning, your fame, your job, your joy. Repent, He is a merciful and loving God!
Shall we pray;
Lord, help us to re-kindle the light of our first love for you. Amen.
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