Sunday July 13

LIFE INVOLVES RISKS

Memorise: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14

Read: James 4:13-16

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Message

When God calls you, it sometimes might appear like a demotion. This was my experience. When God called me into full-time ministry, I struggled with it because I had experienced poverty from childhood which I thought I had finally been delivered from when I became a university lecturer. I received the call of God when the church was in a humble state financially. I recall the day a young man gave me a 50 kobo note; I received it and blessed him. I told him I would spend the money on myself so that my heartfelt blessing will have an impact on him. That night, I thought over it and wept. I ruminated on how I went from being the Head of the Mathematics Department of a University to being a full-timer who receives a 50 kobo gift. God is the one that specialises in taking a man from down below and lifts him up. Those who see how far the Lord has taken me and are unhappy about it have need of God’s mercy. Is God calling you into full-time ministry? Is the Lord asking for more of your involvement in the things of His Kingdom at the expense of personal and family plans? Fear not! He is a better planner than you and what He has in store for His faithful ones will definitely beat your imagination.

Life is full of risks and virtually everything we do in life involves one form of risk or the other, however, God’s call is a risk of life worth taking. Marriage involves risk because some people get married to spouses who fast-track their death. Staying single also is risky because the inability to perpetually remain chaste may make the fellow end up in hell. Staying hungry has its risks while eating food also involves risk. Some people who were not sick died while eating or while trying to swallow food. If you are asked to come and work with the richest man in the world who also has a reputation of uncommon generosity, many would jump without even asking God about it. Yet, even that involves a measure of risk. Some may take up that job and trigger their worst nightmares. When God calls you, there is an element of risk involved but it is the safest, surest and best risk you can ever take. If He calls you into full-time ministry, it means He is ready to take you up as His pet project.

Key Point: Placing your life and total cares in God’s hands is a risk worth taking.

NICE