Matthew 28:18. All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses! Yes, my Scrip-Bit friends and family, that’s what we’re having this first Saturday morning in April: Sunshine, lollipops and roses! When last have you had that combination of God’s goodness eh? I know some of us have not had it in a long while, but Jesus is saying that today is the day for such rejoicing, in His name and the awesome power of his Holy Spirit!
Our problem is that we have all we need to celebrate God’s goodness, but we either don’t receive it, or when we do receive it, we don’t manifest it, bring it out like He desires. Today though, we’re going to receive the goodness and grace of God, and also show it to the world! And we’re going to begin by doing what we usually do on Saturdays; that’s check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote tells us without any reservation that ‘Big thinking precedes great achievement.’ Now there’s nothing to really doubt in that statement, because basic logic declares that our achievements line up in direct proportion to the size and quality of our thinking. That means big achievements can only come from big thinking, while small thinking will only manifest small achievements. And being a follower of Christ Jesus, it’s imperative that we think big and achieve big, for that’s our job.
Jesus described it in His Great Commission; (Matt. 28:19-20) for us to go out and spread the gospel all over the world. Now that’s a Herculean task, one which we can only accomplish if we open our minds to the power and grace of our Lord and Saviour and accept all that He’s willing to give us, while transforming our thinking (Rom. 12:2) and giving up our selfish desires, that’s taking up our cross and following Him. (Matt. 16:24-26) Remember His words that preceded the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18)
And we know that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. And that’s exactly what He’s done by anointing every believer with the awesome power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can be successfully lead and guided to do the great work He desires of us! Oh friends, our God is a great and mighty Deity, the ONLY true and living One, and when we read His word, we see all the big and powerful things He’s done down through the ages. That means unless we think big, we’ll be belittling the power of our God.
Now, Bruh Paul understood this principle when, after praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man, and rooted and grounded in LOVE, he summarily declared: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ (Eph. 3:20) He knew that he was not asking God for too much, because our mighty God could do even more than that.
And that brings us to the next quote: ‘The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.’ Now there’s much truth to that quote, if we define sight as someone who knows what to do but does nothing, or has wisdom and insight but don’t action them to the benefit of humanity. In other words, like Jesus said, people who hide their lights under a bushel or basket. And all of us know folks who can do much better than they are doing, but are just wasting their God-given abilities.
That leads to this quote: ‘Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.’ I don’t know if I totally agree with that statement nuh, because sometimes our discouragement and dissatisfaction can be caused by the absence of things, but a lot of it can be caused by our lack of vision, not thinking things through properly.
And I can talk to that quote personally because I have several projects in the works, which I believe I have properly envisioned (smile) but certain practicalities like time, money and faulty equipment are holding them up. And though I am somewhat dissatisfied, I’m not discouraged because I know that they are desires placed in my heart and mind by our great God, and thus, if I don’t give up, they will eventually be fruitful and multiply.
And it’s why the following quote is oh so important in a believer’s life. ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Now that ought to be the Christian’s Mantra: ‘NEVER GIVE UP!’ For quitting is not in Christ’s vocabulary, He expects us to get back up, no matter how many times we fall. And the truth is that success cannot be truly accomplished or appreciated without some failure. That’s the story of most of those we consider important and world shaking; like the great inventors and power brokers, they all failed several times before they succeeded.
As they say, there is no success without failure. ‘And Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.’ The thing about failure is that it builds a good foundation for when we do achieve success. It teaches us how to operate in the future, we learn from our mistakes, and it builds our faith as we go through the adversity of defeat. And remember, you only fail when you stop trying! While you are trying, there’s always the possibility of success.
And Cousin Sol said it best in Proverbs. ‘For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And according to the scholars, that means ‘the righteous man always recovers, but the wicked man faces permanent destruction.’ Then there’s this appropriate verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.’ (Ps. 119:71)
Yes friends, there’s learning and benefits in afflictions and failures, but we have to sort them out and use them to our benefit. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord has a defined and definite plan for each of us and we can only make our time here on earth worthwhile by consulting Him and then living it the way He’s planned it. Now, I know plenty of us are swayed by what others desire of us, to live their unfulfilled dreams, or their social, political and economic aspirations.
But please don’t let anyone encourage or force you to live any other life than that which God has crafted for you, be they parents, teachers, preachers or someone you might consider important. If they truly LOVE you and have your best interest at heart, they will encourage you to find out God’s purpose for your life and to live it, regardless of what other circumstances or people might dictate! Too many of us have been encouraged or forced to live lives not designed for us, and thus we have been awfully miserable and lonely in our souls and spirits, despite our outward success.
In closing, let’s never forget this wonderful verse of scripture that speaks directly to that problem. The words of the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf, taken from the NIV or New International Version. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jer. 29:11)
And if we keep that verse at the forefront of our minds, then we will never go wrong. Much LOVE!
…God’s plan for our life…is the best one there is…
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