In Old Testament scripts, Lepers were society rejects, outcasts, men banned from mingling with their ordinary fellow citizens. This disease excluded them from citizenship rights and divine law excommunicated them from spiritual advantages.
(Lev. 13:45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
Yet these were the ones whom God was pleased to employ. How different are His thoughts and ways from men!
Read 2Ki 7:3-9
It is a Gods expectation that a believer be aware of his or her choices. Most of the time our “boat” (mind) is on autopilot. We act automatically. We act by force of habit. If it is a bad habit, our boat will move away from the shore of success and Gods plan heading for the -rocks. Imagine not being aware of that! Being aware of our choices means every choice WE make add to our overall goal for life.
If we are aware that our choices could influence the greater purpose of God then we even become more careful. The lepers did not know that the choice and decision they were about to make will have benefit to the entire nation.
Please notice the analytical skills and wisdom of the lepers as regards choices and decision making. They choose to do something about their situation unaware that the prophet had PROHESIED that THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT THE NEXT DAY.
God used their decision to bring to pass the prophets word, in the process also rewarding them abundantly.
We must never ever make choices that will subtract value from our God intended destiny.
To avoid such danger, we prayerfully accustom ourselves to become aware of our choices. JUST LIKE THE LEPERS DID.
We must also analyze our choices.
Why sit here till we die.
Once we become aware of the inspired need to make a decision, it helps to ask ourselves, “Will this choice help me to succeed or hold me back? These questions will help fine tune our spiritual antennae’s and enhance our sensitivity to Gods leading. Make your WISE choice. Today!
Pastor George Henry Ochieng Ogolla.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
ARE YOU AN AMBITIOUS PERSON?
Extraordinary Ambition
•Are you an ambitious person?
•What do you think of when you think of ambition?
The word ambition may sometimes cause mixed feeling among Christians because the idea of ambition raise and capture very different things.
Ambition isn’t something you have to be taught, in other words I don’t have to put ambition in my heart. It’s there though often quenched along the way.
Ask any normal child this question; what would you like to be like when you grow up.
•You will hear things like a professional, basketball, and soccer, cricket or rugby player.
•You will hear things like Doctor, lawyer, professor, pilot, physicist etc
Whatever they come to like… they want to be the greatest.
None say I want to start a business and just be average, no they see success mediocrity.
None wants to grow up and be dependant, obviously we are pulled and drawn towards greatness.
It is therefore obvious that we all have at least the traces of ambition at work in us.
What exactly is ambition?
•It is a desire that is, held dear, cared for, wanted or cherished.
•A strong drive for success
We can therefore say that Ambition is a person’s aim or objective, it is that which they are trying to achieve, it is one’s aspiration, desire, drive, and determination.
["His ambition is to own his own business"]
Today… God wants to challenge our sense of ambition.
Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Vainglory- is translated SELFISH AMBITION in other bible versionS.
•3 Do nothing out of SELFISH AMBITION or VAIN CONCEIT, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Many have considered these the most beautiful words of the New Testament, some the most challenging words of the New Testament.
Many of us may read these words and assume that they are call to get rid of ambition.
This is not a call to quench our ambition but to exchange it… a call from ordinary ambition to extraordinary ambition.
Often told ambition itself is a sin….Do nothing out of SELFISH ambition.
Ambition is used as positive except when selfish.
Paul said, ’Do nothing out of selfish ambition.’… not ‘do nothing.’.
God created you to be ambitious…Ambition itself is a good thing… a gift from God.
The issue isn’t ambition… but the type. You need ambition.
Every life is intended to
•Embrace its creative nature
•its power to influence
•to effect the world around them.
Actually Paul speaks of a new ambition…
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Christ has come not to quench our ambition but to transform it… to change the very center of our drive and determination from self to servant.
The new ambition which Christ imparts is to become a servant of others for God.
There is no greatness to be achieved within the limitations of yourself. Greatness is only found in what you can do to add to the lives of others.
God bless,
Pastor George.
•Are you an ambitious person?
•What do you think of when you think of ambition?
The word ambition may sometimes cause mixed feeling among Christians because the idea of ambition raise and capture very different things.
Ambition isn’t something you have to be taught, in other words I don’t have to put ambition in my heart. It’s there though often quenched along the way.
Ask any normal child this question; what would you like to be like when you grow up.
•You will hear things like a professional, basketball, and soccer, cricket or rugby player.
•You will hear things like Doctor, lawyer, professor, pilot, physicist etc
Whatever they come to like… they want to be the greatest.
None say I want to start a business and just be average, no they see success mediocrity.
None wants to grow up and be dependant, obviously we are pulled and drawn towards greatness.
It is therefore obvious that we all have at least the traces of ambition at work in us.
What exactly is ambition?
•It is a desire that is, held dear, cared for, wanted or cherished.
•A strong drive for success
We can therefore say that Ambition is a person’s aim or objective, it is that which they are trying to achieve, it is one’s aspiration, desire, drive, and determination.
["His ambition is to own his own business"]
Today… God wants to challenge our sense of ambition.
Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Vainglory- is translated SELFISH AMBITION in other bible versionS.
•3 Do nothing out of SELFISH AMBITION or VAIN CONCEIT, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Many have considered these the most beautiful words of the New Testament, some the most challenging words of the New Testament.
Many of us may read these words and assume that they are call to get rid of ambition.
This is not a call to quench our ambition but to exchange it… a call from ordinary ambition to extraordinary ambition.
Often told ambition itself is a sin….Do nothing out of SELFISH ambition.
Ambition is used as positive except when selfish.
Paul said, ’Do nothing out of selfish ambition.’… not ‘do nothing.’.
God created you to be ambitious…Ambition itself is a good thing… a gift from God.
The issue isn’t ambition… but the type. You need ambition.
Every life is intended to
•Embrace its creative nature
•its power to influence
•to effect the world around them.
Actually Paul speaks of a new ambition…
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Christ has come not to quench our ambition but to transform it… to change the very center of our drive and determination from self to servant.
The new ambition which Christ imparts is to become a servant of others for God.
There is no greatness to be achieved within the limitations of yourself. Greatness is only found in what you can do to add to the lives of others.
God bless,
Pastor George.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)