What can the world expect from you? Try for a moment and think beyond your immediate circle of friends, your parents and siblings or the people you live with and relate with closely. Try and think CNN, BBC or Al-Jazeera. Try and think Jeff Koinange and the Bench on Capital Talk. Think headline news. Think Mohammed Ali doing a special feature on you, albeit this time for all the right reasons. Could you visualize yourself getting a Nobel Prize for anything other than being the fastest runner when a challenging situation arises in your life?
We are so preoccupied with the little things in life that we sometimes fail to get the bigger picture. We are not supposed to overlook or disregard small matters, because the Bible warns us against despising the days of humble beginnings. This, however, should not lead us to lose sight of the big picture. There is so much more to life than your obsession with the instant gratifications your body craves. You should not end this life without imparting some measure of your genius to the next generation. Leave us with a reason to miss and celebrate you when your time is up. As one Christian rapper asks, ‘are you living, or slowly breathing to death?’
Jesus lived His life far beyond the expectations of His surroundings or the family business. He was more interested in Kingdom business. Barrack Obama came from very mixed situations in life to become the most powerful man on the planet. There are so many people who have come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds to become world changers. Such people have certain characteristics and for you to become a world changer, you should give some consideration to these characteristics.
1. Know your place in God and your purpose on this earth. Sort out your eternal destiny before you embark on any other destiny. Sometimes we are so busy doing things we are sure will fulfil us and yet are so far from the plan of God. Proverbs 16:25, there is a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof is death. Jesus knew His place and His purpose on the earth. What on earth are you here for?
2. Know where you are. The Chinese saying states, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I am inclined to believe that before you take that first step, you should undertake a proper analysis of your situation.
a. What are you presently involved in?
b. How well are you carrying out your current occupation?
c. What could you do better?
d. What should you stop doing and what should you start doing?
3. Know where you want to go. Without vision, people perish. A visionless life is laden with mishaps, accidents and regrets. You not only end up confused, you also compromise the lives of others. A son or daughter who is a drug addict eats into the finances and mental peace of the entire family. Those who have such a family member, relative or friend understand the anguish that a family goes through when they have an addict around. Jesus could see the cross; it was an unpleasant vision, but a vision nonetheless. He wasn’t too excited about it, but He was sure it was His path and He took it. When Peter tried to dissuade Him, He rebuked the devil out of him. That’s how passionate Jesus was about His purpose. The means was painful, but the reward is eternally worth every wince.
4. Have a plan to take you from where you are to where you want to go. Stop acting as if you will die tomorrow. It is true that no one knows the day of their death unless some Old Testament prophet has been sent to tell you. Meanwhile, live full out for God, honouring Him with your time, your resources and your affection. Let all your worship be consumed by Him. As you do this, write out a plan as if you will never die. Have a monthly, yearly even decade long plan. Some people have plans for the day to the week to the month to the quarter to the year to the fifth year and so on. What are the goals you intend to achieve by the end of this session for example? Why are you in this place listening? Why are you taking notes, or why are you not taking notes? Do you have such a brilliant memory? If you have never thought this through, make sure you begin today. Take stock of your life and write down what you feel your priorities are. Talk to older reasonable people who will assist you in drafting an initial action plan for your life. Pilots don’t go asking advice from farmers, and farmers don’t go asking for advice from mathematics professors, so ask the relevant people relevant questions.
5. Evaluate your progress from time to time. Having written goals is awesome but meaningless if regular evaluation is not done. Goals are set to be met, not merely to be aimed at. Some people prefer realistic and achievable goals while some argue that goals should be much bigger than us so that we have something to always work towards. As a football player, I prefer a goal I can aim at, shoot at and score into. I desire targeted results being met and this is what I would personally recommend. If God wants to show off, then He will give you goals only He can accomplish. Otherwise, He never calls us into what He will not accomplish through us. If your goals are not being met, then you should check whether the goals you have set are too high for you or whether you are not doing enough to reach them. There may be other reasons for this failure to meet set targets, but you will find that most of us fail to reach our targets because we are basically lazy. If you are regularly meeting your goals before the set time, then you should probably up the level of your targets. Don’t rest on your laurels; as long as you are alive, there is something you are supposed to be doing. By the way, I am not suggesting that you never rest, just don’t allow cobwebs to be built on you.
6. Thank God regularly. It is God who gives us life and the ability to set, work towards and achieve our goals. Have a healthy reverence for Him and pride will not get a foothold in your life. He will reveal the dangers lurking around corners and will make a way of escape for you. You can do this through prayer, regular study of His word and fellowship with other brethren. No man is an island and whoever is an island has nothing growing on him or her for that matter.
7. Get Godly Company. Stop hanging out with chickens if you are an eagle. Don’t look down on people but don’t emulate the wrong people either. You can always learn from anyone, but this doesn’t mean that everyone has to be your teacher. Be selective with those you get counsel from. Learn to differentiate between a doctor and a quack, a professional and a con-artist, the real deal and a real hustler. You will make decisions based on the advice you receive from people so make sure it is the right advice. Don’t throw your life away, it is far too precious. Don’t allow good advice to be wasted on you. Implement proper principles learnt from people. Don’t ever let anyone regret sharing their expertise with you. Instead, give them a reason to boast, let them tell anyone who will hear that they are the ones who taught you. When you make it to your goal, give them proper credit and pass on the good advice to those who will be looking up to you.
Conclusion
Nathanael wondered if anything good could come out of Nazareth. This has to be the greatest understatement in all of history, for the Master and Creator of the universe was the person he was referring to. Nazareth was not that well known for greatness, and maybe your neighbourhood or circle of friends or school or organization may not be known for greatness, but you can be the turning point. Jesus is referred to as Jesus of NAZARETH! You can be the one to put your hood on the map of the world. Barrack Obama put Kogelo on the map. Can anything good come out of you?
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