Understanding God's Mind - Part 2: Put Out, Put On

Our post today is written by Edward Owusu, National Director of ECM-Ghana.  Read last week's post for part one.

It is in the D.N.A of God always to present His best in all things. God gave his best gift to mankind in the form of his son Jesus Christ to the world. That whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.The best gift of life- life unending filled with peace, joy and above all love.

As stewards of the heavenly calling we need to be found FAITHFUL. In Col.2:12-13. it says "Buried with Christ in Baptism and raised with him through our faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. In vs.16 it says "therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat,drink or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration or a sabbath day. Matt.7:1.  Admitting who we are , having been raised with Christ, we need to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Our mind should be set on things above not earthly things. We have to put to death whatever belong to our earthly nature:- sexual immorality,impurity, lust, evil desires and greed.

These are the things that invite the wrath of God. We also need to rid ourselves of all such things as these anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from our lips. We do not have to lie to each other. If we put off the old nature ,then we need to PUT ON the new nature or self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Christ is all and is in all. As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, we need to cloth ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We have to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave us.

In addition to these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity.

After achieving these our focus then has to be raised with Christ. Set our mind and heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We should let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we were called to peace, and thankful.

The word  of Christ should dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. As we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with  gratitude in our hearts to God. Col.3:17 "Whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we should do it all in the Name of  the Lord JESUS CHRIST, giving thanks to God the Father through him. We need to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt; so that we may know how to answer everyone.

Finally, we need to devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful to God. Heb.12:1 "We should let brotherly love continue and do not forget to entertain strangers."

Understanding God's Mind - Part 1

Our special guest blogger today is Edward Sekyere Owusu.  Edward is the National Director of ECM-Ghana.

As stewards of the heavenly calling we need to obey without questioning. A steward is someone who looks after something and protects it. He or she seeks to control the sustainability of whatever is entrusted to their care.

Just as Christ Jesus was worthy of his calling, the Bible tells us to emulate his example by being also worthy of our calling (Eph. 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.")

King Solomon concluded in the book of Eccles.12:13-14: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." For God will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing, whether good or evil. The purpose of God's intention applies to all of us. Therefore we should continue to seek opportunities to advance the kingdom of God. There is nothing in the sight of God as great or small opportunity. Every door of opportunity must be utilized to the fullest.

Satisfaction in life results from giving one's time, talents, resources and physical presence to doing the will of God. Simply put, serving God in the true sense of the word. This is the only true source of happiness, peace of mind and genuine enjoyment in  life. For we were created to honour and glorify the Lord God Almighty. Rev.4:11, Ps 49.

For these reasons it is unwise for us to seek material riches, security, power, popularity or fleeting goals in life merely for earthly self satisfaction and pleasures. It is also vanity to give way to the lust. of the flesh.

My Life for His Plan

We know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. 

1 John 4:16

No matter what...No Matter What...NO MATTER WHAT I can trust God.  Clear enough?

But it can't be that easy, can it?

You're right, nothing is ever that easy.  There's always a catch.  The catch here is that before you can trust God completely, you must understand and believe two critical facts:

1.  God loves you.

You cannot really trust someone if you don't believe they care deeply for you.  True, you can have a type of superficial trust for someone you may not even know, but you cannot have a deep, rock-solid trust unless you believe that someone loves you and honestly wants what is best for you.  As the apostle John wrote, we can "know and rely on the love God has for us."

2.  God really does want what is best for you, even if it makes no sense to you

We are all familiar with Jeremiah 29:11:  "'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'".  There is no doubt that God has a plan for your life!  Unfortunately, we spend too much time asking, "What is God's plan for my life?" instead of boldly declaring, "My life for God's plan!"  As an act of surrender, we  must acknowledge that God enables each of us to make wise decisions and face even the most difficult of situations.  He desires that we trust him fully, understanding that he will equip us for whatever lies ahead.

When we understand that God loves us and wants what is best for us, only then can we surrender ourselves to his will, trusting both the short-term and long-term outcomes for our lives to his plan.

Leading others requires first that we submit to God' gentle voice, trusting that the decisions we make as a result will reflect his love, his compassion, and his wisdom.  When you surrender and trust, your life will go according to his plan.

Get Wisdom

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get Wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

embrace her, and she will honor you.

Proverbs 4:7-8

Imagine that you are a teenager and you want to learn to drive.  You and your parents carefully select an instructor and arrange for your first lesson.  As you take the wheel in your hands you casually ask your instructor how many years he has been driving.  He looks at you hesitantly before announcing apologetically that he doesn't actually know how to drive. He suggests that you learn together.  Needless to say, you promptly begin your search for a new instructor.

Like this unprepared instructor, we as leaders are often lacking the most vital component for leadership: wisdom.  And how do we gain wisdom?  We start by asking God, who grants wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5).  Yet the reality is that God gives true wisdom almost exclusively through experience.  There is no shortcut to gaining the wisdom we need to lead.   Of course, wisdom doesn't simply come from experience.  After all, there are plenty of old people without a trace of wisdom!  Wisdom must be sought after.  We must seek it and then put it into practice. It won't happen by accident.  That's why God's advice in the passage above, despite its simplicity, is so true: if you want to be wise, get wisdom!  It all starts with an effort on our part to acquire it.

But we sometimes mistake wisdom for "having all the answers." This is not wisdom.  Wisdom is knowing how to find the answers after all the information and data that you have collected does not bring clear resolution.  In truth, wisdom does not always come from the leader.  It is a wise leader who knows where to look for answers, and who is willing to allow the solution to come from somewhere or even someone else.  This process doesn't imply that the leader doesn't have what it takes. On the contrary, it shows a leader's humility and willingness to let God provide in times of need.

Our ability to lead depends fully on what God gives us.  It begins with an understanding that we are not naturally wise, and that we desperately need God's wisdom in order to guide others.  Ask him today to teach you so that you have some wisdom to share with those around you.