This week we take a pause and carry out a stocktake as we reflect on where we are coming from, where we are and where we are going to as Saturday Devotion.
I am thankful to all stakeholders that include the publishers, NewsDay, for allowing God to speak through their paper, the readers who keep us going, the intercessors who labour in the spirit for the preaching and acceptance of the Gospel of Christ, my spiritual fathers who cover me and every level of support and contribution.
Above all, I am thankful to God Almighty for His grace.
I advise you to take time off your busy schedule and do an audit of your life. When you set out to go you have a blue-print of the plan of your life.
You need to know whether you are still on track or not. If you have left the mark you should be humble enough to accept it and realign.
Failure and temporary setback is not the problem but failure to realise that you have failed and taking the necessary remedial action.
The Bible says, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again,” Proverbs 24:16 (King James Version).
We have gone just three months into the year and it is the right time to stop and gauge how you are faring according to your set targets and if you have to mend, please quickly do so.
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You have to look at the whole spectrum of your life. In marriage, husband and wife have to sit down and be honest with each other and move towards the desired goals.
In business you should not just go by the wind. Having orders, contracts and money coming does not necessarily mean that all is well.
Ministers of the Word also need to check if they are still aligned to the will of God.
Those in political leadership need to go back to their constituencies and check if they are still in pursuit of the promises that got them into those offices.
Let me give you the example of how I am extracting a trial balance for this column. Some of my objectives for this column are to win souls for Christ, uphold and promote unity of the body of Christ and interpret the Bible in simple ways that all may live a victorious Christian life.
The readership of the column has been steadily increasing especially in the non-Christian world and pockets of souls have been saved.
Based on your feedback and testimonies, God is influencing and impacting on the lives of His people.
While I am thankful to God for souls already won to Christ, my prayer is that more should be won.
When the Word of God has given you more cars, houses, money etc, may you be found on the right side when the time of separating sheep from goats and wheat from weeds comes.
When we grow, develop and advance in life we face the challenge of forgetting the founding principles that gave us the impetus to achieve what we are now enjoying. Success is the biggest obstacle to success.
Our current success may blind us to greater success.
The comfort of our achievements can hinder us from the more that God has for us. We may become rude and stubborn and forget God. Make sure that God is still part of you.
We have to live from faith to faith and from glory to glory. In Luke 2:41-52, the Bible records the story of the boy Jesus in the temple.
As their custom demanded, Jesus’ parents went up to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Festival.
When Jesus was twelve years old, they travelled from Nazareth and went to Jerusalem together with Him for the Passover celebration.
After the festival, His parents left without checking for Him and only noticed that He was not with them after a whole day’s journey.
They returned to Jerusalem and searched for Him and only found Him after three days in the temple sitting with Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking questions.
They talked to Him and He made the remark, in Luke 2:49 (King James Version), “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”.
Then they went together and Jesus continued to live in obedience. Many things can be said about this story. At the start of the journey, Jesus and His parents were together.
We may start our marriage, business or any project with Jesus, but do we last the whole journey with Him?
After the eating and celebration, His parents did not bother to check if He was still part of their travelling team. Because there was a great crowd travelling with them back to Nazareth, they probably thought that Jesus was amongst the other children in the team.
Have you ever assumed that since you are getting great orders, sales and revenues, Jesus is still part of your life?
For those like me; great multitudes, more speaking engagements and testimonies do not necessarily mean Jesus is still with us.
Jesus may perform for the sake of His gathered people.
Remember what He says in Matthew 7:21-26 (King James Version), “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Let God authenticate all that you do and be part of your entire life.
At the height of the hype and fanfare, make sure that Jesus is in the midst.
The good and encouraging thing about Jesus’ parents is that they paused and did a stocktake and returned to where they lost the boy.
You need to be honest and go back to your humble beginnings and re-engage God.
Do not just fast track everything without Jesus. His business is to do the will of the Father.
Make sure you have mentors and advisors and have a teachable spirit. At times you have to unlearn in order to learn new things.
Don’t keep on holding to the wrong, inadequate and incomplete knowledge you have.
Pastor Erasmus Makarimayi is presiding pastor at New Gate Chapel
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