Perfect Candidate

In the movie Gridiron gang, Sean Porter (The Rock) leads a group of juvenile prisoners to football championship finals. They lose the match but are not called losers.  Porter started this football program after realizing that a huge percentage of the young men who were released from prison would end up in prison again within a few months.  He is awfully criticized for wanting to rehabilitate “rejects” who contribute no good to society except harm.  I love this movie because it not only illustrates what people can achieve when someone believes in them; but also how the small and insignificant are perfect candidates for God to illustrate his power.  In the first practice session, Sean Porter says this to the Mustangs (as they were named); “You do it my way, not your way. Your way got you here and you’re here because you lost.  Right now you are all losers, but if you accept the challenge and stick with the program, you are all going to be winners in the end”.  I believe that’s where I was. I might not have been in prison and I wasn’t all that bad; but I was a loser before Christ.  I might not have heard Jesus say those words to me, but I think he was saying it to me to show me where he took me.  I don’t know where you are, but if you’re a loser, then you are the perfect candidate for success.

When we look at great people in history, we find that most of them came from humble, insignificant families, were not of noble birth, were unskilled, despised and we can fill the list with many negative descriptions.  Even Jesus’ disciples were not people of high positions in society, nor possessed high degrees in education.  Having healed a lame man, Peter and John are before the council of scribes, rulers and elders and explain that Jesus, whom they had crucified, healed the man.  “Now when they (rulers) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” Acts 4:13.  They were little people in the eyes of man, but the Lord chose to use them instead of the well-learned scribes whom the people held in high esteem.  So we look at Abraham who is too old to have children, but is chosen to be the Father of nations.  Its not that there weren’t other men across the face of the earth who could have children and in the absence of one God chose Abraham. God chose Abraham nonetheless. Moses gives a lot of reasons why he isn’t the one to save the Israelites in Egypt.  He can’t speak, he killed one of them a while back, he isn’t a king, he isn’t a warrior, etc. And the response from God is a resounding: “You are exactly what I am looking for!”  When God is about to destroy the Midianites who are describes to be “like locusts in number, both they and their camels could not be counted” he uses Gideon, who is the from the weakest clan and the least in his family – as if that is not enough he uses 300 men who didn’t need to know how to fight, but to blow horns.  When God wants to destroy Goliath, a great warrior he uses a teenager who is the youngest of his brothers and isn’t even supposed to be at the war.  All of this is to display his power, so that no man may boast. 

So are you unskilled, from a poor family, not a great speaker, not popular, not extremely pretty or handsome (in the eyes of man), uneducated, or any other thing that you think disqualifies you to be used by God for his glory? If yes, then you are the perfect candidate to be used by God. You are exactly what He is looking for.  I am by no means saying that God does not use those with doctorates, are of noble birth, etc; or that people should not aspire to be educated and of high esteem in their fields.  But there is always someone better than yourself, and even when you are a scholar and you’re given a task by God that you think is beyond you and should be given to someone of higher prestige, God wants you!  Because “little is much, when God is in it”.   God seems to look for the smallest tool to bring about his purpose and will in the world.  He takes the small tool, and gives it tremendous ability to do the task given.  He makes the jawbone of a donkey to be strong enough to kill 1000 men.  I don’t mind being a jawbone in the hands of God. 

Stay humble in the eyes of God, but do not look down on yourself, as one who is despised and he will surely lift you up. He will continue to take you higher and higher.  When He says GO, know that he has deemed you the perfect candidate and will give you the skills required to complete the given task.  My pastor said it is this way: “ do not compare how you feel on the inside, with how someone or something looks like on the outside”

God Bless you all. Much Love!

Active Workers

 “Opportunity is missed by most people because it s dressed in overalls and looks like work” Thomas Edison

I recently found out that the microwave was an accidental invention.  Mr. Percy Spencer, a radar tube design expert; noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted while he was working on building magnetrons standing in front of an active radar set.  Although he was not the first person to notice this with radars, he became the first to investigate it.  He and some of his colleagues then intentionally heated popcorn kernels and had the first microwaved popcorn. The first commercially microwave was about 1.8 meters tall and cost about $5000.  The microwave as we know it today is almost a necessity, most homes have one.  As for Mr. Spencer, he didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I want to make an electrical appliance that will heat food; but he stumbled upon it while busy with something else. 

It is important to note that Mr. Spencer was WORKING when he stumbled upon this groundbreaking invention.  He was actively involved in something that led to his invention.  Beyond being actively involved in work of sorts, he saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. It is said that he wasn’t the first person to notice that active radar sets had a melting or hearing effect on foods.  I reckon we can learn a few things from Mr. Spencer and his inadvertent invention. When preparation and opportunity collide, we see an explosion that sets one on a path to success. Opportunities are out there waiting to be seized, but often we aren’t prepared for it. 

When Jesus called the twelve men who later change history, as we know it, he didn’t call “uzo’ithola kanajni uhlel’ekoneni” kinda’ guys.  He calls young men who were busy with something already.  Most of them were fishermen and were learning the family trade. These were not guys sitting by the corner asking everybody for R5 as they passed by or some were waiting on the government to give them a living.  I am by no means saying that the Lord does not help people who are formally employed or that opportunity favours those who are formally employed. It favours those who are actively involved in something.  This could be volunteer work, being in the school’s leadership team, being a part of a musical group, playing sports, etc.  These could be places where you get to be set on a path to success.  I have had opportunities to travel at no expense to places where I learned some important lessons because I was actively involved in doing something that was for social change.  I wouldn’t have had those opportunities if I wasn’t involved in projects and organizations that were for social change and if whatever company formally employed me, the opportunities would certainly be of a different nature. I have learned that being actively involved in something that interests you is a good seedbed for growth and multiple opportunities.  You might not travel as I have, but the opportunities will edify your life in unimaginable ways. 

This is what Philemon says in verse 6 of the only chapter in his little book; “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (NIV).  So there are good things that are in Christ that we ought to have a full understanding of, and these can be unlocked by being active sharers of our faith in Jesus. The love that Christ so illustriously displayed by dying on the cross demands a bigger response than just “thanks”. It is a beautiful story that ought to be shared.

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” Mark Twain

Lets get to work friends ... Opportunities Await your arrival!!!

Shovel and Sword kinda' Dude

For most of us, life is much more interesting and worth living when there is forward movement.  People’s speech attests to this when we hear them say things such as; “I feel like my life is stuck”.  So we all love progress and want to experience growth of sort in the different areas of our lives. Often when we think of growth and the things that we want to achieve, we seldom think of the challenges that will come with it.  We end up with an idealistic idea of where we would like to see ourselves in a certain time frame.  For some people, even when the dream is clear and they know what they want to achieve, discouragement won’t let them start.  They feel inadequate and don’t even attempt to achieve their dreams because the voice that says, “You’re not good enough” is louder than the one that says, “You can do it”. If we make it past the first stage and believe that we can, we thus start projects with optimism until challenges rudely interrupt our course and discourage us. It is always harder at the beginning and I suspect that the enemy of progress knows that once you start, the chances of stopping you are slimmer. 

There’s a story in the bible that perfectly illustrates how we ought to approach life if we are to keep moving.  A man by the name of Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem following their return from exile.  The lack of fortified walls meant that they were left defenseless against enemies.  As he inspects the walls, Sanballat and his buddies (enemies) were very displeased and set out to discourage from starting (chapter 2 v 10, 19).  Nehemiah jumps over the first hurdle with powerful words that show great faith in God (2 v20).  He then sets the plan in motion and the people work to rebuild the wall and make good progress.  In chapter 4, we see Sanballat and buddies coming much stronger in opposition.  Having failed to stop them by mocking them with words, they plot to fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion in it.  As a response to this, Nehemiah tells that they “prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night”.  To keep good progress, Nehemiah tells us “16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.”  

I came across this text about 4 years ago and it taught me a pivotal lesson that I think all of us should have to succeed.  When God gives us a dream, it is not void of struggles and opposition.  This is a lesson we get from many biblical characters; all of them victoriously get to the other side and attest that it was a bumpy ride.  Nehemiah tells us that his workers had a SHOVEL in one hand to BUILD and a SWORD in the other to FIGHT off the enemy.  Through the years I have learned that this kind of readiness for opportunity/progress and opposition/discouragement was necessary for me to move forward.  The workers not only had a tool for forward movement, they had a tool to prevent them from regressing.  Most of us only have shovels in our hands, but we are left totally vulnerable to attack from the enemy that often comes unexpectedly.  I imagine that it must have been really hard, but necessary. We must guard against discouragement at all costs. I am by no means suggesting that you go get yourself a sword and wield it as you walk the streets. Your weapon is the word of God. The same weapon that Jesus used when the enemy tried to deceive him into worshiping him. So even when it seems that things are not working out, you can draw your sword that says, “ when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”. When you feel attacked in every area of your life you know that “No weapon that is formed (specifically designed) for you shall prosper”. 

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” Romans 8:37

May you be a shovel and sword kinda’ WoMan!!