Born to be Average

     Born to be Average, is not something you see or hear every day, as a title for a movie, a book or sermon title. In fact, you hardly ever have media or any other form of communication, depict anyone as being born to be like everyone else. No, they single out success; people who stand out and people who make a difference. All of this, with just cause, because who wants to hear about people who have accomplished nothing, where’s the fun in that?

     All this being said, most people settle for being average. They’d prefer others doing the hard work in getting somewhere in life and reaching their potentials; they’d prefer to sit and let others be prepared to fail, instead of trying themselves and running the risk of failing. Here’s the deal: No-one is going to be writing a book, making a movie or teaching a sermon on someone who was not willing to risk everything, in order to become what they were made to become. No-one is going to be speaking about you for generations to come, if you just stand by, watch and criticize, saying something cynical like, “Can you believe that guy? Weird!”

     The truth is that nobody was born to be average, we were all meant to reach our potential and therefor glorify God. If it wasn’t for God’s glory, there would be no glory on earth (Rev 5:11-14, 7:9-12). All creation has an element of glory, it reflects the glory of its Creator (Rom 1:20). When we, the crowning glory of God’s creation, reach our potentials by using our talents, it is God who gets the glory (Acts 14:15).

     An eagle, who decides to be a chicken, reflects very badly on its creator. The eagle is communicating to its creator that it really doesn’t want to be what it was made to be, to soar high and be the king of the air. It would rather scratch around on the earth, not risking the heights and the thermals of being an eagle. The irony is that whenever an eagle flies overhead, a chicken and its chicks will run for cover, so that the eagle doesn’t prey on them. Thus, an eagle, wanting to be a chicken, is at the mercy of an eagle that risks being an eagle!

     The above scenario of the eagle is what many people struggle with; the victim mentality. It sounds something like this, “Why are bad things always happening to me?” or “Why does it feel like I’m treading water and not going anywhere?” When we start fulfilling our callings, that which God has called each individual to, we transition from being victims to being people who determine how situations will end up. By putting your future in the hands of your creator (Rom 12:1) you can stop being a chicken and become an eagle; someone who will be remembered for what God did through you; possibly for generations to come.

Oprah: Power, Influence, Interesting ...

     I happened to catch the final episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show today. After 25 years of being on television everyday, Oprah has called it a day, moving on to greener pastures.

     There were a couple of things that struck me while watching this. The first one was her influence: the more successful she became, the more influence she had. The more influence she had the more power she wielded. The second thought that came to mind is the world-view that she was pushing, using her influence.We all have a world-view, unfortunately though, Oprah's world-view does not point to a Redeeming Saviour, but rather to an abstract energy from within. However, due to her influence, people listen.

     People are looking for answers and therefore look to someone they can trust to provide them with their answers. In a world that is searching, there are people ready and willing to provide answers, they may however not be the right answers.

     Where are you finding your answers? Too many of us find our answers in the media or in secular thinking, however God wants us to find our answers in Him and the Truth of His Word. He wants us to renew our minds and focus on things that produce life, outside of ourselves. Maybe you are asking questions like What should I do with my life? or Why do bad things happen to good people? The way you answer these types of questions will go a long way in determining your world view.

     Is Oprah wrong for pushing her world view? By no means, it's her opinion to peddle. However, we can take a leaf out of her book and not shy away from gaining influence, it's not wrong to be well known and respected, in fact all Christians should be respected in society (sadly this is not always the case) We need a Godly perspective on life though, our message should be one of a loving God who has given us all we have to accomplish His plan in our lives, by His grace. The power we wield should be to build His kingdom and not our own, so that every person on earth can reach their God-given potential.

What Lies Ahead: Awesomeness!

Friends! After much prayer and deliberation, I have settled on a definite direction for this blog for the year 2011. Most of my earlier posts involved my being involved with the 2010 soccer world cup and then from there, transitioning to bible school in the U.S.A. My passion for ministry is only surpassed by my passion for Jesus and this single focus will dictate future posts. "Start Living" is going to transition as well, to where I believe God is taking my ministry.

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39

People, are what ministry is all about. Helping bring you to a closer, more intimate relationship with Jesus, so that you can change your generation and have a positive effect on the generations to come, is my sole purpose in life. If people can understand who they are in Christ, what the finished work of the cross actually means and how they can access grace through faith, then I believe they will stop at nothing to achieve the goals God has set before them. We will reach our potentials, start living and bring glory to God in the process. Not by our own works, but by God's grace, because if we try in our own strength Christ died in vein! (Galatians 2:20)

I say this only because, for us to reach our potential in Christ, we must come to the end of ourselves. The sooner we come to the end of ourselves, the sooner we are able to walk in purpose and understanding of what God's will is for our lives. Romans 12 speaks of God's good and perfect will for your life and mine; this means that whatever plans God has for us, they are to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11)

These promises are ours for the taking, however, most don't walk in the fullness of what Christ has for us. Most people are satisfied with a mediocre, safe existence; but I am here to say that Jesus came to give us life and life in abundance! (John 10:10) Be encouraged, therefore, to press in to the fullness that is on offer, with an intimate relationship with Jesus and you will walk in His will more accidentally, than you ever will on purpose!