Divine Lifting (1 Samuel 2:8)
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD′S, and he hath set the world upon them.
Anyone who desires to be lifted of God should know there is always a price to pay. It was Bishop Oyedepo who once shared an encounter he had with the Holy Spirit who said to him “David, there is room for you at the top if you are interested”. Since creation, God’s intention for His beloved has always been to give them “… a hope and an excellent future” according to Jer 29:11. The problem is not with the intentions of God as He is very clear about it and talks about it very frequently. The problem is with paying the price.
Let us take a moment to review; what is the price of the top?
Let us examine the life of Abraham who for most purposes is our very standard in faith and commitment. I think sometimes about how God can choose a man from an idol worshipping background to make the covenant of eternal blessing with him. I think of how God can so jealously guard a relationship that he invests the blessings of many other men in just one man- Abraham. The answer is “absolute obedience”. The Bible; speaking of the faith of Abraham says ”The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father′s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1).
Can you imagine that? Let me break it down. Imagine your father saying to you pack your loads, leave my house and set out on a journey to a country where I will show you? If you again look at Gen 22, God instructed Abraham to sacrifice unto him his only begotten son and he did. He did because he already laid Isaac on the altar before God provided a lamb. Abraham has a record of following God blindly. He didn’t care so much about consequences and rewards, he just followed.
Very clearly, the will of Abraham was absolutely lost in God’s. This is what the Bible is talking about when it says “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 19:14). A child follows in blind trust, so did Abraham in his absolute trust of God. See brethren, until your ambitions, hopes and expectations are absolutely lost in God’s will, lifting is very much a distant phenomenon.
The second and very pertinent condition is consecration or absolute dedication to the cause of the gospel. It was Peter who asked Jesus “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matt 19:27). Jesus responded to Peter and said “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
See brethren, leaving all for God always results in gaining more with him. In responding to God’s enquiry (in the above story narrated) Bishop Oyedepo answered “God, I am interested”. And God said to him “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things that others are dying to get, I will add to you”. You see, men who are dedicated are men who do not leave the weightier matters of the Kingdom to pursue “these things”. It is extremely difficult in this materialistic world to retain absolute focus, but this is exactly what God expects of us.
Lastly, the top is for those who work hard. For six days God worked hard creating the universe only to rest on the sixth. Today, many folks rest 6 days and work for one day and they didn’t even create one small value. See, greatness is always a product of work as much as it is a product of Grace. It was Apostle Paul who said ” But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:10) Let no man deceive you, only men who are diligent in their work will stand before kings.
I beseech you today dear reader, if you passionately desire the top ensure to commit yourself to absolute dedication, give yourself to hard-work and obey God even at the risk of your life. That way, I am certain; you can never miss the top.
Anyone who desires to be lifted of God should know there is always a price to pay. It was Bishop Oyedepo who once shared an encounter he had with the Holy Spirit who said to him “David, there is room for you at the top if you are interested”. Since creation, God’s intention for His beloved has always been to give them “… a hope and an excellent future” according to Jer 29:11. The problem is not with the intentions of God as He is very clear about it and talks about it very frequently. The problem is with paying the price.
Let us take a moment to review; what is the price of the top?
Let us examine the life of Abraham who for most purposes is our very standard in faith and commitment. I think sometimes about how God can choose a man from an idol worshipping background to make the covenant of eternal blessing with him. I think of how God can so jealously guard a relationship that he invests the blessings of many other men in just one man- Abraham. The answer is “absolute obedience”. The Bible; speaking of the faith of Abraham says ”The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father′s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1).
Can you imagine that? Let me break it down. Imagine your father saying to you pack your loads, leave my house and set out on a journey to a country where I will show you? If you again look at Gen 22, God instructed Abraham to sacrifice unto him his only begotten son and he did. He did because he already laid Isaac on the altar before God provided a lamb. Abraham has a record of following God blindly. He didn’t care so much about consequences and rewards, he just followed.
Very clearly, the will of Abraham was absolutely lost in God’s. This is what the Bible is talking about when it says “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 19:14). A child follows in blind trust, so did Abraham in his absolute trust of God. See brethren, until your ambitions, hopes and expectations are absolutely lost in God’s will, lifting is very much a distant phenomenon.
The second and very pertinent condition is consecration or absolute dedication to the cause of the gospel. It was Peter who asked Jesus “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matt 19:27). Jesus responded to Peter and said “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
See brethren, leaving all for God always results in gaining more with him. In responding to God’s enquiry (in the above story narrated) Bishop Oyedepo answered “God, I am interested”. And God said to him “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things that others are dying to get, I will add to you”. You see, men who are dedicated are men who do not leave the weightier matters of the Kingdom to pursue “these things”. It is extremely difficult in this materialistic world to retain absolute focus, but this is exactly what God expects of us.
Lastly, the top is for those who work hard. For six days God worked hard creating the universe only to rest on the sixth. Today, many folks rest 6 days and work for one day and they didn’t even create one small value. See, greatness is always a product of work as much as it is a product of Grace. It was Apostle Paul who said ” But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:10) Let no man deceive you, only men who are diligent in their work will stand before kings.
I beseech you today dear reader, if you passionately desire the top ensure to commit yourself to absolute dedication, give yourself to hard-work and obey God even at the risk of your life. That way, I am certain; you can never miss the top.
