Eyes on the Future
(Gen 13: 14-15)
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. These are the immortal words of Helen Keller the American legend who was both blind and deaf. There are men who have eyes but who lack sight. That would not be you in Jesus name.
Having sight is more than just having eyes. It is having the capacity to make meaning of what is seen. You see, when a man is intellectually retarded, he would only see men as log of woods. It happened in Mark 8 to that man who had just been healed by Jesus. He had a blurry sight.
Now, many people have vision that is blurred by the gains of today. Many people make judgements based on what they can see today. Many make a choice of job based on what is on offer today. Many abandon a glorious endeavour for a less demanding engagement because of the immediate gains. Placing too much focus on today will mislead a man. What will always matter more is what the implications of today’s choices are on the outcomes of tomorrow. How will the choices of today turn out tomorrow? Unfortunately, we have no capacity to know tomorrow.
So how can we keep a focus on the future that we do not know? Impossible right? That’s true. That is why we need more than ourselves to fulfil the future that God has given to us. The Bible says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
There is no better way to understand the future than by befriending the custodian of the future himself- Jesus. Jesus is able to show you what the future holds. He has the capacity to beautiful your future, give you some insights into your future and if needs be re-make your future. Yes, He is that powerful. You cannot afford to live your life on guess work. You sure need him.
Many people already know Jesus. By privilege they have access to secrets and mysteries of the future and in some cases they even know what exact steps they need to take to fulfill the future but they still do not fulfill it. They still miss the glorious future that God has carefully prepared for them. So, what are the things that distract men from the beautiful things that God has destined for their lives?
First is the failures of the past. You see, if a man suffers too much, he can become so used to suffering that he would judge anything that lacks suffering as a product of the devil. If a man lacks too much, he can become so used to lack that he would reject any opportunities to live in plenty. The children Of Israel were exiting Egypt and they had just gotten on the road to Canaan the promised land. God had told them about the glory that awaited them in Canaan. But a slight inconvenience hindered some of them from entering to Canaan.
Second is inconsistency. When Jesus was praying at Gethsemane that the sorrowful “cup of calvary should pass”, He was with Peter, James and John. He specifically requested their prayers while He went a little further so He could be alone to pray. By the time he returned, they were snoring. They hadn’t even prayed thirty minutes. In particular He said to Peter “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14: 36) Jesus prayed all night in that place. The intensity of his prayers made his sweat as thick as blood. It was a very agonizing time in the life of Jesus. He even prayed that the cup would pass but He was quickly reminded that it was all part of His destiny. He prayed that God’s will be done. I believe that the prayers of Gethsemane released virtues unto Jesus to bare the pains of Calvary with grace and earn victory. I believe were it not for the intensity of the prayers of that night He may have failed in the last minute like Peter. What was the product, Jesus left that mountain to fulfil his glorious destiny after which according to Phil 2: 9-11
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the contrary, Peter left that place to fail one of the most important tests of his Christian life because he slept away the grace that could have recovered him.
You see, once there is a beautiful future ahead of you there must be obstacles placed on your path to fulfilling it. The question is “will you be committed enough to stay the course”? because it would not be easy. Very often there would be that defining moment when you are expected to either cave in or strongly hold out. What will be your response in that all-important moment. A glorious future will always bring some pains in the moment.
The last thing is the lack of discipline. Brethren, please note that “It is not every open door that is God’s door” I dare to say that “Some open doors are the devil’s detour from God’s plans”. It takes intentionality and discipline to stay in the very centre of the will of God- not around it but in the very centre. When Joseph had the favour of Portiphar’s wife he could quickly have concluded that it was his best chance to escape slavery and return to his father’s house. But that was not God’s plan for him. In fact, the plan of God still had a jail sentence ahead. I am sure he would have asked himself- how can God reward my fervency with a prison sentence? Couldn’t He just show the authorities that Portiphar’s wife was lying so I can at least be released for staying faithful to God?
But God does not work in a straight line. No! That is why you need discipline to stay doing the right thing and always.
As you go ahead into the second quarter of the year, I wish you a very clear vision and in addition to it accelerated speed so that the plans of God for your life can quickly come to fruition.
Happy new month of April.
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. These are the immortal words of Helen Keller the American legend who was both blind and deaf. There are men who have eyes but who lack sight. That would not be you in Jesus name.
Having sight is more than just having eyes. It is having the capacity to make meaning of what is seen. You see, when a man is intellectually retarded, he would only see men as log of woods. It happened in Mark 8 to that man who had just been healed by Jesus. He had a blurry sight.
Now, many people have vision that is blurred by the gains of today. Many people make judgements based on what they can see today. Many make a choice of job based on what is on offer today. Many abandon a glorious endeavour for a less demanding engagement because of the immediate gains. Placing too much focus on today will mislead a man. What will always matter more is what the implications of today’s choices are on the outcomes of tomorrow. How will the choices of today turn out tomorrow? Unfortunately, we have no capacity to know tomorrow.
So how can we keep a focus on the future that we do not know? Impossible right? That’s true. That is why we need more than ourselves to fulfil the future that God has given to us. The Bible says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
There is no better way to understand the future than by befriending the custodian of the future himself- Jesus. Jesus is able to show you what the future holds. He has the capacity to beautiful your future, give you some insights into your future and if needs be re-make your future. Yes, He is that powerful. You cannot afford to live your life on guess work. You sure need him.
Many people already know Jesus. By privilege they have access to secrets and mysteries of the future and in some cases they even know what exact steps they need to take to fulfill the future but they still do not fulfill it. They still miss the glorious future that God has carefully prepared for them. So, what are the things that distract men from the beautiful things that God has destined for their lives?
First is the failures of the past. You see, if a man suffers too much, he can become so used to suffering that he would judge anything that lacks suffering as a product of the devil. If a man lacks too much, he can become so used to lack that he would reject any opportunities to live in plenty. The children Of Israel were exiting Egypt and they had just gotten on the road to Canaan the promised land. God had told them about the glory that awaited them in Canaan. But a slight inconvenience hindered some of them from entering to Canaan.
Second is inconsistency. When Jesus was praying at Gethsemane that the sorrowful “cup of calvary should pass”, He was with Peter, James and John. He specifically requested their prayers while He went a little further so He could be alone to pray. By the time he returned, they were snoring. They hadn’t even prayed thirty minutes. In particular He said to Peter “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14: 36) Jesus prayed all night in that place. The intensity of his prayers made his sweat as thick as blood. It was a very agonizing time in the life of Jesus. He even prayed that the cup would pass but He was quickly reminded that it was all part of His destiny. He prayed that God’s will be done. I believe that the prayers of Gethsemane released virtues unto Jesus to bare the pains of Calvary with grace and earn victory. I believe were it not for the intensity of the prayers of that night He may have failed in the last minute like Peter. What was the product, Jesus left that mountain to fulfil his glorious destiny after which according to Phil 2: 9-11
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the contrary, Peter left that place to fail one of the most important tests of his Christian life because he slept away the grace that could have recovered him.
You see, once there is a beautiful future ahead of you there must be obstacles placed on your path to fulfilling it. The question is “will you be committed enough to stay the course”? because it would not be easy. Very often there would be that defining moment when you are expected to either cave in or strongly hold out. What will be your response in that all-important moment. A glorious future will always bring some pains in the moment.
The last thing is the lack of discipline. Brethren, please note that “It is not every open door that is God’s door” I dare to say that “Some open doors are the devil’s detour from God’s plans”. It takes intentionality and discipline to stay in the very centre of the will of God- not around it but in the very centre. When Joseph had the favour of Portiphar’s wife he could quickly have concluded that it was his best chance to escape slavery and return to his father’s house. But that was not God’s plan for him. In fact, the plan of God still had a jail sentence ahead. I am sure he would have asked himself- how can God reward my fervency with a prison sentence? Couldn’t He just show the authorities that Portiphar’s wife was lying so I can at least be released for staying faithful to God?
But God does not work in a straight line. No! That is why you need discipline to stay doing the right thing and always.
As you go ahead into the second quarter of the year, I wish you a very clear vision and in addition to it accelerated speed so that the plans of God for your life can quickly come to fruition.
Happy new month of April.
