March 24
Everlasting God, thank You for the great and marvelous things You are doing in the life of Your children, we are grateful for all Your protections, comfort, kindness and deliverance all through this month of Divine fruitfulness. We say thank You Father. As we are in the final lap of the month, there is still one fruitful desire or more we are hoping to bring to fruition. God, we depend You totally, help us as You have promised us in Your Word in Jesus Name (Ps 34: 10).
Beloved, did you go fishing this weekend or you followed up on your existing converts to establish them? Either way, good job. The business of soul winning is so interesting that you get engross and get consumed while doing it. I could remember how excited I was when I first received the grace to join the harvesters (Mt 9:37;Lk 10:2), though the enemy try to frustrate me and get me to give up, but for His grace that kept me.
God, kept sending encouragers and helpers my way. I went into training to be better equip for the job. It so interesting to note that it is only in Christian calling that people don’t see the need to be equip before they embark on it, you cannot try it in field like medicine, law or even on a secular job. Hear me anointing is not enough: you need hands on training. How? Some is asking. You must be train either in Bible college, theological school, Sunday school in your local church or bible studies as most churches have it.
Is good to be involved as we have discovered that God not only pay here in this part of eternity, He also pay you here-after. Where was it written? Someone is screaming, please consider the following scriptures Rev 2:7; 20:4-6:21:7; 22:12-14. Also remember, God is not looking for who to use but He is looking for persons to be bless by Him.
In Ps 1:1-3 stated clearly that whatsoever the man, who does the will of Our Father in heaven’s do, he prospers (women inclusive); more so in the text before us. Let dig further:
“He did it with all his heart and prospered.” 2Chronicles 31:21
This is no unusual occurrence; it is the general rule of the moral universe that those men prosper who do their work with all their hearts, while those are almost certain to fail who go to their labour leaving half their hearts behind them. God does not give harvests to idle men except harvests of thistles, nor is He pleased to send wealth to those who will not dig in the field to find its hid treasure.
It is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must be diligent in business. It is the same in religion as it is in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Jesus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into religion as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more.
The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, but He does not encourage our idleness; He loves active believers. Who are the most useful men in the Christian church? The men who do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who are the most successful Sabbath-school teachers? The most talented? No; the most zealous; the men whose hearts are on fire, those are the men who see their Lord riding forth prosperously in the majesty of His salvation.
Whole-heartedness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at first, but the earnest worker will say, “It is the Lord’s work, and it must be done; my Lord has bidden me do it, and in His strength I will accomplish it.” Christian, art thou thus “with all thine heart” serving thy Master? Remember the earnestness of Jesus! Think what heart-work was His! He could say, “The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up.”
When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden He had to carry upon those blessed shoulders; and when He poured out His heart, it was no weak effort He was making for the salvation of His people. Was Jesus in earnest, and are we lukewarm?
Note it should be in the strength of the Lord not yours, else you will fail. Diligence is the watch word. Call on the Holy Spirit, He knows what to do in every circumstance. When you engage in this business selflessly come and see and read by yourself what you will be called:
“Thou shalt be called, Sought out.” Isaiah 62:12
The surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in that we were not only sought, but sought out. Men seek for a thing which is lost upon the floor of the house, but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking out. The loss is more perplexing and the search more persevering when a thing is sought out.
We were mingled with the mire: we were as when some precious piece of gold falls into the sewer, and men gather out and carefully inspect a mass of abominable filth, and continue to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the treasure is found. Or, to use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth; we wandered hither and thither, and when mercy came after us with the gospel, it did not find us at the first coming, it had to search for us and seek us out; for we as lost sheep were so desperately lost, and had wandered into such a strange country, that it did not seem possible that even the Good Shepherd should track our devious roamings.
Glory be to unconquerable grace, we were sought out! No gloom could hide us, no filthiness could conceal us, we were found and brought home. Glory be to infinite love, God the Holy Spirit restored us!
The lives of some of God’s people, if they could be written would fill us with holy astonishment. Strange and marvellous are the ways which God used in their case to find His own. Blessed be His name, He never relinquishes the search until the chosen are sought out effectually. They are not a people sought today and cast away tomorrow. Almightiness and wisdom combined will make no failures, they shall be called, “Sought out!” That any should be sought out is matchless grace, but that we should be sought out is grace beyond degree!
We can find no reason for it but God’s own sovereign love, and can only lift up our heart in wonder, and praise the Lord that this night we wear the name of “Sought out.”
The Lord, Himself will be in-charge of you; He will not let you fall. Please always pray for your Pastors and leaders in the church even in the secular. God will not allow the enemy to mess with you. He will lift you up and guide you so that you will not hit your feet against a stone (stone can be anything) my beloved.
This week His grace will envelop you and lead you through in Jesus Name! Amen.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
