Hello! A blessed and refreshing day to you my dearly beloved! I welcome you to ARISE devotional for today, Thursday the 16th of February 2023 on the platform of the Builders Forum. My name is Abraham Olufemi Ojeme
Today is the fourth day on our devotional series for this week with the topic;
UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
Let me give a summary of our journey thus far since the beginning of the week.
- The election of grace is God’s selection purely on the platform of grace.
- Redemption, which is man’s greatest asset in life is a product of the election of grace.
- The election of grace is absolutely the prerogative of God on the basis of His sovereignty.
- With all the privileges that goes with the election of grace it also comes with several responsibilities.
- These responsibilities include the assignments of the believer as ambassador for Christ.
- These assignments hold the believer responsible for his decisions so you cannot afford to be indifferent to issues.
- Yesterday we looked at being observant about character and capacity.
For this devotional, we haven taken our bearings from Rom. 11:5.
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
And the purpose is to appraise the responsibilities that the election of grace has placed on the believer as a representative of Christ, bodily here on the earth.
Oftentimes, we are so carried away with our heavenly journey that we forget the reason why we are still left here on the earth.
We forget the original intention for which God created man as outlined in Gen. 1:26.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
The purpose of that dominion has not changed.
It is to stand in for Him here on earth so that things can be done on earth according to His will in heaven.
Yes, we know all the narratives of what happened in Genesis chapter three when man sold out his dominion right over to the devil.
But that didn’t make God to change His mind about His purpose for the man He created on the earth.
Immediately, the process for the redemption of man began, which of course had been in the mind of God all the way from the foundation of the world, because nothing catches God by surprise.
If you doubt that, take a listen to Rev. 13:8.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Jesus Christ is referred to here, as the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.
Calvary was not an aftermath. Redemption had been conceived by God even before sin manifested.
So the grace of election is not an alternative program to the purpose of God in Gen. 1:26.
Rather, it is a continuation plan and therefore the responsibility for man to stand in for God on the earth still suffices.
Take a listen to the after-Calvary-mandate given to the saved man in 2 Cor. 5:19-20.
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
That reconciliation assignment doesn’t permit the believer to be neutral here on the earth.
That responsibility mandates you as a believer to ensure that the will of the Father is done here on earth in line with His will in heaven.
That is why you as a believer cannot choose to be oblivious of the happenings around you here on the earth.
This is why, although you may not be a politician, you cannot absolve yourself from politics.
You have been assigned with the responsibility for which Jesus came to this earth in the quest for redemption and prophet Isaiah spoke about it prophetically 700 years earlier in Is. 9:6-7 even before Jesus Himself was born into this world.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Jesus had the mission to be involved in governance to ensure peace, equity and justice and the same mission has been entrusted to every believer.
The same way He did that during His earth walk here without being a politician, so also every believer is mandated to influence governance positively in line with the will of God.
I have given all these narratives so you can follow with reason for this devotional.
Meanwhile, please listen again and again to the earlier editions of the week.
We have established that in other for you to effectively carry out your reponsibility of the election of grace in ensuring right governance, you must be observant on the history of the nation where you are resident.
And we began to outline the focus of the observation.
We have looked at character and capacity.
Today, our focus is on COMPETENCE and PEDIGREE.
Let me define what I mean by those factors.
Competence is not just about the capacity to do something but the ability to do it well enough so it will meet up with the purpose of God.
Take a listen to the scripture in Eccl. 9:10 and please permit me to read the CEV translation.
(CEV) Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or knows anything.
Competence places the demand of passion, drive and zeal on you towards excellence.
You stop at nothing in other to do your best towards getting results.
That is the example Jesus gave to us in the scriptures .
Take a listen to to what the scripture says about Him in Jn. 2:16-17 when He reacted to the ungodly way the temple was being used by the authorities of the day.
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
He refused to be indifferent to the happenings rather, He took a step towards putting things right and He did that passionately.
The election of grace doesn’t permit you as a believer to handle things casually.
Competence must have zero tolerance for failure. It always thrives for the best.
That is why people of competence are people of excellence. No shabby work.
So my dear, check out the competence of people vying for governance leadership. Hallelujah!
Another area of observation is PEDIGREE.
This is defined, for the purpose of our devotional, as the history of leadership service.
Capacity and competence cannot be relevant except they are consistent.
Check out the history of performance.
So we need to look at the books of records. And often the books are there to see for whosoever cares except we want to live in denials.
But unfortunately, the memories of some people can be so distorted.
So much so that they remember what they should forget and forget what they should remember.
This is where prayer and the Holy Spirit come in.
You have to intentionally involve those two factors, prayer and the Holy Spirit in your observations so you can get your priorities right.
My dear, these assignments are not what you should handle casually. They must be done with all spiritual and mental seriousness.
That is the only way you will not disappoint He that has divinely selected you for a time such as this. Hallelujah!
Please let me pray for you.
- I pray today that not only your sensitivity is awaken but also your sensibility.
- I pray for an awakening in you for renewed passion; No more casual approach to things.
- Begin to see your relevance in the happenings around you as a representative of God wherever you find yourself.
- Receive the grace for relevance and impact today.
- I curse that spirit of nonchalance and indifference in you.
- I pray for a new sense of value finding expression in your life today.
- The enemy will no longer deceive you to take things for granted.
- Wake up today to your responsibilities of the election of grace.
- Begin to make the necessary impact you are ordained for in life.
Welcome to your season of turnarounds. Congratulations. Amen and amen. Peace!
