The life of man: God’s view
BY ARCHBISHOP J.O.AKINFENWA
The way you see your life shapes your life. How
you define life determines your destiny. Your
perspective will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talents, and value your relationships.
One of the best ways to understand other people is to ask them, “How do you see your life?” You will discover that there are as many different answers to those questions, as there are people. I’ve been told that life is a circus, a minefield, a roller coaster, a puzzle, a symphony, a journey, and a dance. People have said, “Life is a carousel: sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, and sometimes you just go round and round” or “Life is a ten-speed bicycle with gears we never use” or “Life is a game of cards: You have to play the hand you are dealt.”
If I asked how you picture life, what image would come to your mind? That image is your life metaphor: It’s the view of life that you hold, consciously or unconsciously, in your mind. It’s your description of how life works and what you expect from it. People often express their life metaphors through clothes, jewelry, cars, hairstyles, bumper stickers, or even tattoos.
Your unspoken life metaphor influences your life more than you realize. It determines your expectations, your values, your relationships, your goals, and your priorities. For instance, if you view life as a party, your primary value in life will be having fun. If you see life as a race, you’ll value speed and will probably be in a hurry much of the time. If you view life as a marathon, you’ll value endurance. If you see life as a battle or a game, winning will be very important to you. what is your view of life?
Have you ever paused to consider that you may be basing your life on a faulty metaphor? You may have picked it up from a parent, from your friends, from the movies you watch or magazines you read, or from some other fallible source. But to fulfill the purposes God made you for, you’ll have to challenge conventional wisdom and replace it with God’s metaphors of life. The Bible says, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God.)J (TEV)
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God KJV
The Bible offers three metaphors that teach us God’s view of life: Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment. These ideas are the foundation of purpose-driven living. W e will look at the first two in this page and the third one in the next.
All correspondence to the editor, The Living Word, Ibadan Anglican Diocese, P. O. Box 3075 Mapo, Ibadan. For your prayer and counselling needs, visit or call these lines. Archbishop’s Palace, 3 Arigidi Street, Old Bodija Ibadan. Tel: 02- 8101400 or 8102298, GSM: 08039135983, 08060947795. E-mail messiah@Skannet.com.
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Enter the promised land (I)
BY REV G.F. OYOR
lead the army of Israel into the Promised Land (Jos. 5: 13 15). What a great encouragement! But what do we see next? Joshua 6:1:
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
The fact on ground contrasted sharply to the divine encouragement that Joshua had just received. Yet Joshua was not too discouraged to listen to the word of the Lord. What happened next? The Lord gave Joshua the divine strategy for conquering Jericho.
Joshua 6:2-5 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
Notice that this strategy demanded some action at least from Joshua and his company. They were to march round the city once for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. When on obeying requisite divine instruction, the wall fell, they were to advance straight into Jericho.
Another question?
What if Joshua and his people folded their arms and did nothing? What if they said, “Let God do it all by Himself”? Would the wall have fallen? Would they have possessed Jericho?
We see a similar story in 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Three nations conspired together against Jehoshaphat. The enemies' credentials were intimidating, but Jehoshaphat had enough presence of mind to seek the help of God. God gave him a divine strategy through the word of prophecy (2 Chron 20: 14 17). As they obeyed, what happened?
2 Chronicles 20:22-30 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
(To be continued)
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11, Farayola Lay-out behind Bodija Market, Ibadan U.I P. O. Box 21296. Tel 08056139866, 08023424938, 08023516744 Email gwdim @Skannet.Com.
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