PASTOR'S REFELCTION

It requires more than the ordinary

Many people do the ordinary and the usual in life but only a few pursue the unusual and extraordinary. The saying that “if you want something you have never had before, you must do something you have never done before” is very true. Let us look at a few examples of those in the Bible who followed this principle.
·    The Blind Baltimaeus (Mk 10:46-52): He operated beyond the ordinary by choosing the highway side with its inherent risks as beat (vs 46) and unusually cried a great deal more, inspite of intimidations, before he got his miracle (vs 48-49)
·    Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Lk 19:1-10): He uncommonly sought to see Jesus (vs 3-4) and unusually gave up half of his goods to the por and restored four-folds of every stolen possession (vs 8). No wonder he got a celebrative salvation (vs 9).
·    The Four Lepers (2 Kg 7:3-9): They uncommonly stepped into the camp of the enemy at the expense of their lives, thus saving a city under siege of the enemy and a ravaging famine (vs 15-16). This was a time when even the strong and mighty were afraid to step out (vs 12).
·    Ruth (Ruth 1:15-18): She made a choice by forsaking her people, culture, god and nation for a people, and God she never knew and a bleak future with a mother-in-law that had nothing to offer her (vs 12, 13, 15-17).
·    Esther (Est 4:16): She did the uncommon by going to the king when it was most risky to do so, for the love of her people.
The blind man cast away his garments to move on; Zacchaeus gave up all he stole and half of his possession for true salvation; the lepers left their common beats at the entrance of the gate to bring salvation to a city under the enemy's siege; Ruth forsook her people and her god for a better inheritance; Esther sacrificed her personal pleasures for the lives of her people. All of them listed here were determined to do more than the ordinary, prepared to meet their destinies and understood that life is for those who can take risks.
Beloved, what past have you given up for Christ like Baltimaeus? What retribution have you made for the past wrongs like Zaccheaus? How many familiar beats have you abandoned for Christ like the lepers? Have you given up the god and evil traditions of your people for Christ like Ruth? What personal pleasures have you ever sacrificed for Christ and His kingdom, like queen Esther? Until you deal with certain issues decisively and do more than the ordinary, you may never be different from the majority around.

Pastor K. Nzeh.
Pastor-in-charge