Reset your mind set

“Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God,” 2 Corinthians 1:21.

Growth is an act of God. This act of God requires the art of man for result to be achieved. Man must be active in applying the principles of growth if the divine act must be activated to materialisation. The farmer who plants his seed must depend on nature to take its course after burying the seed on the soil; and the seed on its own cannot grow inside the sack without moisture and clay. The duty of the farmer is to bury the goodly seed on the soil, while God’s act through nature is to proportionately send the rain in due season, the sunlight and moisture to enable it grow.

The availability of resources for growth does not guarantee growth; this means that resources are not sufficient for growth. Hence, in life, someone may choose not to put the available resources into good use, despite its abundance. Take for example; outsiders might exploit a land filled with natural resources and its wealth diverted to other lands, while the land itself wallow in abject poverty. Having talents, gifts, ability and potential is not enough; there must be the will and behaviours that actions it. Things fail to happen as expected not because God did not ordain it to happen; it might be that man failed to apply the needed and applicable principle and guidelines.

In the lucid of William Shakespeare is: “Some are born great; some achieved greatness, while some have greatness thrust upon them.”

In writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul saw them as “babes in Christ” not by natural counting, but in understanding. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to carnal, even as to babes in Christ,” (1 Corinthians 3:1). Most individuals although old, are infants in reasoning and understanding. Man is a relational being and his level of understanding to time, stewardship, values, spirituality, scripture, culture and humanity affects his relationship with others.

Productivity, not position defines maturity. The act of growing up is reflected through sound mind. Ordinarily, it is expected that one who has been taught should be able to teach others, but the mind that is not matured lives on contradictions.

In Hebrews 5:12 the Bibles opines: “For when the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of stony meat.”

The preacher said in Ecclesiastics Chapter 3, there is time for everything. Refusal to grow can deny one certain rights and privileges. Naturally men count chronological and to anything quantifiable he worries about if he has enough time to execute it. In our cultural lexicon we have sayings like: “Don’t waste time,” “Time waits for no one,” “Time is of the essence,” and “Time is money” – we tend to be scared of losing time and being overtaken by it. Sometimes time is restrictive, consuming, tiring and demanding.

God dwells outside of time. God is bigger than time; for he dwells where time ends-eternity. He lives in eternity, man lives in time, and God deals with the Greek “kairos.” The word “kairos” is an ancient Greek word for time, meaning ‘season’, ‘opportunity’ or ‘fitting time’ based on this ‘the age of Methuselah has nothing to do with the Wisdom of Solomon.’ Maturity commends responsibility and positions greatness. Longevity does not necessarily impose experience; how much a man has lived does not prove how much exposure such person has received. The Bible uses the word “kairos” and its cognates 86 times in the New Testament (e.g., in Matthew 8:29; Luke 19:44; and Acts 24:25). The word often includes the idea of an opportunity or a suitable time for an action to take place. “Kairos” is related to the Greek word “kara” (“head”). A kairos is a time when things “come to a head,” requiring decisive action. It is the qualitative time.

There are divine rights and privileges permitted by God for man; if an individual is an infant in the scale of God, it denies such of certain political, traditional, spiritual and scriptural rights. Paul wrote: “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differ nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father,” (Galatians 4:1-2.)

This scripture shows that one’s basic right could be withheld as a result of protracted infanthood. God has made provisions for every of His servants and children to enjoy. These provisions are only made available when God sees the right standing. God expects you to grow; to be able to access rights and privileges acquiring to you. Ask yourself, therefore: what areas of life are you expected to grow?

Knowing An Infant
• Weak and feeble.
• Depends on others.
• Timid and helpless.
• Short sighted.
• Always crying, murmuring and complaining.
• Fearful.
• Very and always untidy.
• Excessively playful.
• Always hungry and eats anyhow.
• Without experience.
• Ignorant.
•Unable to carry burdens.

Children among every other thing love stories and tales. Today, the church of God is passing through a period of ecclesiastical storytelling; which spells how juvenile this generation is towards spirituality. Today, people gather for hours in the name of ‘Holy Ghost meeting and convocation’ only to hear of tales of miracles, fun, deliverance, music, and prosperity with little or no emphasis on Christ the centre of the gospel. Even ungodly comedy is not abhorred in a supposed ‘holy ghost gathering’ leaving people feeling all right without any conviction for sin or hunger for more of God. Reset your mindset. Such gospel can only lead to grooming of protracted ecclesiastical infants that only propels possible fall and loses; and great is always the fall, the outcome will not fall short of: “And they shall turn away their ears from truth, and shall be turned to fables,” 2 Timothy 4:4.

Stages Of Growth
HUNGER attracts satisfaction in life. For one to grow, there must be the craving and willingness to grow. To this age; Apostle Peter said: “As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow,” 1 Peter 2:2; God satisfies our hunger, may God increase your hunger as you read through His word, in Jesus Christ’s name amen. Today, not only do we hunger for what is not obtainable, but for things without eternal value. If anyone desires to grow; there must be proper understanding of the word with the right application, which will expedite growth of the God-child. What you Know gives boldness, it is our ‘know’— exposition, that leads to our ‘how’ — understanding; a process, which finally brings about our ‘now’— destiny achieved. It is what we know that determines how we are acknowledged. What you know if positively applied helps you to be known.

It takes understanding to be outstanding; men of understanding stands out and can never stand down or stand under. Get understanding that you may be outstanding.

Growth is not for selfish gains, but for growing your immediate environment and constituency.

Children are just selfish; this is who they are. When God blesses you and you withhold it; it is a mark of infanthood and childishness. God blesses us that we may be blessings to others. Not allowing the opportunity God has given us, the talents, experience, position and possession to benefit others only amount to selfishness. This is childish. If this is true, you will agree with me that in politics, as well as in religion, there are infants entrusted with leadership positions.

Are you selfish, although highly placed, opportune, and endowed with wealth and talent? Are you yet a baby that needs the sincere milk of the gospel to enable you to be better through understanding? God does not bless us for us, but for all. Knowledge held back without passing it down only leads to the gross act of negligence. You know because you enjoyed some level of exposition from another. Every man owes the debt to give back to the society what he or she has received. Reset your mind.

• Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)