“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23.

 

What do you chase and why do you chase what you chase? What are you doing presently and why are you doing what you are doing? This is a very critical question that we must all pause to reflect on. This is the true essence of Purposeful Living. When You know what you chase and why you chase what you chase, so that by the time you catch what you are chasing, there will be earthly reward of fulfilment and eternal reward of crowns of righteousness. Whatever you are doing now and the end reward does not tend towards fulfilment, satisfaction and crown of glory, then it is not worth your effort.  

 

Apostle Peter asked Jesus a question; He said; “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” This was a man who wanted to know what he should expect by the reason of what and who he is following; whether it is going to be a followership unto mediocrity and ambiguity. But Jesus simply replied; “you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  So, he came to realize that the sufferings for the sake of Christ is only a preparatory phase that he would necessarily have to go through in order to qualify for the throne. He will not just sit on the throne but function as a judge on the throne. So therefore, we must hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

 

The reason why we do what we do is because, there is a promise, of eternal glory and the love we have for God. Apostle Paul said; “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is what motivates us, that is why we do not need to be pushed around or persuaded, it is because there is a reward that comes from God. This is why we don’t belong to groups or any associations of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. This is a basic understanding we must have in order to live a purposeful life. He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

 

So, our view about life and what we pursue in life matters a lot and it shapes who we ultimately become and what we would be rewarded with. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. We have a living hope and expectations that surpasses all that the world could provide. For some people, life is too deep to comprehend, so there is no reason to find out why they live and how they should live. For them, anything and everything is permitted, they either find it difficult or see no reason to stand or die for anything. They believe life is about “lets feast today for tomorrow we shall die” no plan and consideration for tomorrow, life is meant to be enjoyed irrespective of the consequences. And for other category of people, life is meant to be like a currency that should be spent wisely and not lavishly.  

 

So, we either have to become good or poor managers of the life we have been given. Because Abundance of life or scarcity of life is a product of either excellent or poor management of the life that God has given to us and our daily decisions ultimately determines it. The reason why some people will not cast-off restraints is because there is a harvest, a promise or a reward that is set ahead and they must lay hold of it. There is an understanding about life that we must all have, a correct perspective and mindset that we must have in order to be able to make exploit or live a fulfilled and purposeful life. If I may ask you again; why do you do what you do?

 

Psalm 24:1-2, says; “The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.” Verse 1 began with “the earth”, the earth that you and I live in, where we cohabit, our natural place of dwelling. It says; “the earth” where you exist belongs to someone and His name is “THE LORD.” It doesn’t belong to you, neither does it belong to that powerful group or association you belong to. Apart from you that exist on the earth, it says; “the fullness thereof” there are so many other things you co-exist with on the earth.

 

The earth if filled with so many other things; and they also belong to “THE LORD.” The Scripture says in Psalm 50:10; “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”  So, we see that if all we can see both visible and invisible, including the things we can imagine and enjoy on the earth belongs to “THE LORD”, then He deserves to be feared, revered and the whole earth including you must tremble before Him. Did you see the reason why His words, commands and instructions shouldn’t be seen as a mere opinion but the final authority and a rule that should bind your life? If all that is on the earth belong to Him, why do you think pursing His assignment is not a worthy course? The LORD is the giver of purpose, and until you pursue His purpose for your life you will neither get fulfilment nor reward.

 

Do we see why Proverb 9:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding?” If you desire to make exploits and live a purposeful life; a life with the promise of reward, then wisdom is essential and it begins from having this mindset; “to fear and acknowledge God.” This is so important that it requires that you are possessed with the Spirit of THE LORD in order to fear and revere Him, the one who controls the universe. This Spirit of THE LORD and the Spirit of the fear of The LORD also known as the Spirit of God’s consciousness was given as the first and last prerequisite to obtaining wisdom according to Isaiah 11:2. 

 

A man who does not fear God has no space to receive the wisdom of God. You can’t see the wisdom of God in any man if such a man does not fear THE LORD. Show me a man that fears the Lord and I will show you a man with true wisdom. Show me a man with true wisdom and I will show you a man living for purpose. It’s a sequence and the order cannot be broken. When you look at the concluding part of the book of Isaiah 11:2 the Scripture says; “the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” This shows that the Knowledge of God is directly proportional to the fear of God. If you don’t know God you can’t do what God does. Romans 1:28 says; “Because they do not retain the knowledge of God, He gave them up to reprobate mind to do the things that are not fitting.”

 

When we say knowledge here, we are talking about spiritual knowledge. So, bad character is a product of lack of God’s knowledge retained in the mind, so also, good character and soundness of the mind is the product of a retained knowledge of God. If you are doing the things that are not approved by God, then check your knowledge status of the word of God in you. If a man must begin to make exploits or live a purposeful life, the right knowledge must be retained. Then the verse two of that Scripture began to explain the handwork of THE LORD whom you must fear. How did He establish the earth? The Scripture says He founded where you exist, and carry out your daily activities upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Have you seen a vessel upon an ocean before? Is it ever stable? It may be only if the storms have not come. Is it possible for an establishment to happen upon the floods?

 

If you are familiar with floods you will realize that objects upon the flood usually have little or small control over themselves; so, floods control you, it is not you that controls the flood. This is the reason why things will get out of control if what you are pursuing is not founded and established by THE LORD. How comes THE LORD was able to establish and stabilize the place you live in upon the floods? You will now agree with me that by wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established. Two words that are noted from that Scripture is foundation and establishment. “He founded it and established it” This are the two phases of life that every pursuit we go through.

 

 So, God was able to build the foundation of the earth upon the sea, and two things are true about seas, the depth and unstableness. So, it was founded upon the depths and established upon turbulence. This is the reason why you can never make exploits on this earth or live a peaceful life without the wisdom that come from the LORD GOD. Any human being existing on the earth without the word is standing the risk of being swept away or being tossed to and fro. If the chaos, void, and darkness of the earth was restored by the word, how then do you think your destiny will ever take shape without the word?  This is the reason why the earth and Life itself should be threaded with caution in order not to fall into the deep darkness of the earth and be swept away by its floods.

 

So, this now explains the reason why nothing is permanent on the earth. Job 14:1-2 says; “Man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble, He comes forth like a flower and fades away” so while you have the time to blossom as a flower you must show your beauty. This explains the fact that nothing remains fixed on the earth. And the only thing that can keep you stable on the earth is the wisdom of God which is the word of God. 1John 2:17 says; “the world is passing away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever” So the will of God keeps you stable, gives you fulfilment and in it the wisdom of God is found. If the earth is passing away, then it wise to chase that which stands sure; I know this because the heavens and the earth may pass away but the word and wisdom of God remains forever. Forever this word is settled. The psalmist said in Psalm 90:12 “teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” If the earth is passing away, it is not stable and doesn’t last forever, we must therefore learn to number our days for we could be here today and tomorrow we are gone to the place where we must receive a reward. Jesus Himself acknowledged that “the night cometh when no man could work” This shows us that our life assignment and purpose should be attended to with every sense of urgency. This is true wisdom; this is how wisdom transits to Purposeful Living and exploits.

 

The Bible says; “Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom” and then it says; “but in all thy getting; get understanding” So it is not enough to have wisdom, because wisdom lays the foundation, understanding establishes the foundation that has been laid by wisdom. The Scripture says “by wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established.” So, THE LORD built a house called the earth upon the seas by wisdom and established it upon the floods by understanding. This means that it is one thing to start well, it another thing to continue to do that thing which you have started well. While wisdom helps you with direction understanding helps you on how to walk on the path with which you have been directed.

 

This shows that for any man that will ever succeed excellently on the earth must first begin by building upon wisdom and then sustains what he has built by understanding. Now Jesus made a statement in the book of Matthew 7:24, He said; “Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built His house on the rock” Such a powerful statement that deserves to take a second look. It takes wisdom to step on water, and understanding to walk on water, it takes wisdom to build on water and it takes understanding to establish or stabilize what has been built upon the waters. When wisdom is involved, your water becomes a rock. So, by the wisdom of God, even though it seems as if the earth will sink, it was upon a rock solid. You can’t build upon the word of Christ and sink. You can’t follow Christ and be swept away.

 

So, there is a “hearing and a doing” this is where wisdom is, He said such a person I will liken to a wise man. A wise man is a man that hears and does whatsoever Jesus instructs him to do. So, what is God telling you to do that you are not doing? In it lies the wisdom that this age cannot comprehend. It may look foolish to people, loved ones and family members, but therein lies the power of God. So, Jesus said; “whoever hears these sayings of mine” What are His sayings? The word! For every foundation you lay, there are three fundamental forces that are bound to test it. Jesus said; “the winds, the flood and the rain.”

 

So, the word is the wisdom by it nothing was made that was made; meaning nothing could be laid and established without Him. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

 

This why faith and wisdom are intertwined together. Don’t forget the earth was founded upon waters and floods by the wisdom of God. By faith we came to believe that the world was framed by the word. If the word beckons you to leave the boat and step on the water, you need faith to do so. While you walk on your water by faith focusing on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith, the world will see it as exploits. The word has the capacity to make your platform which seems like water as solid as a rock but not until you take a step. That is why you must believe. So, whatever you are pursuing now that is not founded on the sayings of Jesus will be swept away, it will not stand. And you will be likened to be a foolish builder, building upon the sand.  Always remember that a good work is laid upon the foundations of Christ, and if He does not recognize your work to be good, there is also a reward for you depending on which side of the judgement you want to fall into.

 

So, beware of practicing your own righteousness, behold, He is coming soon, bringing His recompense with Him, to repay everyone for what he has done. Whatever good anyone does, whatever anyone had pursued in His absence, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. James 1:12 says; “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him”  There is a promise, continue to love and hold on to your purpose, you will obtain the crown at the end.

 

God bless you. 

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Apeh Francis Abah!

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