Slow down the circumstances through your sacrifice

Here we are...20 days into 2019. Some of us can't even believe that time has gone too fast. And yes, a month is already gone into the limb of time.

If it seems as if 2019 will be another year that will run its course like a runner who is as fast as Usain Bolt, then I have good news for you: 'you can slow down the circumstances and opportunities in order to catch them'.

Sometimes, the reason why we cannot catch up with the opportunities included in the will of God for our lives is because we tend to carry so much of baggage. The same baggage turns us into slow motion and life passes us by at the speed of light.

In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus tells the story of a man who decided to sell everything he owned in order to buy a field containing a hidden treasure. The treasure he discovered had so much value that he decided to get rid of his possession by selling them...It's what I call a 'trade-off' or an exchange. It's about the willingness to lose something dear in order to gain something else greater.

Certain things we hold dear in life are simply weights that impede us from making progress in the purpose that God has planned for us. I know certain people who would hold on to material stuff they don't even use (e.g: 5 plasma TVs,etc...) or they would hold on to stuff that kill their destinies.

The man in the parable could have decided to remain busy with his property and risk the loss of never seeing the treasure he discovered. Certain people are not living on purpose because they are too busy...they are too busy with what they hold dear and which impedes the call of God on their lives...

Do you remember the story of the young rich man? It's the story of a young man who came running to Jesus for answers; he wanted eternal life. Something in the life of that young man was crying out for answers, just like it happens to many of us: 'we tend to hear shouting questions inside of us about purpose,eternity...'

And this is what Jesus told the young man:

1. Sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor (It's about sacrifice)

2. You will have treasure in Heaven (that's the trade-off or exchange for greater riches)

3.And come follow me (That was Jesus job offer. Imagine that the young ruler could stepped into the right side of history by even becoming an apostle and living a life of purpose)

But instead the young man walked away sad because he was very rich. He chose to keep what he held dear and he preferred to let purpose pass him by. Just like many of us rather keep those burdens that impede our entrance in purpose. Those burdens could be money,un-forgiveness, material stuff we don't even use,credits cards, a city God has called us to leave, wrong relationships, even a job....

When are you going to trade that stuff? When are you going to make the sacrifice?

(The story of the young ruler is found in Matthew 10:17-27)

Sometimes we don't enter in the road of our purpose because we refuse to trade what we hold dear for the will of God. And we go around singing stuff like: 'I don't have money to accomplish this vision, I don't have time, I don't have grit or I don't have this or that,....'

No, my friend: 'Sometimes You will have what it takes to live your purpose. But it will only happen when you decide to trade the weight or to simply sacrifice the burden on your back. Then you will have to take the yoke of Jesus on you.

One thing for sure is: 'we cannot take both the yoke of Jesus and our own burden that prevents us from living on purpose.'

It's time to choose or to live another purposeless year.

I choose to trade and sacrifice.