Dear Beloved,

"THROW IT DOWN!"

"Then the LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A staff,' he
replied. The LORD said, 'Throw it on the ground.' Moses threw it on
the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it" (Exodus 4:2-3,
NIV).

God gives us wisdom, knowledge, understanding, affluence, fame,
beauty, and even things that we consider less significant for a
definite purpose.

By circumstance, Moses became a shepherd in Midian. Then, his staff
was an instrument in taking care of the animals. It became an
extraordinary instrument, not of taking care of sxeep, but of leading
God's people, the Israelites. How? He surrendered it to God.

The story of the feeding of five thousand people in John 6 showed how
a little boy surrendered his lunch to be used by God. His little lunch
became a source of nourishment to over five thousand people. Likewise,
Simon Peter and his fellow-fishermen surrendered their large catch
(Luke 5). Today, they are referent point for Christian missionaries.
Abraham sacrificed his only son, Isaac to the Lord (Genesis 22). God
returned the son and made him a father of many nations. Today, the
Jews, the Muslims as well as the Christians honor him. The list is
endless.

Think about Jesus Christ. He laid down His life for the salvation of
humanity (see John 10:17-19; Titus 2:13-14). For this reason, He was
made the Lord of all and been crowned with glory and honor "that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth" (Philippians 2:6-10, NIV. See also Acts 2:32-35 and
Hebrews 2:9).

What do you have that you are withholding from God? Is it money, time,
experience, knowledge, wisdom, or even your life? One of the
unchanging conditions for productive leadership is humble submission.
God wants you to "throw it down!" Surrender it to Him and see what He
will use out of it.

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a
man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:35-37, NIV).

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).



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_________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
+234 805 515 9591
http://www.afolabayo.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualdigest2003/

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will
have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted
in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST
AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV).