PUSH BUTTONS
Love Birds
Disclaimer: This piece has nothing to do with what you think it’s about…
Pastor E.A Adeboye once narrated the story of a rich man whose nephew came to for financial assistance. The young man had asked for a little amount, the rich man said he didn’t have. Then the young man reduced his ask, and the rich man said he didn’t have still. The young man knew this rich Uncle had way more than he was asking and couldn’t understand why the Uncle said he didn’t have. Out of sheer frustration and sarcasm, the young man asked for a lot more than he even needed, and for the first time, the rich Uncle smiled and said, “now, you’re talking…”
The rich Uncle was so rich, he considered a request below a certain level too small for his attention. He wouldn’t even dignify the request with a conversation. Like this Uncle, God can tell the depth of revelation we have of Him, by the sheer quality, size, and magnitude of our requests.
The quality of demands we make of God is a direct function of how much we think of Him. Sometimes, we don’t mean to, but we unwittingly belittle God by the quality of our requests. It’s one of those things that stirs God up, when we ask Him for favours that are consistent with His ability to bless!
In fact, in one instance, we observe God providing a profile for the kind of things we could ask from Him.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. — Psalm 2:8 KJV
God was practically saying that if we ask the ends of the earth for our possession, He will not withhold it. That’s really incredible!
The bigger question, however, is this: what will make a man ask God for the ends of the earth? What does one man want to use the ends of the earth for? One man can only occupy so much space per time, why does he need the ends of the earth? Well, except he has a vision of being a blessing to every Family on earth according to the Abrahamic order. Then God can expand his possessions to that extent, due to the largeness of such a heart. This was the secret to the Supernatural Wisdom, Honour and Riches that Solomon possessed. God did not restrain His blessing upon Solomon because it was induced by his love for the people.
The quality of requests in heaven is measured by the love component inherent in it. Heaven does prioritise requests based on how many lives are tied to its answer. When there is love in our heart, our requests might sound outlandish to a selfish mind who needs not more than what he can eat and be clothed with. It is not selfishness to ask God for big and massive things, what matters is what those things are designed to be consumed upon. Your lusts or the satisfaction of the thirsty soul?
Apostle James says this is why people ask and don’t receive.
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. — James 4:2–3 KJV
The God that is willing to give you the ends of the earth as a possession, should you ask the right way, is not reluctant to give you that little thing you’ve been asking for. However, will His gift end with you? Or will it transcend? This is why He wants your requests to match His willingness to bless the whole families on the earth. Remember, God sees the heart! If you’re asking for the ends of the earth for selfish reasons, but you’re fronting “Kingdom” as your motive, He can see through it all. Sincerity is the first Doctrine in Christ! Anyone who violates it, has no audience with Him.
Now, Love is the Asker of God’s resources, but Meekness is the User of God’s resources! Love does the Asking, Meekness does the Receiving!
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. — Matthew 5:5 KJV
The ends of the earth that Love is asking for, will ultimately be received and executed by Meekness. But how? Meekness, is your ability to recognise people for their brilliance and submit to that brilliance in its arena. Anyone who is not genuinely meek wouldn’t have gone so far before he is cut down. Meekness helps you leverage the genius in others in bringing about the expansion that God already blessed you with. If your Vision, depended on you alone, it wouldn’t travel very far. The mobility of your vision is sponsored by the willingness of others to partner with you. It takes meekness to recognise those people and ask for their support.
Once, Joshua asked Moses zealously in an attempt to preserve his authority, to forbid those who prophesied in the tent; but here was Moses’ response:
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! — Numbers 11:28–29 KJV
This is one of the reasons why the very next chapter (Numbers 12:3), acknowledges Moses as the meekest man upon the face of the earth. The reason was because Moses genuinely didn’t consider himself to be so special and superior to others. He knew God could use just about anyone to achieve His objectives.
This attitude right here, is meekness! With meekness, the Bible teaches that the possession of the ends of the earth is an attainable possibility. The whole earth cannot be possessed by people who believe they can get everything done by themselves. Is Jesus not the One who still rules in the affairs of men? But how did He get His Gospel to the ends of the earth? By leveraging the turbocharged power of a community of disciples, empowered by the Holy Ghost. Even if Jesus alone saved the world, Jesus alone couldn’t spread the news! If Jesus knew He couldn’t complete His assignment without several other people in support and active service, neither can your Vision go beyond the borders of your locale, until you network and collaborate with other people sent to you by God. That would mean recognising each person’s gift and deploying them at their respective posts. Once you stop hustling for sole credit, you can truly begin your journey into greatness.
Jesus knew He needed those disciples! Abraham knew he needed his servants, in order to win that battle! Naaman knew his help could come from anywhere, including his Wife’s teenage maid! Samson, in his last moments, needed the guidance of a little boy to fulfil his ultimate destiny of destroying the Philistines. No one who ever inherited the earth, did it solo!
How many other people, apart from yourself, can you credit for how far you have come in life? Do you see the good that others can bring to the table? Will you take counsel from your Father’s counsellors or, like Rehoboam, gather unto yourself vain sycophants who only flatter you about your invincibility and your need for no- one?
The Birds that Love unlocks, can only be landed by Meekness!
The great and lofty promises of Scripture will be released once Love is observed in your heart, but how you will practically inherit your possession will be by leveraging the value and contributions of others. You must acknowledge the greatness of your neighbour, to take part in his possession.
As we round off the year 2023 and prepare for 2024, ask God for what is exciting enough for Him to give and then build networks of valuable contributors; then see how far He can indeed bring a man who combines Love with Meekness!
God can give to you, the ends of the earth as an inheritance… yes you!
Have a beautiful week ahead.
Dami Oguntunde
@damioguntunde
Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.
