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I was recently at Tip-Toe Lane, in Accra, to purchase a few phone accessories. Parking, as usual, was very tight but I finally got sorted by one parking attendant, and I walked down the “famous” lane.

I came back in about 20 minutes with a young man in tow; I had spent more than I carried, and had to come back with someone to pick some more money from the car. Having only 200 cedi currency notes; and not too sure whether I would find the young man again if I hand him a 200 note, I decided to change it myself. But Ghanaian attitudes to these shining new notes is still that of caution and apprehension. I made no progress. 

The parking attendant stepped in to help, and took the money to a shop to change. But I realized that on his way back, he made another stop for change. I later realized he got 50 notes from the shop, but to ensure I gave him a good tip, he stopped again to change one of the 50s to 10s(Most people give them 2 or 5 cedi tips).  I realized he was positioning himself strategically for a good tip! 

People position themselves strategically in many ways. Some put money in investments; some build houses; some buy businesses; some acquire new skills; and some simply build useful relationships!

Jesus invites us to position ourselves strategically for something greater!

READ John3:14-19

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even somust the Son of Man be lifted up,that whoeverbelieves in Him shouldnot perish buthave eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.And this is the condemnation,that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”( John 3:14-19)

A Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, named Nicodemus, came to Jesus by night to acknowledge him as being from God; but Jesus seized the opportunity immediately to tell him to be born again. So Nicodemus asked him:

“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

The answer Jesus gave to this question got Nicodemus more perplexed.

Along the line Jesus got frustrated that a teacher of the law did not understand the things he was saying, and decided to take Nicodemus back to books of Moses; a comfortable territory for all Pharisees. This led to the profound statement we just read in the scripture text; which also contains probably the most popular verse in the Bible, which says,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This text is recalled and recited easily by both Christians and people of other faiths! However, its popularity has also made it sound very ordinary, familiar, and mainstream; to the extent that most people don’t even take time to ponder it! But it is a serious call!

We are being invited to position ourselves strategically for everlasting life! It is an urgent call. It is a call that is time bound, and will not always be there!

A lot of people are drawn to the fake good life that the enemy presents here; but in Christ, life is more peaceful more meaningful and inures to eternal life.

Position yourself strategically now! 

MEMORY VERSE

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.“ (John 3:17)

QUESTIONS

1. Have you been positioning yourself strategically for the future?

2. Have you included the future beyond life on this earth? It is simple: Make Jesus the Lord of your life, and allow His Holy Spirit to guide you from now on.

PRAYER TIP

God help us to prepare for our eternal future even as we plan for our temporal future. Help us to tell others also.

Written by:

BENNY MALM

For:

TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL