Vision secures Relevance - Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Dan 4 -6
VISION SECURES RELEVANCE Thursday, September 09, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Hab. 2:2) READ: Habakkuk 2:1-3 Psalm 23 contains at least 10 tools available to the shepherd. Every profession has its tools of operation which differ one from another. The tools of a soldier cannot be the same with that of a farmer since each of them will be facing different tasks. The first one we find in this chapter is persuasion. Psalm 23:2 says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters”. The phrase “he maketh me to lie down” refers to the shepherd’s ability in obtaining the cooperation of the sheep without necessarily applying force. The ability of a pastor to get things done by his congregation without the use of force makes him an ideal shepherd. If you are in control, you do not need to keep using threats as that could mean that something has gone wrong. If you are always very harsh in passing down instructions, some people will resist you. You need to cultivate the habit of gently persuading your people to perform their obligations using the Holy Scriptures. Isaiah 40:11 says God gently leads those who are nursing young ones. Another tool a shepherd must possess is vision. This is the ability to see ahead and far beyond what the sheep can see. It is expected that the shepherd should have sighted the still waters or seen the possibility of finding water before leading the sheep to that spot. You cannot take people to where you cannot see. You cannot possess what you cannot see. The absence of vision has caused many who set out for laudable destinations to abandon their journey midway. Do you have vision for yourself, family and congregation? Can you see your promised land with the eyes of faith? If you cannot see ahead, you will not be able to make progress in the right direction. Not all progress is healthy. Some people think they are making progress but each day, they are getting away from their divine destination. You will easily identify shepherds without vision by their spending habits. A shepherd who spends his money on the latest fashion has no vision. The one with vision would rather invest such funds on tapes, books, VCDs of great men of God because they want to make spiritual progress. Such a pastor will be proactive and anticipate the kind of congregation he will have in the future and make effort to be prepared before hand. Are you making attempts to remain relevant in the ministry of the future? ACTION POINT: No matter how far you have travelled: if you lack vision, you have not commenced your trip.