05 Mar The Complete Man
God’s dream for man is for the man He made in His image to be Complete (well grounded, all round successful, and mature to the fulfilment of His plans and purposes.) Made in God’s image, man was designed to discover, develop and deploy his potential, unravel his gifts and engage his abilities to help, bless and uplift others.
Man was designed to be a blessing to others. Meaning and fulfilment are found in being of great service to others.
Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament),
Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).
1 Peter 5:6-10
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),
So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
With this in view we constantly pray for you, that our God may deem and count you worthy of [your] calling and [His] every gracious purpose of goodness, and with power may complete in [your] every particular work of faith (faith which is that leaning of the whole human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).
Thus may the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified and become more glorious through and in you, and may you [also be glorified] in Him according to the grace (favor and blessing) of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Colossians 1:28-29
Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One).
For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the super human energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me.
Matthew 5:48
You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Colossians 2:6-14 (complete in Him!) KJV.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Colossians 4:12-13
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
The Complete man, amongst other things, is alive unto God, alive unto his potential and awake to opportunities around him. He has cultivated a lifestyle that reckons with his challenges, generates his opportunities and overcomes obstacles on the way!
He believes he has a destiny, that he is loaded with potential, he is ready to become the best in what he has been designed to be. He is ready to build healthy relationships around him that can enhance his future.
He has overcome his insecurities, fears of failure, of rejection, of falling, etc. He has broken off from belief systems that are limiting him. Most of this he picked up as he grew up. He has cultivated a lifestyle that will not lead to bondage to any habit or wrong philosophy.
Categories of areas of development will include spiritual development, Personal development, Leadership development, and financial/career development.
The power to choose our thoughts, words and actions, as well as our attitudes, motives and focus put the responsibility of outcomes in our lives squarely in our hands! We have the advantage of our relationship with God to receive help in our times of need and weakness.
All development starts and is sustained by the power of vision. We need to have mental pictures of the future we want for ourselves. Words convey pictures so God’s word can convey pictures that form our vision. Visualisation is part of the developmental disciplines that we need to develop.
Spiritual development
He has a Relationship with God that he services through his prayer life as well as bible study life and he is committed to service in God’s house! So we have prayers, bible study, and fellowship!
Personal development
He knows which areas in his personal life need development. Areas like goal setting, time management and planning. Mental and physical developments come under this area. How sharp our minds are and how fit our bodies are come under this aspect.
Leadership development
The ability to generate the right kind of influence in other people’s lives starts with us having the right influences in our lives. This development influences our relationships like marriage and family. Are we becoming better Husbands as well as fathers?
Career/Financial development
Our chosen careers will go a long way in the quality of life we live. Did we have the career thrust on us or we chose to have them? Financial management goes a long way to help us handle debts and understand investments.
Action steps
***Identify the areas of greatest needs. Set aside time to examine closely what needs to be done. You may ask for professional help if you do not know what to do.
***Set goals. There are process goals as well as outcome goals. process goals may be setting times to meet up with your wife weekly, or frequency at the gym. Outcome goals will include how much money I want to have earned in the next 6 months, for example. Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible goals. Set times to achieve them.
*** Create accountability relationships that can help you in achieving your goals. They will hold you responsible for the goals you set.
*** Cultivate the relevant lifestyle that will propel you towards the future you want. Change of thoughts words and habits are not usually easy to accomplish.
***Engage in constant learning and hence development. Plan your reading, study and listening to CDs etc. Use journals, notebooks and other writing materials to build your studying and growing process.
***Visualise, verbalise and generate mental pictures of your life as you move in the right direction. See Joshua 1:8 and Proverbs 4:20-24.
***Have a heart of gratitude to God for all He has done for you in Christ and is doing daily in your life. In all things give thanks. See Phillipians 4:6-8.
Stewardship
Stewardship in Christianity follows from the belief that human beings are created by the same God who created the entire universe and everything in it. To look after the Earth, and thus God’s dominion, is the responsibility of the Christian steward.
Stewardship means the management or care of something, particularly the kind that works. If your company is making money, there’s probably been careful stewardship — or, a lot of luck.
A biblical world view of stewardship can be consciously defined as: “Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.”
Luke 16:10-13
He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much.
Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]?
No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).
Stewardship. Principles of life management. ( 1 Cor. 4:1-2)
- Everything we have was given to us (by God). James 1:17-25.
- Everything we are given has potential in them. They can increase, multiply and become greater than how we were given.
- How we handle these things given to us will determine how we are rewarded or judged. Our ability to manage (steward) these things is the key to our success in life.
- We shall give account to our Giver (God) for how we related, treated and utilized what we were given. (Hebrews 13:17)
- Our respect for God (fear of God) will determine how we treat His gifts in our lives. His gifts are designed to bless many others, bring fulfilment in our lives, and bring satisfaction to His heart (glory to God). (Proverbs 22:4) by humility and the fear of The Lord are riches and honour and life.
- The purpose of anything is usually in the mind of the Maker (God). When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. When things given are abused, their potential remains untapped and the benefits derivable are lost due to ignorance of purpose.
- Our lifestyle should be determined by the recognition of the gifts, proper development and utilization of these gifts so maximum benefits accrue to mankind and the Creator is pleased. We are to manage our lives according to the expectations of the Giver of His many sided gifts (wisdom, grace, talents, etc.). Proverbs 10:4-5. Proverbs 21:5- Faithfulness, excellence and productive efforts at stewardship should characterise our lifestyle.
God is the source of all good things and there are channels around us through which these things come to us.
Rev. Kola Ewuosho.
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