Dedication
would not be different from taking a particular thing and giving that
particular thing to another being for a possession.
In this case,
the particular thing given to another being has become dedicated to that being
– in the sense that, the being, which is given the particular thing – can now
use that particular thing as s/he wishes.
Such is the
life of a Christian, whose heart is dedicated to God – for service: the
Christian would lose control of his or her heart from his or her will to the
will of God, and the service in the house of God will seem no cumbersome for
that Christian – no matter how tedious the service might be.
In 1 Sam
7:9-12, “And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering
to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD
answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines
drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder
upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome
before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the
Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a
stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer,
saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."
We could see some things that played out in
this passage: Samuel offered a suckling lamb as sacrifice (an emblem of
dedication), and cried unto the Lord (which represent service) in the face of
battle.
Samuel ignored the roaring battle cry and
himself lifted his voice unto the Lord, crying, then God thundered upon the
philistines.
I.HOW IS DEDICATION GOTTEN?
We have established the
fact that dedication has to do with given something to a being for a
possession: Hence, there must be initiation of dedication before it would ever
occur.
Below are some avenues
through which dedication occurs:
A.Parents’ dedication of the child -1
Sam 1:24.
B.Continuous relationship with God - 1
Sam 2:18-26.
C.Personal development.
D.Being conscious of the God-factor (in all that you do).
E.Having encouraged-supporters to work with - Eph 4:3-6. This simply means that you are surrounded by people that
are encouraged by yourself – for their immense contributions to your service.
You cannot do anything
alone, and the people that are supporting you deserve to be appreciated. That
is why you must encourage them.
II.WHY YOU MUST BE SUPPORTIVE TO OTHERS
AND BE ENCOURAGED BY OTHERS
A.Hos 4:6, “My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the
law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
B.Matt
19:17-19, “So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good
but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the
commandments. He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You
shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You
shall not bear false witness,''Honor
your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'"
C.Heb
12:14-15, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one
will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of
God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many
become defiled.”
What fact are we looking for in
these three passages of the Bible? It
is the consideration for human personality. It is why you must support others and be encouraged by others.
If you want to clarify what this
means, please go over the three passages of the scripture again.
Note: mutual respect (which enables consideration of human
personality) is needed to achieve
collaborations, for effective work-relationships.
III.BENEFITS OF BEING DEDICATED
Now that we know the initiating
stage of dedication and have established the reason for supporting others and
why we must be encouraged by others too: We must also know the benefits of
being dedicated.
A.For cordial relationship with God,
while moving forward in His work.
B.For progress in all endeavours of
life.
C.For noteworthy achievements (leaving
a footprint for generations present and coming).
D.To have an effective replacement
after one’s tenure has elapsed.
E.Maintaining cordial relationship
with God will put one in the paths of righteousness, which will help one to
make heaven.
IV.CONCLUSION
1 Sam 7:15-17,“And
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a
circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places.
But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged
Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.”
In the light of this scripture, 1 Sam 7:15-17, your dedication is not to be a once in
a life-time, but a thing of all of a
life-time.
However, God’s face must be sought in prayers
for the grace to work and walk uprightly until the end of life.
CRUCIAL POINT:
I want to encourage you to accept Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Saviour, so that your name will be written in the book of life
in Heaven and for you to fully understand, as well as, enjoy the love of God.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please come into my life. I
surrender myself unto you, because I realise that I cannot save myself.Please save me today and let me
continue in you. In Jesus name I prayed, amen.
Congratulations: please, join a Christian fellowship
where the truth of the scripture is taught in order for you to sustain your
growth.
