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Friends, greetings in Jesus Name! Today I will be sharing with you on what I title, “Nobody Starts At the Finish Line”. There is an adage in my place that says, “Nobody climbs a tree from the top. You begin from the base”. In life there is always a ground zero level of beginning. It’s called the “Beginners Stage”. We have all been there, and some are still there. This is where learning starts for those who want to get to the top. At this beginning stage everyone is equal. There might be people who have gone way ahead of you, but do not worry, just keep moving at your own steady pace, ensuring you do not fall behind in your own growth stage. Your struggle starts when you do not grow at the time you ought to have grown. There is nothing as painful as seeing your contemporaries moving ahead, while you stay behind. It happened to me while in primary school. I shared this on my previous devotion. Really, I got stuck on one level while my mates had all gone ahead. It was my entire fault because I didn’t take my studies seriously at that time. But thank God I was able to catch up when I challenged myself.

Now, the most important principle in life as regards your growth is to not fall behind, or skip certain steps to get ahead. In God’s school there are prerequisites. Just as you cannot do Maths 201 except you pass Maths 101, the same principle applies in God’s University. What is so good about God’s school is that, there are no failures. Why? God does not produce failures. You can only repeat as many times as possible. God loves you so much not to promote you when He knows that you are still immature. He wants you stable, matured, and to be able to handle the responsibility required of any stage you are in. The bible declares in Galatians 4:1-2, “The heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father”. The appointed time here is the time of growth in stature, and full maturity in character, that is expected from each of us.

But unfortunately, a lot of people, especially believers in Christ, do not know or understand this principle. Many want to run ahead of their time without adequate preparation and maturity. Someone visited my facebook page sometime ago, and said he feels intimidated after going through my profile. I just laughed! And I said to myself, how I wish this gentleman knew more about me some few years back, then he would not have made those comments. You know the problem: rather than focus on where you are now, and where God is taking you, a lot of people focus on where others are, what they are doing, and what they have achieved. As a principle, do not allow other people’s success to weigh you down. Rather, appreciate what God is doing in your life, then learn one or more valuable lessons from their success stories, and become motivated – not demotivated – to climb higher in life.

Right now, I adjure you to make the best of where you are right now, with what you have, and you will be amazed how soon God will empower you to climb higher to reach your desired destination. Listen, it does not matter how difficult things might be with you at the moment, don’t give up, just keep moving. According to Martin Luther King, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, keep moving forward.” Remember, “Do not be weary in well doing because in due season you shall reap if you do not faint” (Gal.6:9). When God sees your effort, your level of maturity, and growth, then he raises you up faster to another level. And before you know it, you are there like others – if not better than them. Never forget, life is in stages. Therefore, celebrate the stage you are in right now, while pressing forward to get higher to the next stage. Have a joyful week. Happy Easter! With love, Elvis!