The birth and life of Jesus Christ: 10 important lessons to be learnt

The breezes of Christmas are blowing across every corner of the world, and it wouldn't have been a better season to share some important nuggets we can learn from the Man of the Season. As we feed our spirits with these lessons, the New Year promises to be better:

1. YOU HAVE A PURPOSE TO FULFILL: before Jesus was born, His purpose – the reason for which he was born, was communicated to the prophets and later, to His mother. He was to become the Saviour of the world, the Messiah. Jesus, Himself would later confirm this fact when He said: 'I was born for such a time as this.'

As Jesus Christ, your birth into this world is for a purpose. You have the assignment to accomplish – a duty that is peculiar to you. There is a missing piece in the world that you alone can perfectly fit. God said in Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart...." God has chosen you to reveal His beauty. He has intentionally intertwined your talents, gifts, potential, strengths and even your weaknesses for the manifestation of this marvelous purpose He's planned for you. You are born for a purpose. Have you discovered it yet? Unless you discover your purpose, living becomes useless and unfulfilling.

2. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT: It doesn't matter the circumstances surrounding your birth. It matters not where you've been born or to whom you are born. You might have been born out of wedlock, but God orchestrated it. Yes, your parents might not plan your birth, but God planned it. Yes, you've been born into a poor family, but God made it so. Yes, you have a deformity but in the sight of God, you're complete. Whatever the stories surrounding your birth and upbringing, you're never a mistake; you're not an accident.

Jesus was born in a manger, in a small town. The Saviour of the world shared His early days on Earth with animals! Could you imagine? Per the standards of His time, He was born out of wedlock. People would later make these statements about Him: "Is this not the carpenter's son?; Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" But these seemingly disadvantaged circumstances never stopped Jesus from becoming what He was mandated to become, the Messiah.

As we remember the season of His birth, stop being bitter about your circumstances! Stop looking down on yourself! Stop discounting yourself! Stop doubting your abilities! Stop comparing yourself to others! Stop blaming your parents! See, your purpose is bigger and better than your current circumstances. Jesus Christ is the proof! You have anything and everything you need to prevail in life! "For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope." - Jeremiah 29:11. How soothing!!

3. YOU MUST GO THROUGH A BAKING PERIOD: In today's world, the youth especially wants everything on a silver platter. We prefer to wait for the 'success-elevator' (which is non-existent) instead of using the staircase.
In the early years of Jesus, before His ministry began, Jesus went through a baking period. He was found in the synagogue asking questions and preparing for the 'big game.' He made sure He could prevail in private before he began His public ministry. His mother might have seen Him perform some miracles in private, the reason she was bold enough to tell the servants at the marriage ceremony to: 'do whatever He asks you,' when their wine got finished. Indeed, they heeded to the instructions of Jesus and that became the very first public display of Jesus' potentials–turning water into wine! And as He began his ministry, there were several Biblical accounts about Jesus finding time to pray in private.

How do you manage your life in private? Are you in haste to be exposed to the world? What do you do at night before the morning comes? Talent and skills are not enough. You need to be groomed and mentored. It's very imperative you educate, train and master your arts in private before you make a public display of your potentials. You must kill the lions and the bears when no one is watching, then you can boldly take on Goliath when everyone is watching.
You need a baking period; a period for your skills, talents, and gifts to get refined. Get your stuff right in your closet. Prevail in private first; then, go ahead and take on the world!

4. CHOOSE YOUR DISCIPLES WISELY: you need people to fulfill your purpose. People who will support, encourage, mentor, complement, and believe in you and your dreams. Jesus needed people to help Him accomplish His purpose here on Earth. But he didn't just choose anybody, he chose people who would be relevant in fulfilling his mission, and He chose them wisely.

Even if Jesus needed people in His life, what makes you think you can survive and realize your dreams all by yourself? You need people as much as you need yourself. Who are your associates? Which category of people do you grant access to your life? Do you just choose anybody? Do these people share your values? Are they people who can take you to your destination and not their destinations? Choose your disciples wisely! And even amongst these disciples, don't forget to have your Peter, James, and John.
5. EXPECT YOUR PHARISEES AND SCRIBES: I wish I could say otherwise, but, no matter how genuine and helpful your intentions and actions are, expect oppositions and persecutions.

Jesus never sinned; He only went about doing good. He healed the sick, opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, save people under various demonic oppressions and attacks, raised the dead; all He ever did was good. You would have thought someone as good as Jesus would never face any opposition, but Jesus constantly faced different forms of opposition from the Scribes and the Pharisees.

This shows that doing good or doing the right thing is not immune from oppositions and persecutions. You might not understand why you face so much opposition in your business, career, family, and other areas of your endeavors when all you ever did was good. Jesus is telling you today: 'look at me, if they did it to me; they will do it to you.' Persecutions and oppositions strengthen you and push you forward. It is part of the package, enjoy it.
6. REVITALIZE YOURSELF: as powerful and divine as Jesus was, He always isolated Himself to relax, pray, empower and re-energize Himself.

This is an important lesson we can learn from Jesus. There are times we must look back and access our lives. There are times we need to keep abreast of the current knowledge trend. There are always areas in our personal and professional lives we need to improve upon.

It shouldn't always be about work; spend time with your family and friends. Take a vacation to places you would love to visit. Don't become rusty; go back to school, attend seminars, take short courses. Constantly keep yourself abreast with recent advancements in your industry, and above all, keep yourself connected with God through prayer. Do check and balance on yourself and make efforts to improve yourself every day.

7. FIGHT; YOUR TIME IS LIMITED: your talents, gifts, and potentials are given to you for free; they are what you need to accomplish your mandate in life. But accomplishing your dreams or purpose is not automatic. It requires resilience, diligence, persistence, and faith.

Jesus was a man with great powers, but that never eliminated Him from the daily problems you and I are confronted with. But that never stopped Him; He had to fight to establish the will of God here on Earth. That God gives you a dream doesn't mean you cross your legs. You need to fight to fulfill the purpose of God for your life.

8. YOU DON'T NEED A CENTURY: It's true the people you've completed school with have got good jobs and are living in complete luxury while you're still struggling to feed yourself. Your childhood friends have all been married and living a really good life and you can't even boast of a radio set. There are so many things that might not be falling in place in your life and you keep asking yourself: "until when?"

Don't you worry; you don't need a century or a decade to accomplish your dreams. Jesus only used three years to fulfill his purpose. And long after he's gone, no man has come near what he'd accomplished.

You can be broke now, but for as long as you're rich in spirit; rich in faith; rich in dreams; rich in action; rich in persistence, and rich in consistency, a windfall of success will come your way. If only you will stop complaining. If only you won't stop fighting. If only you'll wait on God. If only you'll have faith in yourself and God and kept working the fields, God will change your story in a minute. He will lift you beyond your comprehension. He will give you an opportunity that will blow your mind. With God, you can accomplish in three years what others will use three decades to accomplish. Only be positive and trust in Him. Keep fighting; keep pushing; keep trusting; keep praying; keep waiting, God doesn’t need a century to change your story.

9. DON'T DESPISE MISFORTUNES AND BETRAYALS: we all hate betrayals and misfortunes. I hate to be told NO. But Jesus is reminding us that betrayals or rejections, no matter how bitter and despising they are, lead us into an ultimate purpose.

Jesus was betrayed by one of His own. His disciples denied Him and the people He came to save chose a thief over Him. But in all these, Jesus kept His cool.
Always remember, when people you trust; people who vowed never to leave you, have betrayed and given up on you; when all you keep hearing is NO regardless of how hardworking you are, God is pushing you into your destiny. God will never allow any misfortune into your life if He doesn't intend it for your promotion. Don't wallop in self-pity; there is a fortune in every misfortune that comes your way. Cheer up and build! Yeah?

10. SEEK THE WILL OF GOD IN ALL THINGS: Most of us impose things on God, mostly, because His ways are too awesome for us to fathom. Jesus, as He sought the face of God before His death, prayed: "Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I WANT YOUR WILL, NOT MINE."
The best way to express your faith in God is by asking His will to be done in all things. You don't need to understand His ways. He only requires that you obey His instructions. Obedience to Him unlocks understanding. You must get to a point where you can tell God: “seriously,

I don't understand what You're doing but, because you know the end from the beginning, I will trust and obey." Seek the will of God in all things; because you will be doomed if God should tell you: "alright then, let's have it your way.”

There’s a Hero in you: unleash it!