Choices and Consequences 2!

Choices and Consequences 2!

Acts 10:43 AMP

[43] All the prophets testify about Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him [whoever trusts in and relies on Him, accepting Him as Savior and Messiah] receives forgiveness of sins.”

The foundation to the verse above is tied to a man called Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment. The bible referred to him as a devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always. Consider this: he was not the usual Jew, but he had heard about God. He sought God the way he knew how to, making sure his life's choices, actions and decisions reflected his faith in God. He was charitable to those who he had authority over, which means that he did not let power or position get into his head. That is the recipe for the experiences this man would later have.

This man's story also makes it clear that just having the right reputation is not enough, and just being known for doing good things, as nice as it sounds, but that fact alone does not make it perfect before God. There has to be something extra. God appeared to this man, asking him to send for Peter. Details were not given, but Peter initially struggled with the assignment, but he acknowledged that God was about to do something quite extraordinary in the lives of people. Can I set aside my prejudices and assumptions, so that God can move in and through me to touch lives? There are lives in need of God's touch of mercy and forgiveness, and He needs me to be His arms, mouth, feet and heart. 

Peter came, and he knew why God sent him to the house of Cornelius. Jesus died for all, and the message of eternal life is for all. No one is exempt from the coverage of this gift, and no matter how dirty the past is, or how terrible the present looks, God is able to take all that weight off me, and give me a brand new start. In His hands, no life is a waste. In His hands, no sin is too great to forgive. The blood of Jesus has capacity and capability to wash clean and make whole. If it could not, it means the blood is not effective. Through all the generations of men, the blood has been applied to the sin of man, and there is yet to be any situation so dire that the blood of Jesus could not cure. 

This is the message in the verse above. Even before Jesus was physically manifested, the prophets of old had testified about Him. We are privileged to live in the time of the power of the Holy Spirit. His acts are all around us, and He testifies to the saving knowledge of Jesus. In the name of Jesus lies the solution to the problem of sin. All I have to do is to believe in Him. He is not asking for sacrifices that will bankrupt me. There is nothing in me that I could offer to pay Him back for what He has done, and all He is asking me to do is to trust in and rely on Him. When I do that, I receive salvation from sin and eternal life is sealed. What could be bigger or better than this? Are you saved? Am I truly saved? God's time of favour is here. 

Choices and Consequences!

Choices and Consequences!

John 1:12 AMP

[12] But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—

There was a problem that needed a personal and permanent solution. The problem had to do with the human nature. God had made man in His own image, but man gave up the truth and reality of the image of God for some lies from the devil about some falsehoods about the image of God that was not real. The devil convinced man to give up what God had already given man, for something man could never get. Man was promised that if he ate the fruit, he would be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil. Man ate, and now, we know the difference. We are not able to choose the good by ourselves without help, because we had traded God's help for the deceit of the devil. 

The verse above starts with a BUT, and it is critical to examine what came before the BUT, so we can determine the best steps forward. Man had fallen, and needed help. The drama in the Eden had eternal ramifications. There was a need for the full price for sin to be paid by those who committed the sin. However, the one who fell into sin deserved punishment, and could not now offer a fitting sacrifice for his own sin, except to die for the wrong done. That would have been justice, in line with the standards of God. God knew that man could not help himself, so He sent His own Son to stand in my place and pay the full price for sin that I could not pay. 

Christ came, and because He did not come to the sounds of bells and whistles, man missed it. As He did not come with a loud trumpet, man did not recognise the grace that was now made manifest. Jesus came in the form of the man He needed to save, but the world did not recognise or receive Him. The issue of familiarity became the burden; He is like us, so He cannot be anything special. This is how many people in His time missed the day of their visitation. Heaven backed Him up, but earth treated Him like ordinary man. He made man, but man now seeks to replace Him with alternative images and altars. 

As it was then, so is it now. Men are still in search of alternatives to Jesus; unfortunately, there is no other name or person who can secure that which Jesus offers. As the verse above makes clear, there is no favouritism with God. He offers all men the chance to come in and take hold of the benefits and blessings of a relationship with Him. To as many as will believe in and receive Him, He has given the right and the privilege to  become children of God. We are now in line to inherit all that Jesus has. That is both amazing and sobering. It is not something to be missed or trifled with. How do you respond? God's time of favour is here. 

As Promised!

As Promised!

Genesis 21:1 KJV

[1] And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

What do you do when it appears that God has forgotten you? What do you do when you were sure that God made a promise to you, but with the passage of time, it appears that the promise no longer applies to you? This must have been the experience of the Sarah, the wife of Abraham. At the time God spoke to Abraham, asking him to leave his father's house and go to an unknown place at the time, it must have taken a strong and certain faith for him to take his family and move from the known to the unknown. We know now that Abraham obeyed because we now read about it, but it could have been easy at a time when walking with God was not popular. 

Abraham had a promise from God that he would be the father of many nations. We know that being a father means having your own child. It means that the many nations would start from your own offspring, but here was the man and wife, both getting past the ages of childbearing. Both had passed 90 and 80 years respectively, and there was no sign that the promise was even still being considered by God. Well, man's expectations or doubts have never limited God's capability and ability to fulfil His promises. He does not need my permission or authorisation to be God. Time does not limit Him the way it does for mortal man. 

In His own time, He makes all things beautiful. In His own time, He works out His perfect will. In His own time, He fulfills His promises. When He says a thing, He stakes His name and reputation on the integrity of His Word. He can be trusted, but He must be trusted to come through in His own time, not in line with our own expectations. Time as we measure it has no impact on Him. A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day to Him. He stopped the sun from going down for a whole day, simply because a child of His asked. He added 15 more years to a man's life because the man asked. His mercy applies across several generations. He is the Omnipotent God. 

When it was His time, He visited Sarah again. He had sent His Word about 25 yesrs before it was fulfilled, and even the people involved had tried to help God speed up the process. For God, His Word cannot return to Him void. The power of His Word cannot be resisted by anything or anyone. When it was His time, He carried out His promise, and the one who had been mocked as barren became the mother to Isaac. The promise came to pass, even if it did not happen the way Abraham and Sarah wanted it to be. Take comfort from the legacy of truth that God has laid down: He always keeps His promises. Trust Him; your future is secure in the hands of an eternal God. God's time of favour is here. 

The Assignment!

The Assignment!

Mark 16:15-16 AMP

[15] And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. [16] He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned.

The plan of salvation was made manifest at the same time the first sin happened. The cross brought shame to Jesus, but it sealed our redemption. By the resurrection of Jesus, He has also sealed our eternal life. All these events happened in front of the disciples at that time, and it is not a wonder that all of them who witnessed the resurrection became witnesses to His Person, Power and Presence. We who are alive today may not have physically witnessed His resurrection, but there is a strong witness in our hearts that we belong to Jesus, He is ours, and we are bound for eternal life with Him. What a future to look forward to.

However, as the verse above makes clear, there is an assignment all who claim to follow Jesus have been given. The One who died needs witnesses to the power of the cross, the limits of the grave, and the hope that His life is and gives. It takes personal experience to be able to speak boldly about what you have and hold. How can I be a witness to a thing I did not touch, taste, feel, see or hear? It is not a surprise that the verse above is directed at disciples, not the crowd. The crowd flows by numbers and popularity, not by conviction or personal experience. Those who follow have a clear leader: Jesus Christ, and His instruction is to GO. 

To go means to take steps in the direction of the work to be done. It cannot be by sitting in the dark, or folding your arms, expecting some one else to do it. The platform for the work is the whole world. As I cannot be present everywhere, it means I just have to take care of the corner where I am. I show off the Person and Presence of the God I serve, and let Him shine in and through me. I do not get to determine who hears the good news of Jesus; He died for all, so the message of love is for all. It is not a call to promote myself, but to point men in the direction of the One who saves to the uttermost. That is the good news: the cross has sealed life for me.

The verse above also makes clear what lies at the end of whatever decision I make. If I choose to believe in God, I stand to enjoy His salvation. I am saved from the penalty of God's wrath, the natural consequence of sin. I am also kept from the judgment thst is sure to come on the world. Again, I note that I am not asked to bring anything else, except my heart. He does not need my money; but He can use everything I have and hold to bring His purpose to pass. The person who does not accept this free gift is condemned: that is a statement of fact. There are two choices: life and death. The end of both has been made clear. What would I choose? Where would I end up? God's time of favour is here.

The Harvest!

The Harvest!

Matthew 9:37-38 AMP

[37] Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. [38] So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

Just in the chapter alone from where the verse above is taken, Jesus had healed a paralytic man, had called Matthew the tax collector to follow Him as a disciple, raised Jairus's daughter from the dead, healed the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years, restored sight to two blind men, and delivered a demon-possessed man. These were just the recorded accounts in one single chapter of the bible. You would think that all who saw these miracles would be glad for God's intervention in human affairs, but not the Jewish leaders of Jesus' time. They would rather hold on to their traditions, rather than allow God move among the people. 

There is this amazing testament to the effect and impact Jesus had among the people. It was recorded that Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages in Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, with His words and works both reflecting His Messiahship. What He did and taught were evidence of His ministry and assignment on earth. He was clear about His target, and He would not let anything at all dissuade or discourage Him. Just like Jesus, do I know why I have been planted in the place I am, and do I know what I have been gifted by God to do?

The one thing that Jesus will not compel is submission to Him. His heart is open with love and compassion, as we see in the verses just before the one above. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. These people had been led by men who were concerned first and foremost about control, not destiny. Pharisees and scribes were more interested in keeping their hold on men than in helping them find purpose. How can the blind lead the blind? This is why the prayer of Jesus here is instructive: there is a lot to be done. 

Divinity has to meet and help humanity. The work is so huge that just human effort and labour alone will not make a single dent. The harvest is indeed plentiful. The world is in such dire chaos, and only the Prince of Peace has the answers it needs. Those who also understand what is at stake are also few. However, there is a Lord of the harvest who understands all the dimensions to this great assignment. It is not one you can apply sticks and swords for, and it is also not one you can use PowerPoint presentations alone to fuly explain how the kingdom of God works. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict men, and to empower them for the work needed. It is His work; His earth; His mission field. Would we all join Him at His work? God's time of favour is here.

The Right Person!

The Right Person!

Proverbs 31:30 AMP

[30] Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised.

We usually quote the verse above in the context of a woman who fears God, and that would be correct, but I am sure we know that the principles laid out in the verse above apply to all persons, male or female. We are all taught how to present ourselves; we learn grooming, etiquette and accpetable behaviour as we grow. We are placed in the midst of families, and the society at large, so we can learn acceptable norms, and pattern our lives and character after these norms. We learn what is acceptable in society as we grow, and re-learning, unlearning and resetting so many ideas that make us fit into whatever society we have been planted in. That is the physical side to our existence. 

There are reasons why we are not taken away from the earth as soon as we are born again. We are left here on earth in order to impact and affect the earth the right way. As part of our earthly phase, we take care of our bodies, as we should, knowing that our bodies are the temple of God, in which He seeks to dwell. You do not treat carelessly that which has been given to you in trust. You do not handle with levity the valuable treasure that has been entrusted into your hand. We have a duty to nurture that which is given to us, and that is where charm and grace are important. Esther the queen knew the importance of this; there was a place for proper outward preparation,  before she could stand before the king.

The warning, however, is to know the place and limits of charm. It helps to open doors and give access tto great men, but it appears that it is not enough to rely on the outward alone. As we know, there are doors external preparation will open for you, but only the inner preparation will sustain you when those doors close behind you. The external is great, as it gives a beautiful first impression, but after a great first impression, what else have I got? The verse above makes a reference to superficial beauty; as great as it is to present myself the right way, I must know that the outer is temporary, and only that which is tied to the fear of God lasts forever. 

The verse refers to a woman who fears the Lord, reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect. This is relevant to anyone and everyone who makes an approach to God in the same way. What does the fear of God lead me to? It keeps me grounded and humble; I seek to please and honour Him in my daily choices and decisions. I make it a duty to relate with God regularly, not when the occasion calls for it. I do not seek to turn God into a dispensing machine, only coming to Him when I need a thing or two. If I seek God the right way, He will also back me up. What treasure awaits the one who fears the Lord. Do you? Do I? God's time of favour is here. 

Ambassadors!

Ambassadors!

John 20:21 AMP

[21] Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you [as My representatives].”

We can read about the account of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and appreciate the sacrifice that brought us all we have now, but picture the disciples at that time. They had met and closely followed a Master who did mighty miracles before them. The dead were raised back to life, the lame walked, the blind had their sight restored, and many souls were converted. They believed their Master was beyond reproach or shame, so it must have been very hard for them to accept that He could be arrested and treated like a common criminal. Peter said so, and Jesus rebuked him for trying to stop the plan of God for the whole of mankind. 

Jesus was indeed arrested and put to death, but thank God that this is not where the story ended. Jesus was raised to life, defeating the power of sin, death and the devil, and securing eternal life for all who would come to put their total faith in Him. The disciples could not fully understood the impact of what Jesus did, and fear had made them go into a locked room. They were hiding from the Jews, but that did not stop Jesus from appearing before them, and pronouncing those immortal wrods: "Peace be unto you". Nothing can limit the One who gave His all to secure an eternal inheritance for me. No scheme of man, or the machinations and powers of hell can limit the power and effect of what Jesus has done. 

The verse above refers to the legacy that Jesus left for His disciples, and it has to be our hearts' comfort. His Peace is not subject to my convenience or acceptance; it is always available, whether I embrace it or not. It is not subject to the world's manipulation, because it is not first and foremost of physical quality. There is no experience on earth that can fully explain the effect of the Peace that only Jesus gives. It is an inner Presence; it is the Person of Jesus, who introduces Himself as the Prince of Peace. He has the capacity and capability to give of that which He is. As we know, a man can only give you out of that which He has. 

For the disciples then, Jesus gave His Word of assurance of His Peace and Presence. It is still the same message for the disciple today. He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. Dispensations may change, but God's demand for lives that will show off His power has not diminished. He is always ready to supply all that we need for life and Godliness, and we must embrace His grace. As the verse above also makes clear, being His disciple means being His representative. Wherever I stand, I proclaim publicly the identity of the One who lives inside me. He seeks men He can send to impact the world for Him. Can He count on me? Can He count on you? God's time of favour is here.