Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV
The times we are in now are indeed strange. The things our parents could not dare do are done with so much ease now. The things that were taboos in the days of our parents are now so commonplace that they do not shock the senses anymore. We are in those times that God spoke about; the times he referred to as the perilous times. It is easy to just give in to fear and not know what to do, but God does not deal with his own in that way. What is the right response to these times? What is expected of me in line with God's expectation for these times?
Today's extract gives clear information on what God demands of me. First on the list is to be on my guard. A guard is trained to be alert to danger. He has the skills, tools and knowledge about how to identify and neutralise threats. He is not one given to wine, women or other distractions, because he knows that doing his job well can make the difference between life and death. If this is true in the physical, imagine what it is like in the spiritual. If I am on guard, I am fully aware of what is going on around me. I can prepare for both the owner of the goods as well as whoever wants to steal the goods. Do I even know who I am, what I have been asked to secure and guard, and what I need to really get the job done in line with the will of the One who employed me?
The second is to stand firm in the faith. You can't stand if you are not first in it. You can stand when your footing is secure. The faith has been defined for us by the one who calls us into faith, not of the will of any other person like ourselves. We stand firm because we know who calls us, what he called us out of and what he calls us into. Of course, being sure of what you are, and what you hold gives you confidence. You know who laid it in your hands, asking you to run with it. You know where you are headed, and you are sure of the eternal consequences of all that is going on now.
Finally, all that you have seen before: the guard, faith, courage and strength; all of them are held in place by the love of God. This is where it gets delicate. The world can keep up appearances, pretending that what it holds is the genuine article, but no matter how popular it is, if it is not under-girded by love, it is a waste of time. The world celebrates what it can see; God celebrates the heart with which that thing is done. If done in love, that is the ultimate experience that brings glory to God. If not done in love, it does not really matter if the world applauds. I must therefore be sure that with all that I am moved to do, I must do it with the right heart. That is the way to bring glory to God, when my life is a visible expression of the invisible God. Can men testify to the presence of God in me? Am I all that God wants to be? God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment