Matthew 21:43 KJV
[43] Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Just as Jesus warned His audience in the devotion for yesterday, so does He have both a warning and an encouragement for us in our present world today. There is always a danger of assumption or presumption, where I get to think that I am entitled to some benefits, either due to the circumstances of birth, the potentials that riches or wealth bring, or simply by the circle of influence I walk in. The children of Israel, or the Jews at the time, had such an entitlement mentality, and maybe it was justified. They had the Law as well as the prophets; they were chosen by God to be His treasured possession, out of the many nations of the world, and they were given land and blessings that they had not worked hard to get. Why would they not become proud and entitled?
That is the danger of an unbridled heart, one that does not appreciate what it has until it is taken away. There is nothing a man has today that was not either first owned by someone else, and given to him by God's enablement. There are no accidents with God; even when I lay hold of anything by fraud or deceit, I get it because God allowed it, and the lessons and purpose behind why God did so will become evident in the process of time. The Jews were promised an eternal connection with God by virtue of the faith of their father Abraham, but time and change had happened, and they had become complacent and entitled. It was through the child of promise that the eternal covenant of God was sealed, both biologically and spiritually, but those who had the promise did not live up to God's expectations.
By now, it is clear to all of us that God cannot be caught unawares. He is Omniscient, and He knows the end from the beginning. He had a plan to save us all, and if He had to go over and above the entitled, He would do so. Those who did not stand a chance initially, have now become the focus of God's salvation drive. The kingdom of God is being taken away from those who thought it was their birthright, and being given to those who would show off the fruits of salvation and redemption. We saw the first glimpse of this at the cross where many believed, and was further entrenched when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost. Out with the old; in with the new. We all now have access to the grace of God that brings salvation to all men. I have no excuse; the message of salvation has been brought to us all, and a decision/response is awaited. How do you plead? God's time of favour is here.
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