Impossible?

Impossible?

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44 KJV

Let it be said here that there is nothing God commands that He does not supply grace and strength for. We can debate the possibility of any of his commands or we can simply ask Him to supply the grace and strength needed to obey. That is my own personal contribution to the fulfillment of God's purpose for my life. Let's see where today's extract leads.

Whatever went before today's extract is the usual and the expected: love those who love you and hate those who hate you. That has been the way of the world since sin came in. BUT there is a new order: love is a reaction based on WHO lives in you, not WHAT people do to you or WHY they do what they do. If I wait until the recipients of my love 'deserve' it, I forget that I am also a recipient of love at a time I didn't even care so much who Jesus was. His love was given freely, and it is still available, through all the times of rebellion and disobedience.

Even when people have nothing good to say to or about me, the outflow of my life should speak of my life's investments. When people meet me with hate, I must meet them with good. When people seek to exploit me, I should meet them with prayer. I note that I cannot afford to hate, curse, despitefully use other people or persecute them. If I will take advantage of the blessings God has pronounced on all who obey His commands, then I must place myself in line with his commands.

And these are all 'active' verbs: love, do good, pray. God didn't call us to a life of passivity; where you go through life like a zombie. He created us for relationships, as we allow his life flow through us, people will see God in us and our lives will give glory to Him. What could be better than that? His time of favour is here.

Kept 2

Kept 2

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2 KJV

The backdrop to today's extract wasn't so palatable. God had punished his own people for their sin, but now He was promising them new beginnings. Let it be said again that when it comes to sin, God has no favourites; He will punish sin, no matter in whom it is found. That has been the standard since the Garden of Eden, and will be the same till the second Adam returns.

God promises that He will redeem His people. No man can save Himself; we all stand here simply by God's grace and mercy and these are the daily realities we must have if we are to survive the coming flood. Today's extract makes it clear that being in God does not insure you from tough times; you are only promised protection and safety IN them, not FROM them. The word used is WHEN, not IF. The waters are coming and they will rise against you. The rivers will flow and threaten to overflow: the fires will burn and rage. Those are guaranteed realities of life; the promise, however, is that none of these things can shake or dispel the equilibrium of God's presence inside of you, IF you have Him.

They will rise, flow and burn, but you will not be swept away. It is very likely that things that gave you comfort will be swept away, but this is so that you can focus on God alone as your strength. The things of this world are fleeting; nothing permanent, so it is dangerous to tie your safety to anything the world offers. Find God and rest in and on Him. The reason why you can look forward to the coming storms is in the first part of today's extract: "I will be with thee". When God is with you, the size, quality, quantity and frequency of the storms don't matter; you are kept by the One who can, with a single word, silence all the storms. Find Him, and rest in Him. His time of favour is here.

Kept!

Kept!

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21 KJV

There is a progression. Just before Jesus went the way of the cross, He took time to show and teach His disciples what it meant to follow Christ. Today's extract speaks to a part of that charge and it has to be fully understood that what counts before God isn't head knowledge but life application. It is one thing to have God's Word; in fact, the Bible is one of the most printed book in the world today, and in several languages, so it is quite easy to know what it says. It goes beyond what you read into what you keep. Your treasures reflect your pursuits and priorities.

If all I know are the passages that speak to earthly prosperity, how do I stand when the trials of life come? If all I focus on are battles, how do I know God's mind on his provision for the life of Godliness He has called me to? It is important to have the full knowledge of who God is and what He has freely given, so I can be all He has called me to be. And the keeping is the sign of love for God. Men see the outflow of God in your life, but they see nothing about the time, resources and energy that have gone into studying to know God through His Word. When men look at me, what flows out of me? Can the output of my life draw men to God?

And the reward for a life of knowledge and obedience is a life full of the manifestations of the presence of God. When Jesus says God will love those who keep his commands, He says that the one sure way to get favour is to follow God closely. You can't do it from afar; you have got to daily seek out truth and pursue it. God must be your most important search and treasure. Love isn't about what you say: it is about who you know and follow, and which will reflect in what you do. For me, what is my present state? What's it going to be for you? His time of favour is here.

Whatever!

Whatever!

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23‭-‬24 KJV

Whatever you do- It is not first about the quality of the work, its value or how much you are paid for it, but it is first about your understanding of your employment conditions. Do you know who you are called to work for? Unless and until you fully understand this, you may struggle to fully comprehend the why and how behind the what that you do.

Do it heartily, as to the Lord- technically, you work for God as His child first of all. You answer to Him first of all, and His will and word must be your priorities and pursuits. Even when the assignment is laborious and boring, I keep in focus the WHO I am working for. When He is your focus, your immediate environment isn't a limiting factor, because God is able to change your story in an instant. When I know the WHO, the WHAT and the WHY become less important.

You shall receive the reward of inheritance- not may but should. The One you serve will determine what you get. God says He will reward. This is a God with inexhaustible resources; no demand on earth can exhaust them. So, if He promises an inheritance, it is certain He has something to give. It has to be something good down here, before it gets real in heaven. An inheritance is something passed on from father to son and to future generations, so if it is something that God promises, it means that whilst I am down here, there are benefits and blessings for me, and not just for me, but for as many as would trust God through my diligent service.

Ye serve the Lord Christ- this is the key to the whole verse- the revelation of the identity of the master and the reason why we must keep the right attitude. We serve at the pleasure of the master and Lord. He detemines the scope of assignment, its tenure and the people it must impact. I need to show up everyday for work, like someone who knows that the key to getting paid is diligent and faithful service. If I am waiting on God to sort me out; if I am looking forward to the blessings promised, then I must do what waiters do: serve with all my heart. God is faithful; He will come through. His time of favour is here.

Impact!

Impact!

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24‭-‬26 KJV

Indeed, it matters under whose ministration and ordination you sit under. Let's put today's extract in the right context: Moses was commanded to give to Aaron and his sons the template for blessing the people of God. God didn't give Moses this special assignment; God preserved it for the Levites he had chosen as priests. They had the spiritual mandate and authority to bless and God Himself would back up the blessings that had been pronounced. God could have honoured Moses' words, but at this time, it was Aaron and his sons that had the prerogative. Who's laying hands on you to bless you?

And one of the things that frighten me about God is this: Aaron wasn't the most principled of men. He wanted to please the people so much so that he led them into idolatry. Yet, God didn't change the line of authority because of that incident. 2 of Aaron's sons were killed by God for offering unholy fire before God, yet God didn't change the line of authority because of this. If God in his mercy deals with mortal man like this, we have to be careful to align ourselves with what is His perfect will and purpose for our lives. If He has not sent any man to lay hands on us for God's blessings, we had better NOT submit ourselves to such.

And if God ordains it, He will sustain and order it aright. A man who has not experienced God's blessing cannot give it; a person who has not been commissioned by God is limited in his/her impact. I owe it to my generation to make sure I am where God's generational blessing can reach and touch me. And today's extract has generational impact; if you have peace, your children will also enjoy it. If God shines on you, where is the power of darkness? If grace is your daily reality, does it matter who or what comes against you? Be sure you are backed up by the only power that counts. And for all who know and follow God, you are his priest, able and qualified to make the pronouncement of blessing. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and declare; for his time of favour is here.

Plan; Realise!

Plan; Realise

There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21 KJV

There seems to be 2 distinct parts to today's extract. First, there is a realistic expectation that man must plan. The world also says: 'to fail to plan is to plan to fail'. Even in spiritual matters, God also advises man to commit his plans to Him, so He can make his man's plans straight. Man has been given the nature of God by the breath of God in him, so He also has the ability to think up great plans. Sin has not been able to take away that ability, but what it has done is to introduce other dimensions into the planning process.

Man is now able to make grand plans that have no single input from God, or plans that simply go against God's express command. We sit and plot evil, without a thought to the consequences of our actions or God's opinion on the matter. And the heart is the seat of these devices, where no other man sees. All that man sees are the fruits of the seed planted in the heart. If God were to reveal the contents of my heart to every other person around me, would I hold on to those thoughts?

The second and more important part is that God's counsel and plan will ALWAYS prevail. Man will plan, but there is the invisible thread of divine power that rules and reigns in the affairs of men. No matter the source of your own plans, make it your most important consideration to know God's mind on the matter. Then your plans have divine approval and align with the divine plan. God is omnipotent and omniscient and if He has not ordained something, there is no power on earth that can birth or sustain it.

What joy this is: knowing that nothing can touch me without God's approval, and nothing about me catches Him by surprise. I can face the world with joy and hope, sure and certain that as long as I hold on to Him, everything about my life will work out to His glory. His time of favour is here.

Copy- Worthy!

Copy-Worthy!

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Philippians 4:9 KJV

A fundamental part of human relationships is mentorship. This applies both on the physical and spiritual planes of life. We all aspire to be like the great people we read or hear about, and God himself underlines discipleship as a fundamental part of our walk with Him. So, how does this apply to us today? Paul lays down the standards in today's extract.

First, he mentiones learning, which is a process of study. It is time-consuming and takes effort. You do not pick up value from the streets or the dumpsite; it is something you search for diligently. So, looking at any life, don't be carried away by the flashy and momentary attractions; take time to study the foundations. Time is a great revealer of secrets.

He also mentions receive: which is through some of the senses, like sight, hearing or through the silent instincts of the heart. Are you led by what you can eat now, or can you discipline your senses to recieve guidance from God on who to follow or what to do? There are so many options out there but there is just one way that leads to eternal life. There is the hearing, which is the selective sieve that only goes after the truth and nothing else.

And there is the seeing part; where I carefully observe your ways and words and see if you truly walk the talk. And did you notice that the word AND connects all these  requirements together. You cannot rely on only one and ignore the others. Your own study, discoveries and silent heart witness are the most important parts of your walk with God. People will always suggest things or offer you options; if you do not know the truth, you will most likely follow after the most attractive option.

How do you identify the right behaviour if you do not study the Word? How would you know the right examples worthy of emulation if you have not learnt to discern truth from falsehood? God's peace is available only to those who submit to it. It is the follow up blessing to those who allow the Word of God to dwell in them. Where do you stand? His time of favour is here.