These End Times!

These End Times!

‭‭Daniel 12:3 NIV‬‬

[3] Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

The signs around us point to the end of the ages. As you read the words of the Bible, from the old testament to the new, the prophecies about the end of the times are being fulfilled all around us. A few of the prophecies are wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes, fires, famine and pestilence. Where have we not seen these things happening in our time? God does not make empty promises, and He is able and capable, all by Himself, to bring His Word to pass. He is not God because I say He is or because I agree He is; He is God, no matter what popular opinion may be. One of His amazing promises is that He will not leave or abandon us in these end times, but He will provide the support and encouragement we need for such times as these. One action I can take to guarantee God's help for me is to ensure that my name is written in His book. 

There is a book in which names of those who belong to God are written, and no man can influence the contents by possession, power or position. Only those whose names are in the book are assured of the life that God has promised. You do not want to endure the pain and discomfort of these end times, and have no hope of eternal life with God at the end. What would be the point of a life that ended up in everlasting contempt? Many have died and many will still die, because that is the end of all men. God either returns for you when the mortal gives way to immortality, either by death or rapture. How am I preparing for that day that is coming? God does not leave us ignorant of the right preparation for that day. One major assignment He has committed into our hands is to lead others to righteousness. In fact, the verse under consideration today says that this is a proof of wisdom. How do you define wisdom outside of the One who gives it?

God's view is that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". It is by the fear of God that a man avoids sin and can pass the same message to other people. By my own personal example, I can be the source of encouragement to another person. That is wisdom: leading others to the truth I have already known, so they can also come to the same knowledge and experience of the Truth. The power to save is in Jesus; I just need to make the introduction. My feet, lips, hands and heart must all be available for God to use as instruments for this assignment. It is amazing joy that there is a life somewhere that will make heaven because of my words or actions. Am I preparing the right way for the demands of this assignment? Am I one of the wise, certain of the call of God, sure of the terms of engagement, and available for the assignment? Time is short; eternity is real and heaven beckons. Am I ready? God's time of favour is here.

Sin's Price!

Sin's Price!

‭‭Leviticus 26:18-20 NIV‬‬

[18] “ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. [19] I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. [20] Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.

God does not punish without first warning several times over. As I read the verses above, I note the words: "if after all this". Imagine how many times God would have warned before he applies the punishment He has already laid out as the consequence for sin. He does not lie, and He does not belittle sin in any way. It is critical that I also understand the perspective of God when it comes to sin. The same way He hates it must be the same way I also hate sin, if I am to remain a friend of God. The Word of God is there for me as a daily guide to life. I have been given guidance that is appropriate for all facets of life, and I will not have an excuse for engaging in iniquity when the consequences for sin comes. Some of these consequences could involve the heavens being closed, and the ground unable to yield its increase the way it should. Am I able to audit my life right now to see where I stand with God? 

The unfortunate thing is that there are earthly and eternal ramifications to sin. God could punish the sinner on earth, but the sinner could have the opportunity to repent and be restored. It is also possible that the punishment for sin could be death, and that would mean that there is no opportunity to repent and be restored. This is why you do not toy with sin. This is also why a daily check is the best guide against being ensnared in sin. When I daily check with the One who can help me avoid sin, I am able to live in line with the will of God. I please God in every way, and He is able to bless all my labour and work. The ground under me will yield as it should, and the heaven above me is also open. I can work and expect a blessing, because my life is right with God. You cannot afford to let God fight you. It is a battle you cannot win, and it will end up in eternal damnation. I ask God for grace for the race that is set before me. Only by His help will I make it. God's time of favour is here. 

Trust!

Trust!

‭‭Psalms 56:3 TPT‬‬

[3] But in the day that I’m afraid, I lay all my fears before you and trust in you with all my heart.

Life will happen to the best of us and to all of us at different times in our lives. It is either we are just getting out of one situation, or we are being prepared to get into another one. In different places in the bible and at different dispensations, God promises many things, but two things are relevant to our reflection today, and these are pressures and His presence. How can I learn to trust and depend on God if there are no situations that will make me appreciate His presence? How can I learn total dependence if I have never had to seek His help in times of difficulty? This then means that tough times are God's ways of leading me into total and absolute dependence on Him. There will be times when fear will threaten, and it looks like the world will collapse around me. The lesson is to make sure that whi lives in you is greater than the sum of all the experiences that may be going on around you. It is inner stability that drives outward focus and impact. 

On the day fear comes, and it will come, I can draw on that which has been stored up inside me. I have a God who rules and reigns in the affairs of men and He is the Almighty. There is nothing impossible with Him. I can lay all my fears before Him; in fact, He asks me to lay them all down with Him and leave then with Him. I can do nothing about these fears by myself; by worrying and fretting, I will only succeed in sucking joy out of the day. As I have been given the assurance that God is capable and able to take care of me, I simply leave all in His care. I also note that 'all my heart ' is used in the verse above, so that there is no doubt as to the full commitment required. Trust in God has to be absolute; how can God help me if I have Him as one of my many options? Why would I not try other options when it appears God is a bit slow to act? With God, it is all or nothing. Don't give God less than your all, so you can also enjoy His all. God's time of favour is here.

Take Heed!

Take Heed!

‭Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

The setting of the verse above is interesting. We find a crowd gathered to listen to the words of Jesus, and as usual, in a crowd, there are people with different interests and priorities. It is easy to view a crowd as a sign of success in ministry, but it is important to note that public affirmation and approval do not always equate to God's acceptance. The crowd will always seek after new knowledge or new opinions, and it cannot be trusted to remain committed to anything that is of God's truth. We learn an example from Jesus who always had the right reaction to the crowd. He viewed it as an opportunity to sow the seeds of the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. For us today, we also must learn the limits of the crowd. We are sent to be the mouth, eyes, ears, and feet of Jesus to a dying world. He has committed the work of the kingdom into our hands. Do I really know what the work entails and I am willing and available to do the work? Remember, this present world is dying; only those in Christ have the assurance of eternal life. 

In that crowd was a young man whose father had probably just died and left substance as an inheritance. This young man had a brother and unfortunately, there was a quarrel about how to share the inheritance. I am not sure how the brother thought that the ministry and the message of Jesus at the time suited his request, but again, it is emphasized that there will always be people in the crowd with wrong and selfish motives. Jesus was speaking about His heavenly kingdom; this young man was only interested in an earthly kingdom. As it was in the days of Jesus, so is it in our own days too today. While God is looking for daily labourers who will be engaged in winning souls for the kingdom, we still find men who are busy pursuing relevance and importance by possessions and property. I have to audit my current pursuits and priorities and be sure that I am not such a person. 

Unfortunately, the deceit of riches and possessions is such that you do not always realise the folly of the pursuit until it is too late. Men have died pursuing that which they could not take with them even into the burial ground. We make enemies of men like us, by pursuing that which is temporary. We lose sleep over things we cannot control, and sometimes we lose sound health over the inordinate ambition to be something the world has still not been able to successfully describe and define. We subscribe to an image of success that is constantly shifting, and we mortgage our eternity with God for a mess of pottage that can only satisfy for a very short time. There is an eternity to prepare for and a heaven to inherit. I cannot afford to be distracted by the mundane. Life, from the perspective of God, is best lived when pleasing God is at the centre of my life. Whatever else He gives me is secondary to having Him as Lord and Saviour. That is true life. Do you have Him? God's time of favour is here.

The Best!

The Best!

‭‭Romans 8:31-32 AMP‬‬

[31] What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us? [32] He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

As I consider the words of the verses above, I acknowledge the love of God which is made manifest in several ways. The verses before the ones under consideration today speak to the depth, height, scope and reach of the love of God. This is a love that was expressed in full measure even before I was born. It is a love that was fully and unconditionally expressed, even with no guarantee that I will accept or respond to it the right way. It is a love that is personally revealed to all men, irrespective of background, race, culture or traditions. It did not wait for me to earn or deserve the love; it is available to me for free, at anytime before the end of this present earthly phase. If I had to buy it with money, maybe I would not be able to afford it. If it were one of the world's commodities, the forces of demand and supply may have made it impossible for me to access it. Thank God for grace that drew up this amazing plan, and the incomparable love that brought Him down to the earth to pay the price required for my salvation and redemption. 

In this message, however, is a silent but obvious warning: if God could pay such a high price for sin, what do you think are the eternal consequences of rejecting this gift to the end of this earthly phase? If God could turn his face away from His Son Jesus as He hung on the cross, paying the price for the sin of all men once and for all, irrespective of generation or dispensation, just think of the impact and effect of rejecting this gift. What other price can be accepted for sin, apart from the one already paid? What other plea or offering can be accepted by God if this one is rejected? This is the silent warning in the verses above. If God did not spare his Son, and gave Him up for us all, what else is there that He cannot give us in and through Christ? What else is the need that will be too big for God to meet, when He has already met the greatest need of all mankind? God has done his bit, and He waits for me to respond? I must always remember that my decision today has eternal consequences. There is life or death at the end of my decision. Choose wisely; God's time of favour is here.

Great Love!

Great Love!

‭‭1 John 3:1 NIV‬‬

[1] See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

John the Beloved had a personal encounter with God's version of love. He was one of the inner caucus of disciples that Jesus kept, and it was to him that Jesus handed over his mother to, as he hung on the cross. The cross is the symbol of love; it caused great pain to God and His Son, because His Son died like a common criminal, hung between two thieves who actually owned up to the fact that they were paying a just price for their actions. For the first and last time on record, Jesus knew that His Father could not look at him as he hung on the cross, bearing the penalty and the pain for the sin of the whole world. He died the death we should have died, and He rose again to seal the life we now have in Him. It is not possible to access this life any other way than by being inside the One who sealed it by his death and resurrection. No one else can pay such a price, and no one else can secure such a prize. 

This great love is the reason why I am standing where I am today. If not for Him, where would I be? If it were not for His grace and mercy, I would have been forgotten. I am called a child of God, simply because I have put my life in the hands of the One who loved me enough to die for me. I am called a child of God by my connection to God. Men must see the mark of sonship in me; the proof of my connection to God must be obvious in the company I keep, the conversations I have and the conduct I lay out. The standards I live by now are different from the world's, and that is why the world will never understand me. The world's principles and practices are not mine; I am a child of God, who seeks the glory of the One who loves me. Only in and through Jesus can anyone really know and appreciate the value of this love. It is freely given, but there are earthly and eternal consequences tied to whatever decison I make. I ask God for grace to make the right decision and to stick by it to the end. God's time of favour is here.

Chosen!

Chosen!

‭‭1 Peter 2:9 KJV‬‬

[9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Where there is a BUT, you have to consider the position that had been presented. You find a choice between two extremes: believe or perish. There is no middle ground, where you can stay non-committed to anything, open to whatever suggestions that may come. A decision has to be made one way or another, and you have to live with the earthly and eternal consequences of that decision. For all who choose to believe, today's verse lays out the benefits and blessings that accrue to you. It does not matter what has gone on before now; that decision to believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Saviour is the the key to access all these benefits. Why are these benefits so critical to my identity? It is God's mark of distinction and discipline for all who are under his authority. When you see a king, there ars physical features that will lend credence to that identity. Do I even know who I am, or who I have called to follow and serve?

The same principle applies to the spiritual. When you see the child of the King of kings, there must be distinguishing features that will make it clear who that child is, and whose he or she is. A review of few of these features will help us here. By the nature of the kingship and priesthood in Israel, one person could be appointed to serve in both offices at the same time. David would occasionally wear the ephod but he was not ordained as God's priest at any time. In our current dispensation, God appoints all who believe as His kings and priests, presenting him before the world in both physical and spiritual assignments. Of course, one distinct feature of God is Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. And of course, the decision to follow and submit to Jesus is not really an attractive or convenient one; there is a price to pay for going against popular opinion or the way of the world. 

All of the above lead to the conclusion in the verse above. Why would God do all He has done and give as much as He has, if there will not be a corresponding expectation from me? Why would God choose to show His affection on me, if there is nothing to be gained from it? That is why the verse above ends with this mission statement: "shew forth the praises of him". That is how my life must be defined, in light of the decision I made to give my life to Him. Men must see me and see the mark of the Most High God on me. Men must have an encounter with God through my conduct, company and conversation. He called me out of darkness and certain death, into the light and life which have no end. He has done His bit; what would I do for Him in return? He gave His all for me; what am I willing to give up for Him? Would my current path and life pattern lead to God's glory? God's time of favour is here .