The Coming Glory!

The Coming Glory!

Habakkuk 2:14 AMP

[14] “But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,As the waters cover the sea.

As I read the verse above, you just have to marvel at the power, authority and conviction that are evident in the verse. The verse above speaks to events that will occur in the future, and this verse was recorded by prophet  Habakkuk roughly 620 years before Christ. Actually, prophet Isaiah, who also lived about 690 years before Christ had recorded the same prophecy word for word. There is power in the Word of God. There is consistency and predictability about the certainty of God's Word, based on His track record. As you read the accounts of God's dealings with men, you get the clear impression that this God knows what He is doing, and His plan and purposes cannot be thwarted or defeated by anyone. 

It may not look like it now, but be sure that one day soon, the earth will know that there is indeed a God. The earth may fight, resist or be indifferent to the idea of the Coming Glory, but God never does anything solely to please the earth. He remains God, no matter what the earth thinks or how it feels. God does not need validation or acceptance by the world in order to be God, and it will do me a whole lot of good not to let the feelings, emotions, or impressions and applause of the world drive my pursuits and priorities. The earth was made by God; it was made for His glory, and to reflect His power. At the time the earth was made, the verdict was that: "It was very good". No matter what you see now, God has not left the earth to its own devices. 

God remains in charge, and when the time is right, according to His Word, new earth and heaven await. This present earth, even with the impact of sin, and its diverse galaxies and systems, is amazing to behold and study; now reflect on the amazing dimensions that will be evident on an earth without sin, in which the righteousness of God reigns supreme. That is the establishment of God's original template for the earth, where His glory reigns supreme, His authority is unquestioned, and His sovereignty is supreme. You do not want to miss this reality. I can choose to know and submit to God willingly now, or I can do so by compulsion, when it will be too late. As always, the choice is mine to make. Eternity rests on the decision I make today. God's time of favour is here. 

Recognition!

Recognition!

Luke 19:38 AMP

[38] shouting,“Blessed (celebrated, praised) is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory (majesty, splendor) in the highest [heaven]!”

The words of the verse above were first prophetically pronounced by the psalmist in Psalm 118. It is a psalm full of praise to God, as well as appreciation for the blessings sent by God and sincerely appreciated by the writer of the psalm. It takes a man with a deep sense of history, a sincere appreciation of the present, and a heart hopeful for the future, to fully appreciate who this God is. It is easy to get carried away by daily grind that we forget to take a moment and appreciate who we are now, where we have been, what we have gone through, and the One who has brought us through all the many experiences we have had. Like the psalmist, as well as the disciples who would later repeat the same words more than 1,000 years later, I have been given the awesome privilege to have an encounter with the amazing God. 

The disciples in the verse above had walked with Him for more than 3 years at the time. They had seen Him perform miracles that were deemed impossible; 3 of them had seen Him transfigured before them, and all of them had experienced the power of His presence as they went out two by two to preach the gospel. Experience is the most powerful weapon against doubt. When I have seen, touched, tasted or felt it personally, I become an eyewitness. The most powerful testimony is that of an eyewitness, and that is what fuelled the commitment of the disciples, even to death. They shouted the words of the verse above, to the annoyance of the Pharisees, but Jesus would have no time for their feelings. There was a message to be passed, and it was. 

The King comes in the name of the Lord. The people at the time acknowledged Him, and many were saved. People in our own time too accept Him as Lord and Saviour. He came to give eternal life then, and the offer remains in place till today, until the same King returns in glory. Heaven has seen the awesome power that is now made available to ALL who believe in and submit to this King. Heaven recognises the glory, majesty and splendor of this King. The question is whether I also recognise and submit to the authority of this King. God does not force Himself on anyone, or goes against the exercise of my freewill, but be sure that there is amazing benefits and blessings to my submission to and acceptance of His power and authority. He returns one day soon, in awesome glory. Would I be waiting for Him? Would my current pursuits and priorities guarantee me a place in His coming Kingdom? It is not too late to make amends, while there is still life. God's time of favour is here. 

Opportunity!

Opportunity!

1 Corinthians 3:7 AMP

[7] So neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters anything, but [only] God who causes the growth.

It is easy to think that you are a part of a big project, or something amazing. It is easy to rely on human applause or approval as a measure of your importance or relevance. It is easy to think that you are indispensable, when you are the financier or brains behind a worthy project. However, as you read the verse above, a few things become clear, and the first for me is that you can only be a part of anything, and not the only part. You may think that without you, nothing can be done, but the verse above makes it clear that the result you see is the output of different parts all working together for the common good. It was never going to be to God's glory if a man could just walk in and claim credit for whatever was achieved. 

Paul understood this clearly when he spoke to the church in Corinth here. Men had raised altars to the men who had impacted their lives, and without really blaming the men of Corinth, it was necessary for Paul to correct the wrong notion that men could now replace the One who actually brings change to the lives of men. I must be careful of anyone or anything that seeks to take the place of God in my heart. God is a jealous God who will not give His glory to another, or His praise to any graven image. He gives us a measure of His Spirit so we can thrive and carry out His assignment, but we must not presume to take His place in the lives of the people we have been sent to. The work is His; the platform to serve is His; the lives to be blessed and impacted belong to Him; the vessel to be used, who thinks s/he is indispensable, also belongs to Him. 

Where, then, is the place for self-sufficiency or pride? How does a man with limited time and resources ever think that he is equal to a limitless and powerful God? We will all walk this path, sow the seeds, hopefully the right ones, and others will come and water the seeds. Hopefully, the seeds all grow to full maturity and bear the right kind of fruit, but both the sower and the waterer will leave the scene when their work is done. The sower and the waterer are mortal and limited; the One who actually ensures that the seed grows and leads to fruit is eternal. Long after man has ceased to exist on this side of eternity, He will continue to be God. He can raise and equip a man from anywhere to achieve anything He wants. My availability is my greatest asset. If I will be a blessing to my generation, and even when I am gone, the secret is in connection to the God of miraculous progression. Would you surrender your life to Him today? God's time of favour is here.

The Light!

The Light!

Isaiah 9:2 AMPC

[2] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined.

Long before the Light was physically made manifest, God had spoken about Him through various prophets in the old testament. Isaiah was one of those prophets, and we see a very clear reference to a specific Light, written in uppercase, indicating a living thing. Of this, there can be no doubt: there is only one Light, and this is Jesus. Many may lay claim to some form of enlightenment, education or emotional intelligence, but as long as they are not the Light, they cannot lay claim to anything the Light claims to be and do. It is also necessary that you do not just take His Word for it; He has proven Himself over and over again several times, bringing.life, hope, healing and salvation to all who come to Him in faith. 

Who else has ever made and backed up such claims? The Light was promised by God, and in the fullness of time, the Light was revealed to us. We were all in darkness due to the power of sin, but the Light of salvation and redemption came and shone into our hearts, so we could see who we were, where we were, what we needed, and how to get to the place God had prepared for us. We had to admit our helplessness, so we could access the help now promised by God. How can you give Light to a man who does not admit he is in the dark? God, in His mercy, has made the Light available to ALL men, irrespective of the past. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All need the redemptive work of the Light in order to come into the fullness of the Life that the Light brings. 

This is what makes God fair, as well as His judgments. It is a level playing field for all men; He has done His bit and paid the price for my sin. The response is mine to make. I must note that the world has only darkness to offer. It is in its nature, and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. You will have to take a step out of the world, not physically, but spiritually, in order to be free of the hold and limits of the world. As long as a man is under the control and influence of the world, he has no access to Light or any hope of eternal life with God. The warning here is for all who seek true life after this earthly phase is over: the One who can give Life is the One who secured it in the first place. He waits for all who will come. Come as you are; He will not cast you away. God's time of favour is here.

Helped!

Helped!

Psalms 34:19 AMP

[19] Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the Lord rescues him from them all.

It would be appropriate to lay down the right standard, so that men can take note and vhalign their expectations accordingly. At no time and in no place did God ever promise a life free from pressure and hardship. In fact, just a few days ago, we considered the clear message of Jesus to the disciples, just before He went to the cross, that the world only has hardship and tribulation to offer. Due to the fall of man into sin, that should not be a surprise. You cannot rebel against God's express command and instruction, and expect that things will still work out well. It is also easy to be weighed down by all the pressure, and forget to consider the conclusion of all the bible references to hardships and troubles. 

Thank God that hardship and perplexing circumstances are not the final words, but the assurance of God's presence and help. Recall that when Jesus referred to the tribulation the world offers, He added the word of comfort, which is His eternal presence: 'be of good cheer; I have overcome the world'. In the verse above too, David could have been killed but he got helped and was saved from death. The fact that he had been anointed by God to be the next king did not stop him from going through some very difficult times. In fact, some of David's encounters would have killed other men, but he was a man who had the clear assurance of God's presence with him, and this impacted the way he praised God and related with men. 

The certainty of the anointing does not stop the certainty of tough times. Both are truths that will happen to a child of God, but the bigger, better and brighter truth is that the presence of God lasts longer than any other earthly experience a man can have. Hardships have expiry dates; perplexing circumstances do not last forever; they are in place until the mortal gives way to the immortal. God is eternal, and He delivers all who put their complete trust in Him. For both the righteous and the unrighteous, both will go through hardships. The man who will survive and thrive is the one with the Lord on his side. Keep an eye on the eternal; it will help you understand and endure the present. Do not let the temporary rob you of the joy of the eternal. God's time of favour is here. 

He Hears!

He Hears!

1 John 5:14 AMP

[14] This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.

As it has always been pointed out, the audience defines the expectation. Those who the verse is addressed to are clearly indicated and these are believers. In fact, the first verse of the chapter from where the verse above is taken states: 'Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves the child born of Him. This is where I need to examine my current pursuits and priorities, and be sure that they line up with the expectations of God from those who claim to know Him. It is not enough to hear or read about Him; I must take the next step of personally experiencing Him. 

This is what counts. This is what gives me the confidence to approach God as my Father. God created everyone, but not everyone has accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. This is the place where the created has been given the power of freewill; to choose who to submit to and obey. God could have chosen to make us robots, with no choice in the matter, but this would not have served God's wisdom well. He wants it to be a choice to follow and worship Him. He wants me to approach His throne of grace with confidence, not because I always get what I want, but because His presence means more to me than whatever presents I get from Him. I do not raise His gifts more than His presence, because gifts have expiry dates. When this present earthly phase is over, whatever gifts He gave would no longer apply on this phase. All that will count will be the presence of God in me. 

That is what I need to focus on, and to pursue with every sense of purpose. I come to Him with a heart that seeks after His will, not just His consent to everything I ask for. I come with a heart of surrender, sure that whatever His response is to my request is not just what keeps me tied to Him, but that His presence gives joy, peace, hope and life that nothing or no one else can give. I note that the verse ends with the confidence that God HEARS me anytime I ask for anything according to His will. The timing of the answer, the nature of the response, and the quality and quantity of the response are all within His remit. Power and might belong to Him. Can I trust Him with my life? Can I rest on His promises, sure that if He says it, He can and will do it. Would you? God's time of favour is here. 

Peace, in All!

Peace,in All!

John 16:33 KJV

[33] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

When you consider all that is happening in the world right now, you have to fully appreciate the Omniscience and Omnipotence of God. Long before the earth was created, God knew what was going to happen. In His wisdom, He laid out the timing and implementation of His plan, and when the time was right, things happened as He had planned. At the time the words of the verse above were spoken, the cross was in view. God had planned it, but the devil too was planning how to manipulate events to his advantage. Jesus took time out to really teach His disciples about the policies, principles, practices and priorities of His kingdom. None of us can claim ignorance of the standards. 

He has spent time on earth laying down these instructions, and His Spirit has inspired the words of the Bible to ensure we have constant help for the walk of faith. He has not left us helpless or directionless; guidance is provided in abundant measure. However, like all things that God says, does or gives, I have to step up or step into it, in order to enjoy what He offers for free. The world cannot give me what only God can give me. That is why He encourages me to come to Him. IN Him alone can I find all that I need for life and Godliness. IN Him is life that has no end. IN Him is the peace that the world cannot copy, imitate or pollute. Out of Him, there can only be trouble and distress.

I note that the place to be is IN Him. It is not enough to know or hear about Him, though it is the foundation of the personal experience that counts. Do not settle for mere head knowledge; make sure you have that personal experience of Him. The world has only its nature to promote, which is tribulation and chaos. The world cannot give you that which only God can give you. How can the world gives you victory over itself? The only One who can do that is the One who overcame the world by His life and light. His arms are wide enough to receive as many as would come to Him. The information and help that guarantees victory are found IN Him. Make sure you are IN Him. God's time of favour is here.