Life of a Christian in these last days

To live as a true Christian has not been easy and it will never be, in our own strength. Those who lived victoriously did it in the power of the Holy Spirit. How can we think it will be different today. As we draw closer to the return of our Savior it will become even more tough.

Suffering is gifted to us

The devil attacks only God’s children. Paul told the believers that along with all the blessings granted to us as children of God, suffering is also included.

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
Philippians 1:29 NLT

It is God’s Holy Spirit that enables us to live the victorious Christian life, in all situations and circumstances. God the Holy Spirit came to be our guide, helper, comforter and companion.

We are enlisted in the army

If someone told you that when you commit your life to Christ you will have all prosperity, material wealth, good health and the best of everything, they were wrong. God didn’t promise that for a Christian. He is being recruited into an army to fight against the forces of darkness. Apostle Paul made it clear in Eph.6:12 and instructed us on how to be battle ready.

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:11‭-‬12 NLT

This world is not in favour of righteous people. We are hated by the world because we don’t belong to it. We are in this world but not part of this world. Our citizenship is in heaven and that is where we belong.

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Philippians 1:27 NLT

Until we are transported home we will face the challenges this world throws at us. But thank God, He has not left us as orphans but given us His Holy Spirit as companion. Let us lean on Him and complete our journey for the glory of our God.

When Tragedies strike…!

Recently I read about two accidents that happened within the same week.

In the first, a Pastor and his two daughters drowned as their car fell into a river. This happened at 7.30 in the busy morning hours. Nobody came in time to their rescue.

The second was a few days later. A car with a woman, her son, daughter and four months old grandchild fell into a flooded river. This happened at 11.30 midnight. These people trapped in the car were saved by locals who were awakened by the sound.

Incidents like these affect the dear and near ones who will question why this has happened to their loved one.

Floods take several lives and wash away homes and lands of many each year. Recent flash floods in Pakistan wreaked havoc where 4.6 million people were affected. Over 1000 died and about 300,000 became homeless. 90% crops in Sindh province were ravaged. Believers and non believers alike went through the tragedy. Everyone will have the same question, “why this to us?”

We hear about road accidents causing death of young and old everyday. Good people as well as bad people meet with accidents. You cannot conclude that it happened as a judgement or punishment from God. God allows certain things to happen to achieve His purpose. It is something beyond our understanding. Jesus made it clear to his disciples in John chapter 9.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
(John 9:1‭-‬3 NLT)

God will accomplish His sovereign will and purpose through all that happens in our  lives. God is good, we can trust Him even though we don’t understand everything. God is love, He will not change.

….For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
(Matthew 5:45 NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
(Romans 8:28 NLT)

Simply trust God’s goodness and His sovereign authority when doubts and questions arise in your mind. Speak out and say God is always good, He is loving and unchanging.

Human negligence and irresponsible behaviour can be the root cause for several calamities and accidents. Destruction of nature through careless and selfish handling, polluting the air, water and earth, is probably the major reason for natural disasters.

However, nature too came under curse due to human sin, as God’s Word reveals.

And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
(Genesis 3:17‭-‬19 NLT)

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
(Romans 8:20‭-‬22 NLT)

The whole earth has been given to deterioration and decay due to the fall of man. Until God restores everything after the final judgement, things will keep going from bad to worse. Even children of God have to go through this experience of pain and suffering looking forward to the day of redemption promised to them. It says the whole creation is groaning and waiting for that day when God will glorify His children, so that they too will experience deliverance from death and decay. Children of God will receive their new bodies which are free from all corruption, which will not experience sickness, pain, suffering, or death.

Until then, God will make everything to work for our good. We may not always see it or understand it but the Word of God says it. Read through the rest of Romans chapter 8. It reminds us that God loves us and is for us. Nothing can separate us from His love. The God who did not hold back His one and only Son and gave Him up to suffer and die on the cross for our sins, will do only good for us.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
(Romans 8:18 NLT)

If you are grieved, in pain, or in doubt, be assured of God’s love for you that is unchanging. He will not leave you in pain, but comfort you and lead you forward, until you reach your ultimate destination, His glorious presence. But, remember, this promise is only for those who have put their trust in Jesus as their only Saviour and Master. If you haven’t done so, make sure you do it now.

It takes humility to believe God

But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 2Kings 5:11

It takes humility to believe in God and His Word. Often the human ego stands in the way of our experiencing God’s blessings. We nurture preconceived ideas about God and His ways. We expect God to move the way we desire. This never happens because God is a God who will not tolerate sin, even the lightest shadow of it. And any amount of unbelief in God is sin, so also the desire that He should play to your rules.

God chooses the insignificant

God may choose to use the most insignificant believer to bring a blessing in your life. He may use the most unassuming person to bring His message to you, or the most humiliating incident to lead you to the Savior. Though Naaman was a valiant warrior and accomplished army commander he was infected with a dreaded skin disease. The Israelites considered people with such a sickness as unclean and forced them to live outside the community to avoid any contact with them.

Naaman had to accept that he was infected with a disease that probably had no cure and that demanded his ostracism. He was aware that he will lose his power and position, family and friends and everything else that he cherished. He probably dreaded the impending humiliation. That was the time the slave girl discovered his plight and suggested the solution. He had the humility to accept the suggestion of his slave. God uses even the most insignificant and unassuming to shake the mighty and haughty.

God blesses the humble

It requires humility to accept when God says you are a sinner. It requires more humility to acknowledge your need for a Savior. It requires still more humility to accept when someone points out the Savior from among a host of candidates. It becomes difficult further if that someone is considered to be inferior to you.

Naaman acted up on the advise of his slave and set out to meet the prophet. His experience with the prophet was contrary to his expectations and rather humiliating. Without any introduction, investigation or inquiry, he was directed to a river for dipping himself in the water seven times. He lost his cool and was about to give up. But then, one of his servants insisted that he go through the ritual as an act of obedience. Naaman had the humility to accept that suggestion and go into the river. When he humbly obeyed he received healing and was elated.

Yielding to God’s Word in humility is the only way to blessings as the hymn goes, “Trust and obey, there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”.

Is your pride, prejudice or rigid religiosity standing in the way of your blessing? Trust God’s Word, obey it in all humility and be blessed.

The Word of God and the Servant of God

The Prophets of old and the servants of the new Covenant all had a definite call from God to serve Him. In spite of them and their desires these men and women were moved by the power of God to accomplish whatever God wanted to do through their lives. Prophet Ezekiel was one such person. God’s call and preparatory work are clearly evident in the lives of His servants.

“Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.” (Eze.2:1-8 NLT)

The work of the Word

The servant hears the voice of God through the Word of God,. It is the life transforming Word that moves people and turns them around. Paul says in Rom.10:17 (NKJV) that “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As one reads, listens and meditates on God’s Word, the Spirit of God uses it to communicated to him and to generate faith that pleases God. As this continues, the Spirit of God will begin to move in and through his life. In the case of Ezekiel, as he listened to God’s Word, the Spirit of God took hold of him and lifted him up to his feet, enabling him to stand up.

As God’s servants speak it out, it is the Word of God that speaks to people today. The Spirit of God uses it to convict, regenerate, rebuke, encourage, strengthen, commission and transform those who pay attention.

The response to the Word

The servant is commanded to proclaim the Word as it is given to him. His dignity, status or security should not come in the way of doing this. Irrespective of what the audience’s response is he has to proclaim it. The accountability aspect is individual. You do what you are commanded to do. Your listener is responsible to do what he is told. It is not the servants’ responsibility to see that the listener obeys, rather he is responsible to tell the message as God had said it.

The role of the servant

The servant has a significant role to play in the proclamation of the Word. He can be tempted to dilute the message in view of material gain, personal interests, or personal and family security. He can also become so used to it that he may take it for granted. When the message is distorted, the servant is causing his listeners to err and go astray while inviting God’s wrath upon himself. In order to avoid this there are specific instructions to the servant, like: ‘don’t be afraid of the audience, don’t rebel, be brave, listen’, and so on.

Listen carefully to everything I say and then think about it. Then go to the people who were brought here to Babylonia with you and tell them you have a message from me, the LORD God. Do this, whether they listen to you or not. (Eze.3:10-11 CEV)

The imagery of eating God’s Word points to the seriousness of the whole mission. The servant must literally feed on it and internalize the message before he can proclaim it. He should be so convinced and filled with the message that it will flow out of him with the same force and effect. The process of intent listening and meditating is suggested so that the servant is able to boldly say “thus says the LORD”.

God of Mercy and Wrath

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God…

…let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb.12:14-15, 28-29 ESV)

It is often overlooked that the same God of Mercy is also the God of wrath. God can not change His rules and twist His justice. So the Church is warned to be careful the way it conducts itself. God is absolutely holy and without holiness no one will see God (Heb.12:14).

God of Wrath

The People of God came to Mount Sinai during their sojourn where God met them and gave them His commandments. It was a frightening atmosphere, with fire and smoke, and God speaking like thunder. The sight was so frightening that Moses said he shook with fear (Heb.12:21) (Exo. 19:16-25). This was a place where people experienced the awesomeness of the very presence of their God and were fully aware of His wrath. They were under the law of wrath and judgment and needed the blood of an animal to cover their sin whenever they approached the presence of God.

God of Mercy

The same God has made a new covenant through the blood of His dear Son, once and for all, for all those who place their trust in Jesus. Thus they experience first hand the mercy and love of their God. There is the assurance of a meeting with Him at Mount Zion, where He will reign as the King of kings. There is no fear of the wrath that will consume them if they come closer to this mountain, since only those who are redeemed by the blood of the Savior will gather their. Here there is joy, celebration and worship.

But the God of mercy do not want His children to take the free gift of His love for granted and live as they like. He expects them to live in holiness, reflecting His character of love and mercy towards each other. He is still the same, the holy, righteous, awesome Judge of all!

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Reactions of a Fallen Leader

The day after the New Moon Festival, when David’s place was still empty, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t that son of Jesse come to eat with us? He wasn’t here yesterday, and he still isn’t here today!”Saul was furious with Jonathan and yelled, “You’re no son of mine, you traitor! I know you’ve chosen to be loyal to that son of Jesse. You should be ashamed of yourself! And your own mother should be ashamed that you were ever born. You’ll never be safe, and your kingdom will be in danger as long as that son of Jesse is alive. Turn him over to me now! He deserves to die!” (1Sam.20:27, 30 31)

Can someone fall from grace? Can someone who was chosen be rejected by God?

With regard to salvation the answer is “No”. But when it comes to serving God the answer is “Yes”. This we see in the lives of several leaders. Saul started well as the first king of Israel but turned out to be a failure in the sight of God. So he was rejected and someone else was appointed in that office. Towards the end of his tenure Saul demonstrated the traits of a fallen leader.

Insults associates in public

An efficient leader observes his associates closely and guides them properly. He keeps track of the moves they make and commends them for work well done and corrects them when they goof up. But, fallen leaders do this with wrong intentions- to prove them wrong and inefficient and to pin them down. Saul does the same with David. The youngest son of Jesse had a name but Saul is addressing him as “that son of Jesse”. It sounded sarcastic in the royal assembly. Perhaps, Saul had forgotten his roots and was pointing his finger at the lowly background of the shepherd boy.

Saul expressed his jealousy towards the upcoming leader and a servant of God’s choice. He tried to exert his authority and establish his supremacy which revealed his unwillingness to accept God’s authority.

Expects associates’ support even when he is wrong

Saul attacks his own son Jonathan for aligning with David instead of supporting him. Saul wanted to establish his dynasty in spite of God’s rejecting him and his family. Jonathan on the other hand risked his chance to the throne by supporting David. But he knew he should yield to God’s sovereignty.

Attempts to remove associates who are obstacles

Problems are opportunities for leaders. An efficient leader makes strategies to overcome obstacles. A Godly leader will look unto God for solutions. Associates are his strength.

But  a fallen leader will see a Godly associate as a threat and will try to eliminate him. Saul  saw David as an obstacle on his way. Instead of allowing God to settle things he tried to clear the way himself.

However, God is still the Kingmaker.