01/04/2018
As Christians we claim that Jesus Christ is Lord, but so many of us continue to fret over the world as if it still reigns supreme in our lives... and when we do this, it does. Are you one of those who says he trusts in God, and then busily works at trying to solve the world’s problems for Him? Are national and world politics more than casual interests? Do you worry yourself sick about your health and dying despite knowing that you are already dead to this world, and are eternally secure in the next? Well let’s revisit our faith.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”Ephesians 2:13 ESV
Jesus is a game changer! When He came into the world He changed the entire dynamic of how man was to interact with God. No longer was the believer to worry about the world and dealing with sin as best he could while he waited hopefully for the coming of the Messiah; He has arrived. Suddenly the focus shifted from one of fretfully obeying the law while we wait for the promise, to one of being forgiven in Christ, and becoming a child of God. So why then do we continue to place the world and it’s trappings ahead of God?
“"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”Matthew 6:24 ESV
In this scripture, Jesus speaks of serving God or money, but he could easily have used other comparisons... how about God or lust, God or worldly power, God or personal health, or any number of other competitors for our attention and worship? Which hot topic steps between you and God? Is it who is President of the United States? How about the advancement of an underprivileged group, or the fear of a dictator on the far side of the world? Has the evening news replaced the Bible as your guide to understanding and interacting with your world? Do talking heads on television speak more truth to you than God, Jesus, or the Apostles?
Jesus died to sin; He paid little to no attention to anything else. He didn’t rail against Rome, or chastise the Jewish faith, and He didn’t take Israel to task as God had done so often in the past... no, he was concerned with a single grass roots agenda; the salvation of our individual souls. He teaches us to live meagerly in the world around us; to give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but to concern ourselves first and foremost with seeking the Heavenly Kingdom, and worshiping God.
“For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”Romans 6:10-11 ESV
In my devotional reading this morning Andrew Murray wrote of how we as Christians should be in relationship with God through Jesus. Murray talks about abiding in our faith in God, and looking no further for comfort. Let’s listen to his words...
“In this relationship with God he possesses all that he needs; he lacks no good thing. His soul is kept in perfect rest and peace because God is with him. God’s eye is ever upon him, guiding him. In fellowship with God he is able to hear the softest whispers of the Holy Spirit. He learns to understand the slightest sign of his Father’s will and to follow it. His strength continually increases, for God is his strength and God is ever with him.” - Andrew Murray
So two questions become all important... who do you serve, and where do you seek your strength and comfort? There is an epidemic in the world today, but it isn’t a bodily one... it is spiritual! Our spirit selves are becoming ill, and it isn’t by accident. Don’t allow Satan to step from the television screen or the newspaper into a place of prominence in your life. Don’t allow the happenings of this world to distract you from your belief. Don’t allow Church infighting to destroy your faith. These are spirit infecting germs spread by the dark one. Trust in God to deal with the world. Lift up your concerns regarding the Church to Him, and then let Him have them both.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for having dealt with my sin through your Son Jesus Christ, and for separating me spiritually from the world so that I can worship you without distraction. I thank you for hearing my prayers regarding the ills I see around me, and I thank you for taking them from me so that my spirit can rest and find peace in you. Help me Father to resist the temptation of placing worldly things foremost in my mind, and remind me always that this world is your concern and not mine. Build my trust in you so that I can effortlessly place my troubles into your hands, and have faith in your provision. Teach me Holy Father how to live in this world as you would have me do; teach me how to address my daily concerns as your will dictates, and not as my worldly fears drive me to do. I praise you Father for your Son Jesus Christ, your Holy Spirit, and the forgiveness you have provided me. I praise you Lord for calling me to you, and taking me as your child. Comfort me Father, and shield me from the sin and evil that seek to tempt me at every turn. Come quickly Lord Jesus to complete in the world what you have begun in me.
Rich Forbes