THIS PROMISE IS FOR YOU

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”

(Romans 8:28 NIV).

Are you a child of God? If you are then you’ve been called according to His purpose, and therefore, the above promise is for you, and it covers all your circumstances, as expressed in—“All things.” What is the promise? The promise is this, none of your experiences (good, bad, painful, intentional, unintentional, engineered by the devil, by people, etc.) are ever wasted. God in His infinite wisdom uses them all to bring about something good in your life, and needless to say, to bring Him glory! He gets glory, because you will praise Him, and testify to His love, wisdom, and faithfulness.   

Let us consider Joseph, son of Jacob. His brothers sold him into slavery into Egypt. He ended up in jail after being falsely accused by his master’s wife. He was forgotten by those who could have helped free him, but God worked it out. In the end, he became the vice to the Pharaoh (Genesis 41:41-44 NIV), and through him, God provided for everybody, including his own family (his father Jacob and his mean brothers and their families) during the seven years of terrible famine.

After the death of Jacob, the brothers were afraid of retaliation from Joseph, but to reassure them, he said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the savings of many lives” (Genesis 50:20 NIV).   

So take heart, my brother, my sister; your pain and suffering are not for naught. Since you are a child of God, He will work it out for your good and for His glory! He said it, so believe it, because He is faithful!

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD

 

Occupational hazard is a very common expression in our society that refers to potential risks, dangers, or perils associated with one’s job or profession.  For example, people who work with asbestos run the risk of developing lung cancer later on in life; roofers run the risk of falls and injuries. In general, most professions, if not all, have associated risks. 

So are there associated risks with Christian Service (Ministry)?  The answer is a resounding yes! There are associated risks for just being a Christian; Jesus warned, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). The early Church was bitterly persecuted, and the hymnist captured it this way, “Mocked, imprisoned, stoned, tormented, sawn asunder, slain with sword.” The Church today still faces persecution in horrible ways, including isolation and being disowned by loved ones. Persecution and the like, in themselves, as harsh as they sound are really not the worse hazard associated with Christian Ministry.

The worst I believe, is DISCOURAGEMENT, which can happen to any Christian, no matter how spiritually matured. How does one arrive at discouragement? Discouragement creeps into our lives for various reasons and at different times. Discouragement can result when there’s not enough support or cheering on (encouragement), not enough supplies to work with, obstacles and threats in the way, and the absence of fruit. Discouragement, if not appropriately addressed can lead to despondency and throwing in the towel.      

First King 18 recaps for us the contest between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged those prophets to call on Baal to send down fire to consume their sacrifice, which of course didn’t happen. On the other hand, God answered Elijah’s prayer! When he called, fire came down from heaven, burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. After demonstrating that, “The Lord--He is God! The Lord--He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39 NIV), Elijah had Baal’s prophets killed. King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah in revenge. So what did Elijah do? He ran for his life; he went into hiding! He was so discouraged, he wanted to die. This was his prayer, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 King 19:4 NIV).

Elijah was exhausted, persecuted, and afraid, which then led to discouragement, to the point of wishing he were dead. Could it be that he had no prayer support? Maybe! Before Elijah was discouraged, he was fine.  He had challenged the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV). He had also  challenged the king without fear of punishment, telling him, he and his father’s house had made trouble for Israel (see 1Kings 18:18), and then taunted the prophets of Baal about their god who could be asleep, deep in thought, busy, or travelling (see 1 Kings 18:27). Discouragement however, changed everything for him; he threw in the towel!

Discouragement can be a serious occupational hazard in Christian Ministry.  Let us remember to pray for one another, for our Missionaries, and for our pastors. Let us cheer them on, and if at all possible, make sure they have all they need to get job done

Occupational hazard is a very common expression in our society that refers to potential risks, dangers, or perils associated with one’s job or profession.  For example, people who work with asbestos run the risk of developing lung cancer later on in life; roofers run the risk of falls and injuries. In general, most professions, if not all, have associated risks. 

So are there associated risks with Christian Service (Ministry)?  The answer is a resounding yes! There are associated risks for just being a Christian; Jesus warned, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). The early Church was bitterly persecuted, and the hymn writer captured it this way, “Mocked, imprisoned, stoned, tormented, sawn asunder, slain with sword.” The Church today still faces persecution in horrible ways, including isolation and being disowned by loved ones. Persecution and the like, in themselves, as harsh as they sound are really not the worse hazard associated with Christian Ministry.

The worst I believe, is DISCOURAGEMENT, which can happen to any Christian, no matter how spiritually matured. How does one arrive at discouragement? Discouragement creeps into our lives for various reasons and at different times. Discouragement can result when there’s not enough support or cheering on (encouragement), not enough supplies to work with, obstacles and threats in the way, and the absence of fruit. Discouragement, if not appropriately addressed can lead to despondency and throwing in the towel.      

First Kings 18 recaps for us the contest between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged those prophets to call on Baal to send down fire to consume their sacrifice, which of course didn’t happen. On the other hand, God answered Elijah’s prayer! When he called, fire came down from heaven, burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. After demonstrating that, “The Lord--He is God! The Lord--He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39 NIV), Elijah had Baal’s prophets killed. King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah in revenge. So what did Elijah do? He ran for his life; he went into hiding! He was so discouraged, he wanted to die. This was his prayer, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4 NIV).

Elijah was exhausted, persecuted, and afraid, which then led to discouragement, to the point of wishing he were dead. Could it be that he had no prayer support? Maybe! Before Elijah was discouraged, he was fine.  He had challenged the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV). He had also  challenged the king without fear of punishment, telling him, he and his father’s house had made trouble for Israel (see 1 Kings 18:18), and then taunted the prophets of Baal about their god who could be asleep, deep in thought, busy, or travelling (see 1 Kings 18:27). Discouragement however, changed everything for him; he threw in the towel!

Discouragement can be a serious occupational hazard in Christian Ministry.  Let us remember to pray for one another, for our Missionaries, and for our pastors. Let us cheer them on, and if at all possible, make sure they have all they need to get job done!

NOT A WOODEN CROSS, BUT THE WOODEN CROSS

A wooden cross is made by nailing or tying two pieces of uneven-length wood together, as seen in this picture. Even a child could put one together. In years past, in Rome and other parts of the world, hanging a person on a cross was a way of punishing criminals. As to be expected, many criminals died this way, but of all the individuals crucified, only one of them had never done anything wrong. In fact, He was sinless.

A cross is a cross, but this sinless one on it made one particular cross significantly different from all the others. You see, the man on that cross was not a man at all; He was God, and he died willingly, out of love.

When God Almighty, Creator of the universe, with power to call on legions of angels to fight on His behalf, hangs defenseless on a tree, everybody needs to stop and pay attention! That act speaks volumes: of man’s ignorance and wickedness, and of God’s love and longing to forgive, redeem, and to replace a broken relationship with an ongoing Father-child relationship now, and into eternity.  

The cross: there was a reason for it! Right from the beginning, God knew He would be dying a cruel death, to restore the fellowship with man that would be broken by sin.

If you are confused, be patient; I’ll explain further. The only sinless Person who ever died such a horrible death was God. Why did He die if He was sinless? He died to pay for the penalty of man’s sin. Without this act, there could be no forgiveness of sin (see Hebrews 9:22), as His death was the only acceptable payment for the sins of man. That one act covers their past, present and future failings (see Hebrews 9:28). Without it, there’d be no restoration of the relationship between man and God.

So how did we fall out of fellowship with God? Adam and Eve (our original parents) sinned against God in the Garden of Eden through disobedience, and, being their offspring, we inherited their sin-nature. So now we sin because we were born with a sin-nature; we’re sinners not because we sin, but we sin because we’re sinners (see Romans 5:12). Sin has put a separation between us and God (Adam and Eve were thrown out of God’s presence). The only way to restore our relationship with God was for the sin to be paid for, which God did through that cruel death of His Son Jesus on the cross. For “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them" (Corinthians 5:19 NLT). 

The cross! Although it represented such pain and agony, it demonstrated love and brought forgiveness and life! The cross!

How then should we respond to a sacrifice this costly? In one word, REPENT! Repentance is agreeing that we’re sinners (see Romans 5:20), deciding to turn our back on sin, and placing our faith in Jesus. When we take that step, God forgives us; because He’s promised He would if we confess and forsake our sins (see 1 John 1:9). If we choose to not repent, we’ll face God’s judgment in the future, and the verdict will be condemnation to hell.

Just so we understand that: “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NLT). If you haven’t already placed your faith in Jesus, what are you waiting for? Tomorrow is not promised to anyone; death could knock on your door any day, any time, and it might be too late for you to experience God’s grace and forgiveness in a personal way. You might have an elaborate funeral when you die, but that won’t change your stand with God. Please do this today; it is that urgent!

When you place your faith in Jesus, God will: remove your sins as far from you as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12). He’ll never again remember your sins (see Hebrews 8:12, 10:17). He’ll guide and teach you through His Word, the Bible, and through sharing with other Christians. He’ll always be available to you through prayer.

God is waiting for a response to His call; answer today!      

PLEASE DON’T CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROBLEM

“Don’t contribute to the problem.” Which problem, you might ask. It’s a problem that’s clearly stated in the Scriptures, and it is this: “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you” (Romans 2:24 NLT). In other words, unbelievers blaspheme the name of God because of believers. Ouch!

The apostle Paul challenged the Church in Rome to godly living. They had a reputation of knowing the law as Jews. So he said to them, “If you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? … You are so proud of knowing the Law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘The Gentiles …’” (Romans 2:21-24).

So clearly, when we don’t practice what we claim, teach, and preach, we give occasion for non-believers to talk ill of our Lord and the Church He died for. In addition, we become stumbling blocks to them. It is not unusual to hear comments like, “If that’s what the Church is like, then I want no part of it.” This is a sad statement, because people for whom Christ died are turned away from the truth because of our inconsistencies in obeying the Word of God.

Aren’t we then partially responsible for the insults hurled upon our Lord and His bride? Of course we are! Let’s take a very serious look at this situation; just like Daniel determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine provided by the king (see Daniel 1:8), let us also make conscious efforts to hate sin and anything that looks like it. “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are his children” (1 john 2:9 NLT). Let us also learn to hold each other accountable for what we do and don’t do.

The way to not contribute to the problem, I believe, is to:

·        Fear God-not in a morbid sense, but a reverential one. Fearing Him that way means holding Him in such high esteem that we’ll hate to offend Him. And that will cause us to want to obey His Word.

·        Love God-Christians claim they love God, and we should, but how do we demonstrate that love? He demonstrated His love by dying for us while we were still sinners. The first epistle of John teaches us to demonstrate our love for Him by obeying Him.

·        Obeying God- “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3 NLT). But how can we obey His Word if we don’t know it? So in addition to fear and love, we need to know His Word.

·        Know His Word. And of course the way to know it is to study it with diligence, and then apply it in obedience.      

When we live according to the Word of God, non-Christians will have very little reason to complain about us, or for which to blaspheme our Lord. On the other hand, if we continue to live in sin, we contribute to the problem of our God being blasphemed. So are you or are you not contributing to the problem? May this be the time that non-Christians will clutch on to the sleeve of a Christian, and say, “Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23 NLT)!                  

THE IMMEASURABLE DISTANCE

How can any distance be immeasurable? Airlines, for instance, know the distance their planes fly, no matter how far the destination. Hence, it’s difficult to imagine some distance that cannot be measured. As unimaginable as it seems, there’s such a distance: the distance between East and West.

The distance between East and West is immeasurable, because when you start a journey from the East, moving toward the West, you’ll never really get to a particular spot called West. The farther you move in the westward direction, the farther away your destination will be.

You might be asking yourself, “What’s the big deal about that?” This is a big deal because God used that illustration to prove a point: demonstrating how completely He forgives sins, meaning once forgiven, He does not bring it back again; your sin is gone for good. The Bible says, “He [God] has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12 NLT).   

Now do you understand the big deal? When God forgives you, you stay forgiven! However, God forgiving us is not automatic; we have to want to be forgiven. Our role in the process is to repent (regret sinning), and ask God to forgive us. Why should He forgive us: is it because we’re so good most of the time, or because we’re so special? No! No reason you can think of is a good enough reason for Him to forgive us.

There’s one, and only one, reason upon which God bases His forgiveness: His love! He loves us, and has provided Jesus Christ, His only Son, to be the sacrifice for our sins. The following verses explain the process clearly; please read them carefully. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (Romans 3:23-25 NLT).  

Dear reader, you’re a sinner, because you were born with a sin nature, just like everyone else. The Bible stresses that fact by saying, “Everyone has sinned.” So now would you like to be forgiven? If you don’t seek forgiveness, you make yourself an enemy of God (see James 4:4), and that enmity will continue into eternity leaving you in hell after death. I encourage you to call on God today and ask Him to forgive you through Jesus Christ, His Son. He will do that, and remove your sins as far away as the east is from the west; it will be as if you never sinned. He’ll be with you in this life, and then into eternity with Him in heaven. Do it today!