Come and Rest

God’s Judgment on Sexual Immorality

2013-09-18T13:47:00.000+01:00

Sex is one instrument which Satan and his demons are using daily to lure men and women into destruction. In majority of movies today, no matter the role an actor or actress is playing, they dress in a way that arouses sexual sensitivity. Some adverts are just about soaps, cream or even toothpaste, but they feature women, half-naked and seductive in behaviour. On the internet, pornography is the most popular industry. Even the social media have been taken over. Ladies now snap themselves in very sexually provocative manners and upload such pictures on the internet. Those are the pictures that people love to look at and download into their phones. Even our language has been infiltrated by this madness. People see a beautiful lady and rather than say she is beautiful, they say she is sexy! Everything is geared toward sex. When people talk about entertainment, they almost always mean sex. That’s where you are going to find stories and clips of the sexual escapades of demon-possessed actresses and actors in Nollywood, Hollywood, Bollywood, and the music industry. People spend long internet hours looking for the latest “gist” on these same actors and actresses. They copy their dressing, language, hairstyles and of course, sexual ways. Premarital or extra-marital sex is not an odd thing any longer. It has become another Olympic game!

Indecent Exposure

“She exposed herself publicly and let everyone know she was a whore. I was disgusted with her as I had been with her sister. She became more of a prostitute than ever, acting just as she did as a young woman, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. She was filled with lust for oversexed men who had all the lustfulness of donkeys or stallions. “You wanted to repeat the immorality you were guilty of as a young woman in Egypt, where men played with your breasts and you lost your virginity” EZEKIEL 23:18-21.

“A day is coming when the Lord will take away from the women of Jerusalem everything they are so proud of . . . their revealing garments . . . Instead of using perfumes, they will stink; instead of fine belts, the will wear coarse ropes; instead of having beautiful hair, they will be bald; instead of fine clothes, they will be dressed in rags; their beauty will be turned to shame!” ISAIAH 3:18&24.

Promiscuity

“Again and again, they sent messengers to invite men to come from a great distance, and the men came. The two sisters would bathe and put on eye shadow and jewellery. They would sit on a beautiful couch and in front of them they would have a table covered with good things . . . The sound of a carefree crowd could be heard, a group of men brought in from the desert. “They went back to these prostitutes again and again. “And you two sisters – I will punish you for your immorality and your sin. . . Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD” EZEKIEL 23: 40, 41, 42, 43&49. “You forsake me; you take off your clothes and climb into your large beds with your lovers, whom you pay to sleep with you. And there, you satisfy your lust” ISAIAH 57:8.

“You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered, but you are . . . no longer! People will see you naked; they will see you humbled and ashamed. I will take vengeance and no one will stop me” ISAIAH 47:1&3.

“I fed my people until they were full, but they committed adultery and spent their time with prostitutes. They were . . . wild with desire, each lusting after his neighbour’s wife” JEREMIAH 5: 7&8. “All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer care about you. I have attacked you like an enemy” JEREMIAH 30:14.

Pride, Beauty and Handsomeness

“Say to them: ‘Do you think you are more beautiful than anyone else? You will go down to the world of the dead and lie there among the ungodly” EZEKIEL 33:19. “You were proud of being handsome, and your fame made you act like a fool. Because of this, I hurled you to the ground and left you as a warning to other kings” EZEKIEL 28:17.

“You became famous in every nation for your perfect beauty, because I was the one who made you so lovely. “But you took advantage of your beauty and fame to sleep with everyone who came along. “You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day. “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘You stripped off your clothes and, like a prostitute, you gave yourself to your lovers. . . I will condemn you for adultery and murder, and in my anger and fury, I will punish you with death” EZEKIEL 16: 14, 15, 25, 36&38.

Miscellaneous

“What shall I ask you to do to these people? Make their women barren! Make them unable to nurse their babies!” HOSEA 9:14. “He cried out in a loud voice: ‘She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits . . . For all the nations have drunk her wine – the strong wine of her immoral lust. The kings of the earth practiced sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the world grew rich from her unrestrained lust” REVELATION 18: 2&3. “If you go to her house, you are travelling the road to death. To go there is to approach the world of the dead. No one who visits her ever comes back. He never returns to the road to life” PROV. 2:18&19. “She will take you down to the world of the dead; the road she walks is the road to death. “They die because they have no self-control. Their utter stupidity will send them to their graves” PROV. 5:5&23. “She threw her arms round the young man, kissed him, looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘Come on! Let’s make love all night long. We’ll be happy in each other’s arms. “She has been the ruin of many men and caused the death of too many to count. If you go to her house, you are on the way to the world of the dead. It is a short cut to death” PROV. 7:13, 18, 26&27.

Stop working in the Night

2013-09-09T13:27:00.001+01:00

⁵“Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing.” LUKE 5.

¹⁶Then Jesus told them this parable. “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. ¹⁷He began to think to himself, ‘I haven’t anywhere to keep all my crops. What can I do? ¹⁸This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store my corn and all my other goods. ¹⁹Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’” LUKE 12.

esus was teaching on the shore of a lake where people fished. Two boats pulled up and their owners who were fishermen were washing their nets. They had closed for the day. One of the fishermen gave a frustrating account of their work. “We worked hard all night long and caught nothing.” These men were professional fishermen. Yet they were about going home with nothing even though they had worked hard and long. What was the problem? We will find out. Again, we see in the parable of the rich fool, a man who worked hard and gathered in plenty crops. He had to make larger stores to keep his crops. But just when he was going to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his hard work, “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life.” You will die this night. You will not enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Consider the stories above. The fishermen caught nothing. Their work yielded no results. They were not lazy people. Instead, they were hard-working people who worked hard throughout the night. They did not sleep. They did not fear danger on the sea. They were working, trying to catch some fish, but at daybreak, they realized they had just wasted their time. They had nothing to show for their labour. If you look at the account Simon gave, you can see their problem. When did they work? It was in the night! God has cursed any work done in the night. No matter how hard you work in the night, your work is cursed. It will not bear fruits! The rich man too worked very hard. He gathered the fruits of his work and was going to enjoy them when death came. Why? He too had worked in the night. God said to him, “this night. . .” He was in the night. Any work you do in the night is a waste of time. You will not enjoy its fruits.

What then is night? Night is a period away from God’s presence. Any moment you are out of God’s will, you are in the night. Hear what Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness” JOHN 8: 12. Whenever you are not following Christ, you are in the night. Darkness is cursed. God had to send Jesus as light to the world in order that the world would stop living in darkness. “I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness” JOHN 12: 46. Unfortunately, many people today are still in the night. They do not want to accept Jesus into their lives. They want to live their lives the way they want. It is a terrible situation to be in. They are under God’s curse and judgement. “This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil” JOHN 3:19.

I want you to know that the time has come when what will determine your enjoyment in life is not just whether you work in an oil company or in the bank. It is whether you work in the night or in the light. Forget that you are a professional. You have been doing this work for many years. The fishermen were not boys. They belonged to a lineage of fishermen. Their fathers had been fishermen before. They had grown up fishing with their fathers on the sea, but that was not what mattered. They were working in the night. Do not be deceived that you seem to be making progress where you are. You have not gotten closer to accomplishment than that rich fool. He was not expecting wealth – he already had it. What was left was just to sit down and enjoy it. That was when the judgment came to him.

I believe that while this man was working on his farm, he had no time for God. Every Sunday, his neighbours would invite him to church and he would reply, “I really had a busy week. I’m just taking some time out to relax. You know, tomorrow is going to be another day of hard work on the farm.” No spiritual activity found time in his life. He was busy during the planting season, busy during the weeding season, busy during the harvesting season, and busy even during storage season. He was going to be busy enjoying himself in the time ahead when God took away his life! What a tragedy. What was the essence of working so hard in the first place?

Listen to this, you cannot be in the light and still keep company with darkness. Being in the light is not a matter of season. On Sunday for instance, you put on a “spiritual” appearance. You change the way you talk and even walk. You enter the church with your two hands folded across your chest. You are all over the place with false humility and fake gentleness. On Monday when you get to the office, you instruct your boys to collect bribes on your behalf. They arrange women for you all over the town. You get calls from all the hotels in town to go and “service” their customers. You jump from one lie to another. You are in deep hatred. You neglect constant fellowship with God. You rig elections and kill opponents. Do not be deceived. You are working in the night.

If you have accepted Jesus in your life before, but have been jumping from light to darkness and back again, you need to make up your mind. This is what the Bible says, “You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord’s people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth” EPHESIANS 5:8&9. It is the light that brings a RICH HARVEST. Stop working in the night.

Come to the Mountaintop

2013-08-19T11:30:00.001+01:00

There they set up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai, and Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. The Lord called him from the mountain and told him . . . EXODUS 19:1-3

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Mount Pisgah east of Jericho, and there the LORD showed him the whole land. EXODUS 34:1

Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and the brothers James and John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. As they looked on, a change came over Jesus: his face was shining like the sun, and his clothes were dazzling white. MATTHEW 17: 1&2

God desires to work with His people at a higher level of intimacy than is obtainable on the level ground. He begins His relationship by inviting them to the mountaintop. Before we can really attain any meaningful heights in our relationship with God, we must climb to the top of the mountain. The level ground is too low for God to work with; we must climb up higher. This requirement is demonstrated at various times in the scriptures. Usually, in His relationship with Moses, God always required him to climb to the mountain. When the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, he had been to the mountaintop for 40 days and nights! Hear what God Himself says concerning climbing to the mountaintop: “But when the trumpet is blown, then the people are to go up to the mountain” EXODUS 19:13.

What then is the mountaintop? It is a place of intensive, consistent fellowship with God. This fellowship elevates you to a level of wisdom, understanding and courage above your contemporaries. The Bible says concerning Daniel and his friends, “No matter what question the king asked, or what problem he raised, these four knew ten times more than any fortune teller or magician in his whole Kingdom” DANIEL 1:20. They had gone up the mountain in their relationship with God. The mountaintop is the place of promotion in life. We see that these four Hebrew boys were promoted to head provinces in the Empire of Babylon which was not even their land. In fact, they had been taken to Babylon as slaves, but their mountaintop qualities fetched them promotion and appointment in the Government of Babylon. At the reign of Dairus, Daniel himself became supervisor over 120 governors! “Darius decided to appoint 120 governors to hold office throughout his empire. In addition, he chose Daniel . . . to supervise the governors and to look after the king’s interests. “Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire” DANIEL 6:1-3.

Those who have been to the mountaintop have a better view of things – they can see into the future. The Bible says while Moses was up the mountain, “The LORD showed him the whole land.” Earlier in the history, God had asked Abraham to “Look over the whole land, because I am going to give it all to you” GENESIS 13: 17. When you fellowship with God, you are set to be given the land He has shown you while you are at the mountaintop. The mountaintop experience separates you from common men. The Bible says about Enoch, “After that, Enoch lived in fellowship with God for 300 years . . . He spent his life in fellowship with God, and then he disappeared, because God took him away” GENESIS 5: 23&24. The ordinary people did not see Enoch any longer because God lifted him away. As you dwell on the mountaintop of fellowship, God will take you away from your fears, worries, guilt and distress. Some people are troubled about jobs, husbands, wives, education, health, security and many other things. They need to come to the mountaintop.

At the top of the mountain, you see the glory of the LORD. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the night before he was killed because of his struggle against racial injustice in the United States, told the people: “Like everyone else, I would like to live a long life, but that is not what is on my mind now. I just want to do the will of God, because He has taken me to the mountaintop. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know that ye as a people will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight. I’m not fearing any man, for mine eyes have seen the glory of the company of the Lord.” He was no longer concerned about his beautiful wife and the tender kids; about his old father and sick mother. He was not afraid for his life even though he was just 39. When you dwell on the mountaintop, you overcome fear. You attain a certain level of peace of mind that nothing can destroy.

You need to come to the mountaintop, to be elevated above your enemies and problems. Today, I extend to you God’s invitation to the place of intense fellowship with Him. Are you tired of living an ordinary life and want to climb to the mountain? Hear what Jesus says: “I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture,” JOHN 10:9. “Jesus answered him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me” JOHN 14: 6. To pass through this way, you must be born again by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. “I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life” JOHN 5:24. You can talk to Jesus now and start your journey to the mountaintop. See you there!

I will find them a place to rest

2013-07-10T10:06:00.002+01:00

⁴You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed those that are sick, bandaged those that are hurt, brought back those that wandered off, or looked for those that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly. ⁵Because the sheep had no shepherd, they were scattered and wild animals killed and ate them. ¹¹I the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep and I will find them a place to rest. ¹⁶I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick. EZEKIEL 34

ooking at the ministry of Jesus on earth reveals the full dimensions of God. On one hand, God is a God of judgment whose judgment is like a consuming fire. On another, He is love. In the scripture read above, God was angry with the leaders of Israel. He queried the way they handled His people whom He calls sheep. He complains that because His sheep had no one to care for them, they scattered off to distant lands away from the sheepfold where wild animals killed and ate them. He decided then that He Himself would become the shepherd of His people. “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep and I will find them a place to rest.”

God knew that because of lack of care, His sheep were not resting. They were wandering in the wilderness where there was no ready source of water or pasture. They were open to the burning rays of the sun. No one cared for those that were pregnant or the little lambs that were born. No one was there to defend them against wild animals. They faced all manners of difficulties until God moved with love and decided to intervene.

We see this same love, passion and genuine concern for human beings when Christ Jesus came to the earth. In one instance after Jesus had taught a great crowd that had listened to him for a long time, He and the disciples needed to rest and eat, and so they went off by themselves to a quiet place on the other side of the river. However, the crowd went and gathered there before Jesus and the disciples arrived. “When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things” MARK 6:34. Each time he found people, who were helpless, wandering in the dark and suffering under bondage, he was moved with love and would step out and help them.

Hear Him declare his love for His people: “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep” JOHN 10:11. He loves the sheep and wants to protect them and provide for them. Remember He says, “I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness” V.10. It is painful however, that in spite of this kind of love available to the sheep, some have not given their lives to Jesus. Jesus admitted this when he said, “There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd” JOHN 10:16.

Now, I want you to know that Jesus knows you and loves you. He is the good shepherd and sees you where you are. He has a home, a plan and a place of rest prepared for you and His other people. All you need do is to accept Him as your shepherd and follow Him home. Do not continue to wander in rebellion, sexual immorality, lying, stealing, examination malpractice, violence, hatred, jealousy, malice, drunkenness and general worldliness. He knows that you need good education, good jobs, good spouses, security, good health, promotion and peace. He has provided all these things in that place of rest to which he invites you today. “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid” JOHN 14:27.

The longer you hide from the shepherd, the longer will you struggle on your own. Are you struggling day and night for food; going here and there for security; moving from one church to another, looking for a man of God to pray for you so that you can have jobs, good wives and good husbands, but rejecting Jesus’ call to come home? The hymn singer says “Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; Earnestly tenderly Jesus is calling, calling O sinner come home.” I invite you today in the name of Jesus to come home. Talk to Him and ask Him to be your shepherd and begin to lead you to your place of rest right away. Praise God!

Are you rejecting God’s will for your Life?

2013-05-03T22:01:00.002+01:00

³⁰But the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law rejected God’s purpose for themselves and refused to be baptized by John. LUKE 7:30.

his is the report about a class of people in John’s and Jesus’ days. They were called the Pharisees. While John received God’s call and was baptizing in the River Jordan, crowds trooped in daily to be baptized by him. Among the crowds were tax collectors and people who were regarded as the most sinful people of the time. They were being baptized and born again into God’s eternal plan for mankind. But the Pharisees rejected this plan of God for their lives, and refused to be baptized by John. They refused to be born again!

Let us understand that the Pharisees were no ordinary men. They belonged to a group of people who believed they were Abraham’s children. They considered themselves very holy and religious. They were actually patiently awaiting the fulfillment of the prophesy about the coming of the Saviour, but when he came, they rejected him. They were important people in the religious circle. They were teachers and custodians of the Law of Moses. If it were today, we would classify them in the class of the Bishops, General Overseers, Professors, Presidents, Governors, and all people of great influence. They were highly educated, civilized and enlightened.

There are reasons why they rejected God’s purpose. Let us talk about their pride. They were proud people who exuded in the feeling that they were Abraham’s children and did not need any salvation. In fact, on one occasion, they engaged Jesus in an argument. The whole concept of admitting that they were sinners and required salvation was too degrading for them to accept. On this occasion, after Jesus had talked to them about the need for them to be set free by the truth of God, they queried, “We are the descendants of Abraham and we have never been anybody’s slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be set free’?” JOHN 8:33. The argument continued and Jesus made it clear to them that they were only fooling themselves. “You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires” (V.44).

It hurts the Kingdom of God that even today, there are still people who are rejecting God’s will for their lives. They have heard God’s call on them many times, but they rationalize: “I give tithes every month; I do charity to the underprivileged; I do not engage in sexual immorality, and I fight for justice for the oppressed. I am holy. I do not need any Jesus to save me. I am alright this way.” Their thought pattern is like that of the Pharisee who went to pray and used the time to inform God of the extent of his holiness. They miss the point!

Again, they rejected God’s will because it would require them to give up their influence and authority in the lives of the people and redirect their followers onto the authority of Jesus. They didn’t like this kind of salvation that embraced everyone. They did not want to give up their oppressive hold on the souls of the people. Today too, some people are rejecting God’s will for their lives because they don’t want to let go of certain things. They don’t want to let go of ungodly relationships. They don’t want to let go of their personal pride, influence and standing among men. So they keep rejecting God’s will.

You do not have all the time in the world to decide. To the Pharisees, John gave a warning, “The axe is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire” LUKE 3:9. The fire of God’s anger awaits all who reject His will for their lives. Jesus wept with frustration over Jerusalem on account of this rejection. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How many times have I wanted to put my arms round all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me” MAT 23: 37. So, “They will completely destroy you and the people within your walls. . . because you did not recognize the time when God came to save you!” LUKE 119:44. Listen to what God did to a man in the Old Testament who rejected God’s will for his life. “The LORD Almighty told me to go to Shebna, the manager of the royal household, and say to him, ‘Who do you think you are? ‘You may be important, but the LORD will pick you up and throw you away.” ISA 22:15-17

Now, what is God’s will for your life? “Jesus answered, ‘What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent. “For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life” JOHN 6:29&40.

My friend, you cannot escape this matter. You have rejected God’s will for your life for too long. You have given too many excuses. Now is the time for action. I want you to talk to God now and ask Him to receive you into His Kingdom in order that you will begin to live according to His purpose.

Are you a Dog?

2013-04-19T09:41:00.004+01:00

²⁵A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her, heard about Jesus and came to him at once and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But Jesus answered, “Let us first feed the children. It isn’t right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” MARK 7:25-27

here we have read is a remarkable story of a woman who came to Jesus to seek help. She was not the only one who came to Jesus for help at that time. But a discussion took place between her and Jesus that explains the operation rules in the Kingdom of God. This discussion sets the standard that qualifies one for help by God. Let us examine this story step-by-step.

To begin with, this woman was in a desperate position. Her daughter had a demon which obviously tormented her and drove away peace from her family. May be she tried all the suggestions people made to her regarding where she could get help for her daughter without success. Then finally, she hears of a man who is going about looking for cases like that and solving them. She must have told herself, “if I just see this Jesus, my daughter will be free.” So she set out to look for Him. I believe she must have taken some money with her, reasoning that even if it is with money, she must get rest for her daughter.

Second, Jesus was actually doing these things. He was healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and driving out demons. He was not demanding anything from the people who benefitted from these blessings. So naturally, we don’t expect this woman to have any difficulty as soon as she got to Jesus. But the story changed. Instead of helping her as He did many times to others, Jesus began talking about dogs and children. He would not take the children’s food and give it to dogs. The children must be fed first.

To understand why, we must go back to verse 26 which tells us about the nationality of this woman. She was not an Israeli. She was not a Jew. And because of that, Jesus withheld the blessings from her. Even though the blessings were free, they were meant for Jews – God’s people – only. For her to benefit from Jesus, she had to God’s child.

Even today, we always think God has everything in abundance. It won’t cost him anything to give us good wives, husbands, jobs, houses, children, security, good health and financial success. So we just come expecting to be given these things without first considering whether we are His children. However, Jesus’ answer to that woman is still valid today. “Let us feed the children first.” In other words, let us give good health to God’s children first. Let us give good jobs to God’s children first. Let us give good spouses, good homes and divine protection to God’s children first. It is not good to give these things to dogs.

If you are not God’s child, as far as Heaven is concerned, you are a dog which deserves to get nothing from the Kingdom. You do not deserve promotion or success in exams or fulfillment in your marriage. These things belong only to children. However, as soon as the issue of son-ship is settled in your life, these things come naturally. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . and all these things shall be added unto you” MAT. 6:33.

Notice that this woman did not give up. It wasn’t her fault. She did not know what standard was required for receiving help from Jesus. Having heard now, she took a step to become a child of God. By demonstrating her faith in Jesus, she automatically became a child, legitimately entitled to receive not just the healing but every other benefit of the kingdom. And Jesus wasted no time in informing her of her status and benefits. “So Jesus said to her, ‘Because of that . . . go back home, where you will find that the demon has gone out of your daughter!”(V.29).

Do you desire to benefit from the Kingdom of God? Are you praying to God for anything? My friend, these things are for children. Are you a child or a dog? You can become God’s child in a few seconds. “But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God” JOHN 1:12. “What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent” JOHN 6:29. Can you pray to God and receive Him now?

While They Were Living There, Elimelech Died

2013-03-15T00:06:00.000+01:00

^1-2Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrat and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While they were living there, ³Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone with her two sons, ⁴who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. About ten years later ⁵Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left all alone, without husband or sons. RUTH 1:1-5

The book before Ruth is Judges and it ends with a disturbing confession. It says, “There was no king in Israel at that time. All the people did just as they pleased” (Judges 21:25). Soon after this confession, the story of Ruth opens with the family leaving their country to a foreign one because of famine. But while they were living in the foreign land, the Bible says the head of the family died. It did not end there. Ten years later, the sons also died, leaving Naomi alone with the wives they had married from the country of Moab.

If you look at this story, you will discover that the family’s problems started when they left their country, Israel. Israel was a land of God’s people; a place of God’s presence. Now, it is true that they were not comfortable while they were at home because of the famine. But from the story, it seems to me the famine was a consequence of disobedience to God. Remember Judges say there was no king and the people did as they pleased. They married where they pleased. They worshipped whatever they wanted. So as a consequence, there was famine in the land. Instead of the family to realize that it had sinned against God like everyone else in the land and repent so that God would show mercy to Israel, the family packed its belongings and left God’s presence. And look at the choice of the new country. It was full rebellion, because Moab was one of the countries the people of Israel were warned against. God had even given specific instructions against marrying from these countries. But here was God’s family, leaving His presence and settling right in the midst of God’s enemies.

However, while they were living there, out of God’s presence, among God’s enemies, that’s when death came. It first came to the head of the family who had made the decision to leave. Ten years later, Naomi and her sons did not still realize that the source of their problem was their departure from God’s presence, so while they remained there, her two sons also died. I have a feeling that the next person on the line was going to be Naomi. If she had not realized why they were dying, she too would have died. Fortunately, verse 6 says “Sometime later, Naomi heard that the LORD had blessed his people by giving them a good harvest; so she got ready to leave Moab . . .” That’s how she escaped the disaster that was hanging on the family.

Now, friends, who is the king in our lives? In Naomi’s time, the Bible says there was no king and the people did as they pleased. Who is the king in your life? Are you your own king, doing whatever you want with your life? Some people say no one can teach them how to live their lives. I live it the way I want. Again, some of us dwelt in God’s presence before. But when God said, look, you cannot be in my presence and continue keeping certain relationships; you cannot be in my presence and continue watching or promoting pornography; you cannot be in my presence and continue with hatred or indecent dressing or fornication; because God said so, we got angry and left His presence. We no longer go to fellowship because each time we are there, God is asking us to give up something if we want to remain in His presence. We no longer read the Bible, because it is always asking us to change our ways. Instead, we are running away from God’s presence.

Separated from God’s presence, there is only death. We first of all die to God’s leadership and start wandering in our lives, taking unwise decisions. That is spiritual death. Once the family left God’s presence, it died to His purpose. It wandered into the Moabite territory and married two women. This was against God’s instructions because God would not let the Israelites marry foreign women. After this spiritual death, came the physical death which Elimelech and his sons died. Do not be deceived by the successes you are recording in your academics, or profession. Remember that while the family was in Moab, it appeared to be doing better than the people at home. They probably ate three meals a day, but it was only the Moabite food that brings death, and maybe the two sons even had good paying jobs. But the end was death for all of them. That’s what will happen to you if you remain out of God’s presence.

Also, out of God’s presence, we are not safe. We don’t know the thing that killed these people. The people who stayed at home obviously did not die even though there was famine there. The Bible says when Naomi returned, the women exclaimed, “Is this really Naomi?” It means those women who had been there when the family left, were still there. They did not die! Meanwhile, the family that left to where it got food and a good life died, because it lived out of God’s presence. Famine in God’s presence is better than abundance out of His presence. Notice also that whatever killed them did not kill the Moabites. So it singled them out because they were under their Father’s curse. Don’t compare yourself with Satan’s children. What they do that does not harm them, when you do, it will harm you, because you are not meant for that kind of life.

We thank God that Naomi returned. Verse 6 says, “Sometime later, Naomi heard . . .” That was the thing that led to her decision to return. She heard that God had visited the people and blessed them with a good harvest. Now, why did God not also go to Moab to bless Naomi? It is because Naomi was out of His presence. Whenever you are out of God’s presence, you are also out of His blessings. Naomi returned because she heard. The others did not return because they did not hear. They were already dead. Notice that the only difference between Naomi and the other family members is that she took the decision to return while there was still time. Her husband and sons did not take that decision until it was too late. They died out of God’s presence!

Again, when Naomi returned, no one rejected her. They didn’t say, “You left us when there was famine, why are you coming back now? Why didn’t you continue enjoying yourself in Moab?” Instead, they welcomed her. Today, if we return to God, He will accept us and grant us a new beginning. So friends, like Naomi, you have also heard that God wants you to return to His presence, but will you return now or wait until you die out of His presence?

When Will You Turn Back?

2013-02-11T06:48:00.002+01:00

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³¹Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff. ³²But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you turn back to me, you must strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31&32

Simon Peter is one of Jesus’ most remarkable disciples. The Bible contains many incidents where he was engaged in arguments with Jesus himself. And in the passage we have read above, Peter was again engaged in a discussion with Jesus. If we read ahead, we will discover that Jesus was predicting Peter’s denial. He said when the cock crowed, Peter would already have denied him three times.

There are important points in this passage for our lives. First, Jesus was giving Simon a warning about what was going to befall him. I imagine that Jesus was saying, “Look Brother Peter, you have been a very faithful and close friend in this ministry. You have known the truth about me and my father. And I know that if it were physical strength, you and Mathew and Luke and Andrew and John would not let the Chief Priest and Elders take me away. But look Peter, this is beyond physical strength. Satan is going to tempt all of you and even you will fall.” Peter argued from the human angle. He knew he was passionate about Jesus. He loved the master. He was willing to die for him. But Jesus knew that was not enough.

Second, it is interesting that Jesus did not try to stop Satan from tempting the disciples or stop Peter from falling. Instead, he said “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail.” In other words, he was saying “Come on Simon, this temptation is coming upon you all and you will fall into it. But that is not important now, because I have prayed for you. You will fall, no doubt, but when you turn back to me, I have an assignment for you. Peter, strengthen you brothers.” It is remarkable that the disciples were not being tempted for no reason. Jesus said they were being tempted to separate the good from the bad. And not long after, we see the bad in Judas. The difference between him and the others was not that he fell. After all, did they not also fall by denying Jesus? Instead, the difference was that when Judas fell, he did not turn back. He went and hung himself!

Many of us are like Peter. We had a very great passion for the Gospel. We preached to everyone we met. We were all over the place with love and enthusiasm. Everyone called us Holy Mary or Blessed Joseph or John the Preacher until something happened. Satan received permission to tempt us. Then that handsome guy or beautiful girl came around, and we couldn’t hold ourselves any longer. We fell! We fell so terribly that everyone who knew our passion before mocked us and the name of Jesus. Now that we have realized ourselves, we feel too guilty to come back to Jesus. We ask ourselves: “how did I let this happen? How can I come back and face the brethren? How can I ever open my mouth and talk to anyone about Jesus?” So we have remained where we fell. But Jesus is asking you today, “When will you turn back?” He understands why you fell. In fact, in Peter’s case, he knew before hand and warned him. Yet, Peter fell.

Jesus is not interested in why you fell or whatever happened in the past. Remember that shortly after he told Peter he was going to fall, he proceeded to remind him of what he must do - turn back. And he had an assignment ready for Peter. He knew you would fall too. He knew that under that exam condition, you would engage in malpractice. He knew that in that depressed and lonely state, you wouldn’t be able to resist that guy or lady. But he is looking beyond that to a time when you will turn back. He is saying to you, “When you turn back . . .” He has an assignment for you. He might want to use your experience to teach others a lesson. He has something for you. But you must turn back first. Remember the trouble Saul caused the church. Yet when he turned back, Jesus gave him an assignment. “And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake” (Acts 9:16). And just as Jesus expected, Simon did not remain in the fallen state. He turned back. On the day of Pentecost, it was he who rose to defend the apostles against the charge of early alcoholism. He was already doing his post-falling assignment!

Dear friend, when will you turn back? The difference between the righteous and the sinner only lies in the decision to turn back. The Bible says a righteous man falls seven times and rises again. Another scripture says “If they fall, they will not stay down, because the LORD will help them up” (Psalm 37:24). There is danger in postponing our turning back till some day in the future. We have no way of knowing what will happen before then. Some people have postponed theirs like that and have fallen into the fire of Hell! God wants to help you up now, but will you turn back now or end like Judas? Talk to Jesus

What’s the Foundation of your Life? 2

2013-01-28T14:58:00.002+01:00

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“But the solid foundation that God has laid cannot be shaken; and on it are written these words: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’ and ‘All who say that they belong to the Lord must turn away from wrongdoing’.” 2TIM. 2:19

Save your soul

There is a foundation which God has laid. This foundation cannot be shaken. It will not be shielded from hard-blowing storms. It will not be shielded from storms of lack, betrayal, depression, loneliness, crises, sickness, persecution etc. But it will not be shaken. That’s the foundation we should build our lives upon. The Bible reports that “In the beginning, the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to humanity” (JOHN 1:1, 3&4). In the beginning, God laid this foundation. On this foundation, God built all things, and not one thing in all creation could have been made without him. That foundation is Jesus Christ. There is a song that says “I’m standing on a rock that never fails. Jesus is the rock that never fails.” If we want to withstand the storms that blow hard against us in our marriages, academics, jobs etc, we must build our lives on the rock that never fails.

It is wisdom to build our houses on the rock. The Bible calls the man who built his house on sand foolish. He ought to have known that sand cannot withstand such storms. He should have laid a better foundation. When the house fell, it was a huge, terrible fall. That is what happens to us when we build our lives on non-durable materials like sand, beauty, talents, power and wealth. Time was when we were everyone’s favorite. We were so beautiful that magazines scrambled for the privilege of placing our pictures on their front pages. Time was when we could declare a thing and it would be done. Now those times have passed. Others have taken our places. What shall become of us? These are foundations that cannot withstand the storm of time. All these things will pass away, but the foundation laid by God will remain.

The strongest storm we would face is the coming judgment. The Bible tells us that it is appointed unto a man to die once and after that, there is judgment. The only escape from this judgment is through Jesus Christ. “Jesus answered him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me’” (JOHN 14:6). How do we pass through this way? It’s by believing in Christ Jesus. “‘What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent’” (JOHN6:29). “Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God’s only son” (JOHN 3:18). If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we would receive power to become sons of God. This contract roots our lives onto the foundation that never gives in. Paul reports in his second letter to the Corinthians, “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed” (2COR. 4:8-9). What he says here is simple. Because we are built on the foundation of God which is Christ Jesus, even though we face the storms of life, we are not overcome. Instead, we are able to triumph.

Friends, I urge you to re-evaluate your lives and consider your foundation. Just like the house built on sand, it wouldn’t profit you anything if you are roofed in wealth, painted with power and ventilated with fame but you don’t have a durable foundation. When you fall, it would be a terrible, irredeemable fall into hell fire. Rededicate yourselves to Jesus if you have wandered off the way. Surrender to him today; talk to him if you are not yet built on him. When you do, find around you a Church of God and talk to its leader about yourself, and he would teach you what to do. God bless you.

What’s the Foundation of your Life? 1

2013-01-16T01:54:00.000+01:00

²⁴“So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵The rain poured down, the rivers overflowed, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. ²⁶But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain poured down, the rivers overflowed, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!” MATT. 7:24-27

In this life we live, there are two categories of houses or temples. And remember that each of us is someone’s temple; we are either the temple of the Holy Spirit, or the temple of Satan. One temple is built on rock, and the other is built on sand. Since we live in this world, we are both subject to the same kinds of weather conditions. The thing that determines our fate during these storms is the foundation we are built upon. What are you built upon? What’s the foundation of your life?

It is interesting that the two houses were subject to the same storm. The rain poured down on both. The wind blew hard on both. However, one house fell and the other did not, because it was built on rock. In our lives today, we have various foundations. Some of us have built on how much education we have. With how well educated we are, we are guaranteed of a great future for ourselves and our families. We have also built our lives on our wealth or those of our parents or spouses or other relations. We put our faith in the political, military or economic power that we wield in the society. We are content that these foundations are able to sustain us and secure for us a safe future. So we feel like the Samaritan woman at the well. At the time she talked to Jesus, she felt she had the upper hand. Her fate was secured. Of course she had the rope and bucket, and the well was deep. How would Jesus fetch water without her? She didn’t know there was another kind of water better than whatever she could fetch from the well. “Jesus answered, ‘All who drink this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life” (JOHN 4:13-14).

Perhaps we too are not aware of a better foundation for our lives. We think with the influential connections we have, the well-paying jobs we have and the talents and opportunities available to us, we are strong and well-rooted in the ground. However, when the storms of life come – and they always come – we will realize that we ought to have built our lives on a better foundation. When the storms of sickness that cannot be quenched with wealth come, how do we fare? Are we able to stand? Is our foundation able to sustain us? In this life, it will certainly get to a point when you would have to rely on your foundation. It wouldn’t be important what roof you have over yourself; you would have to fall back on your foundation. Many years ago, Daniel got to that point. Even the king was helpless in rescuing him. “So the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and he was thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.’ At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. When he got there, he called out anxiously, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?” (DANIEL 6:16&19). In effect, the king was asking Daniel, “is this your God (foundation) which you love so much able to sustain you; to save you from this irredeemable situation?” How many of our foundations can save us this way?
Talk to God

To be continued

Whoever Believes in the Son is not Judged

2011-06-15T21:16:00.001+01:00

God has been merciful to mankind. His plans are perfect. When the first covenant was established, the law was its guiding principle. But sinful man broke the law and deserved to die. God in his mercy decided to save the man he had made from death. He replaced the old covenant with a new one which depends no longer on the law but on faith.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote that a man is put right with God only through faith and not by doing what the law requires (Gal 2:16). Having faith in God is central to the new covenant. Jesus said, 'for what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. . .' (John 6:40). God realized that mortal man could not help himself, so he intervened with a perfect salvation formula. John 3:18 says: 'Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son'. By believing in Jesus, we share in his death and since he has been raised to life, we shall also live. In 2Cor 5:21, Paul reminds us that Christ was without sin but God made him share our sin so that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.

May the Holy Spirit teach us to have faith in Christ that we may live now and always in Jesus name, amen.

Talk to God

I Give You Peace

2011-06-07T05:52:00.001+01:00

"Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

When it was time for Jesus to accomplish the mission of redeeming mankind and return to the Father, his disciples were worried and he knew it. So in the first verse of the chapter, he told them: "Do not be worried and upset. . . Believe in God and believe also in me." From all he had, he chose to leave his disciples with peace. They had power to perform miracles but that was not enough. They needed the peace of God.

Today we find ourselves in various situations that make us anxious and worried. We worry about what may happen if our investments fail to yield good returns, our promotions do not come on time or a loved one does not recover from illness. At times we get so depressed that we lose interest in life. We feel lonely, like no one in the world cares about us. When we get to those moments, we must remember that Jesus cares. He felt for his disciples, how lonely they would feel without him. So he left them with his own peace and promised them a comforter.

The peace of Christ teaches us patience and gives us confidence. It makes us less anxious sure of our victory through Christ that strengthens us. We know that when Christ died on the cross, he cried out, 'it is finished'. He had finished the battle for us! We don't know how; we only know that he died that we may have life more abundantly. The troubles in our lives have been defeated. We may not have evidence, but we know by faith that they are. This life is just a football video: we know our team won. We may not know how until we watch it, but someone (Jesus) has told us the result and the important thing is the end result which is victory for us.

"Believe in me," Jesus told them. Now a lot of things depend on what we believe. Do we believe Christ died for our sins, that he loves us? Do we believe we have access to the Father? He told the disciples, "for the Father himself loves you. He loves you because you love me and have believed that I came from God" (15:27). Friends, let us believe in God and have faith in him. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit for comfort and company. We can tell him when we are hungry; he understands when we are pressed and can't find a toilet to ease ourselves. I mean he attends to all our needs no matter how little. Now leave your troubles with the Lord for he cares for you.

May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, remain with us now and always. Amen.

Talk to God