John 15:5b. …for without me ye can do nothing.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
So, it’s another bright, sunshiny and fairly warm day, this Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, in the middle of February 2023. And though today is a day where we tout the godly attribute of LOVE, sadly our world is still on its roller coaster ride down to the depths of Hades, with disasters aplenty, both natural and manmade, with strife, anger, wars, rumours of wars and all the negative stuff that a fallen and godless world can dream up.
This day of supposed LOVE spreading has turned into another economic celebration. All the flowers, chocolates and the many other presents bought and given seem to be only surface fluff and doesn’t truly represent the LOVE of God. It’s very sad that the Lord’s greatest creation has a heart for His enemy and not for Him. Can you imagine the many wondrous things we could accomplish and the truly beautiful world we could be living in if our hearts were set for God rather than for Satan? And for some reason or other, possibly the darkness and ignorance that Satan’s trying to keep us in, we simply can’t seem to understand our sorry plight and get up and do something about it.
Oh, some of us do understand, that’s the body called the church of Christ. But even then, not enough of us are willing to get up and throw down the evil values of the enemy, so that our once beautiful world can regain some of its lost beauty. And that’s rather unfortunate, for if we believers, we supposed Christians, so-called followers of Christ, truly got up and made the noise and did the awesome things of which we are most certainly capable, especially with the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, then the enemy wouldn’t stand a chance, and our world would revert to some kind of godly order and righteous state.
But too many of us seem either afraid of the evil-doers, or are just too lethargic and lazy to care. We’re still seeking the material things of the world, rather than the righteousness of God’s kingdom. And once the materialism of the world invades our consciousness, we seem to lose the affinity we should be having towards God. Thus, it makes Jesus, our Lord and Saviour’s teaching of no account, where He strongly advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes, friends, please remember that our God created the universe and all therein, and all of it still belongs to Him, it’s all under His control, and whatever you manage to get, all comes from Him. And with His omniscience, He knows what you need, before you even do, and will give it to you without the heartache and heartbreak of trying to earn them in your own strength. That’s the fatal mistake so many of us make; failing to realize that our God is a good God and only desires the best for us, for those who follow Him in all reverence, sincerity and truth.
What aspects of these bible verses don’t we comprehend eh? ‘The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.’ (Ps. 145:9-12)
Oh my fellow saints, are we doing those things: speaking highly of God’s goodness and mercy, the glory of His kingdom and His awesome power? Are we making known to the sons of men his mighty acts? Definitely not to the extent that we should! Not to the extent where it’s making a real difference to our world! Too many of us are afraid to even speak of Jesus in private, much less to acknowledge Him in public. So what do we expect from the unbelievers eh, but unbelief!
And what about these awesome words of encouragement from Psalm 107 eh? ‘O, Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary (desolate) way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men.’ (Ps. 107:1-8)
Now that’s what we need to be doing so much more of: praising the Lord for His amazing and undeserved LOVING-KINDNESS towards a bunch of ingrates, so that the world can wake up and understand, appreciate and firmly believe in Him! And then there are these ever faithful, encouraging and moving words from Psalm 103.
‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14)
Unfortunately though, we beings created from the dust of the earth don’t seem to remember that. We arrogantly, pridefully and ever so foolishly behave like we are the creators. That’s what happens when you’re given free will and you accomplish a li’l something, wrongly thinking that you did it on your own. Please friends, let’s remember that we can do nothing on our own. Jesus stated that quite plainly when He said: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) What part of that don’t we supposed believers understand eh?
And let’s hope and pray that those scriptures we’ve read today will make a substantial difference in our lives, or simply wake us up to the sad reality of the situation our world is facing, and that we have the ability to make a godly and meaningful difference to it. Now for those of us who are sincerely doing our best to bring some good changes to our world, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now let’s go out and do exactly that: share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…all our fears are quelled…in Jesus…all our hopes and dreams come alive…
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