Luke 23:42. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Come Saturday morning, me and my friends, we will linger and laze in bed, or wherever it suits us…until we can linger and laze no more…and are forced to get up and face the realities of life. And I’m sorry to say that has already happened to me. Chuh! I was lingering and lazing quite nicely in bed, when the reality of having to write the Bit hit me head on. (smile) But them’s the breaks! The important thing though, is that we do spend some time lingering and lazing and not all of it simply facing the realities of life. End of philosophizing.
Now, let’s see how the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week matches up to the realities of life, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.’ And I believe that to be very true, for even in my advanced years, I still believe that the best years of my life are still out ahead of me. I haven’t done anything worthwhile, earth shaking or moving, haven’t left my mark on the world as yet, haven’t defined my legacy, so it must mean that better things are yet to come. (smile)
And when you have Jesus working in, with and through you, then you know that better things are always in the offing. The best of them all being with Him in heaven and all the good things He’s prepared there for us. I like to look to the promise Jesus made to the one criminal crucified alongside Him, who sincerely pleaded: ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:42-43) Wow! What an awesome Lord and Saviour we have. Without even one word of reproach to the sinner, Jesus promised that he would be in heaven with Him that very day.
So it’s obvious that His faithful followers can expect the same. Glory be! Praise His holy name! And the next quote kindly informs us that ‘Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face it’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and a pretty soul.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Beauty, like the world considers it, is only a façade, an outer appearance that looks good for a while, but like all earthly things eventually decays and/or disappears. As the saying goes, beauty is only skin deep. True beauty though is something that exists on the inside, and doesn’t decay or disappear, but lasts forever.
It’s when we have Jesus and all that He stands for running through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls that true beauty shines out. That means having things like the fruit of the Spirit emanating from us. And in Bruh Paul’s words to the Galatians, that consists of: ‘LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness (courtesy and consideration towards others) and temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Now when those things shine forth in our lives, that’s when we have or see true beauty!
Meanwhile, the next quote serves up this powerful food for thought. ‘If you have a family that LOVES you, a few good friends, food on your table and a roof over your head. You are richer than you think.’ And that’s more gospel truth my fellow believers! If you possess those things and have sincere people like that around you, then you are amongst the richest people in the world. Why? Because money may be able to buy food and put a roof over your head, but it cannot buy true friends and a LOVING family, which are really the most important things in this life.
Who do you run to when life gets rough, when, you’re sick, discouraged, hurting and totally devastated? Obviously your friends and family, which certainly includes Jesus, since He’s a friend that sticks closer than a brother! So please, let’s not allow the materialism of the world to blind us to the importance of friends and family in this life. For as Jesus so rightly said: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’ (Matt. 9:19) Thieves cannot break through and steal family nor friends, neither can moth and rust cause them to decay.
That brings us to this quote: ‘Truth is like a surgery; it hurts but it heals. A lie is like a painkiller; it gives instant relief but has side effects forever.’ Oh friends, today’s quotes are ever so chocked full of gospel truths! (smile) For truth does hurt, but the hurt eventually disappears, while the trauma that arises from the invocation of lies never seem to end. It’s always there, haunting us in the least appropriate moments. Truth though, cuts out the bad or diseased parts and leaves the remainder to heal in peace.
Unfortunately though, in this troubled and ungodly world, it’s extremely difficult to discern truth from lies because the words are bandied about so much that they have now become impossible to differentiate one from the other. Lies are constantly being shouted out as truth, and if you hear them often enough, you can sadly believe them as truth. The opposite is also happening; truth is being touted as lies. And furthermore, it’s now the accepted thing that everybody has their own truth.
Ah Lord eh! My mind is truly finite yes, because I can’t fathom how to have several truths on the same subject. The only basis of truth that I know of comes from the Good Book, God’s unchangeable, true and infallible Word! That’s where real truth abounds and where we should go to find it, if we sincerely desire it. And here’s the clincher: ‘Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) Now that’s how we discern truth from lies!
And this last quote is also a gem. Our friend Anselm really outdid himself this week. (smile) It wisely advises: ‘Give. But don’t allow yourself to be used. LOVE. But don’t allow your heart to be abused. Trust. But don’t be naive. Listen. But don’t lose your own voice.’ Wiser advice could never be given! It’s essential to do all those things: Give, LOVE, Trust and Listen. However, it’s also essential that we keep a close watch when we do them, for there are negative sides to them all, and if we aren’t careful, the enemy can cause them all to blow up in our faces with disastrous negative results.
So when you give, pay close attention to whom you’re giving and what they are doing with what you give. Likewise, when you LOVE, LOVE deeply and genuinely, but still keep a close watch over your heart so that it’s not eventually broken and abused. The same goes for trust, especially in this current untrustworthy world. It’s imperative that we seriously evaluate in whom and what we place our trust, not just go trusting things and people willy nilly. And listening is also a most important part of the whole equation, for we can’t know what others are thinking and saying without listening.
But please, please, in these vile and evil times, it’s of the utmost importance that we believers in Christ Jesus not lose our voices. In fact, this is the time when our voices should be heard more than ever and louder than ever, because we need to bring our world back to God and away from the negative doings of the enemy! Ah friends, life is not easy, never was and never will be, but when you have the Spirit of Jesus dwelling within you, leading and guiding you, then you are able to live it the right way; that means spreading the gospel by words and sincere deeds. Please, let’s endeavour to do that seriously and sincerely from today nuh, because our world desperately needs the truth and life that emanates from Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…our world’s on the brink of the precipice…only the diligent endeavours of Christ’s people…can prevent it from going over…
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