Living In Light Of Things To Come
Throughout Scripture God declares many things "to come," but not yet apparent. To Elijah, He gave him a promise of rain. It would only be after praying seven times that he would be told that a cloud was rising out of the sea. Elijah knew that God had fulfilled His declared word. And so God speaks to the heart today, declaring what He will do to the one who will inquire of Him. To Jeremiah He would command, "Call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
Weak And Foolish Things
God's ways are not those of men, especially when it comes to reality. Man compared with God is less than nothing from a human standpoint. It is only when man in his pride thinks that he is truly something, especially when it concerns him being saved from sin and death, that the littleness of man, and his pride is revealed most flagrantly. True humility results in one being cast upon Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, and a new, clean heart.
The Time For Sowing And Reaping
In the eternal scheme of things, the time on this earth for sowing and reaping is in the present moment, "while it is day." Jesus said that the "night" comes when no man shall reap. This is true of individuals, families, nations and empires. The great question is whether we believe God or not. If we believe Him, then we have chosen to submit to His will and purposes, as the Lord Jesus put it, being "in the affairs of My Father." Today is the day for sowing and reaping.
The Message To The Multitudes
There is a message of God that is given to all men. It is an invitation, even a command to live, for in it is Life. The illustration in Scripture is that of a wedding, and the call of a king and father who has prepared it for his son. All are invited, but only those who are right with the father and the son, will be accepted. Those who respond in true faith and humility will be welcomed joyfully and in peace.
The Eternal King
In the Bible, David is mentioned as being a great king. But when Scripture speaks of Christ who is the King, it is not just as the Romans would mockingly declare, "the King of the Jews," but the Eternal King. This King possesses all power and authority in heaven and earth. He ever waits to use His victorious, kingship authority to save men from their sins, delivering them from the power of darkness, bringing them to light and Life.
The Beauty Of Christ
There is a reality of God which many an individual is not willing to confess, and it is that God is good, perfectly so. Every aspect of His being is without fault, flaw, compassionate and gracious. Even though sinful man might have a twisted view of God, the facts are that He has proved His goodness, and the beauty of His person, in that in love He gave His only Son to die for the sins of men, that they could be forgiven, and know everlasting life.
Waiting Expectantly
Mankind is called to live by faith in God, in Christ. One aspect of that faith is living daily in the expectation of Christ's coming, and the presence and provision by His Spirit. Living expectantly is a purifying experience of looking unto Jesus for all, waiting for His coming from heaven.
Two Essentials To Know God
God can be known, but only in His way for His glory. Abraham, in his surrender to Christ by faith, embraced two principles at that time, one being the "tent," and the other the "altar." The tent spoke of detachment from the things of this earth, to be attached to Christ. The other, the altar, spoke of a sacrifice, one which would come and be displayed for all to see a great many years after Abraham. Faith in that Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, would allow Abraham to know this God of Redemption and Life.
To The Ends Of The Earth
God's commission to the church, His living body on earth, is to take not only the truth of the Gospel message to the ends of the earth, but to take Him by virtue of His indwelling in the heart and life. The truth must be known, but the perception of the Life of Christ must be believed in. When the truth of Christ is joined by the power of His blessed life, faith will be born in the heart that seeks God, calling upon Him.
Three Essential Awakenings
God works in the heart of believers, and non-believers, to awaken them to spiritual reality, first concerning His Creator and Redeemer, but also concerning his own need to know God. The call of God, accompanied by the corresponding race to respond to the call, is to awake. All things become possible to the individual whose desire it is to truly awake to that which is right, that which is of God.