God's work.

ROMANS 8:28 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.

I can't help but think of this verse today. Nothing expressed today better then this verse. Today was the day of Amazing Race 3, an activity organised by the Youthie Committe of our church. I hope you were there!

And i can't help but stand back and gaze in awe at God's magnificient involvement in our activity. If only you could see how much He has done.

As it rained cats and dogs at noon, a dear friend of mine whose house i was at said, "see, its raining already, how's the activity going to be carried out?". Immediately, Matthew 4:39 came to mind. "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." I gazed out of the balcony, and thought, "The Lord has it all in His hands."

I thought of the MANY unsaved souls attending the meetings today, and i couldn't help but think of 2 Corinthians 6:2. "For he says,"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." It continued in my mind, "God wants these souls saved. We prayed for these souls. God's work will be done."

In the middle of the game, the time appeared tight, and i started to worry about running on schedule. Romans 8:28 came to mind. "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". I thought,"We love God so much! Things will turn out fine."

Indeed, as the activity drew to an end, i looked back and couldn't help but look up into the heavens, albeit after-rain skies, and proclaim God's glory, entering into His gates with thanksgiving and praise. All things HAD worked out perfectly, because it was HIS work.

Man can do THAT much. The rest lies entirely in the Lord's hand. I come to realize that no matter how much we do, our work will more then often turn out imperfect. But when it becomes God's work, nothing seems more perfect.

At the end of the activity, we did have a problem of two stolen bags. Two bags belonging to two faithful servants of the Lord. But what evil can thwart God's perfect work. The devil might attempt foolishly to hinder God's faithful servants, but for what he tries to take away, I know God gives back more. After all, doesn't all things work out for good to those who love God?

I know it does. do you?

The Rudder

EPHESIANS 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer.

I have found myself shocked sometimes at the amount of vulgarities that plague the speech of the present day teenagers. I have found myself even more affected when my tuition student, who proclaims that "God rawks" spouts the most unpleasant words that can possibly come out from a Christian's mouth.

It brings me back to ponder if others can identify Christ in my life through my very speech. Can others identify Christ in yours through what you speak as well?

The bible warns us sternly in James chapter 3, that our tongue is like the small rudder, which can turn large ships that are driven by fierce winds. (V4)It also speaks of our tongue being "a fire, a world of iniquity" (v6) and how it is "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison"! (v8)

As such, we need to be constantly guarding our speech as Ephesians 4:29 tells us. When Paul was passing through Ephesus in Acts chapter 19, on being filled with the Holy Spirit, the new disciples could not help but speak of God's kingdom. When Peter and John commanded a lame man to rise up and walk in the name of Christ Jesus, the Man went walking and leaping and praising God!

As Christians, have we forgotten the times we were diseased in so much sin? how were lame in our walk with Christ? how we were blind to His truths? Hasn't God healed us from all these infirmities? Why then are we not praising the Lord and making His name known every day through our speech? Instead, many of us are giving praise to the evil one through our corrupted speech.

It is important that we surrender our "rudder" fully to the Spirit daily, that the Holy Spirit might bear the Lord's testimony through what we say, in that our words might impart grace to the hearers and bear testimony of the Lord's gift of salvation.

We can never tame the tongue unless we submit it to the Lord's utility. As James said in verse 9 and 10 of chapter 3, our tongue can be used to bless our God and Father. But how can out of the mouth flow both blessings and cursing? We have to keep it in check.

Let us not defile our bodies, the temple of the living God, but bring glory unto our Father in heaven, with our small little rudder.

To whom be the Glory?

2 CORINTHIANS 10:17 But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

In the recent olympics, i recall a table tennis player running to hug her coach immediately after she won one of her matches. Obviously, her coach played a huge part in her victory, and most of the audiences would have identified that.

That table tennis player gave a huge part of her glory to her coach. It is definitely worth looking back and considering, "to whom do we give ours?".

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12 says, "For you were bought at a price. therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, which are God's."
Just as most soccer players are "bought" to bring glory to it's team and the person who owns the team, so are we purchased with Christ's redeeming blood to give the Lord all glory and honour, and to make His Kingdom known unto all men.

That is what we have to grasp if we truly desire to live life as effective as those of the Christ's disciples. They healed the sick and made the lame to walk. [ACTS 3:6,7] But it always followed with thanksgiving, praise and honour to the Lord, not themselves.[ACTS 3:9].

Our Father in Heaven deserves far far more praise and glory than we can even imagine or understand! We often enter into our Christian lives and forget where we were once headed. Fact is, Christ not only redeemed us, He saved us from the pits of hell! And He decided to involve us on mission with Him, so we might make Him name known to the ends of the earth! I find that exciting. Do you? What ingrates we would be to glory in ourselves each time victory is claimed.

Let us wholeheartedly glory in Our Father who gives us all things good.

To God be the Glory great things He has done
So loved He the World that He gave us His son
Who yielded His life as atonement for Sin
And opened the lifegate that all may go in!

Seek and Hide.

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have i hidden in my heart, that i might not sin against Thee.

Once a friend of mine asked me to do him a favour on my way to school the next day. He requested that i passed a message to another of our mutual friends. i found myself repeating His instructions to myself again and again before i was sure i would remember it the next day.

I'm sure many of you would have done the same before. Perhaps it was your mother's instructions to heat up the food she prepared, or it was something important you had to remember. But you hid that particular instruction or information right in the depths of your mind so you would be able to carry out what was necessary.

As we enter into the Kingdom of God as His children, we become His chosen people as the Israelites were. Well, God told the Israelites then, and it still does apply to us, that we should "be Holy, for I the Lord your God am Holy." [LEVITICUS 19:2] Unfortunately, the Israelites fell repeated into idolatry and sin. I wouldn't be surprised! For the bible tells us that our hearts are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" [JEREMIAH 17:9].
The Lord however is all knowing and all merciful, and He knows our weaknesses in our flesh. We not only have the Holy Spirit, we have God's word to remind us of God's holiness and the need to remain holy because He is holy.

The Psalmist, King David, wrote most appropriately in Psalms 119:2 that we ought to hide God's word in our heart, that we might not sin against our Father in Heaven. That of course, is not possible unless we SEEK God's word for promises that we can claim on for victory over Sin.

Promises like "My Grace is all sufficient for you" [2 CORINTHIANS 12:9] and "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." [JAMES 4:7] has kept me from sin so many times! and i'm sure the Bible caters to your need as well.

Let us truly seek His word on a daily basis, in order to hide His words in our hearts, that we might remain holy and acceptable in God's sight.

The Greatest Commandment

Deuteronomy 6:5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

I used to teach at Compassvale Secondary School. When i first got there, i was reminded by some teachers to ALWAYS SET DOWN RULES when i stepped into the classroom for the first time. Well, i did. And i realized how necessary it was in the time i was there. My students knew what i wanted, and in keeping my regulations, they were my friends and dear students whom i took great care of and taught with all tenderness of heart.

Well God loves us so much He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. And once we've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord as Saviour, we enter into God's "classroom" for life. And when we've first done so, He too, lays down His Commandments - The Greatest one being Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

Now GOD laid down His commandments not so He could bind us or restrict us further, but so He could set us free from the bondage of SIN.

How so?

In John 14:15, Jesus Christ said, "If you love me, keep my commandments". He goes on to say in verse 17 that He will sent you a helper, The Spirit of Truth, to dwell with you and be in you. The Spirit of Truth, also known as the Holy Spirit, will teach you as you study God's word and reveal to you God's truths! That is, when you love the Lord with your ENTIRE heart, mind and soul.

Now it doesn't stop there! God promises more. If we abide in His word when we love Him, He promises in John 8:32 that we "shall know the truth and the truth will shall make you free."

How wonderful it is to know that as we seek to love our Father in Heaven who first loved us, He will free us from the bondage of SINS we were strapped with before, and from IDOLS we could not turn away from.

The Greatest Commandments sounds demanding and difficult, but it serves to be the most blessed and liberating promise the Lord has given us. He yearns for us to love Him and glorify Him, that He might "make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." [2 CORINTHIANS 9:8]

The Greatest Commandment was never meant to bind us, rather, it was meant to set us free.