christian journey

What love is this?

What love it this. Kari Jobe

God’s love is authentic and unfailing

John 15:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Lord your love is authentic and unfailing. You sent your Son, a man without sin to die as a ransom for the sins of others. You have been patient with us through the ages. Still, yet we often take you for granted. But the time will come when you say enough is enough.

Help us to realize that we are on a collision course. And, unless we make an about turn, we are on track to make the same mistake the people made during Noah’s time.

Open our eyes that we may see the danger that lies ahead. And remove the spirit of complacency from within us.

Increase our knowledge and understanding. And guide our footsteps toward the path Jesus walked when He was on earth.

Give us the spirit of boldness and help us to be steadfast in our commitment to serve you. Steer us from distractions and anything that will beset us. Amen

Do You Follow God’s Curriculum?

 

The Church is the training ground for those who hope to meet with the Bridegroom.

Our schools, kindergarten to the institutions of higher learning, are training grounds for the men and women who will one day oversee the affairs of their respective countries and the world. Likewise, the Church is the training ground for Christians, who hope to sit at the table with our heavenly Father. But we must follow God’s curriculum. And while nobody has a clue of what it must be like to occupy the same physical space as His maker; the Holy Scripture provides us with plenty of examples of what we should not expect. For example, tardiness is a no-no. And human beings are prone to showing up late for important meetings. We often get complacent after a period of familiarity. Tom Paige got laid off from his well-paying job. And for two years Tom had to do odd jobs to help make ends meet. Then the tide suddenly changed. Tom got another well-paying job that he was excited to do. Tom Paige was always punctual and never misses a day from work three years in a row. But that would soon change. After learning the ins and outs of his job, Tom began to notice that most of his coworker never showed up for work early. But instead of being an example for others, Tom decided to follow suit. He would eventually lose his job for tardiness. Tom Paige’s predicament reminds me of the parable of the Ten Virgins Jesus tells in Matthew 25:1-13. The five foolish virgins lose out on their chance to meet with the bridegroom because they failed to plan according to God’s blueprint.      

How much have you grown as a Christian?

Before you start to measure your Christian growth, it’s important to understand that the Christian journey is like running a 10K marathon. It is gruelling, and you are likely to stumble many times. But that’s OK. Your goal is to conquer the journey. The Bible tells us that, “The one who conquers, I (Jesus) will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also have overcome and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).

But, unlike the temporal marathons, everybody starts with the same advantage, and there is no preparation time. The day you gave your heart to the Lord, that’s when your journey begins. And it is not an annual or four years event. It is continuous.

Still, despite the rough and tumble. There are cool things about running a Christian marathon. For example, everybody is allowed to bring all their baggage along with them. And the more ground you cover, the easier the race gets. Temporal marathons get harder as you run the course, and runners avoid excess weight.

Now, as you navigate your course, you will come upon different baggage stations with labels unique to the baggage you carry. God strategically marked each Baggage station according to His Commandments. And all the stations are mistake proof.

So, my friends, it is reasonable to agree that how much we grow as Christians are directly proportional to the baggage we shed permanently. Everyone has baggage, even if you do not want to admit it. The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Lord, shield me against complacency

It is extremely easy for any Christian to get distracted by the glamour and glitz of this world. This is especially true when things are going smoothly. He tends to take his eyes off the Christian journey and gravitate towards secular norms, thus becoming complacent. Whereas before, he thanked God for everything; now he takes all the credit, look in the mirror and pat himself on the shoulders.

Still, while I think complacency is preventable, living in a materialistic society such as America, makes it all too easy to get lulled into complacency. The Patriarch David knew a thing or two about this. Acts 13:22 states the following: “After removing Saul, God made David king over Israel. God testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” However, success would change David. Despite all the accolades and admiration from God, David, like Adam and, Eve got distracted by the lust of his eyes and sinned.

It seems the key to keep focus on the path God mapped out for us is to be lowly before Him at all times–in feast and famine. Whenever a human being acknowledges that he is nothing without God, then it is not hard to be humble. It is not surprising that some of the most loyal members in the body of Christ are those who are humble, mostly the poor. These are people who more often than not do not know from where the next meal comes, yet their steadfastness and commitment to serve God is unyielding. They know what it is to trust and depend on God for everything.

Father in heaven, I pray thou will shield me against complacency. Let me be like Job, a man who never faltered in plenty or want. Lord, help me to focus on the path your father have mapped out for me and let me be humble at all times. Amen!

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