As I approach what we consider a landmark age, I find myself undergoing some self-assessment and questioning what I’ve done with the decades I’ve spent on this earth.
Some think only men go through this self-critiquing but maybe that was when women didn’t think they had anything else to do on this earth but get married, have children, raise these children, and support their husbands as they fulfil purposes outside of the home.
Paul was writing to his protégé, Timothy, warning him of things to come. If we look at what he wrote, we will see that we are indeed living in the days of which he wrote –
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT)
There is no doubt that these are very difficult times globally.
I’d like to share what was in my heart as I started writing the song I’ll Go Deep. It took me a few years to complete it but the things in my heart have remained the same.
Jesus had just finished informing his disciples of what was to come – that He “must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31 NKJV)
What was the reaction? Peter, the ever expressive and impulsive disciple, actually takes Him aside and rebukes Him. As an aside, I wondered why Peter did this. He had just declared Jesus to be the Messiah but I guess in his understanding, these things Jesus said He would be experiencing (especially the dying) didn’t fit into the picture. How often do we, in our own way, rebuke our Lord when He makes known to us His will for us or for others that doesn’t fit in with what we imagine it should be.
“… for all the earth is mine;”
(Exodus 19:5 ESV)
As I read these words God spoke to Moses to convey to the children of Israel, I had a picture of us as ants running around before God, pictured as the human being in this scenario. The difference between this scene which I imagined and reality is that we don’t make the ants, they are just much smaller than us and at our mercy (even the vicious ‘soldier ants).
As we step into December, a month where Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus, I would like to put the spotlight on what I believe is the key thing to remember, ponder over, give thanks for and celebrate – God’s love for us. This season gives us just that opportunity because the only reason Jesus left His glorious estate in Heaven to come humbly and be born as a human being is love – for the Father and for us.
Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. (Psalm 69:9 NLT)
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” (John 2:17 ESV)
The ‘house’ of the Lord is no longer a physical building – the temple – but is now the body of Christ made up of those who have believed in Christ and have been translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of Christ. The house of the Lord is the Church of God made up of individual disciples of Christ, popularly called Christians.
The question I asked myself this morning is this: Is zeal for the house of God consuming me? In other words, am I consumed by the building up of the body of Christ?
We are living in strange times when the world is under siege by a viral pandemic. Naturally, people are afraid. However, I wonder if it is ‘natural’ for a follower of Christ to be afraid or perhaps, better put, if we are meant to respond like natural (mere) men. I understand being initially afraid when something scary suddenly happens but as we sit back and process the events, surely the truths that we have believed should cause faith to arise and fear to leave.
I realize that for some people, there is the fear of economic hardship following this pandemic but I think the greater fear pervading the entire world is the fear of death. For as many as have not acknowledged their sinful state and accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as payment for their forgiveness and who therefore do not have eternal life, they sure do have a reason to fear death. For those who have eternal life, the question remains: Why are you afraid to die?
This morning, a common phrase came to mind: “Don’t take life too seriously.”
I thought about it for a bit and found that I don’t agree with that statement. My conclusions after pondering over it a bit are as follows:
1. Take life seriously
Life is serious business indeed. We are constantly planting seeds in our thoughts, words, and actions that yield fruit that we have to consume, good or bad. We are constantly making choices and, as the cliché goes, our choices then make us. In other words, we have to face the consequences of our choices. Does any of this sound like fun and games to you?
I found myself wondering during the Christmas season why we praise and worship God. This question arose because I have heard so, so many times at prayer meetings or during praise sessions the charge to praise/worship the Lord because of x, y and z He has done for us. Being the end of the year, there was the usual emphasis on having stayed alive and ‘made it’….for which God is worthy of our praise. This implies to me, then, that if God didn’t do x, y or z for me, He is not worthy to be praised. In fact, this conclusion is driven home by how so many have modified the original lyrics of Wale Adenuga’s song ‘Today o’. In the original song, the lyrics are: