We are all guilty of the rather casual way in which we treat matters relating to God - as if He is our grandfather or Santa Claus. He is much more than that. Our God is a sovereign God. He is the all-mighty God, to the extent that the earth is His footstool. He is awesome. He exists beyond the limits of time – not having a beginning or an end. He deserves all the respect due to Him. While He is a “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished….” (Exodus 34:6-7) Therefore we must not provoke Him to anger.
Many there are who rarely make reference to Him throughout the day as if we are self-propelled objects. We live lives that exclude our Creator. We have framed worlds where God is considered an outsider, not even a referee. We have kicked Him out of our homes and out of our schools and still wonder why things are in such topsy-turvy shape.
We believe we can fend for ourselves, and do not need a God-image around us until trouble strikes. Then we cry our hearts out for help. Thus, for many He has become a crisis-God. I have news for you, God is still in control. He has the final say. God is a reality and we need to come to terms with the truth that without Him we can do nothing.
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
We are called to hunger and thirst after righteousness. That should be the food for our souls. Seeking to do what is right is what is pleasing in God’s sight. If we focus on living righteous lives, then we can count on His unflinching support. Then, we can make it.
Living by God’s precepts is living right, beyond reproach. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Indeed those who seek God will find Him. “If you seek Him, He will be found.” (1 Chronicles 28:9) Prophet Isaiah wrote, “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” (Isaiah 55:6) The Word of God is always speaking to us, if we care to listen. All He has to communicate to us is contained in His Word, the Bible. If only we would find time to dig deep; for His word not only gives life, but it brightens our path. (Psalm 119:105)
Your treasure
Our Lord Jesus admonishes us to think of where we place our wealth or our possessions. There are only two options - either we place them in heaven or we place them on earth. In the latter option, it can be in treasury bills, in real estate, in shares or in the bank. In any of these places we are bound to lose them one day, conscious of the fact that we cannot take them with us to the grave. Amassing wealth indiscriminately, making sure we satisfy our cravings for electronic gadgets, designer clothing, driving expensive cars are described as ‘chasing after the wind.’ All such actions are futile because we know neither the day nor the hour when we shall leave this earth.
Our Lord Jesus warns that our treasures are more secure in heaven where there is no rust, no thieves and no cockroaches. In this world everything, without exception, must come to an end. Wherever we put our treasures, that is where our hearts will be. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) We must get our priorities right. Nobody has died taking all his/her possessions along to the grave.
Wondering in the wilderness
An eleven-day journey from Egypt to the land of Canaan took the Children of Israel forty years. It might sound improbable, but true. They went up to the frontier but they did not enter because of unbelief. Since Abraham’s era, God had promised to give his descendants a land that they would live in. However, they had to possess it. In spite of the lofty challenges on the way, God had equally promised He would never leave them. Nevertheless, when the Children of Israel saw the giants that occupied the land God had promised to give them, they panicked.
Out of the 600.000 men - not counting women and children - that left Egypt, only two, Caleb and Joshua, entered the Promised Land. Throughout the journey, the Children of Israel did not stop grumbling and murmuring against God for food, for water. They rebelled against their leaders and were crippled by fear at the thought of facing their enemies. At the least discomfort, they were up in arms against their leaders, Moses and Aaron, to the point of wanting to stone them.
We must be careful how we behave vis-à-vis God’s plan for our lives. Who is dictating the tune, God or ourselves? Who must we listen to? Who is in the driver’s seat? We cannot claim to want to drive our lives ourselves and still be dependent on God for anything!
It is foolish to think for a second that we own our lives and therefore can do anything we like with it. Oh no! Our lives belong to the Maker of heaven and earth. Therefore, He has full control over it. We are merely stewards of it.
God’s word is like a testament written in your name. To possess whatever has been bequeathed to you, you must first read its contents. Who are you in God’s eyes? What has He reserved for you in this world? Nothing of it is hidden. All of it is contained in His Word - the Holy Bible. He loves you so much, He sent His Son to die for your sins. He said of His Son: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” (Matthew 17:5) Would you?
