BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins
to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the
will of our God and Father to whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen.”
(Galatians 1:3-5)
MEDITATION:
If someone asked you the following question,
how would you answer it?
“Do you think we are living in an evil age?”
Wars continue between countries. ISIS is terrorizing people and
challenging the foundation of Christianity. America has been
making unimaginable deals with countries that are a threat to
America and Israel. Why are they a threat? Because they hate
both America and Israel, and what they stand for.
Domestic crime is skyrocketing. Respect for life and authority is
declining at an alarming rate. Rewards for investments and hard
work are being challenged with efforts to make everyone equal,
regardless of whether they contribute (work), or not.
Governments are creating ways to make everyone slaves to them by
increasing ‘giveaways’ and destroying any incentive to work. Once
they have our dependency, they can control every facet of our lives.
National debts have reached an all-time high and as a result, many
countries are losing their independence as free nations.
National security both domestic and internationally is being decimated.
Morals and ethics are reaching an all-time low. Things that were once
talked about as activities that happen in dark corners of the world, are
now openly displayed on the airways. The decadence of people is now
broadcasted as a form of entertainment.
We could list many, many more examples of how much our country
and the world has changed dramatically from one of goodness to one
of evilness. In summary, most of us would say the answer to the
question is a resounding, “Yes!”
The next question is,
“How can we live in an evil and crumbling world?”
The answer is,
“We cling to the One who can rescue us from the evilness”
Jesus Christ lived on earth in a different time, with a different
kind of evilness. He was the One many were attracted to in those
days, because they too were living in a state of hopelessness.
They were being controlled by ruling groups, and evil rulers.
In Jesus, they found fairness, concern, compassion, and hope.
After He was crucified, buried, and resurrected, many people
discovered the importance of believing in Him as the Son of God.
With their faith in Him, they could find joy and happiness during
the good times, and they could find peace and calmness when times
were bad. Their faith in Him created a confidence to live a world of
trouble, and a hope for an eternity of peace and joy in the future.
Since He has always existed, and will continue to exist forever, and
since He is consistent and shows no prejudice, what Jesus provided
for the folks in Biblical times, is the same thing He provides for us
today.
We have the assurance that everything He did was in obedience to
the Will of God. Jesus taught us the true meaning of obedience, so
we need to include it as part of our faith. Too often people want a
full time God, but their faith and obedience is only part time.
ACTION:
The world may be falling apart, but even worse, you may feel
that your world is falling apart. How are you coping with the
things that are destroying your world? Do you know Jesus?
Have you placed your faith in Him, and are you being obedient
to God? If not, why not? The scriptures are clear in explaining
how we can cope in our world, and it is up to each of us to make
a personal choice of following those instructions.
Living for God is not like joining a club and following the rules
associated with it. Living for God is a change of lifestyle which
includes our thoughts, our ideas, our focus, our habits, our words,
our actions, our attitudes, and in essence, our total being.
Making the transition can be a challenge, however we have been
given God’s Word (bible) to assist us in our transformation. When
when we commit our lives to following the Lord, we are given two
special gifts to assist us in being transformed:
1, Holy Spirit:
Helps us in our efforts to become more like Jesus.
2. Spiritual Gift:
A special ability (designed especially for each of
us individually), to be used in serving the Lord.
These two gifts serve as confirmation that the Lord has freely
given us salvation. And with them, we are equipped to receive
His sanctification (the transformation of who we are, to who He
wants us to be).
We don’t want to stagnate our transformation, so it is important
for us to create a daily habit of praying and reading the bible.
These are two primary ways God is able to communicate with
us, and one of them (prayer) is how we can grow closer to the
Lord, and increase our fellowship with Him.
Prayer is more than voicing our requests to the Lord, it is also
a time for thanking Him for how He has blessed us, and a time
for praying for others (which is called ‘intercessory prayer’). The
good news is, God hears our prayers, and responds to them in
His own way (which may be quite different than what we expected).
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the encouragement I can
find in Your Word. Thank You for how Your Will, makes it
possible for me to survive in a world of evilness. Lord Jesus,
I kneel before You in humble gratitude for what You have
made possible for me through Your obedience to our Heavenly
Father. I want to be obedient to Him as well, in my efforts to
develop a living faith. Forgive me for my sins of selfishness
and teach me to live for You, Lord Jesus. Help me to allow
the Holy Spirit to be a part of my everyday life. Show me
my spiritual gift as confirmation that I have been saved,
and teach me how to use it in serving our God and Father ”
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