Time and Chance

The Almighty's Time and Chance

Most of us have come across
Ecclesiastes 9: 11, in which king Solomon said,

"I have seen something else under the sun: 
The race is not to the swift 
or the battle to the strong, 
nor does food come to the wise 
or wealth to the brilliant 
or favor to the learned; 
but time and chance 
happen to them all."

While the verse of Scripture holds true and everyone can relate to it from one life experience or the other, the Truth that time and opportunity ultimately affects the outcome or success of every endeavour, has caused many to ponder that "if such major factors are not under man's control, then why bother puting in any effort?"

Gods "set time" and "window of opportunity", are the "God Factors" in life that remind us that we need God in everything we embark upon. 
These factors help us appreciate the Sovereignty of God Almighty and therefore His ability to wade into the matters of men at will.

In Romans 9: 15, God said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

God's mercy and compassion is the only wild card or short cut that the disadvantaged majority in the world we live in - rely upon.

God, by His mercy and compassion for the less fortunate and those who have sought a constant loving relationship with Him, suspends natural laws and conventions to favour the lost, needy, faithful and poor, so that mankind will come to the understanding of the eternal truth that man shall not live by works but by faith in Him - for good success in all of life's endeavours.

God may have made one man swift and allowed the other to be slow but because of His sovereign will or His reply to the cry of the lost, needy, poor or faithful, He'll organize a miracle that will change the status quo.
Earths physical laws and conventions dictate that "a race be to the swift and the success of a battle be to the strong," but since He is the God of the physical and spiritual, earthly and human facts give in to Biblical truths; the ephemeral gives in to the eternal.

Success in God's scheme of things is not just by human effort but by understanding and taking advantage of the Time and Chance God makes available.

Now don't get me wrong. Everything has it's place in life. 
Excellence in one's endeavour also has a place in God's scheme of things.

Swiftness, Strength, Wisdom, and Brilliance are all things God desires that we work towards and excel in, but His creation must build up these qualities of excellence that He alone be glorified, as in Matthew 5: 16, where it is written, "... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Hebrews 11: 39 - 40, talks about how our forefathers of the faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, the parents of Moses, Moses himself, the people of Israel that crossed the red sea on dry land, Rahab the prostitute, the prophets, etc, were all commended for their faith, even though none of them received what had been promised, because God had planned something better for them so that only together with them would it be made perfect.

Therefore, all the better things that God had planned for us so that only together with us could they be made perfect requires our own faith for it to be established. 
What that means is that we have a part to play in God's scheme of things, in God's good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives, and the first effort God requires from us is just simplyour faith in buying into the promises He made concerning His people in the Holy Writ through Jesus Christ.

Apart from God's sovereign use of Time and Chance in our lives, that is, Gods day of visitation and Open heavens; is our own Preparation for it. 
Our Faith in Jesus to achieve godly success in our lives, that will ultimately glorify Him is the most important part of the Preparation between time, chance and fulfillment,... so let's be faithful.

The Armour of God (3)

The Armour of God (3)

The Armour of God can be simply acquired by one's faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as one's personal Lord and Saviour.

In Romans 10:17, it is written that, 
"..., faith comes from hearing the message, ..... the word about Christ."

After been drafted, God's spiritual armour "in us"can be maintained by:

1. Building up our faith through imbibing the Words of Christ regularly so that we are always abreast with His commands and principles that we may live by them constantly, and

2. As Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus said in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 
we are to join fellow followers in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, as no one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
The use of the Armour of God comes with a conscription package as soldiers in the Lord's army that we cannot run away from. 
We are required to: 
1. follow him,
2. endure suffering in the battle field, 
3. be good soldiers,
4. not to get entangled in civilian affairs, but to rather try and 
5. please the commanding officer.

These requirements cannot be met by people who have accepted Jesus Christ as just Saviour, who they beckon on when they face difficulties in life to come and deliver them from their challenges alone but by people who have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.

Many people choose Jesus to be their Saviour but not as Lord over their lives because they want to be in complete control and live life on their own terms.

They know that having Jesus as Lord entails having him as one who has power and authority to exercise leadership over them and don't want that part of the package.

Jesus Christ in Luke 9:23, emphatically required from all who would choose to follow him these 3 things:
1. denial of self,
2. taking up the burdens of others daily, and 
3. to come after him.

Finally, the Armour of God can only be assessed and used with ones acceptance of Jesus as both Saviour and Lord. 

The Armour of God (2)

The Armour of God (2)

The Armour of God is exactly what it is called.
It is God's spiritual, defensive and offensive protective covering for the salvation of people who have enlisted themselves in to His army through faith in Christ Jesus, the commander of the armies of God.

It is God's armour and if one is not in Christ, one cannot possess it and such a person is totally vulnerable to the attack of the ancient enemy of our souls, the devil.

The belt of truth buckled around our waist, seems to signify that the truth of the Word of God that we know, holds together the body armour that we need apart from the sword and shield to protect ourselves from the enemies attack.
So we must speak the truth at all times so that the shield doesn't come undone because we choose to speak the devils language of lies and therefore invite him into our situation.

The breastplate of righteousness in place connotes us having a right standing (relationship) with God - not because of our deeds but because of our faith in God and His Word concerning us.

Our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace seems to imply that the knowledge of the gospel of the Prince of peace should give us all the zeal we need to spread the gospel wherever we find ourselves.

We are to take up the shield of faith as we cannot defeat the evil one if we do not practice our faith by extinguishing and rebuffing the enemies flaming arrows of deceit and doubt with the word of God that we know to be the truth, and not the situations and circumstances around us.

In my minds eye, I can see a beautifully adorned helmet of salvation, a glorious headgear we wear, that conveys the confidence we have of our salvation as a result of our faith and acceptance of Christ Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God depicts the spiritual  weapon empowered by the Word of truth we have stored in our hearts and fed our spirit with, to rebuff the evil one and his schemes.

God requires that as He commanded in the beginning, "let there be light!" that we also boldly confess His very words concerning how things should be rather than accept what we perceive or experience in the physical that Satan may have distorted.

Finally, we are to be alert and constantly praying in the Spirit, on all occasions and with all kinds of requests for ourselves and for all the Lord's people.

This is a component of the armour of God that some fail to acknowledge but that is meant to help us watch the back of our fellow soldiers who cannot see the enemy sneaking up behind them to attack.

As Christians we sometimes fail to pray for those who have brought us up spiritually, as most of us have the wrong notion that they are too defended and high up the ladder to need such. 

We all need to correct this as we are admonished to "be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

Our insensitivity in not heeding this command will definitely affect how others watch our backs as well, as it is what we sow that we should expect to reap. 

The Armour of God

The Armour of God (1)

All  we'll ever need as Christians to be victorious in our temporary sojourn - in the type of lifestyle we have been born to live here on earth  has been spelled out in Ephesians 6:10 to 18, which goes thus:

10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 
11. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 
12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 
13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 
14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 
15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 
16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 
17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

We are clearly admonished to strengthen ourselves in the Lord and access His mighty power by putting on His "FULL" armour, so that we can take our stand against the devil's schemes (and not just parts of it as it's convenient for us).

We are encouraged to wear all the various elements that make up His "full" armour as we go about fulfilling God's purposes for our lives so that whenever a evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground, and after we have done everything that is needfull, to remain steadfast in the Lord - no matter the outcome of the battle.

Lifes daily challenges, the spiritual struggles we must contend with, which manifest in the physical reality we live in are not against flesh and blood, as many erroneously think but against the rulers and authorities - powers of this fallen and dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms that empower them.

There are 7 elements that make up the "full" armour of God.
Our Lord and Saviour requires we are fitted and ready to use all of them in our daily lives for

our own good.
That we live ready, prepared for any day evil presents itself against the purposes of God for our lives.

There is no particular order we are to put on the various parts of God's armour as the 7 elements make up the full intricate piece.
We must have all of them in place as all make up the salvation package we signed up to when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

Going into battle without understanding and accessing the full package will leave one vulnerable to the devices of the evil one.

A town built on a hill "CANNOT" be hidden

A town built on a hill "CANNOT" be hidden.

In Matthew 5:13 to 16, it is written:
13. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The portion of Scripture above is indeed an intriguing one and one worthy of being subjected to the Holy Spirits interpretation so that it's true efficacy is not lost on us.

On one hand we are defined as the salt of the earth and made to know that we are capable of losing our saltiness whilst on the other hand we are encouraged by the truth that we are the light of the world but unlike our characteristic as salt, we are like a city built on a hill that CANNOT be hidden.

Note that God's word does not say a city built on a hill that should not or must not be hidden but emphatically states that we are like a city built on a hill that "cannot" be hidden.

Verse 15 of Matthew 5 uses the analogy that people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl but instead they put it on its stand so that it gives light to everyone in the house to buttress the point that people of God (Christians) do not have the capacity to hide the light that Jesus Christ has shed abroad in their hearts.

The efficacy of Jesus the light of the world to illuminate and transform to the utmost can be understood and appreciated by wrapping ones mind around John 1:5, which says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

That is indeed a comfort and more importantly a promise we can anchor our faith on and therefore shine the light of our Lord and saviour resident in us no matter how dark a situation in life may be.

In John 1:9 it is also written concerning our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ that "the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world."

The result of this portion of God's word in light of the aforementioned one is that we are the light of the world and our light cannot be hidden because the source of our light is from the true light that gives light to everyone as in John 1:12, who believe in his name and are therefore heirs to His nature.

Finally, as in Matthew 7:24, If you choose to who hear the words of Christ and put them into practice you will surely be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.... a town built on a hill that "CANNOT" be hidden.

Armed with the truth of what you now know go forth in that unquenchable light.

Let this be your confession on a daily basis until the truth of God's word becomes the lifestyle God intended it to be in your life:

"I am the light of the world and like a city built on a hill I cannot be hidden.
I will always let my light shine before others, that they may see my good deeds and glorify my Father in heaven. In Jesus name. Amen.

What have you done with Jesus?

What have you done with Jesus?

What have you done with Jesus today? 
If Jesus was alive today and you were one of his disciples you would have to relate with him and learn from him daily about the establishment of the INFLUENCE of his fathers heavenly Kingdom on earth.

Although we don't have him physically around us now we have his "autobiography," which is the Bible and God expects we get to know about His will & His ways so that we can relate with Him on a daily basis, like we would if he were with us.

So before I go to sleep at night i try to remember to ask myself the life-changing feedback of my day, "What have I done with Jesus?"

"What have I done with the word of God i purposefully made time out for to learn, or the one I heard when I chose to go to church or any other medium (invited or not)?

The reason why you need to take that questions seriously can be appreciated by wrapping your mind around the all too important Scripture of John 17:3.

John 17:3 says, 
"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

In a nutshell what the scripture says is this: 
Eternal life, that is, whether you will spend eternity with God or not, will be determined by the knowledge of God and Jesus (the Word of God) that you know.

So the question you need to ask yourself now is this, "How much of God & His Word do I need to know per time to make heaven?"

A lot of us Christians if asked about our purpose here on earth would erroneously answer by saying that it is to win souls by loving our neighbor as ourself.

While soul winning is part of the bigger picture it is just half of what we were created for andan aspect we cannot fulfil if we do not fulfil the first and most important part of our existence, as stated in Matthew 22:36 to 39, where Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was and Jesus replied: 
37... “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38.This is the first and greatest commandment.
39. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Please note that the first and greatest commandment our Lord and Saviour gave us was not to Love your neighbor as yourself but to love God with all our being and with all we've got. 

Without devotion to God and His word we cannot relate with our fellow man as we ought.

The proof that we love God and His word is evident in the time we make out of our busy schedules to get to know Him better by meditating on His word, praying, etc., and therefore being more acquainted with His will and His ways so that we can be obedient to Him as Christ was.

Now that you know what to do with Jesus you'll do well to take a closer daily and moment by moment walk with him as a true disciple and not a member of the crowd like most people really are.