God's Concerns versus Human Concerns

"From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." (Matthew 16:21-23, NKJV)

"Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23, CSB)

Jesus, our Lord and Savior was focused. His mind was made up about His impending crucifixion. There would be no compromise, no retraction, no giving up, no backing down, no self-pity, no pointing of fingers to X, Y  or Z but a total acceptance of God's will in spite of the pain, agony, suffering, hostility, insults, mockery, abuse, torture, etc., He was going to experience. Jesus knew that ahead of Him, in just a few days, lay the most excruciating death ever experienced by an individual. Yet...He stuck to God's plans, not because it was a bed of roses or an easy path but because it was the only way to set us (you and I) free from the bondage of sin and the devil. 

Peter was concerned about other things, even though they were legitimate, humanly speaking. He allowed carnal thoughts to pervade his mind, not understanding the seriousness of Jesus' statement. Peter's thoughts and his expression of them echoed Satan's diabolical ideas that are intended to keep mankind in perpetual bondage. Oh, the things the devil would do to keep God's people in ignorance and bondage! This gives rise to the question - 'What are you concerned about?' You see, your concerns, in more ways than one, dictate the direction of your life. They reveal what your focus is and they give an indication of what you hold dear. No wonder Jesus stated, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Luke 12:34)

The question, 'Where is your treasure?' is very appropriate at this point. Is your treasure here on earth or in Heaven? Some say, 'Let me finish my life here on earth, then I will think about Heaven'. It sounds logical at first but such a statement reveals ignorance of the sequence of life. When one dies, there is one of two places his or her spirit will go to, either hell or Heaven. There is no purgatory, no sitting on the fence, no other choices and a finality about one's destination which is a consequent of one's choices here on earth. Basically, life on earth is the first part of eternity that all (without exception) will experience. 

When our concerns are Heavenward, our endeavours become part and parcel of God's concerns for us and the whole of mankind. We become engrossed in an eternally exquisite plan to bring God's perfect will to fruition. Our earthly existence becomes an outward demonstration of our eternal purpose as ordained by God before the very foundation of the world. The Bible says in Ephesians 1,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved" (vs. 3-6, NKJV)

It is obvious that God's plans for our lives were not conceived at the spur of the moment. They were plans designed before the world was created, before we entered our mothers' wombs, before we were aware of His existence and what He has put in place for our redemption. It was a fool proof plan that noone but ourselves could thwart simply because at the end of the day, the powerful tool of choice is ours to wield. Unfortunately, many have used this valuable tool to inflict themselves with sorrow and sadly eternal damnation. We all have concerns and the question is what are yours? Are they aligned to God's concerns or are they alienated from His concerns? The irony is that God has given us the freedom to choose our concerns because of His love and respect for us. However, time and time again some think, for whatever reason, that they are in control. A sad case of presumptuousness!

Almighty God in His graciousness told the children of Israel in words that apply today, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)

This is topmost amongst God's concerns. His love for us is unparalleled and it makes perfect sense for us to love Him completely without reservation. The interesting thing is that His love for us is perfect - nothing more could be added to make it more complete - and He gives each and everyone one of us the privilege to express our love for Him increasingly. It could never be said that anyone was not given the wonderful opportunity and privilege to love the everlasting Father; the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God; the great I AM THAT I AM and the Creator of the universe. We have been invited into a loving relationship with God, one without which we cannot achieve our full potential because potential is itself God's creation. Awesome!

You see, this magnificent story strikes home when we consider what Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). Put bluntly, Jesus was saying no endeavour is worth anything (irrespective of the applause of men and accolades received) if He is not at the centre of it. The simple truth is that as branches we cannot exist without the Vine (Jesus). Oh yes, we may put up a show and pretend to be in control or even living a life of productivity and fruitfulness but without Jesus our efforts and toils are all in vain. Something to think about!

So once again, all of us are faced with the question, 'What are your concerns?'. I was challenged recently by what Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 6,

"'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (vs. 19-21) 

It is impossible to lay treasures on earth and have your heart in Heaven. Many Christians today have their treasures on earth. The only difference between them and unbelievers is that they mention the Name of Jesus more often. They are intelligent and probably sincere but misguided as they seek earthly recognition, thinking erroneously that they would eventually feel significant. Significance comes only from the Creator who is God Almighty. Again, we are faced with another question, 'Where are your treasures?' Interestingly, treasures laid on earth would be glittery and attractive but their longevity is but a few years. Whilst giving the impression that they will last forever, they are basically temporary and will eventually fade away. What a waste of time, effort and energy to be consumed by temporariness, the fading glory of morning dew, and the sandy foundation of a collapsible edifice!

My dear brethren, God has placed us on this earth for a purpose which can be accomplished by His grace and in accordance with His will. Like late Jim Reeves sang, 'This world is not my home, I'm just passing through'. This world is a temporary station, and trying to make it your home is an exercise in futility. Think about eternity and God's magnificent concerns and your life will never lack purpose and fulfilment in the Name of Jesus. God bless you.

Are You Preaching The Gospel?

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!...For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:16, 19-22, NKJV)

Apostle Paul did not consider preaching the Gospel as something extraordinary. He felt, for a Christian, it was the obvious thing to do. He did not expect to receive accolades, applause and commendations from people for preaching the Gospel. He considered it to be one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any truly born-again Christian. As far as he was concerned there were no excuses. It was a God-given task that had to be accomplished at all times. Do you feel that way about the Gospel?

Let us remind ourselves that Apostle Paul was simply obeying the command of Jesus, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). His commitment to Jesus and understanding of the Gospel, I believe, motivated his determination to reach all people by all means necessary. No stone was to be left unturned.

In Romans 1:16, Apostle Paul writing to the Roman believers stated, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." A reluctance to preach the Gospel is an indication of an underlying apprehension of the Gospel. For a true Christian, the communication of the Gospel should be like inhaling and exhaling air. The Gospel should be our manifesto. Incidentally, many Christians have been deceived by the devil to think that our needs are the top priority of our lives. Nothing is farther from the truth. In terms of priority, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness comes first (Matthew 6:33). What is the Gospel?

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve." (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus for the sins of mankind is the summary of the Gospel. Why did Jesus come to earth? That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). By keeping silent about the Gospel, we do the people of the world a great injustice; we become participants in the devil's scheme to keep as many people as possible ignorant of the truth and power of the Gospel. We don't have to look too far to find out what our primary calling is - PREACHING THE GOSPEL. God calls every Christian to preach the Gospel and be a witness for Jesus. You do not need a pulpit for the preaching of the Gospel; you don't have to be an apostle a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, a teacher to preach the Gospel. The moment you are born again, God ordains you into the ministry of reconciliation and you become a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The question before you is: Will you preach the Gospel? The message of the Gospel is so simple and can be understood by everybody irrespective of race, background, beliefs or inclinations. God is calling you today to be a minister of the Gospel. You have the responsibility to tell people about Jesus in your area of influence. Will you?

Finally, we must be aware that the consequences for not preaching. "Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand." (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

We are watchmen appointed by God to be on the alert for souls. Remember, there is no exit from hell. If you miss Heaven, you can never miss hell. There is no purgatory and no second chance once life on earth is over. Our neighbors, friends, acquaintances, enemies must be warned of the impending danger and also given an opportunity to make intelligent decisions about God, Jesus and salvation. Granted that it is customary to feel overwhelmed by the requirement to preach the Gospel, we must depend on God. It's not by might or power but by the grace of God (Zechariah 4:6). God bless you and empower you to be a vessel of honor in His hands bringing the Good News to as many people as God brings your way. Have a blessed day.