Echoing Revelation

Given that I believe that our Lord, to a degree has varying expectations of each of us based on the gifts He has given each of us and our individual spiritual maturity, I find myself a target of my own writing ... because with His help, ... I can do more ... and I can do better ...

As righteousness fades and the differences between right and wrong become increasingly obscured by the world as it continues to justify it's self serving and self centered existence, the time for decision fades also. As prophecies continue to find their moment in time to be fulfilled at Father God's direction, the foretold schedule of His plan draws closer to the earth's final act. Yet so many people remain oblivious and unresponsive to the late hour caught up in other preoccupations - and many of them are Christians.

A high percentage of people will call themselves Christian and an even higher percentage will confess that they believe in God. But which God? If one takes these facts in hand and then looks honestly at the world's societies and dealings they can only wonder. The One True God of the Bible who created the heavens and the earth laid out requirements that we must adhere to in order to be called His. He said the world would know those who belong to Him by certain characteristics and traits. Characteristics and traits that God has exemplified Himself. So when we look at the world's news, commerce, laws, and spirit as a whole, where are these people? I'm sure that each of us can identify some in our own proximity, but if there are so many, such a majority that believe in God, then why doesn't His Spirit prevail over men's actions and over our nations as a majority? If so many believe, then where is the evidence and why are they silent and timid? Is our God weak? Or is it the obvious truth that we allow ourselves to be weak? Our God is omnipotent so the answer is clear.

To truly know God means that one will have to know what He's about and everything that He's declared to be true. To believe in Him and know Him and still not follow His direction while knowing the truth is something that can only be described as insanity. Because the price of our failure is clear and it's real. More real than our worldly circumstances and more real than anything we might know outside of God. Does this mean that we'll not make mistakes or stray from what we know is right sometimes? No, we were perfectly created for God's plan, but not created perfect. However, if we truly believe, we will repent quickly of our offenses and seek His forgiveness with desperation because we believe also in what's truly at stake. The majority of our actions will be devoted to following His direction and other people will see the characteristics of the Living God in us.

Why are we here? Were we created to be like so many ants in an ant farm scurrying here and there for God's amusement? Do we really think that He takes pleasure in our busyness and the fact that so much of our attention is diverted to things other than Him? Of course it's all to satan's delight as he watches the Father's deepest desires being ignored and at times even despised, but what is the result to us? So many things are perverted in the world. So many pressures and so many demands exist to keep us moving. Then in the time that remains available to us, there are so many things presented to us for our pleasure because as the world would say we "deserve" it.

But as Christians who have studied God's Word, we know the truth of what we "deserve" and we should also know why we're here. In case any may have forgotten, by His Word we deserve our God's justice which would put us in literal flaming Hell for eternity. I'll not apologize for speaking the truth found in God's scripture and denying it won't make it go away or change what God has said. It's only by His grace and forgiveness (that none of us can ever earn to boast about) that we have a chance for anything else. It's purely a gift of undeserved mercy and one that we can never afford to stop being feverishly grateful for as long as eternity lasts. But let's go a step beyond that gift and imagine ourselves standing before the awesome and terrible throne of judgment that we WILL experience - will He even know us? Or will we find ourselves as strangers even to the God we claimed to serve in life here on earth?

Why ARE we here? Why did God create us? I can tell you with the deepest conviction that it wasn't so that we could chase the passions and comforts of our flesh. It wasn't because He gets a kick out of watching us run around like ants or by watching us sit back and let this gift of time in this life pass by. He created us for ONE reason and ONE reason only - for Himself. NOT for OURselves, let me say it again - for HIMSELF. So when we look around at our lives currently ... are we about HIM? Or about US? Remember that what we say isn't nearly as important as what we prove to Him by our actions based on what we say we believe. The things we prove to our God most loud and clear, we can prove without a word. What are we saying?

We were created to have relationship with God, to prove ourselves friends of God. I don't believe that we were ever intended to have a picturesque life of pleasure in this short time. I believe instead that we were meant to discover who God is, who we are, how dependent we are on Him and then to develop a right relationship with Him that we'll take into the life after this one. That life being the one that He actually intended for us from the moment of our creation. The time He allows us to do these things in this life is short, so you can truthfully say that it's a limited time offer.

I titled this writing Echoing Revelation because I'm not sharing anything new. The history of man's interactions with God are repeated over and over in the books of the Bible. Man's inclinations on his own are a recurring nightmare that raises it's ugly head again and again. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, read the history of Israel in the Old Testament. If you haven't read it for a while then you may have lost touch with a significant truth and I beg you to read it again from Israel's beginning to the last book. History does repeat itself as long as we let it. Man's openness to inherent wickedness was initiated when man handed the dominion over the earth to satan in the Garden of Eden and it will continue to raise its ugly head unless we continually dedicate ourselves wholly to our God.

I realize that as Christians we live under the New Testament or New Covenant. But our God in His awesome and unerring wisdom has given us such marvelous examples of how to live for and serve the Living God. As long as Israel lived according to what God told them they prospered in every way. They were miraculously victorious in battle over enemies that out numbered them many times over and they had plenty as long as they were faithful. They were fruitful and had peace. They had wealth and food and joy.

It was only when the Children of Israel, the very people that God chose to call His own became whores unfaithful to God and were adulterous in their relationship with Him that they were slaughtered in battle and suffered plagues and famine. These things being the reaction of a jealous and broken hearted God over a relationship that He treasured. He allowed these things to get their attention and turn them back to Him. When they returned to Him, He greeted them with opened arms and healed their wounds. Our God is eternally unchanging ... and we ... are now His children.

Are we truly faithful? Or are we simply telling Him with our lips what we think He wants to hear? As the bride of Christ, are we representative of our greatest love in His strength, His Spirit and our strong faithfulness to Him? Are we displaying the robe of honor, the Holy Spirit that he bestows on His promised bride? Or are we representing only our weak and wretched selves while we speak otherwise with our lips? If so, who's fooled? God? NOT!

The state of our nations, our cities, our towns and even our families will not change ... unless we bring God back into the proper place in our lives as a whole. When we put Him back on the throne and truly dedicate ourselves, not just out of duty or because we want something from Him, but because we love who He is, then things will begin to change for us also. He'll greet us with open arms and heal our wounds. Sound unlikely? Then I would beg you to remember 2 things: 1. We as individuals are an entity and the same history we find in scripture shows us that God favored individuals, even in sinful nations, that were faithful to Him. 2. If you truly believe in God and truly know Him, then you know that absolutely nothing righteous is impossible to Him. In fact, He longs to have His people back and will run to greet them. He'll do His part if we're willing to do ours. If we have His Spirit within us and are truly willing to let His Spirit speak through us and to be the hands and feet of Christ in the earth faithfully (whatever He has and will ask of us), He'll do the rest. Were do you place your faith?

On the undisclosed date that is on our God's calendar of our lives, we will stand before the terrible throne of judgment. Will it be true of us that our Savior will run to us to embrace us joyfully before the Father and declare to Him that we are good and faithful friends of God? Or will it be true that He will say that while we followed God in some things, He really doesn't know us? We were created to have relationship with God, to prove ourselves friends of God. Could we ever do too much to show our love for Him?

I prayed over this writing before I submitted it for your consideration. If it bothers you, then my purpose and my prayer have been answered. But if this is true and God's purpose is to be recognized, then you have to ask yourself why you're bothered and submit to accepting His examination and His perfect remedy without reluctance and with all humility. My continued prayer with all my heart is for your success to hear Him call you friend before the Father as He wraps His arms around you ...