We have been commissioned as Christians to carry the true Word of God to all men. What is known in the Bible as the Great Commission has been given to all who have accepted His true salvation. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28,19-20. Our responsibility and desire should be to do what Christ has commissioned us to do. We will not gain the satisfaction that an obedient life will possess until we willingly share the gospel of His atoning blood with those in need of His eternal forgiveness. We see an example of this in the story of Philip and the eunuch. “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (Acts 8: 30-31). Showing a dying world the true mercy and forgiveness of God is what living the Christian life is all about. In the past, I have failed in this area of my life, but I have now learned this is something I cannot do on my own. A willingness to witness is only effective when we are in God’s power and under His total leadership. When we stand where He has intended, His immeasurable love will be permitted to shine through us and cause those in darkness to see all He has provided. As the Holy Scriptures inform us, those who are ignorant of His goodness are in need of those to guide them. The most rewarding place one can be is in that place of service. Sharing the gospel with those in need of God’s forgiveness will not go un-rewarded. It is in this place that we can experience truly abundant living.
As we witness, we must be aware of the many vices of Satan. Many discussions are not a genuine effort to establish what is true but are only to perpetuate an established belief or a lie. Such discussions are destructive and cause confusion. Why is it so many of us are eagerly accepting of something that we know deep in our hearts, is a lie, but are slow to accept what has been proven to us to be the truth? There is no real value in anything proven to be untruthful, but the truth will always lead us in a way that is prosperous and sustainable. When you are being honest with yourself, you are at peace; when you know that what you stand for is of the highest integrity, then you can walk uprightly, giving honor and praise to the One who has placed you in that position. It is not about you or me; it is always about our Creator, who has loved us and given Himself for us. Being truly honest allows no room for gray areas, but when those areas do exist, we have the obligation and duty to expose and abolish them. In truth, humanity does not rival perfection; we all have flaws. But we are not to be consumed by them; we are only to spend our time eliminating them. That is not something we can accomplish on our own or in our own power. We must ask His assistance and strength to become what He wants us to be. There is very little in life we can accomplish on our own. In so many ways, we are very helpless. When we become cognizant of this fact, we can gain maturity and begin to grow.
There are simply so many things we cannot do on our own, and it becomes foolishness when we choose not to allow someone to help us. It is total ignorance to allow ourselves to do without, simply because we are stubborn or shy. Refusing a brother’s help can make our lives miserable and unproductive. What you are willing to give, you should also be willing to receive, and not allowing someone to be of assistance can also be considered selfish and thoughtless. We should allow ourselves many hours in prayer, seeking God’s will for our lives. When we have the advice of God’s messenger, we should not err but do what we have been told to enrich and guide our lives. God’s commission is to go and tell. If we are to live a life that is truly abundant we must do as He has commissioned. There are no contradictions found in God’s Holy Word, and any mistakes can only be those mistakes that we, as his children, make by not reading and meditating upon it. Here is a poem that I wrote some time ago called “Contradiction.”
Contradiction.
So many things that are simple, we make them all complex
So many things unimportant, we give them significance
We squander with passion to possess, those things we don’t really need
Unwilling to spend our abundance, for things we should earnestly plead
Denying the truth that we have heard, while completely believing the lie
Show no remorse at injustice, while for the unworthy we cry
Giving our lives to depravity, unwilling for good here to stand
Offering help to the wealthy, while unto the poor there’s no hand
Our lives are all full of adversity, so why do we wonder what’s wrong
We have no belief or conviction, that helps to make our life strong
We travel the way the wind blows, our conscience being seared
Not caring about those around us, for sure we have to all appeared
How do we give our life true meaning, how do we experience true joy?
The first thing we need is a purpose, for sure that we need to employ
Quit kidding ourselves about virtue; start living a life that is right
In short we will know what is proper, because it our hearts will delight
Quit making excuse for our error, accept and confess what it is
Strive only to fix and correct it, improve to become our main bizz
Stop worrying all day about our problems, deal only with those things of grace
In a short time I’m sure you will notice, that beautiful smile on your face
Give everything over to someone, He says you should leave it with Him
Because if you’ve not made Him Master, your day should not even begin
For all joy and peace are from Jesus, contradictions are not found in Him
In Him your life will have purpose, the battles you fight you will win
The life that you lead will be better, it’s your choice to choose what you are
You can never blame it on others, cause blaming won’t get you that far
Just follow His holy example, in a short time like Him you’ll become
And many will strive for your favor, a model like Him you’ve become
But of the far most important, you’ll not only find happiness here
But have a bright home up in heaven, with Jesus your Savior so near
Where all things will be of one purpose, to sing sweet praises to Him
You’ll enter your first day in heaven, a day that shall never find end
Original verse GLH August 2007.
The true joy in life is doing what God has intended. In order for us to be at peace with our fellow man and ourselves, we must be doing what God has told us to do. Of a truth, we are obligated to God for all His marvelous goodness, but we should not serve Him out of obligation but out of our love. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:9-11. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his
righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7-11
These verses are used primarily when we speak of tithing, but Christian giving is not only referring to or limited to the giving of our money. As we give to those around us, we become more thankful to God, the giver of all things good, righteous, and holy. What could we find more desirable? What could we find more abundant? God has said that our righteous acts to our brother are the same as doing them to Him. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’” (Matthew 25,40). What in life could be more rewarding than knowing that your Heavenly Father sees what you do and is pleased with your kindness? He has told us to be kind to one another and to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32). He has told us that without faith our works are dead (James 2:17). As we go by faith expressing the love that He has planted in our hearts; we are showing our allegiance and faithfulness. As we strive to honor Him and we fulfill His commission to go, let us be forever appreciative of His love for others as we continually thank Him for His love for us.