2003-07-25
Good Morning Cherished Readers,
I’m led to continue delving into God’s teaching on the question: Will it be the same for all in the Kingdom of Heaven? 1 COR 9: 23-27 illuminates this topic for us. “All this I do for the Gospel’s sake. In order to share in its blessings. Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.” What Paul is saying here is that many people enter an important race to win the prize in this metaphor that he uses to explain desire for eternal life. However, only those who train hard will do well. That means developing the disciplines necessary to live a life in Christ- like daily time in the Scriptures, an active prayer life, fellowship with other believers, willingness to use one’s talents to serve Christ, learning from the circumstances of one’s life, enduring in obedient faith even when challenged by Satan to not do that, and keeping one’s eyes on the Lord at all times. When Paul is talking about “hardening my body…to bring it under control,” he is referring to doing what he can to let God equip him to deflect and reject temptation. Giving into the flesh will disqualify us from the race, if it becomes a lifestyle. I have often said that God gives us His perspective on our lives, so that we can make decisions and take actions that please Him. When we take our eyes off of His perspective, we lose the discernment we need to overcome the temptations that come our way. We also lose sight of God’s magnificent plan for us and of His marvelous attributes and accomplishments. Sadly, this can happen when our faith is weak, even after we have helped bring others to faith. While all those who endure in faith will all win the prize of eternal life, the size of the reward we receive in eternity differs depending on the way we lead our lives on earth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ explains this in MT 19: 28-30. “Jesus said to them [His disciples], ‘You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of Mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or children or fields for My sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life. But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first.” Dear Ones, Christ is telling us that He must be our first priority, even before the things and people he named in this passage. This is a question that completely changes our priorities. Before I really came to faith, I was asked who or what was my first priority in life. My answer was my dear husband, Peter. I didn’t have God’s perspective (through the Son) on that yet and thought my answer was very endearing and spiritually responsible. It was only after I came to real faith that I understood that God’s will is that He should be my first priority over my family, my job, or anything else in my life. Once I made God my first priority, then I soon realized that He would take care of Peter and those I love, as well. The other aspect of this passage that should be meaningful to us is Christ’s words in its last sentence. This makes me think of the people who were so popular back in high school who never accomplished much or had much success in their adult lives, in contrast to those who were so unpopular back then who became highly successful adults. The reason for this is the difference in priorities and measures of real success between the world view and God’s view.
We are each called upon to examine (without guilt) the way we are living. We need to see how it compares to Christ’s life. Albeit sounding trite, we must ask the question: What would Jesus do? Our Lord makes His will clear in MT 25: 40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me.’” What He refers to us doing is how we interact with and serve other people. I often get stories from believing friends about being good to people who seem repulsive to us. The moral of these stores is that we don’t know that the person we serve isn’t a potential believer or even a theophany [visible manifestation] of Christ Himself. Looks can be deceiving. We must also remember that God knows the content of our hearts. How very clear is Christ’s teaching in MT 18: 1-5 [also MK 9: 33-37 & LK 9:46-48]. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ So Jesus called a child, had him stand in front of them, and said, ‘I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who humbles himself and become like this child. And whoever welcomes in My name one such child as this, welcomes Me.’”
When we take the time to study these Scriptures, a very clear picture emerges of just who will enter the Kingdom. We are not given a clear picture of exactly what the various rewards will be for us in heaven (other than the descriptions of what eternal life in the New Jerusalem will be like in REV 21 & 22). But, our Lord gives us enough in the Scriptures to make clear His will for how we should be leading our lives while on earth in order to receive eternal life. God’s timing in making revelations to mankind over history shows us the perfection of His timing. He reveals things as we are ready to receive them for our maximum benefit. We must never forget God’s infinite wisdom and depth of love for His creation.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your altar in awe of You. How can we not acknowledge the great sacrifice You made of Your Son on the cross to give us the opportunity to be saved from sure spiritual death? Your most excellent grace extends to giving us faith in Him, the gift of the Holy Spirit, a thirst to study and learn from Your word, the chance to learn from what happens in our lives, protection against the buffeting of Satan’s fiery arrows shot at us, provision and the ability to be satisfied with what we have over always coveting, the fellowship of other believers who strengthen our faith and lend emotional support in times of trouble, and most of all, the willingness to reveal Yourself in our lives. You have made us not only Your willing servants, but You have has made us Your friends [RO 5: 9-11]. There are so many blessings, both corporate and individual, that You have given us, that it’s impossible to list them all in this prayer. We come to You as imperfect sinners in utter need of You. We recognize our own spiritual poverty and depend on You to lead us on the hard path through the narrow gate [MT 7:13-14] that leads to eternal life. Dearest Lord, we repeat the great words of PS 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path.” Because of Who You are in our lives, we are compelled to pledge that we will never knowingly do anything to interfere with Your efforts to sanctify us. Through the Scriptures and prayer, You have clarified what it takes to be a believer who pleases You. We are dedicated to doing just that. This is our vow before You. Because we are imperfect, we plead with You to guide and direct us when we slip. PS 37: 23-24 is a promise upon which we rely. “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Please, Dearest Abba, hold us each by the hand. Our eyes will be fixed on You. You bring us real peace, not the false, ephemeral peace which comes from fleshly sources. IS 26: 3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You. Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the Eternal Rock.” We find encouragement in the Psalms. PS 31: 24, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” We humbly and gratefully offer You our worship, adoration, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and utmost praise. In Christ’s name, amen.
In next week’s message, we will look at the question: Are we going to be judged for our sins? Contained in the answer to this are Scriptures we will all find precious and important to us. Two wonderful Scriptures come to mind when examining if we will yield our spirits to God. PS 119: 24, “Thy testimonies also are my delight.” I have found that the more I study the Scriptures, the more beauty, peace, meaning, and direction that I discover in my life. The other one is PS 68: 19, “What a glorious Lord! He Who daily bears our burdens also gives us our salvation.” What great comfort we can find in knowing that we don’t have to face the trials of our lives alone. He is always there to accept our burdens, if we will only have the sense to place them on His ample shoulders. MT 11: 28-30 is no empty promise on Christ’s part. “Come to Me, all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke and put it on you, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I give you is easy, and the burden is light.” It is my hope that each of you will join me in spending your days doing what you must do, given the circumstances of your individual lives, to keep your faith strong, your eyes on the prize of eternal life, and come as close to God as you can. It’s the only way I know to true and eternal happiness-my wish for you.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn