The Gospel Speaks Today

The year is ending, it is New Year around the corner. How prepared are we for the new year, 2023?

Being the best that I can be is a mantra, a slogan, a guiding statement worth aspiring to now, in the coming year, and always.

It translates to the following practical statements.

• In my profession, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
• In my relationships at home, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
• In my relationships  at work, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
• In my community, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
• In my own small world, irrespective of its size, I shall seek to be the best that I can be.
• In trying to earn an income, I do my level best, diligent and determined and work hard with transparent integrity.
• It is convenient and easy to criticise another person, what about me, what about you, are we consciously making efforts to be the best that we can?
• It is the in-thing, the politically correct practice, to criticise and even condemn politicians. No one says that what is bad is good. But what about you?
• Do we make deliberate efforts to do what is right all the time to glorify the Lord, who always watches and sees what we do?

Some Bible verses to consider on this subject, include the following:

1. Matthew 5: 48:  “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”.
2. Leviticus 11:44:   “Be ye holy even as I am holy.”
3. Titus 2:11-14 : “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works”.

Conclusion: The debate has been on-going, whether a person can be perfect here on earth.  Certainly, it borders on lack of humility for anyone to claim to have arrived. No one is good but God alone, so the Lord says, Mark 10: 18.

This of course does not encourage us to continue in any unwholesome and bad behaviour of which we may be guilty at present, because it is the Lord who also commands: “Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is.” Matthew 5: 48. Therefore, we need to make efforts to discard such undesirable behaviours.

In spite of our personal views on attaining perfection, none of the passages quoted in the foregoing paragraph encourages us to be quarrelsome and always overly negative and critical in almost all our public and private statements.

The challenge is for us to be a reflection of the Lord in seeking by His help to live a life of moral excellence and be a blessing to others.

 A writer suggests that “the basic call to a person in this world is to be a reflection of the character of God. That is what it means to be created in the image of God.”

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The Bible states that “the fool has said in his own heart that there is no God”. Psalm 14:1. In everyday life, we often find some people who claim that there is no God. This, they presume, gives them the licence and excuse to live by their own rules. Some of them try, as much as convenient, to ensure that they do not contravene any public rules of law and order. They generally live in their comfort zone.

Some are generous in their interactions and spend on charity. Some live normal lives, trying to be gentle and practise fair play in their ways. While there is a third group whose overriding objective is to look for what is in it for them in everything they do and try to get it. For this third group, doing what is fair to all is way down in their behavioural priorities.

It has been said that there is no person who does not believe in anything. He says he does not believe in God but he believes in himself and just lives for himself. He spares himself no indulgences within his chosen areas of conveniences and comfort. He makes himself an island by refusing normal communication with other people, even those who should be in his small world. In doing this, he short-changes himself by living with counterproductive short-term decisions which have no long-term values. He sadly does himself more harm than good, both in time and eternity.

He does not attempt to worship God. He excludes himself from anything that seeks to accord reverence to the Lord. He says and reasons that he has nothing to do with God, therefore God should have nothing to do with him. He tells himself that the Lord should only be concerned with those who worship and revere Him. This of course is self-delusion.

In spite of his head-in-the-sand behaviour, the Bible states clearly that: “The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand” Psalm 14:2. The truth is that all we do, including what the self-deluded person does, are being recorded by the Lord. The Lord not only sees everything each of us does but He also knows our motives. We cannot hide anything from the Lord.

Moreover, if a person does not live in obedience to God, he is living in sin.

John 3:36 states that “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Proverbs 23:26: “My son give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways”. This statement underlines the core of the matter.

From Colossians 1:16, we read that God made each individual for a purpose. It stands to reason that He cannot use the person to carry it out if he chooses not to obey Him. This is why obedience is paramount in man’s relationship with God.

This underscores why the Lord will punish those who do not know Him; “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2^nd Thessalonians 1:8.

Knowing the Lord and living in obedience to Him should not just be seen as only when the person is worshipping the Lord. No please, the Lord is interested in the total life of the person. The personal relationship with the Lord should result in getting the best out of the person for the good of his community and mankind, to the glory of God. The person could be a business professional, a scientist, a medical practitioner, indeed whatever professional, the walk with the Lord should elicit the best out of him so that he will be a delight to his society. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven, Matthew 5:16. 

Repentance is not an option; it is the only action to take. Unless you repent, there is no way you will escape, you will perish. Luke 13:5. The Lord does not desire the death of a sinner but for the sinner to arouse himself from his self-delusion and come back to Him in repentance in Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.

God knows that we cannot save ourselves or make ourselves right with Him. This is why he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the world. He lived, died to pay for the sins of all who will believe in Him, rose again, and returned to Heaven. As many as receive Him, He accepts by forgiving their sins and giving them the power to live for Him as children of God, John 1:12.

The opportunity to repent will not last forever; for “It is given unto man once to die, after that the judgement”. Hebrews 9:27. Today is the day of salvation, 2^nd Corinthians 6:2: For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Sometimes, a piece of advice is given that one should “sleep on an issue.” This means to wait to decide on the issue until the following day, after you have thought over it at night.

We read from Luke 6: 12- 13 that the Lord prayed all night, it was the next morning that He chose his disciples. The passage: “ ¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.”

It is intriguing that the Lord had been with the disciples for some time. Yet, when he wanted to choose the twelve apostles, He prayed all night before choosing them.

Often when we find ourselves trying to make a decision, we feel under pressure to get it done and over with.

In the sad story of Judas Iscariot, he felt bound by the desire to betray the Lord and earn thirty pieces of silver. He had reasoned it all out and was sure that he had it all wrapped up. He convinced himself that the Lord would slip off as He did in the past. Sadly, the Lord was arrested and was about going to be crucified. It then dawned on Judas, that he had betrayed the Lord. He then went on to hang himself.

One lesson to takeaway here is that we should not rush through a controversial decision. If we do, it may end up blowing up in our faces. Therefore, when the urge to decide knocks, we should learn to slow down or even dismiss it.

We could give ourselves twenty four hours at least to think things through and prayerfully weigh its consequences.

Also, in case of Judas, he was a thief as he helped himself to the apostle’s fund as the treasurer. Judas Iscariot “was a thief and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6).

It was sad that in spite of all the warnings from the Lord, Judas did not repent. The Lord said:  “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

The Lord also warned that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

It is sad that in spite of all these warnings, Judas was bent on going on with the Lord’s betrayal blinded by his desire to earn thirty pieces of silver and refusing to repent of his sinful habit of getting money in questionable ways. He ended up committing suicide. “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” Proverbs 29:1

In conclusion, we should not hurry to make decisions, give ourselves time to think on the issues involved. Also, importantly is it morally correct or questionable? We should  not go on with it if it is questionable, we may save our lives if we do not.

I wrote on this subject because I felt a burden to do so. After preparing it, however, I wondered whether I should publish on such a glaringly physical life-and-death subject with all its sensibilities and emotions. I dragged my feet until, I was jolted into the necessity of discussing the subject when on the 10^th March, I saw a billboard at a bus stop at Steyne Road, London, W3 9NU`, with the following inscription:

“UNITED ACTION AGAINST SUICIDE Today and Tomorrow.”

It was posted by the group named Campaign Against Living Miserably.

Therefore, please, here is the article.

Early in February 2023, I was close to tears when I read of two murders and a suicide committed by a man to his family and himself in the UK. There was another case before then in the US. Indeed, there are many cases in different parts of the world. I wish to suggest that the basis for the decision to commit suicide is ignorance and flawed thinking.

It would appear that the driving reason for a suicide is to get everything over and done with as far as the individual’s life is concerned. There lies the foolery.

Taking one’s life is not really the end, it is only a change to another form of existence. Moving to the new existence does not erase the realities and consequences of the current life. What is the authority for this analysis?  It is discussed next.

Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. So, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

This verse emphasises that when the current life ends, judgement follows for the deceased. Therefore, committing suicide is no escape from the problem of the here and now but only moves the problem to the other existence with its consequences.

In effect, the suicidal act has not helped rather it worsens the situation. It is ignorance of the futility of the act that causes someone to embrace it.  If one realises that one’s situation is worsened by the act, then the resort to it should be repulsive and not attractive.

The way out of the dead end that drives and elicits the suicide is to surrender to the Lord Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest, Matthew 11:28

Committing one’s life to the Lord Jesus Christ and surrendering to Him is the better way.  His invitation is that we should come to Him irrespective of our burdens and problems. The guarantee is that He cares and shares the problem with you. The solution that you desire may not result immediately or even later but the guarantee is that He will lead you in the way He considers best in your circumstance if you will let Him do so by surrendering and agreeing that He leads you.

The Futility and Folly of Committing a Suicide, there is a Better Way.