As the end of all things is near, Christians should be fervent in serving the Lord. As stated in the above scriptures, God has given all believers gifts. Each of us is responsible for using our gifts for the Lord. If we are not close enough to God to recognize what He has given us, we will flounder in expressing God to the world. Sometimes, Christians are like people who fear death and therefore whistle by the graveyard, pretending that either the end of the world is not near or that they will not find an end in that graveyard. Without recognizing God’s imminent return in our lives, we often function by placing as much gaiety in our existence as possible. Otherwise, we attempt to do what the world does so well, avoid questions of eternity or spiritual matters. We blend in with the attitudes and behaviors of the secular environment in which we live so well that few people know us as Christians. Sometimes our Christian culture and activities do assuage our conscience concerning our anemic testimony in the world. Of course, as some cults do, we orient ourselves more towards the family and community functions. We try to be the good, upright people in most circumstances. We attend church more than our non-Christian friends; however, if the Lord walked with us as a YMCA trainer with his client, would He see us doing anything different from the other people in the facility. Would He see our daily journey focused on him and our light shining in a dark world? Would He see our entertainment choices different from the world? Would He see the hours spent on ourselves anything different from the world? Looking into our minds, would He see our thoughts different from the world? Would He see his people whistling by the graveyard, pretending we will never have to face the Father God of all time. God knows our hearts. Hebrews say his word is powerful and as sharp as a sword, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13 NKJV) How difficult life can be for us when we are double minded: when one foot is planted solidly in the secular world and the other foot is planted tentatively in the spiritual realm. When we fail to activate the gift of God within us, life is difficult if we try to win the world for God. Life becomes chaotic when our bucket list is aimed at getting the most out of life before we die. Our mantra becomes secularized: live life to the full, for you go around only once. But a Christian’s mantra in life should be focused on obedience to the will of God and not on our fleshly wills. As Peter states in today’s verses, we should aim to please God by activating all the gifts and strength within us: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. We should speak fervently for God; we should practice hospitality graciously and wholeheartedly; we should serve with love and concern. We should do everything in this life with the strength God provides. Why? So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
How easy it is to stand back and criticize Christians for being lukewarm? How easy for the writers of this breakfast to discuss the tendencies of the flesh. In fact, criticism and harsh judgments are not good incentives to keep the Spirit of God active in our lives. The law does not inspire, it condemns. “Should be different,” “ought to be different,” do not help much in living for Christ. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17 NKJV) Hallelujah, we are new creatures, transformed by the blood of Jesus. Our focus should be on that fact, not on where we fail. We are new—this world has nothing for us or in us. In fact, as we have discussed before in our breakfasts, this world is not going to be redeemed, restored. A new world will be created: the end of all things is near. The old man has not been redeemed, restored; a new man has been created. We are to walk in that newness. How do we do that? We are corrupted by sin, our fleshly bodies are so terminal! Our understanding of God and eternity rests in the life and activities of Jesus Christ who gives us eternalness. None of us can imagine what this gift of eternal life is truly like, for we are limited by the constructs of time, living finite lives. The fence of time surrounds us, confines us. The flesh in its temporary state finds it impossible to imagine life beyond that fence. As Christians, we know the infinite and the divine through the actions and words of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus is the perfect representation of God; of course, Christ was God, the Son on Earth. As Jesus said, No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:46-51) Jesus tells us how to live a life in the Spirit. Daily, we pick up the manna that God has provided for us, manna that will sustain us as we walk through the wilderness. Now of course, we know the manna in one sense is the written word of God, but manna to the Christian, also includes the voice of God within us. We do not walk only by the written word, for the letter of the law can condemn us, but we should be deeply invested in reading the Word of God. Without the Spirit energizing the word, we are internalizing it only as wisdom and knowledge. But this is not what Jesus desires, the manna is his living body—the living Word. We are to eat of him for when we do, we eat and do not die. The written word is good, essential, but it must provide us with more than knowledge and wisdom. The written word must help us partake of Christ, providing us the daily nutrients of a Christ-like life. The Spirit of God activates the Christ in us. Our gifts will be activated each day for God’s purposes. Our speech, our countenances, and our actions will be his. We do not live by the law or good intentions. We do not live by what we “ought to do” or “should do.” When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He said, It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV)
We are God’s instruments on Earth. We are his light on Earth. He did not say that we ought to be lights or should be lights; He said we are lights! You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) Therefore, we should agree with Jesus’ words. If we are what He says, we do shine, whether we know it or not. Now we can shine incognito, hardly noticeable by the world because our identification marks are so close to the world’s likeness, or we can show our light brilliantly and clearly because of our identification with Jesus Christ. To know Jesus is every Christian’s desire. To know him, we must pick up the word and read it; to know him, we must be in constant communication with him. To know him, we must continually ask him to do a deeper work within our spirits. Sometimes, we have experiences that are damaging to our self-willed nature. Maybe we did not get the job we desired or the promotion we sought. Maybe our relationships with others are deteriorating. Maybe sickness has come to our bodies with damaging effects on how we live. Maybe the vicissitudes of life seem intractable, unsolvable. Maybe? Maybe? Regardless of where you are today, know that God is there with you. The Spirit of God is the Trainer that stays by your side, asking you to try methods or attitudes that you have never attempted before. The Trainer is always whispering in your ear, telling you that you can endure through anything. In Romans 8, we read, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. God has partnered with you to make you a great light in your community, in your family, in your surroundings. We read in the Psalms, The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalms 138:8) We started this breakfast with a lot of should’s and ought’s for Christians. But the Trainer does not talk to us in that way. He tells us we can do all things, we are God’s children, He is with us, He gives us strength, we can trust him and He will stay with us until the end. Once when Mom was attempting a very difficult task, a friend called her and said, “I see you going through the day, saying, ‘I think I can, I think I can.’ God wants you to say, ‘I know I can, I know I can!’” She was right. That is what God says to us today. Dear friends, use your gifts, reveal Christ in you. For sure, ENDURE TO THE END. Remember what we read in Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
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