God's Delegation of Authority-use it wisely!

As Jesus stood in the judgment hall, Pilate interrogated him saying, “Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?”

Jesus answered, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:10-11)

God made man in His image. His purpose was to rule the earth like God rules the Heavens. However, God would still be all-powerful because the created can never be greater than the Creator. God made us “a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honour.” (Ps 8:5)

Since then mankind’s concept of true power has been distorted. We have forgotten that it is God who puts us in positions of influence so that we can make good decisions to benefit others, and represent the grace and nobility of God to them. We have forgotten that true power is authority exercised responsibly.

Slavery occurs when leaders become power-hungry and want prestige and wealth for themselves, but refuse to work for it. Instead they make others suffer so that they can live life in the lap of luxury. We would do well to remember that we are put in a position of power to serve, not to be a cruel taskmaster to others.

A person of true power does not boast because of his power, but recognizes that only God is all-powerful. It is this false concept of fame, position and power that is destroying our world. Business leaders look past the people, and look only for profits. When they do study how to manage people, they do it with the ulterior motive of increasing profitability! We no longer walk in truth.

We have a choice to make. Are we going to join satan’s rebellion and keep “playing god” or are we going to let God reign in our hearts, and transform us into true leaders for Him?

The novelist George Orwell wrote as follows in his satirical novel, Animal Farm: “All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It doesn’t have to be this way. It is absolute power in the wrong hands, that causes absolute corruption. Let us not let power in our hands be like a weapon in the hands of an untrained fool, which puts everyone around us in danger.

God has given each of us a certain amount of power and influence. Pray for wisdom to rule your affairs justly. King Solomon did this and as long as He obeyed God, he was the richest and wisest king that ever lived. As soon as he started focusing on himself and letting his desires have free reign over him, his life came to ruin. The story of King Solomon has a powerful lesson for all of us. 

" And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, nor honor, nor the life of your enemies, nor yet have asked for long life but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may judge My people, over whom I have made you king;wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before you, nor shall any after you have the like."-2 Chron 1:10-12

Scripture Readings: Matt 16:26, 2 Chron 1:10-12, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, 1 Kings 11:1-12 (Solomon's downfall)

The Finished Work of the Cross

Just before his death on the cross, Jesus uttered three significant words. These are recorded for us in John’s gospel (Jn 19:30) as: “It is finished.” The work of redemption had been completed, and the penalty had been paid. Salvation was freely available from that moment to anyone who would believe in the righteous Son of God.

However, the process was not an easy one. Jesus did not HAVE to leave the glories of Heaven to come to earth to be rejected and reviled by humankind, who He sought only to save. He could have left us to perish in paying the due penalty for our sins, through eternal death. However, He had made up His mind voluntarily that He would save us. He had the power to lay down His life and to take it up again; He chose of His accord to assert this power for our benefit (Jn 10:17-18).

 He could have decided to leave the work of atonement undone at any point in time prior to His crucifixion. At his arrest, He could have summoned ten thousand angels to rescue Him (Matt 26:63). However, our Saviour decided to go all the way for us. Even when His physical strength was all but exhausted, He hung on because He knew that it meant the difference between life and death for us.

In the same manner, we are called to be soldiers of the cross. Our mission is to spread the gospel to all nations preparatory to the return of our Lord in the clouds of glory. Sometimes, we feel that no one notices the work we do and conversions are few. However, we are not to give up in well-doing though we may be weary, for in due time we will receive the reward of a good and faithful servant if we do not lose heart (Gal 6:9).

Those who are involved in the work of teaching and church leadership are called to a higher responsibility and standard

(Jer 23:1-2). They must answer for leading astray those under their care, or for leaving the work concerning them unfinished. We should endeavour to leave no stone unturned in seeking the salvation of the lost, and in helping those privileged to be in His presence to remain there. We should work even harder, considering that there are many false teachers, who like ravenous wolves, disguise themselves as shepherds of the flock of God (Matt 7:15, Acts 20:29). Let not the blood of the uninformed be on our heads, but rather let us be faithful watchmen in warning others of the soon return of our Lord (Ezek 33:6, Ezek 3:20).

Let us finish the work we have been called to do, just as the Saviour’s meat and drink was to do His Father’s will and to finish His work (Jn 4:34). He finished the work He was called to accomplish on our behalf. Let us with like passion, finish the work that we have started! He has promised to be faithful to us in bringing the good work He has started in our lives to a grand completion. It is time for the great church of God to awake from our slumber and to work the works of Him who has commissioned us, for night will soon fall when no man may work (Jn 9:4).

Finding Glory in the Cross of Shame

As Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, the tears rolled down his face. The prophecies of Is 53 must have flashed through His mind and the frail garb of His humanity shuddered at the thought of the brutal death that soon awaited Him, but mostly the weight of sin that He would have to bear and the resulting separation from His Father. He faced the greatest trial of His life on earth and He faced it alone.

Every person on this earth faces trials on a daily basis. Jesus has not promised us a life of ease but He has promised to be with us “even unto the end of the world.”  In John 16:33, our Lord warned us that in this world we would have trouble, but in His mind as far He was concerned He had conquered the world even before the Cross! He did not say “I will overcome the world.” He said “I have [past tense] overcome the world”!

As followers of Christ, we are called to “take up our crosses” and follow Him (Matt 16:24). Sometimes it feels like we don’t choose our crosses, but rather they choose us. However, God has promised that He would not let any trial befall us that we are not able to bear (1 Cor 10:13). It stands to reason therefore, that the stronger in God you become, the greater your trials will be.

Even those who do not believe in God face trials! The difference is that we have our forerunner, Jesus Christ, who has shown us how to conduct ourselves in the face of looming trials with confidence, grace and strength. Living in the shadow of the cross of uncertainty is not easy, but Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter and “in all these things, we are more than conquerors because of Him who loved us and gave His life for us.”

Many of our trials are not as serious as that which Jesus faced. The uncertainty of tomorrow is not as serious as the knowing certainty that tomorrow brings only suffering and a cruel death. We sometimes struggle to sleep before a big exam, but can you imagine how Christ felt the night before His crucifixion! We think that working under conditions of looming retrenchment is cruel; what about living your whole life knowing that you were born to die for a race of humanity that would largely reject you? Christ still faces pain and anguish when people who know the truth about Him willingly backslide and fall back into sin because that basically means they think nothing of the cruel death He  suffered and the price He paid to save them (Heb 6:6). Tomorrow, in all likelihood, I will have the gift of freedom. My hands and feet will not be nailed to a cross. Therefore, I have much to thank God for! My trials at this moment are lighter than those of Christ and His persecuted church.

If we cannot deal with the light afflictions of today, how will we deal with facing death for the sake of our faith? Remember, Jesus Christ was “the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” but He is our victorious Saviour who found “joy in the cross”!

"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."-Heb 12:2

"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered."-Heb 5:7-8

 Scripture refs: Heb 5:7, Matt 26:37-45, Is 53, Heb 4:15, Heb 12:2

It might not seem like it right now, but Jesus IS coming back!

One day during a grade seven math lesson, my teacher caught me drawing a picture. I was drawing a cross with the words, “ JESUS SAVES,” on it. My teacher was clearly annoyed and told me that Jesus is strong enough to carry the cross so I should spend more time concentrating on my maths and stop wasting my time drawing pictures.

When Jesus was crucified, two thieves were crucified simultaneously on either side of His cross. One of them mocked Him, but the other chose to believe in Him even though the situation looked hopeless. It must have been difficult for the thief to put his trust and belief in a man, who it seemed, was suffering the same fate as him. The Bible does not give us the thief’s history or background and we are not sure if he was familiar with any of the prophecies concerning Jesus. He probably hadn’t had the benefit of hearing Jesus’ predictions regarding his death and resurrection, yet this man still chose to believe in him. As Jesus hung on the cross, blood dripping over His face and body, not looking the part of a powerful Saviour, this man chose to place his trust in Him. Jesus was so touched by his reverence that He assured him that he would one day be with Him in His kingdom.

How sweet those words must have been to the ears of the repentant thief! Indeed, those are the very words that all of us long to hear today. However, after hearing those words, can you imagine how the man must have felt when he saw Jesus die? Indeed, the Bible records for us that Jesus was the first of the three men to die. The soldiers did not need to break his legs to hasten His death because He was already dead. This means that the repentant thief had to go through the trauma of having His hopes dashed as He saw Jesus die next to him. He must have passed the time between Christ’s death and his own demise wondering if what He had said could possibly be true. He must have suffered immense emotional and spiritual trauma, besides the physical pain of the crucifixion.

Today, we are all sinners before God. Some of us may choose to mock God and live our own way, while others choose to believe in Jesus our Saviour and repent and live our lives His way. We make this decision at a moment in time that is usually a crossroads or turning point in our lives. However, what happens between the time of our repentance and acceptance of Christ as Saviour and His second coming? For many, it has been and still is, a long wait. We can hear the mocking taunts of those who refuse to believe. They say He is never coming back; if He was, He should have been back by now.

We can either choose to surrender to unbelief or we can believe in the one who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God is not a man that He should lie. The signs preceding Christ’s return are becoming more and more marked. Soon we will be able to say with gladness: “This is our King; long have we waited for Him.” Don’t give up hope. Jesus IS coming back! Don’t surrender your eternal destiny by believing the lies of satan.

"There will come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying : "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Pet 3:3-4)

"The Lord is NOT slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet 3:9)

Scripture refs: Luke 23:39-46; John 19:31-34; 2 Pet 3:3-10