Date: July 18, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 11
Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of July 2021. I pray that the Spirit of God will keep your heart right, so that you will never miss His visitation in your life through your rejection or poor treatment of the people He has appointed for your elevation, prosperity and peace of mind. Amen.
As we see in the bible, God has wonderful plans for all His children. In fact, Paul tells us that God’s plans for us are so great and wonderful that our minds cannot fathom or handle them. So, it will take His Spirit to make them known to us and guide us into a full enjoyment of them. (Cf. 1Cor 2:9-12) However, the Spirit of God does not always work alone in accomplishing God’s purpose in the lives of men. Many times, He uses others that He has trained, gifted and built up in certain ways to bring about what God wants in their lives. And unless they recognize, accept and treat well those He has raised up in this manner for the fulfilment of His wonderful plans in their lives, they may never experience a realization of what He has planned for them in life.
For example, our Lord Jesus was sent by God to first seek out the lost sheep of Israel before He would go to the rest of the world with His free gift of salvation (Matt 10:5-6 & 15:24). That was why they were the first to hear His messages of grace and to benefit from His anointing to heal, deliver and restore. But did they accept and relate to Him well? No! Instead, as a nation, they rejected, abused, persecuted and eventually killed him. (Cf. John 1:10-13)
Now what about His own people, those of His hometown, where had been brought up? Did they accept Him, even if it was out of tribal sentiments? No! On the contrary, what He experienced among them was even worse than what He experienced in other places. Look at what Mark says about this: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith…” (Mark 6:5-6NIV) Did you see that? These people’s unbelief shocked the Lord to the bones. So, though He was anointed of God to bless them in many significant ways, He could not.
In any case, towards the end of His ministry among the people of His country, He wept for their capital city, Jerusalem, and said these thought-provoking words: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”” (Luke 19:42-44NIV) Also, He said, “”O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”” (Matt 23:37-39NIV)
Look at that. Those people had been praying and waiting, all along, for God to come and save them. But when He sent the Saviour they needed to them, they did not receive Him. Why? It was because they did not recognise Him as their Saviour. So, He told them that their house would remain desolate until they recognised, welcomed and blessed Him as the Saviour sent to them by God.
In like manner, until we too recognise, accept and bless those God has sent by His Spirit to guide, build up, heal or exalt us, our lives will remain stagnant and desolate in many ways. That is why one key prayer we must continually offer for ourselves is that the people and things God has provided or sent for our lives to be what they ought to be will not be hidden from us. So, again, my prayer for you, as you continue your journey in this life, is that your heart will be set right to recognise and embrace appropriately the people and things God has provided for your life to be what it ought to be, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Do have a great week.
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