I still think about Tabitha often. But I
think about the work God has done in my life more! Essentially nothing much has
changed since the last time I wrote. I’m still not pregnant and I still miss
Tabitha. But I am continuing to grow in faith. I am eternally thankful for
that. It is a gift that God has given me, grace that He has bestowed on me,
love that He has demonstrated to me that I’d never want to trade for anything
in this world. It might not have happened in a way that I would have chosen for
myself, but God knows what He needed to do to get me to this point! I trust
that He knows better than me. And that He will finish the good work that He’s
started in my life.
My basic message is still the same. Don’t
focus on earthly things you think you deserve or what you don’t have, or what
you’ve lost. If you get it, it will not fulfil you. It will not be lasting
either. Only God can satisfy and give you the joy and peace some people chase
in vain their whole lives. Apart
from Him there is no point to life. That is because we were created to enjoy
Him and glorify Him forever. We
tend to hate our misery more than we hate our sin. God hates our sin more! He
wants our hearts - that is more important to Him than for us to ‘reach our
potential’ / ‘fulfil our dreams’ / ‘be blessed’. Putting your trust in the One
who never changes, who never lies, who will never let you down, who has your
ultimate good in mind and who is all knowing, sovereign, perfect in love and
infinite in wisdom, is the only way to live in this uncertain world and come
out in one piece. Having that amazing comfort is enough to face any crisis.
Because crisis and difficulties and disappointments will come, that’s for sure.
And being dependent on your circumstances for happiness is setting yourself up
for a miserable life! Yes, some things are self-inflicted because we make bad
decisions and live sinful lives, but some things are just out of our control. If
you don’t believe it you’ve probably not lived long enough. This is also true
for people who believe they are little gods and can pray everything right. We
need to live in obedience to the One who IS in control and find our
satisfaction in Him. We can trust Him – He is trustworthy. He already gave us
everything we need, by making a way to save us from eternal death, which we
rightfully deserve for sinning against a Holy God. Yes, you might think your
greatest need is money or a partner or a happy marriage or health or children,
but you are wrong. Your greatest need is the salvation of your soul. That is of
first importance, and if you don’t agree now, you will eventually, but then it
might be too late.
The way God provided to save us from His
righteous wrath (He is the only perfect Judge who cannot let the guilty go
unpunished) is to send a Substitute to die in our place. If we say ‘no thanks’
we will have to pay for our sins ourselves. Remember, Jesus didn’t just die
physically, He was separated from God – something we never have to be - and the
cup of God’s wrath was poured out on Him. WE can’t even imagine it. But He rose
again, proving that His claims to be God was true.
No suffering in this life is even close to
the suffering a person will have to endure for breaking God’s laws. However, if
we confess our sins, turn from it and put our trust in the perfect Lamb (the
ultimate sin offering), the God-man Jesus - who willingly humbled Himself ,
exchanging His throne for becoming a suffering servant and took our place so
that we can stand guiltless before God on judgement day - our sin is no longer
counted against us. We should say YES PLEASE! And THANK YOU to this offer no
one can, or should, refuse.
Unfortunately, this offer is rejected by
the majority. And the reason is simple. People want to be king of their own
lives, rather than submitting to the King of the Universe. If a Christian stands
before a decision, the first question to ask is no longer ‘what will be best
for me’ or ‘what do I want’ or ‘what will make me happy’ but rather ‘what does
God want’ and ‘what will make Him happy?’ Satisfying your flesh, your pride,
your family and your dreams will have to move to the back seat. This is what it
means to take up your cross to follow Jesus, to put Him first. The great thing
is that God not only made a way for salvation, He also enables us to live the
Christian life through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. He changes our
desires and makes us a new person, who does not want to sin anymore. He is with
us and strengthens us through any trial we may face. This is what it means to
say ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13)
Another unfortunate and sad fact,
especially in largely Christian societies like South Africa, is that a lot of
people have a false security that they are saved, when in fact the evidence shows
the contrary. Are you really a Christian if you don’t obey God’s commands?
Jesus said ‘if you love me, you will keep my commands’ (John 14:15) but most
confessing, church going Christians today don’t even know what His commands
are, because they never take the time to read His Word to find out what His
will is and how we should live, never mind taking the time to find out who He
revealed Himself to be. This is like saying you are a rugby fan even if you
can’t name one player and don’t know the rules of the game. Naturally a true
rugby fan will read and learn all there is to know about the game, and make
sure they don’t miss a match. A true rugby fan will even make great sacrifices
like spending lots of money or sitting for 2 hours in a freezing cold stadium
to show their commitment. Why do we think that Christianity is any different? Is
Jesus precious to you? Do you prioritise Him by spending time in His Word and
learning all there is to know about Him? Is your life’s desire to please Him? Don’t
fool yourself into a false security. It doesn’t matter what your ‘good’
intentions are or how many times you’ve asked Him into your heart (verse
please?), if your actions don’t show that He is first in your life, and you’re living
with demands rather in thankfulness to Him who gave you the biggest Gift of all
to solve a problem you cannot solve yourself, out of love and not because you
deserved it, please don’t call yourself a Christian. You might fool yourself
and others around you, but you are not fooling God. Also do yourself a favour.
Don’t pray for God to solve your immediate problems when you run out of options
if you don’t take the time to find out what He says and who He is, not mentioning
obeying Him or making any sacrifices for Him. Comfortable Christianity,
tailored to your needs is no Christianity at all! If you are still sitting on
the throne of your life, don’t invite Him over when you need a servant. Rather
make a decision once and for all whom you will serve, and call upon God’s mercy
to save you!
Mark 1:15
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek.”
Luke 5:32
“[Jesus] have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.”
Acts 26:20
“First to those in Damascus, then to those in
Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they
should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.”
2 Corinthians 7:10
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to
salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.”
