Article : Built on solid Rock…. or sinking sand? | Rajan Abraham
‘Man reconciled to God’-not based on the performance of man but by the grace of God, is a concept not in line with man’s nature, therefore many fails to accept it and deny themselves to live the truth. No wonder many subscribe to the teaching “If you please God, he’ll bless you, displease God and he’ll punish you”, which is what all the religions teach.
We are privileged to enter the Throne of Grace by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, suffered on the cross. Result: – guilty was declared justified, the far off and lost were brought near, enemies were made sons and daughters and the hope of the glory of God was given to them. On the cross Christ became our peace, breaking down the barrier of the dividing wall and reconciling us to God. As the mystery was revealed to Him, Apostle Paul looked at the cross and shouted with boldness “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, graciously give us all things? In the awareness and acceptance of this truth in faith lies our SECURITY! This is the authentic faith and the authentic churches teach the same.
There are also synthetic faith and synthetic churches. Like the plastic flowers, look beautiful but lack essence! Their teachings will be centered on material benefits. Their prayer requests will be a shopping list, testimonies will be a sort of sales pitch presenting the ‘satisfied customers’ as if to prove that ‘God is real’, or that they think they can inflate God’s ego as if God is a man who has a small ego. They will go through the motions of ‘church’, lacking sincerity and faith and will remain lifeless and stagnant.
If our faith in God is determined by His prevention of pain, then how will we able to deal with the current crisis? “In this world you’ll have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” Jesus said. God didn’t offer us a life of comfort, but a life to overcome. It’s safe for a car to be parked in the garage, but cars are manufactured to go out and to go places; Planes will be safe remaining inside the airport, but planes are made to take off and fly with white clouds across the blue sky and reach the other continents; Ships will be safe anchored inside the port but ships are built to go out in the ocean, battle with the waves and the winds and reach the other shores. Man is born not to remain in the security of the cradle but to get up and walk and run and fulfill his God- designed purpose and eventually reach God-designed destiny. The infant will get hurt while trying to get up and walk; hitting the table or falling down, but no parent will say “it’s okay baby, don’t bother to get up”. If they do chances are that he or she may remain crawling throughout their life. Do we expect God our father to act otherwise? A carpenter will not be looking for an indoor plant to make a piece of good furniture. He will look for a tree growing on the hilltop, battling with the heat and the winds. Such a tree will have a strong trunk. God is in the business of building up a strong inner man being renewed day by day. Growth is the result of pain; Victory is the result of overcoming challenges.
Do not listen to the ‘Prophets of Doom’ who will say ‘this is the end’. Maybe it is; however, Jesus mentioned that no man is authorized to know the exact time and date of His return. Do not listen to the ‘friends of Job’, who will proclaim that God is punishing the sinners. Sure, we are the victims of a broken world. However, Jesus rejected the ‘punishment theory’ while answering the question; “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Wrong question”, Jesus declared. “Go and heal the sick so that the blind will see”. In the context of answering a question on the tragedy of Siloam tower, where eighteen people were killed, Jesus said “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” Luke 12:4,5. A challenge to reflect on!
Our faith is not based on what we see or what we want; our faith is based on the character and nature of God. It is based on His faithfulness that we have tasted thus far. True intimacy with God is not living on the mountain top, but to know His faithfulness in the valley. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me “
Can we celebrate even before we see it manifested?
Solid Rock or sinking sand? On what foundation are we building our life.
Rajan George
-ADVERTISEMENT-