Jesus Is Still King of kings and Lord of lords; Thus, Rejoice And Be Glad In His Goodness And Mercy - Part 2409

As Jesus shares in His parable -- if the blind lead the blind, they might both find themselves in a ditch. Obviously, this is hardly the situation one wants to be in. This is why, sometimes, relying on an analogy or an example to explain God's good news gospel message can be helpful.

For example, the sons and daughters of the Lord our God ought to stop considering that unsaved, unredeemed persons know what salvation is. How could they? You were there once. Blind to understanding God's plan of salvation. But now, by accepting the gift of salvation that Jesus provided on the cross, you have been made a partaker of the power of the life to come. So, in this context, fruits of your salvation will shine through as you get closer. And in so doing, you will understand the flow through experience when His love flows through you. 

It is in this context that the table has been set, and our responsibility to send out the invitations to the 'whosoever will'. Going into the hedges to find those who are lost, and as apostle Paul wrote -- pulling them from the fire.

Why? Because God willingly became our Saviour writing His love in crimson red -- shedding His own precious blood on a cross. (Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:16) Now that is love. Recall the parable of the sewer who went out to sow seed in the harvest field?  Not all the seeds took root. Some of the seeds fell here and some seeds fell in all the wrong places. The seeds that fell in the latter places withered and died. There is a message here. That is, keep your hand upon the throttle and your eyes upon the rail. A boat without a rudder is going wherever the tide or wind directs it. For us, though, the Lord is our Shepherd. He guides us and directs, even when the wind or tide rocks us to or fro, we can rest assured that Jesus has us in His arms. 

So why is it then that some people will resort back to the old ways? Sort of like Lot's wife in the Old Testament. When they were fleeing, she looked back. The Hebrews exiting Egypt are yet another example - they sort of turned back in their hearts. They marched on and on around and around the same mountain and didn't know it. Unbelievable. But these prods of the scriptures are not written to deter you. Rather, they are written so we do not fall asleep, reverting back to following the masses rather than listening to the voice of God's Spirit that whispers, “Follow Me.” 

Thus, in our faith journey, we need to be wise -- wiser than the deceiving serpent known as the enemy. We need to be resourceful and compassionate and to some extent, harmless as a dove. In so doing, saith the scriptures, all men will know that you are His disciples -- by your love for the Lord Jesus, and for one another. And in this, often it is your faith that is on trial. Your faith that the enemies want to steal. Some will even say that if you stop believing in God and stop talking about your faith, that they will be your friend again. Why it will be just like old times, others will suggest.

But that is precisely the reason I called on the Lord to deliver me. The good old days were not very good. If the truth be told, most of the time the old times were boring. And now my so-called friends are being so nice, hoping to entice me back. My question is this. Back to what? 

The scriptures warn believers (with tears night and day) that even of our own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves. They don't want you to talk about Jesus -- both Lord and Christ -- and how He rescued us from a world of sin. The good news is that He loves us regardless of what people say. Remember too, these same people can't take away our joy!

For Jesus said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!"

So the message for today - keep preaching the Word of God both in season and out of season. Or as the lyrics of that old hymn state:

We love to tell the story
It will be our theme in glory
To tell the old, old story 
Of JESUS and His Love. 

Peace. Stand in the offering plate.