Marvelous Possibilities!
In his usual excellent fashion, GARY FISCUS presented eight thought-provoking and soul-challenging lessons this past week: all centered on the theme POSSIBILITIES – IT COULD HAPPEN! From RENEWING OUR MINDS to THE MIND SET ON THE SPIRIT to A FRIENDLY SMILE MAY BRING HAPPINESS TO OTHERS, Gary showed us via the scriptures that there are marvelous POSSIBILITIES WITH OUR FAITH and that we need to make STEPPING STONES INSTEAD OF THAN STUMBLING BLOCKS for others to follow Christ. HE RESTORES MY SOUL shows the possibilities of being refreshed by the God of Heaven if we permit His word to dwell richly within us. He showed us HOW TO TRANSFORM A TROUBLED MIND and closed the series of lessons with HOW TO PREPARE OUR MINDS FOR JUDGMENT. Possible? Indeed, by simply obeying the word of God!
We learned these possibilities exist through our faithful adherence to God and His word, and we learned “faith without works is dead, being alone.” (James 2:26) Therefore, there’s something each one must DO before these possibilities become REALITY. No Christian can just sit down, fold his hands and say, “O.K. God, make it happen!” Those who chided with Jesus in His home area of Nazareth tried that (Luke 4:16 – 31). Oh, there was a miracle worked there, but they never noticed it. In their anger, they would have cast Jesus off the cliff, but “He, passing through the midst of them, went His way.” They missed this possibility and squandered it (Galatians 6:10).
Every possibility begins with individual desire. “Be what you want to be” was a popular slogan until evil minds perverted its sincerity. Still, if one genuinely desires to do good (Hebrews 13:6), he can achieve that goal and gain reward for his labors! (John 5:28 – 29). God the Father has promised to help those that seek Him (Hebrews 11:5 – 6). All that is required is our commitment to Him in all we say and do! (Colossians 3: 1- 17) Sadly, some think that single requirement is asking too much!
Compare this truth with your plans, for say, improvements to your home. You think about it. You investigate the cost of materials and labor. You might even draw a type of blueprint of your design and plan. Once you determine that it is truly doable (possible, to stay in the context of Gary’s series), you set your mind to do it and with your efforts, it is done! We know that desire is nothing until put to work! The same is true with our desire for salvation and heaven! Just “wanting” it will not bring it to fruition. You must accept the cost and go to work! Can you have it without Christ’s sacrifice? NO. But neither can you have it with Christ’s sacrifice alone! Is it possible to be saved eternally and have Heaven as your eternal home? Absolutely! But you can’t have it by simply wishing for it or expecting someone to do all the work for you! It is YOUR individual responsibility to bring about the completeness of the possibility! (James 4:13 – 17)
Though this particular series of gospel meetings ended last Friday night, the fact is that the preaching of the gospel does NOT end until the end of all time! Likewise, while these eight lessons should have been tremendous encouragement for all of us who heard them, accepted the truth within them, and were thereby determined to utilize these truths in our lives, we must not allow these blessings to be short-lived. Revelation 2:10 tells us how long these possibilities continue: they continue as long as we remain faithful, which needs to be until our death! Further, our examples of such fervent determination for obtaining these possibilities must encourage others. Each faithful Christian must realize we are NOT serving ourselves in obeying Christ Jesus: we are serving HIM acceptably with reverence and godly fear, (Hebrews 12:28) and others seeing our good works will then glorify God (Matthew 5:16).
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Ponderous Ponderings:
Ecclesiastes 9:11 reads, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” Does this not prove that regardless of how mortally mighty we might be, God’s providence remains, and His course of nature doesn’t change. The point is we must serve Him … and allow Him to care for us!