Theme: You too must stand ready
Text: Deut. 6:20-25; Heb. 11:2, 8-9; Lk. 12:35-48
This week is ‘Health Sunday’ and a good time for us to look at various common health issues with the attention they deserve. This is because many people pay very little attention to their health. The prevalent opinion, especially here in our country, is that health problems can always wait and be dealt with later after dealing with what is considered to be more important such as a funeral. This practice of ‘putting off’ treatment for health problems or a visit to the doctor long enough can be dangerous and often results in a lot of pain and suffering. The English word used to describe such an action is Procrastination. It simply means to put something off till later, and is one of the greatest problems facing many people in the world today. It is always putting off what needs to be done or hoping to do tomorrow what should have been done yesterday forgetting that tomorrow belongs to God and it may be too late. Procrastination is waiting for the deadline and not taking advantage of the time we have. It affects both sexes and every age. It affects the small child, the youth and the adult. Many relationships have been destroyed because the parties involved have constantly kept putting off the time they should have spent together. Procrastination, however, can be fatal when it relates to our relationship with Christ. We often deceive ourselves into believing that we will be prepared before our death or ready by the time Christ returns. We want to think that we are in control of the future, but the reality is that we are not. We do not even know what is going to happen to us in the next few seconds. Therefore the wisest thing to do is to be always ready and you too must stand ready.
Christ has promised that He will return and many of the things that He said and promised have already been fulfilled. His crucifixion, death and resurrection, His ascension to heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost happened just the way He said it would. The fulfilment of these events confirms that all that He said that have not yet been fulfilled will also be fulfilled. Christ will definitely return as He said He would. In John 14:3, the Scriptures confirm that He has prepared a place for believers in heaven so that they would be with Him. It says “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” While we wait for His return we are to live holy lives, witness and teach others what we know about Christ and make them His disciples.
The first thing many people read in the papers or magazines are the horoscope although they would not admit it. This is because everyone would like to know his or her future. Sometimes people search for such information by consulting all types of so-called specialists – the spiritualist, the fetish priest or any person who claims to have access to such knowledge. The search for this kind of knowledge is a worldwide phenomenon. It is a very sad commentary on our day that many people, no matter their level of education, would believe almost anything even when it defies commonsense, only because the person claims to ‘be a man of God’ or to have some spiritual gift. Many people involved in such practices are often seen as being very spiritual but the reality is that those who do not have spiritual eyes only tell spiritual lies. Such people are even paid a lot of money for their lies. Is it any wonder that claiming and pretending to have spiritual knowledge and being able to deal with future problems have become a profession or way of life for some people? Unfortunately this practice affects many people in very negative ways. Some years ago an elderly couple consulted a spiritualist about their future. They were told that the man would have gambling debts in heaven and the only way to prevent it from happening would be to pay the debt in advance. This spiritualist, through this ungodly prediction, managed to get his hands on the life savings of the couple. This case may sound very stupid but is not an isolated one. Unfortunately many cases remain untold because the affected people are afraid of offending those who made the predictions. Why are people so interested in knowing the future anyway? It is simply because human beings want to be prepared for the future. But all they need to know has already been revealed in the Scriptures. To be prepared for the future and for Christ’s return is to see all life’s experiences from heaven’s viewpoint as has been revealed in the Scriptures. Our preparation begins with knowing who Christ is, having a personal relationship with Him, and obeying His commandments.
The believer’s preparation involves the total person. It involves taking good care of the body as God has always been committed to the ‘Total Man’. We often neglect Christ’s provision for good health when we ignore various basic factors that affect health and vitality such as maintaining a proper diet and regular exercise. For thousands of years, physical activity has been associated with good health. It has been repeatedly proven that people who lead active lifestyles and eat properly are less likely to die early, or to experience major illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.
Several chapters in the Old Testament deal with food laws telling us what are healthy and what are not. The New Testament does not require that we observe these laws but we should learn from them the importance of hygiene and the need for a balanced diet. There are certain nutrients and vitamins that must be included in our regular diet and any deficiencies or lack will ultimately cause a health problem. Malnutrition, for instance, can only be dealt with by improving the diet. At the other extreme there are people who damage their health through overeating or eating too much of the wrong food. Overweight and obesity are important health issues in many parts of the world today as their numbers keep on increasing. The irony of this is that there are just as many people who do not have enough food and are dying of starvation. Overweight and obesity increases the risk of developing health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, High blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, and various forms of cancer. They are often the cause of gallstones, Gout, osteoarthritis, and respiratory problems. They can also lead to infertility and psychological disorders such as depression. Overweight and obesity and their associated health problems make a significant economic impact on those affected and on the economy of their nations. Right nutrition and exercise can reverse these negative trends but despite the strong case for staying active, many people find it difficult to include physical activity in their daily routines. Our technological advances have made exercising very difficult for many people. We hardly ever do any walking these days and go short distances with the car instead. But regular exercise can improve the way you look and feel. It will reduce cholesterol level, lower high blood pressure, burn excess fat, promote healthy blood sugar levels, promote healthy bone density, and boost the immune system. Exercising releases chemicals in the brain that help reduce anxiety, stress and depression. The believer’s body belongs to God. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to glorify God through the proper care of them. I Cor. 10:31 remind us “whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we should do all to the glory of God”. Eating right and exercising regularly will transform our lives.
The preparation for Christ’s return also involves obedience to Him. If we really believe that Christ has delivered us from Satan and slavery to sin and brought us into His Kingdom then obeying Him should be a natural response as it would be for our own good. The level of our obedience to Christ shows the level of our spiritual maturity and the depth of our relationship with Him. A right relationship with the Lord will always lead to a life of faith. Faith is having trust and confidence in God’s goodness, purposes and wisdom towards us. Faith is to believe and act on every Word of God. Faith is to completely trust and depend on God to supply whatever He says. Faith results in always doing the will of God.
The parable of the faithful and evil servant teach us that not everyone will be prepared for Christ’s return. The evil servant did not believe that Christ would be returning or that He would be returning so soon and therefore did not act on His words. Otherwise he would never have taken his eyes off Him and would have been working to promote God’s kingdom God’s way. He saw ministry instead as an opportunity to “fleece the flock” rather than to feed them and therefore abused his position to amass wealth. He saw those entrusted to his care as people to be used and deceived rather than served. Every faithful servant of Christ follows His example of service. They respond to Him in the right manner because they believe in the character, truthfulness and integrity of Christ. We have the example of Abraham, the father of all those who believe. Abraham’s life was filled with faith. The starting point of faith is always God and His revealed Word. Because Abraham trusted and honoured God he obeyed without question God’s command to leave his home and city and go to another land he knew nothing about. His faith transformed his life in such a way that he reached the point where he was ready and willing to sacrifice his long awaited and beloved son, Isaac in obedience to God. The life of Abraham and many saints should make each of us take a critical look at ourselves because not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is living a life of faith and responding to Christ in the right manner. The Scriptures declare, “The just shall live by faith”. Are we living a life of faith and are we ready for Christ’s return? Will Christ find us obedient and faithful servants keeping His words, living holy lives and witnessing about Him when He returns?
For very many people their understanding of future relates only to time and only a few people understand that the future extends beyond time and into eternity. An average person invests 10-30 years of his or her life preparing for a working life that will last at most 70 years. But that same person spends very little time preparing for eternity although the time we spend on earth compared to the time we will spend in eternity is but a moment. Preparing for eternity is to submit to the Lordship of Christ. It is to accept His love and grace to transform our lives. It is taking God and His Word seriously and living a life that honours and imitates Christ and displays godly character. This life is the responsibility of every individual. It cannot be transferred from one person to another or from one member of the family to another. Growing up in a Christian home does not secure your salvation although it exposes you to Scripture and to people who love and take it seriously. You must personally respond to Christ yourself and make His priorities your priority. There are many people who spend a lifetime with the wrong priority. They spend their lives accumulating earthly treasures that they hope to take with them when they leave for eternity but cannot. Money, for instance, is a commodity we use in time but have no use for in eternity. You can take as many Cedis as you like to the US but you will not be able to spend it because the currency of the US is the dollar. Before you can spend your Cedis in the US you will have to convert it into dollars. We cannot even take any money with us into eternity but we can convert money into the currency of eternity. We do that when we use our wealth to fulfil God’s purposes by bringing others into His Kingdom. There is no better way to spend our time as we wait for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Are you prepared for Jesus’ second coming? The first time He came it was to offer us salvation, the second time He will come to rule and reign as a righteous Judge. If we reject his gracious offer of salvation now, we will have to meet Him as our Judge at the time of our death or at His glorious return. Today is the day of decision. Do not procrastinate, as you may not have another day to make your decision. Amen!
