By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
TUESDAY
THEME: MISSION-DRIVEN LIFE: “UNTIL THEN WITH JOY I’LL CARRY ON”
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:38-39
“[38]And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. [39]He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
REFLECTIONS:
Christians imitate their Lord. His life, will, compassion, mission-mindedness, and saving grace resonate with every disciple. Christ’s life is anchored and manifested in selfless and self-sacrificing love. Jesus the Savior came into a hostile world and did not expect to have it easy. Be aware that Jesus Christ will not ask anyone to follow a path He has not already trodden. On earth, He was born into a home and experienced sibling rivalry; He was hated, was lonely, was sorrowful, endured pain, shared tears, suffered hunger, was falsely accused, deserted by His own loved ones, and was crucified. This path is carved. None will follow Jesus Christ and will be wholly absolved from pain, sacrifice, persecution, trials, and tribulations. In such dire situations, genuine faith in Christ is evidenced. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
Additionally, Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” This point expatiates Jesus’ caution, “[38]And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. [39]He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” He implied that by surrendering to Him, there are serious risks, threats, and confrontations that the believer will experience, even to the point of death. Jesus Himself bore our sorrows and suffered deprivation. He tasted the cruelty of humankind and experienced evil plots engineered against Him. He was despised, afflicted, and maligned. To bring us to God, Jesus endured torture. Peter states in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” His sufferings are sufficiently documented in Isaiah 53. But He remained mission-driven and mission-focused.
Jesus never attempted to minimize or underrate the severity of the trials His followers will have to suffer. By His own life, He demonstrated how we can endure and be victorious. His was made easier because of His constant reliance on His Father – an experience He urges us to have daily. His daily time with the Father was a must. He allowed nothing to interfere with being in the presence of His Father. A time to pray, a time to study, and a time to witness were all well marked out in His daily routine. Luke 18:1 reads, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” He also did this because prayer opens heaven’s windows for heavenly graces to be lavished on us. Jesus advised in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” He emphasized, study the word! He announced in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, . . . Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – WITNESSES! Prayer, Study of the Word, and Witnessing are the tools for Victory.
This year, beloved, you cannot remain apathetic and indifferent. You cannot sit on the fence; there is no middle lane either. It is either you are for Christ, or you are for Satan – this is the fact of the matter of loyalty. You cannot serve two masters and be loyal to both equally. This year, beloved, the lines must be drawn – it should be Christ and Him alone or nothing and emptiness. Pursue your salvation and the salvation of others at all costs – it is worth your attention and investing in it. Borrowing from Esther 4:14,16, do you know that God in His wisdom has preserved your life until this year to work out your salvation – and this you must do with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? Life on earth may be excellent but short-lived. However, eternal life is lasting, glorious, ennobling, gratifying, and the wisest choice.
Please listen meditatively to the accompanying Hymn – “Until Then.”
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 632 – “Until Then”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for the privilege of life; thank God for sparing your life until now; pray to endure trials, be mission-driven and heaven-bound;
– Intercede for anyone who has backslidden from the faith, and not be judgmental; pray for Christians to stand for Christ in all circumstances; pray for God’s servants under persecution and trials;
– Pray for at least five people you want God to save; pray for fidelity and integrity among believers; pray for Christ to be proclaimed everywhere;
– Pray for our nation, its leaders, economists, technocrats, employers, and employees; pray for religious leaders to exemplify the character of Christ.
