Dear reader,
Today's Scripture: Matthew 25 (NKJV)
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.
#ThinkingAbout #QuestionsoftheDay
Are you dependant on what your friends suggest as wisdom, what the world and media say you should live by or can you think and live independently?
Do you research a situation well and do you ever ask God and the Holy Spirit to advise and lead you? Do you value His opinion more than you do the opinion and examples of your friends, Social Media, the world at large? How much are you influenced by the people around you or on any Social Media platform or anywhere else for that matter, that you cannot think and do for yourself any longer?
If your friends chose a course of action that would ultimately lead to their own destruction down the road and you followed them down that same road (because you value their opinions more than God's) without knowing where that would lead, is that wise? Just because they testify that "experts" followed that road and they blindly followed in return, to satisfy instant needs perhaps, comply with some rule, or soothe their fears but never made sure it was actually the right course of action, do you think it will automatically be right for you? Watch and learn. Stand back and first see where that road leads that person before you jump in and follow along.
People can be so dependant on the opinions of others to the point of putting their very lives at risk, just to say "I've also ticked the box" and that little box you are ticking off may just be the box that kills you. I pray for open spiritual eyes. If we say and by we I mean those of us who call ourselves Christian believers, that we trust and obey the King of Kings then we cannot live like we need the approval of people, our peers, our family and friends and the world at large when making important life decisions. If God is truly your King, your Advisor, your Helper, your Healer, your Protector, how is it that you follow people and suggest that as a "wise" course of action? Are you truly that blind, dear Christian?
Jesus said that He didn't come to bring peace. In the end loving Him, following Him will ultimately be the cause for division among family members, friends and the church. Read your Bible today and see the Truth unfold.
What does love look like? Another big question for the day. Love is actions. Love is caring in real tangible ways. Love is contact. Love is regular check-ins. Love is sharing moments. Love is giving. Love is evolving others in your life and allowing them to be part of yours. True relationships are not built on Social Media. True relationships are between people who build intimacy by the show of their love on a daily basis. A call. A visit. Staying connected. Sharing what they have so someone else can survive. Offering a meal. Knowing a need and meeting it. Sacrifice, not judgement. Unconditional love doesn't hold judgement and opinions. Love is healthy boundaries. Love is talking to each other. Love is sharing the heart of Jesus with each other. But when Jesus becomes the reason we are standing apart, I'm good with that. I will rather stand with Christ than be accepted, loved, and approved of by people.
When stubborn, hard-hearted, ignorant, uncaring, unwise, rebellious and prideful people in their brokenness and pain, want to judge you for following Christ in everything, let them go. Forgive them. Work at it daily. Put them at the feet of Jesus and in your prayer circle and continue with the mission God has given you. Jesus will take care of them and He will take care of you. He came for the broken and the lost, but if my particular balm is not the one they need or want, then God will send another because His grace is a healing balm for me, but also for those who do not want to walk in unity with me...and I am also OK with that.
To have a spirit of discernment is what the world needs more than ever. If we need to decern between right and wrong, which road to take or not take, who is speaking the truth, God's truth and who isn't, we need the Holy Spirit, our Helper to do that.
This is what I stand for:
1. I follow the Lord Jesus Christ and live by His Holy Word. It is harder than ever to do so, but I will not give up.
2. If following Him means living disconnected from certain people, that is OK with me.
3. If honouring relationships with some people, means the only way you can live in peace with them (which is a Biblical command), is to not have any contact because it leads to emotional pain, discontent, judgement, strife, conflict, disagreements and more, then I choose the road to peace and peacefulness.
4. If putting healthy boundaries between me and others and keeping my eyes on Jesus for what He wants for my life, means they won't change into loving supportive friends or family, they won't love you back, they won't respect your life choices, they won't approve of you, they will discredit you or reject you, so be it.
5. If following God's leading in how I live my life causes strife with people, it probably means I am on the right track. If you have no push-back in your life, you probably are exactly where the enemy wants you to be, making no impact at all for the Kingdom of God. Being settled in God will probably mean that you will be unsettled in this world. Hey, I'm OK with that too because I know how the story ends and where I will be ending up. Thank you, Jesus! Streets of gold and mansions prepared and eternity with God comes to mind.
6. I know: God's love for me will never change, what Jesus did for me on the cross is an ever-fixed mark in time and space and is settled forever and eternity and my name is written in His book.
7. I also know this life is temporary, so hey, what is all the fear about? I also know God wants a full life for me...an abundant life. That can only be found in Him.
It cannot be found in people's good opinion of you, not in how much you earn or how successful you are on earth (um, you can't take anything with you), how many degrees you have, how many accolades you have earned, your status in society or among your many friends, how many followers you have. Also not in how many friends support you back, not in the kind of house you live in or car you drive or even where you live. If you are trying to look for abundant life on this list, you will be disappointed and living an empty sort of life. If your treasure is not in the person of Jesus alone, if you don't build on Him as your foundation, you are storing up things that will disappear in the end. What a waste of time and energy.
Instead, I suggest we stay in the Word, stay connected to Him daily. He is faithfully and will guide us in everything we are wondering about, want to know, need guidance in, are fearful or worried about. He says "Bring your cares and cast it on Me". Will you do that today?
In summation:
1. Follow God's lead in life even when it is hard or unpopular.
2. Don't ever apologise for following His direction in your life. Just be obedient to Him.
3. Accept that you may lose the good opinion of people and your status in life if you truly follow Christ. Learn to not be affected by it so much.
4. When you are making life-altering decisions, please please please do not just follow people blindly because they follow other people in return. Instead, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit closely. He is THE life-Saver...nothing else can ever save you.
I learned recently when I asked God about the oil in the lamps of the 5 wise maidens Matthew 25 talks about, that the oil is actually the Holy Spirit. Is your lamp filled with Him today? I think it is more important to ensure that our lamps are filled with Him than to make sure you tick that box the world is currently pushing on you. Don't you?
Like sunflowers are filled with light and energy from the sun by keeping their heads turned to wherever it turns, so should we keep our eyes on God so He can fill us with the golden oil of the Holy Spirit that is life-giving.
#Maranatha
No comments:
Post a Comment