WHERE IS GOD?

A spirit’s first communication, communion etc is through its word.

You are not going to know God until you have received His Word. It was impossible for man – in his fallen state to have communion – so God sent His word in flesh and blood … and the world received him not.

People who had been with God never knew
Jesus’ disciples asked ‘Master show us the father?’ Jesus replied ‘Have you been with me this while and you do not know that he who has seen me has seen the father? Why do you now ask me to show you the father? (John 14:9).

Others required physical signs
Some still seek a relationship (with God) after the Old Testament style of carnal men, of which God said unto Moses, ‘…I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever... (Exo 19:9). They would not hear God, except by physically audible means.

Better days are here!
Unlike Bible days, God communicates with us by His Spirit, and if we open our hearts to Him, we would hear Him. In (John 14:16&17), Jesus said ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ Also in (John 14:23), Jesus said, ‘If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him’.

Loving a story book character
If you are finding it hard to love God, then he is still like a story book character to you… like someone you ‘know of’. Could anyone love a God he does not know personally? If you are conscious of Christ and have communion with His Spirit, then it is impossible not to Love Him. He is too good, graceful, beautiful, loving and glorious to be resisted.

Nonetheless, He is always available
Jesus would have said, ‘I WILL BE with you…’. He would have said, ‘I am with you IF…’
Rather, He said ‘I am with you always even unto the end of the world’ (Mat 28:20). Simply put, CHRIST IS WITH YOU EVERYTIME AND EVERYWHERE.

Being conscious of Christ is the first step on a journey that leads to loving him. Of course you know what happens after that (John 14:23).

GETTING GOD TO CHANGE HIS MIND

Jonah
1. "In my distress, O LORD, I called to you, and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.
2. Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you but I will sing praises to you;
3. I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised.

Hezekiah
1. I have served you faithfully and loyally.
2. I have always tried to do what you wanted me to.
3. Lord, I will live for you, for you alone; Heal me and let me live.
4. My bitterness will turn into peace. You save my life from all danger; You forgive all my sins.
5. No one in the world of the dead can praise you;
6. The dead cannot trust in your faithfulness.
7. It is the Living who praise you, as I praise you now. Parents tell their children how faithful you are.
8. LORD, you have healed me. We will play harps and sing your praise, Sing praise in your Temple as long as we live.

As far as I’m concerned these guys were dead when they made these proclamations. Could your situation be worse?

Jonah 2: 1 – 10, Hezekiah 38: 1 – 5, 16 – 20. (GNB).

LIMITATIONS OF TIME

Dear friend, kindly consider the limitations of time… No – consider instead, life eternal.

At a thousand years your job (however well paid) would become a burden. Imagine working for someone else - one thousand years! Wow! Being an employee is real bondage.

How about ten thousand years? Which prayer will not be answered by then? Only it will be as 10 days or perhaps 10 seconds to you. So dear friend every prayer will be answered immediately - as eternity goes. After a while, you wouldn’t even ask for some things; they’ll come naturally to you. There’s more.

At a hundred thousand years, looks, wealth, alas most observances would no longer matter, even ego would become useless.

Now consider what life would be like if we had to live with each other, a million years. We would be more careful what we say or do. You can’t create a monster out of a young boy and leave this world for him to molest other people. If we had to live that long with the product of our words and actions then even the common act of worrying would be unbearable.

Violence would be history. How? You may ask. Well, let me ask you. How old are our differences, how long will they last? Certainly not a million years! Extend man’s vision and he’ll see the futility of violence. You see, neither war nor poverty nor disease is greater than Six Thousand years old (give or take some) – not even death. Imagine, no being ever died before Adam.

Ten million years, and only The Truth shall make sense. He shall shine as the Morning Star in the absence of any false half-lights. Doesn’t that remind you of what Christ said about heaven and earth passing away - the word remaining unchanged? I could go on and on but I’d rather end by saying ‘give the slightest imperfection a billion years, and it would turn man into a hideous beast’. See why Adam had to die?

Ps
Eternal life would be disastrous for a fallen man. Now you know why God, His word, His law is just – and the wages of sin is death. GOD HAD A BETTER PLAN.

WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?

I sat onboard the Boeing 737 en - route Abuja. The 2 seats next to me were empty. As the jet strived to take-off, I dropped my newspapers on my laps leaned back so that I was facing the ceiling and burst out in tongues.

A couple of minutes and two fiery eyes later my eyes caught the gaze of the passenger on the opposite aisle and the following conversation ensued between the passenger (who I’ll call Bob) and I.

Bob> You were praying.

Me> (I smiled) No I was talking. In tongues - I almost added.

Bob> Are you fearful of air mishaps?

Me> Nope, God says to pray without ceasing. (1 Thes 5:17). Besides, there will not be any air mishaps.

Bob>How can you tell?

Me> (With an informed look) Well, I am an engineer with this airline and this aircraft just returned from periodic depot maintenance, the pilot is one of the best in the African continent, the weather is perfect for.... ... ...

I went on and on till I felt his jaws on my hook. ‘Wow! quite reassuring’, he retorted when I was done. ‘Really?’ I replied. Seemingly confused by my sudden release he asked ‘What do you mean?’. I faced him squarely. Making eye-contact I said, ‘I’m impressed by your faith in engineering, meteorology and human abilities’.

Bob>silence.

Me> Actually I’m just a passenger like you. I know nothing of this airline, its pilots or aircraft, yet you felt reassured by the words I spoke. Consider now the words of God who commanded creation not to touch me (1 chron 16:21&22). He also told me I would have a peaceful life and an expected end (Jer 29:11). His word is the most consistent thing there is, (Mat 5:18, Luke 21:33). Bank on it.

REIGN IN LIFE

They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness

shall reign in life by one, Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:17b(KJV)

Some basic truths can be gleaned from the above verse.

1. The reign of the sons of God shall begin here on earth. They shall be manifested for all to behold. Romans 8:19.

2. Only children of God which recieve the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall partake of this reign. Others, despite being children of God shall not be different from unbelievers. This is revealed in Gal 4:1 which states that, 'The heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all'.

3. Their reign is by one, Christ Jesus. Eph 4:13 talks about a time when we shall all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Verse 15 of Eph 4 says that by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ.

Some times we look at the word of God and what we see does not match with what we see around... even in the life of some christians. Well, the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all (Gal 4:1).

God's will is that by the knowledge of the Son of God, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up into him in all things, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. This is reality.

We do not become the reality by observation (Luke 17:20) but by inward transformation through meditation (Rom 12:2).

Note, we always set the airconditioner's control to the temperature we want our room to be, not the temperature it is now. Likewise, we behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Cor 3:18). The word of God is the image which shows us our true image. If any hears the word and cannot live the life, then he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass, who forgets what manner of man he was once he goes his way (James 1:23-24). But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:5). As we speak this reality in love we shall be transformed into the image of the glory of God unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. It is so.