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Life is short, unpredictable and erratic. The Singaporean
who died in the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai is only 26
years old. So too is the young man who died during the
Bangkok pub fire last week, 38 years old. Hence we must
never presume that time is aplenty. We should never think
that life is still a long way to go. Even without a tragedy,
every second that ticks away means a step closer to the
death bed.
When a person dies, the opportunities to repent, revive and
serve God cease along with his or her departure from this
world. While a never ending flow of mercy and grace always
seems to emanate from God, we should never presume that His
mercy will last no matter what. Paul in Romans 13:11 says “knowing
the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:
for now is our salvation nearer than we believe.” Time
is always on the move, and the end is much closer than you
assume. So if you are still outside God’s kingdom, seek Him
for salvation while you still have the time.
For the believers, we should heed Hosea’s call to “break
up our fallow ground” and “seek the Lord till he come and
rain righteousness upon us” (Hosea 10:12). Fallow ground
is ground that is not barren but unattended. To break up
fallow ground involves removing the weeds and turning the
soil. When applying to our lives, it involves scrutinizing
ourselves, assessing our priorities, throwing out the bad
and spending our time focusing on things eternal.
How should we seek the Lord? We need to tend to the ground
in our hearts. We are capable of pretending. So our attempts
to seek the Lord should not be just a matter of actions but
also motivations. It is the motivation within us that spurs
us to accomplish our duties for God. It is the motivations
that reflect who we truly are. We sow to ourselves in
righteousness when we take care of our hearts.
In John 13:15, our Lord instructed the disciples: “For I
have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done
to you.” Setting good examples are thus the hallmark of
Christians. God’s name would be blasphemed if we claim to be
His and yet live ungodly lives. He would not allow it. He
would rather have His House destroyed than to have It
associated with people who bear His name but demonstrate no
evidence of His nature. Peter reminds us in 1 Pet 4:17 that
“judgement must begin at the house of God.” So if we
are found ungodly, we will be judged first. Historically,
such judgement had happened to the temple of
Jerusalem and the temple of Shiloh (Jer 26:6). If God could
do what He did to the two temples, could He not do it to us
if we are not any different from the unbelievers? Let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor 7:1).
But time is of the essence. Paul in Rom 13:12 says that “The
night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore
cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour
of light.” It is time to wake up and be counted for God.
It is time to be clean and separated from the sins of the
world. It is time to seek the Lord.
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