I know a man who was completely lost several years ago. He was deep in alcohol, lived wildly and spent most of his time in the wrong company. He hardly went to church, but whenever he went, it was to boast to the people in church. He was not aware of his condition. He lived like pleasure and leisure were scarce resources which must be exploited urgently. But thanks be to God, due to his mercy, love, and faithfulness, that person was eventually saved and today is a born-again Christian. He has been ‘reconditioned’. Some of the reconditioned vehicles you see on the road are as good as new, so is this man. Jesus had seen the condition of this man long ago and prophesied in Psalms 69:13–17: “In the time of your favour and great love, Oh God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink, do not let the floodwaters, or the depth, or the pit close its mouth over me.” This man was rescued from the miry waters. But, that did not mean that life became easier. Living a born-again life was difficult and full of problems, however he never looked back. People who fall prey to the habit of looking back are caught up in glorifying the past things. You should know that the past will always stay the way it was; any attempt to change the past is an exercise in futility. Your future contains more happiness than any past you can remember. A great preacher once said: “If you look back too much, you will soon be headed that way.” Living in the past is a dull and lonely business. There is a story in the Bible, in Mark 10:17, which bares relevance to what we are talking about here.There was a rich man who was looking for salvation. He had lived righteously all his life. He came to Jesus and publicly expressed his desire to be saved. Jesus told him to keep the commandments of God and he would be saved. But the rich man had kept all commandments from his birth. In verse 21 of the same chapter it is recorded that Jesus said to him: “Go and sell your possessions, give to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven, and come back and follow me”. This man could have become the thirteenth disciple of Jesus. He was offered life, but he did not take the offer. “He had many possessions” the Bible tells us. This man is like many Christians who think that they can drift into heaven with all their possessions. They have even coined phrases for their wrongful belief. Phrases like: “God hates poverty!, God hates the poor, blessed are the rich” The aim of being a Christian is not for God to help you acquire wealth, but it is a chance to follow Jesus; to give you an opportunity to distribute your wealth to the poor so that you can live in eternal peace in heaven. Today I want to declare to you that in order to be welcomed into God’s kingdom there must be a reduction in size. It is a climbing down from your former lofty position. It is a shedding off of weight and possessions. Peter told Jesus at one time “We have left our children, parents and everything to follow you.” Jesus told him: “Nobody who has left everything will fail to receive 100 times in this present age; and in the age to come, eternal life.” The business of salvation is not like swallowing Panadol, or some wonder drug that would fix all your problems. It is the beginning of an uphill struggle. It is the beginning of building a steel-like character. Paul says in Philippians 3:13 “Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind, I strain towards what is ahead.” Salvation is forgetting what is behind; it is straining, sweating, pulling a muscle now and then; it is a shedding off of what you love most, friends, habits, and tastes. It is a sacrifice. Some people say that we are saved by grace and works; that is true. We are saved by works, but not our own works but the works of Christ Jesus who dwells in us. It is my earnest hope that those people still in the periphery of life, who have not made their decision to be saved will today rethink their position and make that important decision. Let God fill that empty void in your heart and you will never be the same again. Email: redplan20002001@yahoo.com
