“For this reason, I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV)
It would be good and even healthy for each of us to reflect in the quiet of someplace, alone with our thoughts, and try to put a finger on who or what has the number one priority or place in our hearts and lives!
If we are intellectually honest, the results might actually surprise us. Could it possibly be us and our will, our choices, that we desire and prefer over anything else?
Could it possibly be some family member or the entire family itself which occupies first place in your life and in your priorities? Perhaps it’s the career you’ve been working so hard to enhance … or it might even be the material and temporary things of this life.
What each individual must determine as they come face to face with the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this: our lives will become completely different under His Lordship and some just don’t want to surrender to that truth!
The apostle Paul following the events of the Damascus Road encounter and the coming of a Christian named Ananias making his choice (Acts 9:1-18). And he never looked back!
The twin pillars of certainty and conviction … well … both seem to be out of place, out of date, and even unacceptable in many social circles. But in no area has this become more prevalent than in the realm of biblical truth!
Tolerance is becoming the norm reigning more supreme than what is true, right, and good in God’s eyes. To what appears to be a growing number in our society, across different age groups … there is nothing quite as offensive as the person(s) who genuinely, sincerely, and completely believes that God has not only spoken but that He is in fact, very much alive and on His throne!
Deny all they want to … God has revealed Himself both through the world He created and His Word which He has revealed in very clear terminology that we can understand if we have a mind and desire to! Hear the inspired words of the Psalmist David …
“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. … The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:1, 7, NKJV)
Paul pens these final words to his “son in the gospel”, knowing his death was near, being held in a dark, damp dungeon in chains awaiting the marching steps of those who would take him out to die.
He writes to encourage Timothy, but the encouragement has been preserved for us as well. Yes, the gospel had been entrusted with Paul and the other apostles, and yes each of these godly men entrusted their hearts and very lives to those very same principles they were teaching!
Paul says to Timothy there are no doubts about his decisions; no lack of confidence in what is good, right, and truthful. He wanted Timothy to see the day was fast approaching when he himself could and would find himself in the same situation and he would need to have this same degree of confidence, assurance, and hope!
Is it any different for you and me today? The decision to allow Jesus to occupy the throne of our hearts and rule is not a complicated decision when you think about it. It does not require deep levels of theological knowledge. It is a simple yet profound decision made by our own free will to honor Jesus Christ, the Son of God … every day from then on!
God’s Word is so clear and is truly the roadmap that will lead each of us down the right road of life with the destination of Heaven.
To be honest, we must come to realize and accept this truth: all of mankind is going to be held responsible, yes, accountable for what we choose to do with God’s revealed will (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 12:48). Not my words, these are God’s revealed words!
The world around us, those we know and those we don’t know … all of them need to be persuaded to live their lives by God’s standard, not by man’s or even by their own personal morality code!
And the most effective way to help others become aware of this need is by our own demonstrations of God’s truths, and even its true relevance for every generation that walks on this earth!
My friends … my brethren … the need is so great. Life is short, death is sure, and the Judgment is certain! We can take these truths to the spiritual bank of life and deposit them!
Are we willing … are we brave enough, strong enough, and convicted enough about our faith and trust in God that we are willing to stand up for … to hold on to … even in the face of death … and acknowledge our trust in Jehovah God, the “Great I AM”?
I am not able to answer for you, but as for myself, I do know what I believe and I am fully persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that Day!
I want my legacy to be a lasting example to my children, to my grandchildren, and to all who know me by name, that I am a child of God!
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk as He walked.” (1 John 2:6, NKJV)
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
No comments yet.