"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" - Psalm 16:8 (NIV).
There was once a wealthy gentleman who having amassed great wealth sought the best way to be secure. After hiring a security company with asault rifles, he decided on putting up iron doors for his mansion along with window burglar proofs to prevent any attempted break in.
But still he felt insecure and restless. So he erected a tall wall which he topped with electric barbed wire. He moved out always in a Hammer four wheel SUV with a dozen armed escort. Now one day while in bed his heart failed and he passed on before emergency help could arrive!
Where is your security! This gentleman used his wealth to secure for himself the best security his money could buy only for his life to be snatched without notice. It is a familiar scene every day- how certain members of society are armed to teeth in order to ensure maximum security for themselves and families. But the truth is, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain" (Psalm 127:1).
The best security can only be found by sheltering in the Lord. "For the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap" (Proverbs 3:26). While it is good and proper to take good precautions for one's safety, none should lose sight of that. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil" (James 4: 14-17).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray ever to take refuge in you, for you are my protector through all circumstances, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
-
06/05/2024 - 07/05/2024 All day“Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)
Almost all cultivators are aware that if soils are used perpetually without rains but constantly under work they are deprived of all nutrients. So, though once productive, they lose all power to yield fresh crops as before. But so is our Christian life when we do not regularly feed our spirit life with the Word!
In our leading verse, the Apostle Paul is urging believers to “renew” their minds rather than make them stale, lest they end up losing all power to yield fruit. But how is this done? We renew our minds by constantly reading the Word of God, for there are always insights with God speaking to us afresh. Psalm 119:104-5 says, “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The Apostle Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow and be saved.” It is a beautiful illustration for any who have seen a hungry baby sucking the teats of a mother.
Renewing our minds is also by reading about the lives of people of faith who have walked before us and their created works. The Christian faith started in the first century after Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Now over two millenniums it has produced giants of faith who have shared their walk with God through inspired teachings that are a treasure to dig into. By scouring the writings of the great saints before us, listening to their recorded sermons, songs and preaching, which these days can be found on virtual medial channels like Yu tube, reading their biographies, our faith is renewed.
And then we also renew our faith through fellowship. When the Apostle Paul urges us, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” ( Hebrews 10:25), he is reminding us that our faith cannot grow in isolation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown one bitter issue was denying Believers opportunity to meet fellow followers of Christ to share testimonies showing the work of God in their lives.
So today, if your faith is on a low keel, or you want it to flower, one thing you can’t help doing without is “renewing” your mind. The blessings to unfold are endless.
Prayer for today:Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a treasure we have of your rich Word to dig into always; books around us of faith to inspire us; and believers to share our faith- may we make use of these, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
