Thoughts for another day

December 1, 2006

Today's verse: Jn. 17:15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (KJV)

Read carefully today’s Word. Something important, is expressed by our Lord in it. Jesus has great confidence in His Father and on us. Therefore, He prays the Father not to take us out of the world for He has confidence in us that we will be victorious. Then again, He prays confidently that His Father should keep us from evil.

My beloved friend in Christ, the world (not the physical earth but the spiritual evil) is an awful place. It is a place of sin. If you think I am wrong, let us take a good deep look at ourselves and see the filth within us. You know I just can’t believe that I can sin the way I do. How did I get molded into this manner of life? Well, the world taught me. Just the other day, I read a graffiti which said, ‘I prayed and prayed to God for a bicycle but nothing happened. Then I robbed one and went to Him and confessed and asked for pardon!’ Imagine. Sufficient is this to let me think that God works the way it is suggested here! And millions of people read it and gloat and say, ‘Yes, I think I should do that.’ This is an abomination in the sight of God but the filthy world accepts it.

Jesus well knew about the world and if you read His prayer in Ch. 17 of John’s gospel, you will see the how much He is cares for us and expresses His prayer accordingly to His Father. One of the reason’s why Paul says, ‘be not conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of the mind’ is because of the evil that is the world. My friend, in this world we need to be away from it. Sounds complicated but that’s exactly the point. ‘How can I forgive when what she did to me was so heartless?’ This might be my refrain; that’s the world. But the Grace of God insists…FORGIVE.

I pray God today that He will open the eyes of our hearts to understand the evil times we are living in and work towards raising His banner up to all people. Despite the filth. Despite the fact that I am a great sinner and despite the fact that the evil in people seems beyond redemption; remembering well that it is for such like us that Christ came into the world, wearing the garment of mortality to cleanse us and renew us and keep us for Himself.