Thoughts for another day

December 5, 2006

Today's verse: Lk. 9:60. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: (KJV)

Some times as we listen to Jesus’ Words, we find them a little difficult to comprehend. Because Jesus often uses language that is from on High and difficult to discern, e.g. … they seeing, see not; and hearing hear not…(Mt. 13:13). One such classic gem is the above verse. For a long time I couldn’t for the life of me understand what it meant; how can the dead bury their dead! But for those of us who have been given understanding by His Spirit, there is a world of knowledge and truth in it.

When Jesus uttered these Words, He knew how dead the world was. And He also knew that many would remain dead because those who did not accept the decree of God, which He had destined even before the foundation of the world: that man would fall and then be saved by a ‘Man’ who would be His own Son, would not be saved and the justice of God would prevail, for their lack of belief in the Righteous One of God. The justice that derived from God when He said to Adam, ‘if you eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die - Gen. 2:17.

My beloved in Christ I want to ask you a question: are you dead? In spiritual terms, death doesn’t mean death of the body but death of the soul. For to live and die in this body, is the destiny of all. But is your soul dead? Are you so busy that you cannot make time for God? Are you so caught up with things of the world that the feet of the Lord become alien to you? Are you so involved in the rituals of worship that you miss the real thing? Do the niceties and the pomp and the glory of the world seduce you into such a coma that you do not discern the Master’s love. Has your heart become so gross that you cannot perceive His love flowing from the Cross of Calvary?

My friend you are dead when you go to worship the Lord but do not meet Him. You are dead when you see the pain and misery in the world and do not even pray about it. You are dead when your own things and your concern for your family becomes too big for you that Jesus becomes too small.

All these may seem harsh but that is the truth. God, who sees all and knows all, knows the condition of your heart. Remember, when Jesus saw the widow put in her small mite (Lk. 21:2) He said that she cast in more than all. If you can find just that little moment in your busy schedule to stop by and be stilled in His presence, you will have given a lot to Him. If you have the courage to put away things, which seem to be very important and sit at His feet, then you will find Him. Remember He said, ‘There is need of only One thing…’ Lk. 10:42, and if you want to know what that one thing is, listen to what David says: One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD (Ps. 27:4).