Higher Conviction of Deeper Intimacy

Ambrose.J. Chakre Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I’ll also disown him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 Every truth we acknowledge often determines the next moves of our lives. Sharp as it sounds, the powers of God’s Word will either save or condemn us in the end. It is not for music that we come to Church; neither do we come for the sake of it, rather it is for serious and eternal reasons that we acknowledge the Church as God’s institute of holiness. The signs are just so good when we see the presence of the sinners in Churches and it really gives us as much hope to see them rise higher and higher in the truth. It was for the cause of salvation that the church was established and it is expected of every boy, girl, man and woman to get deeper in the faith of what we acknowledge. Though I know you not, you know what your sins are and though I see you not, God knows what we do. The truth is even if we sin in America there will be no escape or even if we sin in England, in the Indian Ocean or anywhere else in the world, there will be definitely no escape. We will all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. This calls for greater attention in the body of Christ and as we represent His passions and desires, we are expected to live in the standard of His holiness. It means that we are not to conform to the pattern of the world, rather we are to be transformed into the likeness of Christ (Romans 12:2) Since we live in this sin stained world, no saint can ever claim to be without sin but it is in the will of God for us who believes to rise higher in our acts of love, devotion and worship to Him. However, in our waywardness most of us often fail to live in the will of the Word. The truth is that we have not said no to sin till we renounce it completely and the faith that we live for desires us to live for God completely. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, the Scripture also says “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life”. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)We are not ignorant to the feeling of God and it is to our knowledge that we often fail in our faithfulness to God. To love God we have to resist sin to the point of shedding our own blood and it is only when we live in the power of love, the acts of our ways will depict love at its best. Just as it is written without faith it is impossible to please God so it is with passion. There has to be passion and commitment if we are to truly love God in the way of the highest order. The future is what we are living for and our eyes must be constantly fixed on salvation till our temporal lives end. The Church writes this that marriage and relationship are honorable and it is our affair with God which is the most sacred and honorable. Since we are in an eternal relationship with Christ, the acts of our ways should depict love and faithfulness and it should be pursued in passion and commitment. The truth is we are all engaged to Christ and if we are engaged we are engaged. So the point is during the period of our engagement can we ever dare to sin as much as we can before we marry? If that were to be so, it will be total unfaithfulness. But even as we are engaged to holiness, when we commit ourselves for the cause of the truth we will gain so much in this life and most importantly in the next. Holiness is what we are living for and it is the only means to be in step with the truth. Determination is also a key word I use in effecting changes in the heart of those who loves Christ. Passion and commitment is what God desires of us and it is the only power which can resurrect us from our state of spiritual death. This demands total attention and it is expected of the Church of Christ to fulfill her vows made to the Maker. The engagement we have with life is as important as our salvation is to God. Thus holiness matters so much to God and if our affair with Him means so much to us, the acts of our ways should depict holiness, purity and salvation in us. We can also love deeply only when we are in love deeply and love and faithfulness is always the key to a healthy relationship. The greatest committment is always the most important and it is by how much we love which determines how we love. The Patriarch King David’s love for God was so high that he was even mocked at by his own wife, and the result of her folly was that she had no child till the day of her death. ( 2nd Samuel 6:20-23 ) The sin of her life must have been certainly high or perhaps our sins could also be higher than her’s. From what we understand in the Scripture, we find that even holy man fail and it was the same with David who committed adultery with the wife of one of his most faithful soldier. This is how high the sins are but God’s love for us are higher than our sins. The truth was he loved, he sinned and he repented and the nature of his ways clearly depicted the passion of his love, sin and repentance. Sinners and even saints learn a lot from the life of this man who was considered as a man often God’s own heart. The sins he committed was regretted but nevertheless the love and devotion he had of Christ was as high as his passion were. In regard to this fires of his passion, the Scripture also states “ I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119: 10-11) I trust millions will come closer to Christ by the power which are within it. Since we live in this sin stained world we have all sinned and fallen as much as we rose but since we live under the covering of the truth the power of it will punish us when we sin and rebuke us when we go astray. Though King David suffered much for his sins, the goodness of Christ in him overshadowed the evil acts of his past. So it is with us, as we sinned much, we must sin longer. Taking the decision not to sin will invite more of God’s grace and favor in us and whoever are wise will live not as sinners but as saints. The fear of God should always be in our eyes, in mind and in our mouth. The Word calls to live in wisdom and understanding which is to fear God and to shun evil. (Job 28:28) Paul’s letter to the Ephesians also states “Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish and understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17) This calls for commitment of a higher order and we also represent God’s bride we must be righteously committed to Christ in the way a righteous wife should. It is always more desirable to be accepted than to be rejected. The life we live now is the preparation for the future and the life the saints and prophets lived is a desire of millions. Trust this, the higher the conviction is, the deeper the intimacy will be. We are called to love not to hate and if we truly value our salvation of our loved ones, the acts of our ways will depict love and intimacy at its best. Someday we will know. Just as we know in part now, someday we shall know in full. The Scripture also states in Romans “ And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than what we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently as in the day time, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather cloth yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:11-14) The truth has under so many things come to us and it is our heart’s desire to see the salvation of every family, every church and everyone who calls onto the name of the Lord. This in an investment for the future.