“The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work” (Proverbs 12:24 MSG). 

There is a freedom that allows us to fully cooperate with God in what He is doing. There is a bondage that can hold one back so that they are never able to accomplish or complete anything. It is the mental bondage of procrastination. It is when one thinks too intensely about the amount of work ahead rather than immediately applying the effort necessary to take steps to complete it. The Holy Spirit will assist us but not force us to do anything. He awaits the decision on our part to move in the right direction. Then He supplies the energy and power for us to gain the impetus to continue moving forward. We have been graced to make a difference. Things were not intended to remain as they are. That is why God has allowed us to be born in this generation. What our forefathers completed was foundational for the task lying ahead of us. We must not allow the oppression of laziness to cripple our progress. Speak the truth even when nobody’s listening! Live the life and be the person God has called you to be even when it is not popular! Be steadfast in season and out of season. God will reward diligence because He pays attention to every effort made by those who strain to move in His direction. 

“I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely” (Leviticus 26:13 MSG). 

God identifies with us and calls us His own. In order for us to experience the blessings of communion, there had to be a divine rescue. The attachments of old held us as slaves to another. It was our condition and geographical location. We were in our Egypt and joined to the culture of Egypt. What we once were was so much a part of us that our objective was to further conform to what we were able to see. But God’s love sought us out and reminded us that we were in a place that we did not belong. The dissatisfaction within our souls not to settle was His mercy and grace reaching down to the lowest parts in order to lift us up above the slavery of Egypt. Then He ripped the harness off our necks enabling us to move about freely. Now that we have been set free after having been given the will to be free, let us not return to the house of bondage. We are now free to worship and free to serve God with our whole hearts, souls, and strengths. We have been freed that we may move freely. 

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7). 

What a marvelous work must have taken place in the life of Apostle Paul to now be at a place of devaluing what once was measure of his boasting. Now things had changed for him. Things that were measured as advantages had now become deficits. If they remained his central focus or if he took pride in any other thing, it would diminish the opportunity of knowing Christ as being far superior to any other thing. It is a matter of prioritizing our lives where Christ becomes all and other things are subordinate to our seeking to know more of Him. This can only happen among those who once knew that they were boastful. Pride has many disguises. Some would say that they are proud of the fact that they are not proud. This oxymoron hides behind a thin veneer of humility. When we become aware of our pride, we then give the Holy Spirit opportunity to free us from it. The test of true humility is when we determine not to know anything but Christ and Him crucified. There we harness the energy used to project a positive image and radiate Christ as being our life. When we know Him by revelation, then His glory is revealed in and through us. 

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1Corinthians 1:27). 

God very often uses simplicity in order to convey complexity. One’s rationale may cause them to miss out on the most important and profound things in life. They are hidden in the mysteries of God. He discloses Himself among the poor and the downtrodden. He may even be found among little children rather than professors of higher learning. If we are not careful, we may miss Him when He speaks of things pertaining to issues we would feel to be unimportant. God whispers His Word in the midst of the shouting voices of our day. His quiet gaze may be the extent of His message among the fanfare and excitement demanding the attention of the masses. He has chosen foolish things and foolish people who do not make much sense to us. Their message is strange when we have more important things to do. Our wholeness may be sought with vigor, while the key to it rests within the simple act of solitude and surrender. When we are still before Him and not too busy seeking what we ourselves are able to find or achieve, God can then show us what we were incapable of seeing alone. The world is blind to this, but His children are the only ones who have been enabled by His Spirit to see and possess that which comes exclusively from Him. 

“And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:23). 

Jesus expected figs out of season as He approached a tree bearing leaves. For those close to Him, time is no longer the measure for seasons of change. His presence is sufficient to cause flowers to blossom and fruit to be borne. Seasons are a means of measuring natural things. The almanac records planetary alignments and climate changes. The time for planting is different from the time of reaping. Therefore, what grows must mature before it is ripe for harvest. Yet Jesus expected fruit to be produced before harvest time. Since nothing but leaves were there He cursed it so that nothing would ever grow in it again. The lesson was for His followers. There is a moment in time allotted to us by God that must be seized. If not, the heart is hardened and the mind is fixed to remain as it was. He says to us, seize the moment while the Word and the Spirit combine to bring in a new day. God awaits the opportunity to show Himself strong on our behalf. The fruit of our lives is there to serve the world and in particular, this present age. If we do not bear fruit we will be condemned to never bear any. We are to bear much fruit and our fruit is to remain. 

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). 

The trials of the Apostle Paul were sent to destroy him on the part of the enemy, but allowed to prove him on the part of God. Faith is not a mere idea of the mind, but a disposition of the heart. It is able to withstand the onslaught of challenges that would otherwise wear one down. When we are tried and pass the test, on the other side of that victory is a special grace useful in the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can then all the more identify with the price He paid by enduring much more than we could ever face in this life. There is a message preached by some who are void of experience that may stir the emotions and impress its hearers. But there is another message deeply rooted in experiences aligned with the sufferings of Christ. That message is able to make a deep impact upon its hearers because they not only hear it but see it. We live our message much louder than we speak it. There were things Paul wanted them to know. He wanted them to know that things that happen are not isolated incidences. Everything serves a purpose in the overall plan of God. He uses it all as a means of building within us a message that can reach and transform the hearts of others if we are totally committed to His purpose. 

“The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence” (Luke 7:29 MSG). 

When ordinary and common people are awakened to the message, the clearest evidence is presented. It is not the theologians or religious experts who will readily embrace the truth. They have to work their way through too many intellectual arguments before their hearts are finally penetrated. We should not close our minds and blindly feel our way into faith. But there is a place deep within the soul that can identify with the Truth and serve as a cause for rejoicing. The void is filled there. What has been missing is finally placed in the deep hole that nothing else was able to fill. Ordinary people are more aware of their need than those who are self- confident, pious, and proud. They need everything while the proud need nothing. They seek out a better and more fulfilling life while most aristocrats only need an addendum to what they have already received. There will be a major movement among the ordinary people and those who were hopeless. They will see the Light sought after but never realized. Their response will be genuine because they have nowhere else to turn. Yes, Christ is for losers. Unless we lose our lives, we will never find eternal life. Otherwise we will be embracing a false security plunging rather than rising thinking we have arrived. 

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). 

The fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins. It is the acknowledgement of God’s existence and His divine power. Even though He is invisible, the evidence remains that God is Almighty. Many have lost their fear of the Lord and either disrespected and ignored Him altogether or reduced Him to a level that makes Him common. As important as it is, the fear of the Lord does not constitute salvation. Even the devil believes that there is a God and trembles. The second must accompany the first. We must keep His commandments. An attempt to keep His commandments solely on the basis of fear will lead to a Pharisaic and legalistic form of obedience. It is the motivation of love that provides consistency in our obedience to Him. If we love Him our will is to obey Him. The Royal Law of love provides a constant flow from our hearts to the object of our faith. Then it is distributed towards the assignments given to us. We must see the objective from beginning to end. Then our path will remain straight because our intentions will remain pure. 

“Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?” (2 Peter 3:11 MSG). 

How quickly things can change from what we have grown accustomed to into something with which we are totally unfamiliar. The transitions occur as a judgment against every standard that opposes what ought to be established. The infusion of sin and the reinforcement given to it by an ever expanding majority opinion hastens the Day of the Lord. When right appears wrong and wrong appears right, God alone must vindicate His honor. He brings to naught systems and all under the authority of the rebellious and reestablishes in their place newness. Do not be alarmed at the destruction of the wicked. These things must be if ever the Lord is to be glorified. Opposing and competing forces cannot coexist. The strength of the strong will overtake the weak, and the wisdom of the wise will befuddle the foolishness of the foolish. Since it will happen immediately, we should apply our hearts to live a holy life. The signs are before us now. The rapidly changing situation is our alarm as to how uncertain all things are. God alone is the constant that we can depend upon

“When the proper time has come [for executing My judgments], I will judge uprightly [says the Lord]” (Psalm 75:2 AMP). 

Things are allowed to run their course until God steps in and establishes His proper order. The free range field in which the heart is permitted to run allows each the chance to choose whichever course is suitable to him. We explore the mountainous heights of dreams and aspirations of grandeur and become kings of our own castles. We visit make-believe worlds of fantasy as children playing roles of both villain and saint. Then the time comes to grow up. We are expected to shoulder the responsibility expected of sons of the Most High. But for some, life remains a fantasyland and the exploration of self-interest has so enraptured the heart as to prevent it from receiving the stabilizing truth which will take us even beyond the limits of our own imaginations. God judges the heart in the proper time. He alone distinguishes the difference between what is twisted and what is straight. He reveals His standard to the wayward and pronounces death to all who do not measure up to it. Everything that brings Him glory is for our good. We are being prepared for our future state of ruling and reigning with Him. He takes away the distracting influences that deflect our attention away from what He knows is righteous and good and establishes in its place true holiness.