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Hello, this is Niall Walshe. Welcome to another "Thought for the Day" from the Christian Bible Church.
The God of the Bible can often seem quite distant today as we live in an unbelieving world. Where is His power? Where are the miracles? Where is His justice? Life goes on, and those who follow Jesus long to see Him manifest His love and power in this world. Yet He waits. And those who reject Jesus seem to prosper. This is not a new situation. In Psalm 74 the writer cries out to God, "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. How long will the enemy mock You, O God?" There must be many Christians around the world who would echo those words today.
But God makes it clear in the Bible that it is not His wish that He should appear distant. This is the God who gives us a spirit that cries "Abba, Father." This is the same God who encourages us to cast all our cares onto Him, because He cares for us. He does not desire to appear distant, nor uncaring. Yet it can be puzzling when so much injustice goes unchallenged. When the poor are relentlessly ground down by poverty. When the rich store up plenty for themselves and enjoy an easy life, whilst believing widows and orphans go hungry.
But God issues an invitation to each one of us that promises to release the blessings of heaven. In the book of Malachi God says that it is the Believers who are robbing God! And He says that this is so because the believers are not giving to God that which is rightfully His. In the Old Covenant this meant the tithes and offerings due under the Covenant of Moses; in the New Covenant it means our whole lives offered to God. It is challenging to us all, as Christians, to read that God has promised that if we will give to Him that which is rightfully His, then He will "pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it."
Could it be that many of us Christians need to move into a deeper level of commitment? That we need to be giving God "the whole tithe" - in other words, our whole lives and not just a part of our lives? That, contrary to what circumstances tell us, it is the Christians who have the real ability to direct the affairs of this world? That all that stops God revealing Himself in greater measure, is the limited measure we give Him of our own lives through which He can work? God makes no demands of the Christian and, in Christ, there is "now no condemnation." But in the Word of God there is amazing inspiration of what can be, through a person who is wholly committed to God.
Perhaps we should not be waiting for God to move, perhaps He is waiting for us. Thank you for listening. |
