Instruments of RighteousSpeaker: Sis. Stella Dhinakaran Gist: Be watchful and pray daily without fail. Read the Word of God and have a close relationship with Him. Hold on to Him firmly. He will change you into an instrument of righteousness. Friend, it is always necessary that we should have the divine strength to live a sanctified life like our Lord's and a life relieved of sin. That is why all of us, should read the life-giving manna, the 'Word' of the Bible a plenty, everyday. It is not enough to read it at a stipulated time and be satisfied with it. The more we read the Bible, the more we are strengthened in His Spirit. All the known great men of God rose up early in the morning to read the Bible for several hours, waiting at the feet of God in solitary places and strengthened themselves. So, my friend, do you realise the importance of reading the Bible?
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." (Psalms 32:8)
According to this verse, God will surely teach you the way you should go. If you walk along the wrong path, He will make you own conscience accuse you, (Romans 2:15) through His word.
"Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:13)
Similarly, when we interact with the Lord through prayer, He strengthens our soul to enable us to walk along the path of sober wisdom. If we give false excuses for not praying, it is we, who sustain the loss. If we display an inadequacy in our efforts to seek the Lord, the devil will find a loophole to enter into our life and consequently, mental depression would crush our heart.
Elijah, the man of God performed many miracles and proved to the people of Israel that 'The Lord, He is God'. But to that great prophet came many trials. Jezebel, the wicked queen planned to kill him. Because of that, there was dejection in his heart, which is normal to all human beings. But as he was a servant to God, He was with him, strengthened and propped him up. God gave him His divine grace to continue and complete his ministry. So a life of interaction with the Lord is of great importance. Ordinary human beings, such as we are face various factors like thrust despondency and gloom. Therefore it is imperative for us to watch and pray to escape dejection.
To have a paradoxical example, observe the case of the disciples of Jesus. As they did not watch and pray, at a very crucial period they could not stand on their own, during the time of temptation. One betrayed Him, another denied Him and others absconded.
Friend, what is our state? How intently do we seek Him? Are we defrauding ourselves as Christians in name, without praying or reading the Bible?
Once, a sister wrote a letter to me saying that her husband was living a degraded life. He, being a hard-heartened man, never showed any love to his wife. So, the lady was in an intense state of depression and weariness. Despite that condition, she did not seek the Lord through prayer or fasting. She was only more and more obsessed with her own anxieties and gloom. During this sensitive period, another acquaintance, a man, used to visit her often, conversing with her sweetly. In course of time, she developed a longing for his visits and finally an urge to marry him. She desired to have an illicit relationship with him, even while her husband was alive, wrote to me for counselling. If she had not nurtured this kind of negative relationship and clung to God instead, submitting all her woes to Him, He would have definitely changed the heart of her husband. He would have revived their married life. But, do you notice her negative thought? Will this plan be amenable to the Lord? I wrote to her advising her to cut off the forbidden relationship and return to praying and fasting, with tears for the salvation of her husband.
Dear friend, this is how the devil will bring into our lives, despair and trials. But God will extricate those who rely on Him relentlessly, from trials and dejection and make them live in Him as instruments of righteousness. Trials may strike your life too. In these distorted times, many people who are yearning for love, march straight towards a dirty life, away from God. No, my friend, do not desert God. Hold on to Him firmly. He will change your life into a prosperous one. He will alter your life into an instrument of righteousness, a model to others and will enable you to live in Christ.
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
I praise You and adore You. Help me to read and meditate Your life-giving word everyday without fail. Protect me from all temptations. Teach me to pray fervently. Grant me Your divine grace to hold on to you firmly. Help me to be a good example before others. Transform me into an instrument of righteousness. In Jesus' matchless name, I pray.
Amen. |