What things?
What comes into your mind when you hear the two words ALL THINGS? We can explore as we take a trip of discovery. Hidden treasures wait for explorers.
The healing Balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22) which is for those who are sin-sick and wounded, comes through the nail-pierced hands of the Great Physician. He alone has the remedy for the damaging ALL THINGS caused by sin, and He alone can restore and renew unto salvation. But we must choose to come to Him. What is that Balm, that healing Remedy? The precious Blood of Jesus (1 John 1:9) the sinless Blood of the Lamb of God cleanses us from the ALL THINGS of sin. Even though we have all like sheep (Isaiah 53:6) gone astray, God causes ALL THINGS (Romans 8:29) to work together for His purpose to make us like Jesus. Do we really grasp (Isaiah 25:1) that all God’s purposes are of old, well established long ago?
We must not let grumbling crowd out gratitude but (Philippians 4:6) in ALL THINGS give thanks to God for everything. Personally, I have so many blessings that there is no room in me for complaints. We have strength for ALL THINGS (Philippians 4:13) through Christ Who empowers us. We are promised (1 Peter 2:3) ALL THINGS needed for life and godliness. We have ALL THINGS of need and treasure (Philippians 4:19, Colossians 2:3) by God’s riches in Christ Jesus, fabulous eternal wealth. Everything in Jesus and Jesus in Everything. God makes ALL THINGS new (2 Corinthians 5:17) in our lives and He will also do so (Revelation 21:5) in the expanding universe. In ALL THINGS that you do, whatever you do (1 Corinthians 10:31) do for the glory of GOD.
Surely we are not so foolish as to desire any of the tawdry temporary ALL THINGS of this world which are not even worth considering. If we by our own choice determine in ALL THINGS to love, trust and obey the Lord at any cost, the Holy Spirit will empower us to make that choice the reality of our daily lives. God’s will, God’s way, God’s timing is the high Insurmountable protecting wall around the ALL THINGS of our everyday lives.
Jonah tried to escape (Jonah 1:1-3) the ALL THINGS of God’s command but (Jonah 1:17) a big fish changed his mind. When God called Gideon, a mighty man of courage (Judges 6:12) and told him the plan, Gideon tried to escape the overwhelming ALL THINGS of God’s instructions by saying (Jonah 6:15) that he could not do it and there must be someone else more capable. But the Angel of the Lord pinpointed Gideon and accomplished His own victory through his weakling by stripping him of human help. No excuses or evasions can hold water against God’s commands because with His commands also comes God’s enabling power, His provision and His protection.
The best thing we can ever learn is to learn to listen to God and to obey whatever He says without argument, debate or question, so that His will is done in us even as (Matthew 6:10) it is done in heaven. In ALL THINGS Jesus tells you (Acts 3:22) hear, listen, understand and heed. Eli taught Samuel (1 Samuel 3:9) to listen to what God said. He did and none of Samuel’s words (1 Samuel 3:19) were empty, nothing He said fell to the ground as worthless.
The Lord showed me the similarity and the difference between (Mark 10:21-22) a fabulously wealthy man and a little boy (John 6:9) who had only 5 dinner rolls and 2 small pickled fish. The similarity was that they both had something with tremendous potential. The difference was what they did with it. The rich man did not take Jesus into the equation and his choice brought him emptiness and sorrow. The little boy did reckon with Jesus and gave Jesus his little bit, the ALL THINGS of everything he had. Then that little boy saw the wonderful works of God as his lunch, enough for one, fully satisfy the hunger of thousands and with leftovers! I’m sure that boy was a believer and disciple of Jesus all through his life. Just likely he would have been one of the 120 at Pentecost and I am looking forward to meeting him in heaven. In the ALL THINGS of your possessions, little or much, give the ownership of everything to the Lord Jesus and renounce all rights concerning them and also all rights to yourself. Then stand back, bow low and prepare to be amazed.
Why are you and I living in comfort and safety while thousands of believers in many parts of the world, are suffering hellish tortures because of loyalty to Jesus Christ? We are privileged to have the time and we must take the time to pray for them.
We are told to pray for them as if we were in prison with them. Pray above all that they will have the glorious gift of being able to rejoice (Acts 5:41) that they are counted worthy to suffer for His Name. Then pray that the Holy Spirit will bring pictures to your mind for prayer.
I see a woman, a new believer, bruised and bleeding, standing on the street with nowhere to go. She has just been badly beaten and thrown out of her home because she will not renounce her faith in Jesus. I see a man in prison who is in such pain from continual torture that there is no place of comfort for his body. Now he hears the boots of the brutal guards coming again and he wonders if he can endure and stand faithful. I see a brutalized man in a Labour Camp whose throat is burning with thirst but no one will give him a drink, still he has an impossible quota to fill daily. Pray that inadequate, poor quality food would be supernaturally charged to give strength and nourishment. Pray that insufficient water would be supernaturally charged to quench their thirst and cause their bodily functions to operate normally. Pray that God’s loving Presence would be as tangible as a blanket enfolding them. Pray that angels in visible form would bring them strength and encouraging messages directly from heaven. Pray for Pastors who are being hunted and some of have been imprisoned and tortured more than once. Also pray for the ministry of Help The Persecuted. They provide medical and material assistance and safe houses for believers who are in danger, where they can recover, learn and be encouraged by the teaching of God’s Word and be built up in their faith
In ALL THINGS pray!
As we pray, we can be preparing ourselves for what must surely be coming. I don’t remember who said this but he spoke truth, “Being ashamed of Jesus is like a candle being ashamed of the sun”. We can never be steadfast and loyal to Jesus unless we are depending completely on the Holy Spirit in total reliance on Him. I say – loyal to Jesus may I steadfast be, so that (Matthew 10:32-33) Jesus is never ashamed of me.