https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/10/the-god-who-redeems
A prevailing theme in God for which I have commented before in these pages is one of redemption despite our brokenness. In Isaiah 43, God brought destruction upon the Israelites due to their insolence and yet promised to rescue them. Isaiah 43 is fulfilled in modern-day Israel when indeed the people of God were gathered from the East and the West, the South and the North. In 1947, the United Nations approved the creation of the state of Israel, and on May 14, 1948, Israel was proclaimed an independent state with David Ben-Gurion as the first prime minister.
We come to God as we are. None are perfect or sinless as all humanity has sinned because of Adam. The world is dying and broken. In this fallen world, sin and death prevail for our body age. We grow weaker and more prone to illnesses and diseases as we grow older. Our days are numbered. But as Jesus died for our sins, He broke the sting of sin, which is death. He conquered sin and death when He rose again 3 days after His crucifixion. He thus offers us the way out of this human condition of death with a promise of resurrection in body and spirit to all who call upon His name, who accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. At the trumpet, the dead will one day rise and become whole and live in the new heaven and new earth in the new Jerusalem with God living amongst us and Christ as our King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Every believer looks in expectation of the day of His coming again, and many believe that the creation of the state of Israel in fulfilment of Isaiah 43 heralds the second coming of Christ, with many also believing that it will occur in the generation within the era of 1948. What is the maximum life expectancy of humans in the present age? 100? Thus, it is postulated that Christ will come again within 100 years of 1948 in our present generation, although only the Father knows the exact timing.
Christ can make us beautiful despite our brokenness, despite our past actual sins. Christ takes us as we are and will mould and shape us into the beautiful vessel that He may use for the glory of God. We need to survive and live, but as He is coming again, the world as we know it now will not be the same again once Christ arrives in the scene. The events seen and foretold by John in the book of Revelation will unfold, and as Christians, if we are not raptured prior to the great tribulation, we would need the power of God to live through the great tribulation with our faith intact and unscathed.
This morning, let’s reflect on our life and ask ourselves how prepared we are to face trials and tribulations if indeed they were to become real in our lifetime? Are we ready? Have we allowed Christ to mould and transform us all these years into the person He wants us to be, filled with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit that we are strong and courageous for the LORD our God is with us? Will we be like Caleb and Joshua? Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Do present our brokenness to Christ for Him to make us beautiful and strong for God. Now rather than later as the times are pressing.
Ronnie's Thoughts 