Well, happy birthday Madiba. You deserve every extra day God has graced you with. I hope that He will show you His true love for you this year. You were a great statesman and leader to your people. Your struggle to free your people from oppression is impressive, I grant you that.
Unfortunately, I don't see the reason to spend 67 minutes today doing something good for Madiba's sake. It does not mean I don't want to do good. It doesn't mean that I don't get the whole idea that the people out there is trying to make the world a better place.
It is just that when I do good it is for God and Christ. Not for a mere human being. 93 or not, Madiba is only human. My eternal happiness is not thanks to him. Not matter how much Madiba magic he uses.
Sure, the little effort people across the globe are putting in today, might make a difference to someone's life for one day. Maybe it will improve their lives for a week or a year. But will it actually make an everlasting difference?
How many of us are going to spend our 67minutes today for the eternal good of mankind? Who of you are going out today and talk about the ultimate rescue from the biggest from of oppression?
So today, that is what I plan to do. Today I will tell you not about Madiba magic, but of God's magic. I want to tell you about an oppression that is the main problem of this world. The reason why nothing good we do today will impact the world we live in. I want to tell you of the one Man that did bring us the ultimate rescue. A rescue that has eternal value. The One Way to peace and no suffering.
You see, God created a good world. He created man to live in peace and harmony with Him. But Man wanted to be like God. Man wanted the same powers as God and when temptation came, Man turned his back on God and seized the opportunity to try and be like God. The only problem is, that humans can't be gods. We can't have godly powers, for it destroys our souls.*
We became imperfect and we could no longer be in God's presence. For even a glimpse of His glory will kill us. No longer did we stand in relation with God. War existed between us an God. No matter what we do. We will never be good again...
We faced a dark future, and the brokenness and pain we see in the world today is all because of this act of defiance. Our own rebellion has cause our own downfall.
We are under the oppression of our very own sinful nature. We need to escape and overcome our own sinful self.
You see, even if you never disobeyed or disrespected your parents and other people older than you and placed in authority over you. Even if you never committed murder, physical or in your mind. Even if you never had sex with anyone other than your wife or husband and never lusted after another. Even if you never stole a minute of your life, not to mention anything that does not belong to you. Even if you never told tiniest of white lies or any form of an untruth. Even if you were never jealous and wanting something that is not yours to have. Even then: you sin.
You see, in our current state of our nature, we are incapable of loving God the way He should be loved. We are incapable of putting God first. We are incapable not having idols. We are incapable of respecting God's name. We are incapable of even having 67 minutes set apart for God, never mind 24 hours.
So you see, we are doomed, by our own nature. In every religion across the Globe, people fear their death, for with death comes judgement. And deep inbedded in us, we know, we don't stand a chance.
But God is Good. He knows we can't avoid damnation by ourselves. He knows, that no matter how good we are, we will not be good enough. So...
He had a plan from the beginning. He allowed Himself to come down to earth as a Man, born from a young, virgin maiden, just like He said He would to the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 7:14) He suffered in this life. Living a life of an outcast, being sneered at, bullied, and even complotted against. Eventually, He was brutally killed, in a shameful death on a cross. Again this was prophesied by Isaiah and many others. When He died, the earth shuddered, the sun hid its face away. Nature was ashamed by the awful murder of its Creator. Man's sinful nature seemed to have overcome God.
For three days, the earth held its breath. Waiting... And then, that glorious morning arrived! Christ rose from the grave. His resurrection was to symbolize, that His plan had worked. He had faced God's wrath. He become our sin. He was killed in God's anger. He has faced our punishment. Death could not hold Him, for He is God.
He gave up His life, not just 67 years, to rescue us from our oppression. He overcome, not by a warlike struggle, that harmed men, but by Godly Power. The only person hurt was Him.
And through Him we can stand in God's presence once more. We are no-longer outcasts. No longer do we need to be God's number one enemy. If we turn from our own sinful rebellion against God. If we stop wanting to be our own god. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and God, and face God with him on our side, we no longer need to fear judgement.
When each and every human being on this earth has turned to Christ and stand firm in Him, we won't need to suffer. There won't be the need for 67 minutes drives for doing good. We will all want to do good, all the time. We will all love our neighbours as ourselves. When Christ rules every person on earth, we will have reached Heaven.
So I suggest, for today, spend you 67 minutes, on finding God's place in your life. Give it to God and not Madiba. Then you will do eternal good...
My God's Love enfold you today and bless you, now and for all eternity.
From little old me
PS: *(Don't confuse powers with character traits please. Those, we can obtain and did have before our fall from Grace. But that is another rambling all on its own.)
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world tht H e gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Rom: 1:16 "I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile"
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