MESSAGE FROM THE ALTAR DEVOTIONAL SERVICE.

09/05/2021.GOD’S YARDSTICK.MICAH 6:8 The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands:”See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.” (CEV)MATTHEW 22:37-4037. Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38. This is the first and greatest commandment.39. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’40. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. ” (NIV) The World is racing towards it’s demise. Everything we are experiencing – the natural and man-made disasters and turbulence; the chaos and trepidations; the stress and hopelessness; the orgy of violence and avarice are all pointers to a world about to end. More than ever before, we need to study and meditate deeply on the Word of God in order to survive the looming catastrophe. The Word of God shows the mind of God. To be safe we must please God. To please God we must know what God wants. What does God require from us ? ” Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind “.There is no way we can do so on our own strength, for none can totally keep the law. Only through the strength and righteousness of Jesus Christ is salvation attainable and that’s why the first step to pleasing God is to surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God commands us to ” Love your neighbour as yourself “. There is no way we can accomplish this injunction unless we act justly; love mercy; and walk humbly with God. The man who would be just or merciful must have the power of putting himself in the place of another; he must have a real interest in other people’s circumstances. He must have courage, patience and sympathy in order to be just and merciful. The precondition to Justice and Mercy is the ability ” to walk humbly with God “. There is more to life than making money. God calls us to make a difference. To make a difference requires that we do justice and to do justice is to serve the common good. God enjoins us to love kindness. Let us aspire to do nice things for others spontaneously, especially those we don’t know, and where possible doing it anonymously with no thought of recognition or reward. God wants us to walk with Him. He loves our fellowship. He loves interaction with us. He listens; He hears our cries of joy and pain; He understands our every situation. He wants to relate with us as friend to friend. But, to walk humbly with God is also to remember our place and to know that we stand with God, not as equals but as Creator and creations. Are you afraid to be just in a world filled with injustice ?Are you afraid to be merciful in a world becoming very heartless ?Are you afraid to defend the persecuted because of personal safety ?Are you perpetuating heinous crimes in the name of politics ? We are pilgrims on earth. We must all die at one time or the other. The world itself will come to an end. But, that is not the end of everything. The Holy Bible, the Word of God, makes it clear that judgment awaits humanity afterwards .All must appear before God to be recompensed for performance while on earth. It’s either everlasting life of bliss or everlasting agony in hell. The natural man can never please God. We need the supernatural power of Jesus Christ and His righteousness to belong to God’s family. Jesus Christ is the Way to the heart and throne of God. Without the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we can not reign with God. Therefore, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, now is the time to do so. Next time may never be. If you are backsliding, it’s important to wake up from your slumber and glow for Jesus Christ again. Remember, the unsaved awaits you to bring them the Gospel. Therefore, do the work of the evangelist. Micah asks,”what does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Jesus Christ taught, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” That, in a nutshell, is the essence of a life of faith.