Transitioning from the joyous time we experienced at the Feast of Tabernacles, right back into our routine lives, can be challenging. Keeping our focus strong is key and we need to make sure that we don’t become lazy in our efforts but rather, we should remain diligent.
Are we physically and spiritually prepared for the Fall Holy Days as this time pictures what the future will be like when Christ returns to establish His Kingdom here on this earth. We need to be ready with patience as we are being trained now, through the understanding that God has given us, so we can reach perfection.
When we lack self-control, negative consequences are often times the result. Have we been victimized and/or reciprocated in kind by being too quick to respond; quick to raise the fist; seeking revenge; quick to anger; losing control of our emotions; giving in to sin; not thinking before we act; acting on assumption rather than reality; falsely accused when put on the spot for our mistakes or even our beliefs; and questioned by the things that we do?
Taking control of our actions in the way we respond requires composure, which is the state of feeling or being calm and in control of oneself. We are supposed to be peacemakers, having self-control (Matthew 5:9). We can’t let ourselves fall apart, but need to stay intact when we are faced with adversity.
How did Christ react when He was constantly put on the spot and tested to see how He would respond? Notice some of the things which He said in a given situation:
“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone… first” (John 8:7). “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). And after He was mocked, beaten and crucified, His response was to forgive, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
We are to imitate Christ. When He was accused many times, He showed tremendous self-control, and in all the pressures with which He was faced and the demands of the ministry, He managed to maintain His composure to do the Will of His Father. Are we not supposed to do the same? We have the gift of the Holy Spirit within us to help us, and it is through God’s power and grace in our lives that we are able to respond to pressures with the same composure and self-control that Jesus showed in similar situations. As Christ walked through the storms of life, keeping His composure, we are to do the same. This is what God expects of us—that we are to conduct ourselves both inwardly and outwardly with the same character and grace that Jesus showed when He was on this earth. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” He shares His compassion with us, because He has experienced the same trials and temptations that we go through.
How do we show our self-control? “… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). Prayer helps us in this regard and is a valuable tool that we should never be without and that can most certainly help us in any given situation. Prayer can be applied at any time; at any moment; in any environment; whenever we need help for even the quickest and simplest things, like when we are put on the spot and need to give a quick response. So instead of seeking to respond in a way which is typically our initial reaction, if we are not careful, let us try another approach—that of self-control and composure.
Discipline requires motivation, hard work, and keeping your eye on the goal. For us to be good teachers and leaders, we need to be taught and led first ourselves through discipline. This is our training process and as we continue to learn, through the examples in the Bible and the instructions from God by living His way of life, we will eventually achieve perfection.
THE KINGDOM IS UPON US… but it is not yet ruling on earth. How eager are we for that moment to finally arrive, when Christ returns to put an end to all the ungodliness in the world? Will we be spiritually ready when that time comes?
We don’t know exactly when that will be, but we do know through the Bible that we need to watch and be ready. At the same time, we have to keep living our lives as if there was a whole lifetime ahead of us – and we must do so with patience. We MUST have patience. Our patience is tested all the time, in everything we do: “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption [better: sonship], the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:23-25).
We eagerly wait to rule with Christ as God Beings, as immortal members of the God Family. This is what we hope for with patience, and even though we do not know exactly WHEN it will happen, we DO know THAT it will happen. We will be blessed when we endure until the end (compare James 5:11). God also has a tremendous deal of patience, especially with us. He expects us to make it, despite the times when we stumble. It really gives us much hope, knowing that we are called and that God has the confidence in us that we will be in His Kingdom, even though we slip up from time to time. Just as we are patient, God is as well.
The Bible tells us how we ought to live—how we should behave as Christians. You might want to review Romans 12:9-21. Everything mentioned in that passage requires patience. This is what we are to do every day, until Christ’s return, and James 5:7-8 also instructs us in this way: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
How do we know what the truth is and do we believe in it? What separates us from every other religion out there? What are we to do with the knowledge that has been given to us to bring forth results?
The world is experiencing a lot of change: change in the environment, in the way we live, and with society. Trust in God and faith in His laws are not a factor anymore as attempts to make this world we live in are becoming “more acceptable” in the eyes of man. God makes it clear what He prohibits and how we can be saved, before it’s too late.
To produce good fruit, one has to apply certain attributes which should produce blessings, if applied correctly.
The story of Cain and Abel provides meaning and symbolism for us today. Are we willing to yield to God’s law and His righteousness as Abel did or will we take Cain’s approach and let sin creep in and take control of our lives?
It comes as no surprise that the time we are living in is becoming increasingly difficult, especially when simple things that we need are beginning to take effect in our lives, like rising gasoline prices, water shortages and power outages. These necessities could affect the cost on other items such as groceries. With a struggling economy, are we becoming more cautious and aware when it comes to either saving or spending our money? Have these customary every-day items been taken for granted? Do we realize that food and gas are depleting and that one day we could very well run out of supplies?
God knows what we need. He blesses us with physical necessities, and He has also granted us gifts that are not offered to the world, while some who could be reached have chosen not to accept His gifts. Have we taken God’s gifts for granted, including the Sabbath day, His annual Holy Days and His commandments for us to keep? Do we take His blessings for granted? Are we thankful for them? Do we have faith that God will provide in our times of need, or do we become too discouraged to rely on God? Remember, He puts us through trials to test our faith (James 1:2-6), and we must also be smart in our decisions that we make, because we don’t want to test God either, by questioning His ability or willingness to help us or by trying to force Him to do something for us, while we do nothing. To think that we can just sit back and stay passive, thinking that God will have to take care of us, is not going to get us far, as we have a role to play as well. That is all part of our learning process – having a closer relationship with God.
When we do receive blessings from God, we have to remember to be thankful. Sometimes we tend to dwell on the things that are troublesome to us, the things that we would most likely try to put into our own hands to figure out, forgetting to go to God and ask for help. We may not do that intentionally but we give in to human nature. When we are sick, do we ask God for healing, or do we rely on doctors and medicine instead, ignoring God in the process? And when we ask for God’s healing, and He does heal us, do we forget to thank Him? Luke 17:11-19 proves that our faith will make us well and that God expects of us to thank Him when we are healed.
Ephesians 5:20 tells us that we are to give thanks “ALWAYS for ALL things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This also means during difficult times. We should not take what has been given to us for granted.
God has also given us the gift of knowledge and love and the understanding of His Way of Life, including the meaning of the Sabbath and the Holy Days, and by living this way, we are to be great examples to the rest of the world, as it says in Matthew 5:16. We are to be shining lights to this world even though the world will hate us for it, and yes, they will hate us for it!
But we are not here to please the world, but God, and we will be blessed for that. Luke 8:4-15 talks about the parable of the sower who went out to sow his seed. Some seed fell by the wayside, on rock, among thorns, and good ground. Which seed are we? If we consider ourselves to be part of the seed that fell on good ground, notice how we must have patience just as God has patience with us. We must endure hardship and suffering if we want to live God’s Way of Life, to ultimately be like God. Isn’t that our ultimate goal? Do we sometimes take what we know for granted? Or do we remain faithful in Christ? Are we strong enough to keep going, and do we possess that patience until the end? For this is God’s promise to us, if we do not give up: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
