“Consciousness Of God’s Immanence!”

“Consciousness Of God’s Immanence!”(Mt.10:26-33).
When the Lord Jesus called and sent out the Twelve on mission he gave them a series of instructions. He warned them of the dangers and the opposition they’ll face. But he also encouraged them to stand their ground and to rely on God who has the final say in the life of each one of us(Mt.10:1-25).
If you want to beautify the face of a monkey you must first tie it’s hands; if not the monkey would scratch and wound you. The mission of the Twelve was to go to the lost sheep of Israel and preach the nearness of the kingdom of heaven, “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”
The Twelve had no benefit in this mission. This mission was like fixing the face of a monkey to give it beauty. But the monkey was ready to scratch. The people whom they were sent to save would rather harm these harbingers of good tidings.
Jesus told them to be on guard, but above all, he instilled confidence in them saying, “So do not be afraid of them…Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell… don’t be afraid…”
Following on this week’s theme our focus on the text is the generality of the life each one of us lives. Within the pericope Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed; or hidden that will not be made known…”
Hypocrisy thrives within a shame culture than within a guilt culture. In a shame culture we fear men more than God. If nobody is seeing me I can do whatever I want to do even though it is not the right thing to do. But if it is known, I’ll be shamed for it.
A guilt culture inculcates that wrong is wrong and right is right at all times. Whether there is someone around or not, if it is wrong, then it is wrong and shouldn’t be done – irrespective of whether I know that somebody knows or whether somebody knows and I do not know that he knows.
A guilt culture raises in us the awareness that there is Someone who knows not only our deeds, but our thoughts as well. He is the One we have to be afraid of. He is the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
On the other hand, the kingdom living prescription is shallow and deprives us of the numerous pleasures and pleasantries of life. Whoever teaches such prescriptions is an enemy to the majority. But even so, Do not be afraid of them. They can kill your body, but they have no power over your soul. Only God has power over both your body and soul. So fear only him and obey his commandments. But where you have missed the mark, turn to the cross where you will find grace.
Prayer of the week: Holy Spirit prod and remind us to fear only God whose eyes see beyond our actions into our intentions. Amen!
Welcome back to a new working day and week! Have a blessed day and week! Peace be with you!
Prayer point: Pray for an ongoing consciousness of God’s immanence and an intentional shift towards a guilt culture.
Rev Babila Fochang.