“Consider Your Conduct And Your Deeds!”

“Consider Your Conduct And Your Deeds!”
Harold Turner has presented a six feature analysis for the study of primal religions which he says is readily applicable to the Christian tradition. One of the six points concerns human weakness. “There is the deep sense that man is finite, weak, and impure or sinful and stands in need of a power not his own.” The Nuer of southern Sudan say that man is like an ant before God.
It is in this sense of a foreknowledge of God in primal religions that Paul says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened(Rom.1:18-21).
Indeed; man is nothing without God. The Lord Jesus Christ says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…Remain in me, and I will remain in you…I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing…”(Jn.15:1-8).
In a refrain to one of her songs Mary Mckee sings, “Shattered dreams, shattered dreams. Nothing I planned has turned out right…My life without Christ is shattered dreams.”
My friend, do not depend on flesh for your strength. The arm of flesh will fail you. This is not to say you fold your hands and do nothing because the Lord will provide. Far from it, even when God provides manna, you are still expected to go out and pick it.
You are blessed when your trust is in the Lord and when you place your confidence in him. We may do things to impress men because the heart of man is deceitful. But “the Lord searches the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve”(Jer.17:5-10).
Therefore, watch your conduct and your deeds for they determine the reward you receive from the Lord.
Sunday prayer: Lord Jesus Christ prune me for a fruitful harvest through service to humanity. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!