Miki Hardy

Paul said in the book of Romans: ” How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news…”.  This is a direct call for all of us not to stay at home but to find a place and people to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Enough is enough…. We cannot stay at home anymore everyday in our lounge knowing that people are ignorant about what Jesus did and can do for them. Let us one moment remember the days before we came to know Jesus Christ, as our Saviour and Lord. We thank the Lord that one day someone shared the love of Jesus to us, and today we should feel responsible towards the Lord to share His love to others. They will hear from us as we leave our comfort and go into the streets or in the homes. Our reward is first the joy of  seeing men and women be converted to Christ and then of course in heaven.

We should never underestimate the blessings of giving to the kingdom of God, to the poor and to those who are in need. Often christians give their finances to the Lord and only expect a material blessing in return. But we should look further than a material blessing when we give of our finances, we should expect a spiritual blessing as well. Our Father is interested in our spiritual maturity before our material blessing. Every thing that we do in obedience to God with all our hearts, opens the door for a spiritual blessing in our lives, may it be the giving of our finances or other things God asks us to do. We should expect both a material and a spiritual reward from God when we bring to Him our finances. Our Father is the one who meets our every need when we serve Him with all our hearts.

God changes the heart of the greatest sinner in a twinkle of an eye. We must never be discouraged when we share the gospel to someone with a closed heart but rather have faith in our God who changes hearts and in the power of the word of God. The Bible says that the word of God is like a hammer that breaks the rock. We are called to sow the seed of the word of God and have faith that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of those who hear the word. The Bible says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Let us believe God to break all barriers and change the hearts of those who receive the seed. Our God can do the impossible.

It is sad that so many christians have never tasted the joy of witnessing and praying with someone to be born again. It is really a wonderful experience to witness the salvation of a sinner who comes to Jesus Christ. It is a joy that is very particular, not comparable to anything else, something to really experience as a christian. Christians can so easily be caught up with their problems and lose the vision of winning souls. In reality, sharing the love of Jesus to non christians will certainly remove their eyes and thoughts from their daily problems of life and allow them to enjoy their christian life. Jesus said that there is great joy in heaven when somebody receives the gift of salvation. There is also great joy in our hearts when we bring someone to Christ.

When Jesus told to His disciples that the harvest is ripe, He knew that the time was at hand for the Jews to hear the good news. There have always been times in the calender of God for special outpourings of His Spirit. We see this after Pentecost, when thousands of Jews were born again and later on in the history of  the church, where thousands of gentiles came to Christ during special times of revival. Do we feel that  we are living a special time when the harvest is ripe again? Do we  know how long will it last? Jesus is calling us to get out of our comfort zone and reach out to the lost in the streets, in the homes, in our work environment etc.  It is certainly a special time for taking the good news of Jesus Christ to this dying world. Let’s go…

This was the cry of the blind man to Jesus as he heard that the Master was passing by. He was sitting by the way side everyday of his life and he had lost all hope from this world which had no time for him and despised him. He cried to Jesus for mercy from the depth of his broken heart, because he felt that this was his last opportunity of receiving his sight. The suffering of this blind man depicts the state of this dying world today, where millions of people are lost in their sins and have no hope for the future. Men and women, old or young, are uttering the same unheard cry from their hurting soul. We are an extension of Jesus, and we are called to reach out to this world without losing time, and share the love of Jesus to all those who come on our way. We will soon discover that there are many “blind men” who are crying for mercy from deep down in their hearts. Jesus is ready to meet their need.

What else did Jesus accomplish at the cross that becomes part of our inheritance? The Bible says that Jesus has wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14. This means that our righteousness does not come from the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. The law having been removed we now live by faith and by grace. We also understand that freedom has now been given to us and the Bible declares that we have been delivered from the curse of the law, because the law could not bring us to perfection. We now have the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us, correct us, instruct us, so that we might accomplish the righteousness of the law. Freedom from the law is part of our inheritance.

The Bible says that Jesus came so as to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. It also says that God spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them by triumphing over them through the cross. Colossians 2:15. This shows us that the enemy has no more power over our lives as long as we walk righteously before God. Our Father watches over us and His divine presence within us preserves us against the devil, who cannot touch us. 1 John 5:18. This is a walk of faith as we experience this great victory. It is the victory of our faith. Paul says ” Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. It enables us to stand against all the attacks of the enemy against us.” Ephesians 6:10-11. We do not fear the enemy but we overcome him because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4.

We understand that our inheritance is primarily spiritual, because  Jesus died for our sins, our spiritual condition. Our inheritance is directly linked with what Jesus accomplished when He died on the cross. Jesus shed His blood when He died and He Himself said to His disciples: “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28. 1John 3:5 says that He was manifested to take away our sins.  Salvation by grace through faith in Christ is our inheritance. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The blood of Jesus constantly cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7. It allows us to keep that wonderful relationship with Christ.

Paul starts his epistle to the Ephesians by saying that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. It is clear that the spiritual blessing is the main core of our inheritance, and is what we should first seek for. It is the hope of His calling and the riches of His inheritance. Ephesians 1:18.  We first seek the Kingdom and other things shall be added to us. Matthew 6:33. When sin is dealt with in our lives, all other natural and material blessings from God come naturally by faith. Jesus is more interested in our spiritual state than our material or physical state.This truth must be clear in our hearts before we move to the next step. What happened when Jesus died on the cross, so that we may know the riches of His inheritance?