Following And Serving The Lord Till The Perfect Day
Proverbs 4:18; Job 17:9.
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18). There is the promised day, the prophetic day, the performance day, and at last, there is the perfect day. We start with the Lord on the day of pardon when the Lord pardons us from sin, and from then we progress to the practical day of living for God when our path shines more and more until we reach the perfect day. As the gospel of grace comes into our lives, we do not go down and down or less and less, but we go more and more, higher, and higher, and greater and greater until the perfect day. “The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.” (Job 17:9). The righteous is the saved and redeemed one who is holding on to his faith in Christ, the righteous One.
1. PURPOSEFULLY FOLLOWING THE LORD TILL THE FINAL DAY
Acts 11:23; Daniel 1:8.
We are to follow the Lord with the purpose of heart, determination in the heart, diligence in our lives, and dedication to the very end of our lives. “Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” (Acts 11:23). Always remember that your purpose of following the Lord is to have personal, continuing, and final salvation on the final day. The purpose of following the Lord is to bring as many people as possible to the Lord’s Kingdom. When you leave the world and you cleave unto the Lord, the world, the flesh, money, and finance will try to separate you from the Lord, but you must declare that you have a purpose that is higher and greater than them. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8). The change of location did not change the purpose of Daniel’s heart, but he maintained his purpose both in Judah and in Babylon. The purpose of heart is not in a vacuum; it has its foundation in the scripture, it has its focus on the sanctifier, and it has its fruit because of surrender.
- The Profitable Scripture – 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Acts 2:42; 17:11; John 8:31-32. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11). When it comes to meditating on the Scripture, the method and mode matter. While meditating on the Scriptures, put the world behind you, empty your mind of every distraction, pick a verse or story in the Scripture, concentrate on it, interpret it to yourself, and apply it to yourself. Like the believers in Berea, we are to receive the word with all readiness of mind, search the Scriptures daily, read it daily, meditate on it daily, apply it daily, and live daily by the Scriptures; this is what makes our lives positive and profitable.
- The Purifying Sanctifier – Leviticus 20:7-8; John 17:17; Acts 15:9; Ephesians 5:25-27. Christ is never idle, but He is always at work. When Christ enters our lives, He has the office of the Teacher, Sanctifier, and the Enabler who enables us, equips us, and encourages us. If you are listening to the Lord every time, He lives in your heart as the anointed Christ, the active Christ, and the Authoritative Sanctifier. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17). The truth we receive, believe, and hold in our heart sanctifies and transforms.
- The Permanent Surrender – James 4:7, 10; Job 23:12; Proverbs 30:5-6; Hebrews 12:9. As we follow the Lord and He leads us on, we have a permanent surrender unto Him by giving ourselves completely unto Him. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). When you surrender to the Lord, the devil is jealous of your surrender to the Lord and envious of the God you surrender to. If you are going to have a permanent surrender to the Lord, you have to resist, refuse, and reject the devil.
2. POSITIVELY SERVING THE LORD WITH THE FOREMOST DEDICATION
John 12:26; Hebrews 12:28.
It is possible to negatively serve the Lord as Aaron did when he made an idol for the children of Israel, when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it, or when James and John were angry and wanted to call down fire to burn up the Samaritans. In our lives, when people act and react, we need to remember that we are positively serving the Lord. When we don’t act in love, acting to help others, or acting to lift up the people of God, that is negatively serving the Lord. The Lord is calling us to positively serve Him with the foremost dedication. “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” (Hebrews 12:28). It takes grace to serve the Lord positively.
- The Powerful Spirit – Micah 3:8; Luke 1:17; Acts 1:8; 10:38. “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.” (Micah 3:8). If there is doubt and uncertainty in your heart, you will transmit and transfer the same to the people you are talking to, but when you have assurance, certainty, and truthfulness in your heart, you will transfer the same to the people you are talking to. If you do not have the power of the Spirit, you will not have the courage to declare the people’s sin to them, instead their look will terrify you and their body language will frighten you. But when you are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Spirit of God, you will have inner energy, certainty, and authority because you have the powerful Spirit.
- The Productive Servants – Matthew 10:24; Luke 19:10, 13; Mark 13:34; 1Corinthians 7:35. Jesus did not leave any day idle, but He was always teaching, preaching, healing, counselling, and answering questions; when you fill all your days with positive, productive activities, you will do as Jesus did. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10). Jesus came to seek and to save, and if the people didn’t come to Him, He went to them. “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” (Luke 19:13). We are to occupy till Christ comes. Let the use of your time be meaningful. Occupy in soulwinning, in sowing the seed of the word of God, in service unto the Lord, in service in the church, and beneficial service to your world.
- The Purifying Service – Malachi 3:3-4,16-18; 4:5-6; Luke 1:16-17; Daniel 12:3. Our sacrifice and service must prepare people for the coming of the Lord. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3).The wise make use of their gifts, make use of their tale nts, touch lives, transform lives, lift the fallen, cleanse the dirty and defiled, empower the week, and fill every day with purposeful, practical, and positive service.
3.PERSEVERING LY FISHING FOR THE LORD TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Matthew 4:17-20; Luke 5:4-6, 9-11.
Perseverance in life is what makes us achieve. Ministers should not emulate the retirement scheme of the world or apply it to the ministry. We must persevering fish for the Lord towards our future destiny.
- The Presiding Shepherd – John 10:11, 14, 16, 26-27; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). The Good Shepherd has come with abundant life, giving us grace, power, and the joy of the Lord as our strength.
- The Peculiar Saints – Exodus 19:5-6; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 5:1-4. A peculiar person is different, distinct, and does not act like others. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1 Peter 2:9). God wants to make us peculiar people who will be able to respond kindly to people who despitefully use us.
- The Pleasing Sacrifice – Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 4:8, 18; Hebrews 13:12-16; 1 Peter 2:5, 11-12. Our sacrifice pleases the Lord because it makes us look like the Christ, Son of God, who offered a pleasing sacrifice to the Father. When we always have a desire to help others in whatever way we can, our attitude and posture of sacrifice please the Lord. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2). God owns our bodies because it is the temple of the Holy Ghost. When we are united with one another, and we compensate for what is missing in the other person by sacrificing for one another, we will get to the destination that God has destined for us. The Lord has spoken to us to bring our sacrifice unto Him, therefore, let us work, run the race, preach the gospel, and do everything we are called to do so that our lives and ministries will be profitable, the joy of the Lord will never end in our lives, and our lives will shine more and more until the perfect day. You will hold on to your way and you will be stronger and stronger in Jesus Name.