Serving Jesus

“Behold, is it not of Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves only for vanity.”  Habakkuk 2:13

 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest unto your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

 

Most working age Americans, do just that, they work.  The jobs vary in tasks to whatever their employment requires, but by being a worker you are serving others.  People serve someone, but why?

 

I pondered this the other day while working.  Of what advantage is it to diligently serve others working at jobs, but not be serving Jesus?  To what avail is it to gain personal possessions, without gaining Salvation?

 

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Matthew 16:24-26

 

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Mark 8:35-37

 

How many people work hard their whole lives, perhaps only from time to time realizing the vanity?  Their intentions are misguided.  While working is certainly something that is necessary for the far vast majority of people, diligently serving others during the tenure of whatever job one may have, of to what value is anything without Christ?

 

“The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:  Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.  What is the profit to a man in all his labor which he labors under the sun?  A generation passes away, and a generation comes; but the earth stands perpetually.  The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, panting in a hurry to its place where it rises again.  The wind goes toward the south, and it turns around to the north; it whirls around continually; and the wind returns according to its circuits.  All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, there they return again.  All things are full of labor; man is not able to utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.  Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been in the days of antiquity, which were before us.  There is no remembrance of former things, and also no remembrance of following things of what will be; nor a remembrance of those things by those who follow afterwards.”  Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

 

My family and some friends went out to grab some food at a restaurant the other day in Kalispell, Montana.  The waitress brings us our menus and we place our order.  For some reason, despite the fact that we are having an early dinner, the meals are taking a long time to be prepared.  In the background, with few conversations overpowering the music, I can hear numerous songs being played.  Sitting there, in the midst of what is a somewhat dry conversation, I begin to think about such things.

 

Where are the false prophets, the prophets of Baal in our society?  Do they not come over the radio waves?  Are they not piped in to our homes, our businesses and our vehicles?  In nearly all job fields, as people are busily tasked serving others, just whom are those false prophets who push them along through the day? 

 

The music playing in the restaurant is a mix of classical rock, music I am familiar with, because as a fellow servant for many years in the restaurant industry, I have heard them all.  These false prophets, prophecy blasphemy against their Creator.  They portray wrongness and push people to continue on the wide path to destruction (Matt. 7:13). 

 

Our waitress returns with our food and as she is leaving she begins to sing the verses of the current song playing it’s lutes through the speakers.  I ponder further these things and recall when I was young, despite being Saved, how I also drove around listening to such evil things. 

 

In the church I attended when I was in high school, ‘christian’ rock, rap and other types of pop is where we were pointed to, but nonetheless, we would engage in listening to either or, with very little criticism.  Having matured out of such worldliness when I was still young, I understood the end of those things.  Yet despite the fact that God spoke to my heart clearly to see the errors of my ways, more than once, the world continues on in their rebellion, with the false prophets preaching the world’s messages.

 

“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their own craftiness; and again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”  1st Corinthians 3:18-20

 

Sitting in the restaurant I thought of those young people back in the 1950’s and 60’s who lived free, pretending to no longer have to fear God, but to live as their pleased.  I thought, with zeal against those who prophesize such lies through their lutes, of those young people, people who would have been around my grandparents age, who took the message of sin, wholeheartedly.  I thought of those who became casualties, who never repented and by faith believed into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Those who while jamming to the latest tune on their car radio, so long ago, drinking, having fun, doing what the world does, who in an instant found their car in the lake or crashed into a tree or a mountainside, whose lives ended while listening to such false prophets who still have their lutes played today, despite the fact that many of them became victims of untimely deaths.

 

Many who made the deal at the crossroads, those who sold their soul, those who took the fame and money, rebelling against their Creator by teaching people to rebel against God Almighty (Jer. 28:15-16), these same people often lived in fear and depression, knowing that the hellhounds where a coming for them as well.  Fun and games, to rebel against God!  Certainly not! 

 

Yet these false prophets push people during their day to day activities as their serve others.  They keep them preoccupied and distracted.  Many will go on their whole lives in vain, serving other, not serving Jesus as they should be.  There will be no rewards for their fruit, for they have sown wickedness and will reap the rewards for their actions.

 

But why, O why do they do so?  Can they not see the matter plainly?  The classical musicians who taught rebellion against our Creator are being slowly turned aside by current false prophets who are preparing the masses for the upcoming “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7).  The new pop culture is founded on paving the way to accept the Antichrist, to accept a one world government, a one world religion and a mindless mass of those who are so blind that only Jesus can make them see once again.

 

“But He answered and said, Every plant which My Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch.”  Matthew 15:13-14

 

They walk around like zombies, they are fellow workers that many work with on a daily basis.  They are serving others, but they are really servants the world and their father is satan.  Harsh you say?!  No harsh is when people continue serving others their entire lives and are placed into the grave, having sealed their eternal consequences before a holy an mighty God!  That is harsh. 

 

“But also if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine on them.”  2nd Corinthians 4:3-4

 

What is harsh is what these false prophets have done by changing the world through their lutes and message of rebellion against God!  What is harsh is the vanity that men do day after day, serving themselves, not serving Jesus!  What is harsh is pastors who preach from the pulpit week after week, not correcting such things!

 

In fact, in our so-called modern day society, of which the vast majority of people refuse to adhere to their Creator, believe the Gospel and be Saved, preachers are on the pulpits singing their rock music, with lights and smoke up on stage, the screeching of the guitars rolling in the background with scantily clad women dancing on poles!  No my friend, this is blasphemous, these are teaching rebellion against God!

 

They are harsh, as they are the blind leading the blind to Hell.  They pretend, just as the false prophets of rock ‘n roll, to lead a life that is ignorant of God’s Word, but preaching their false message that everything will be alright, to simply do as you will.  Their message is the same as the false prophets of old, do as you will.  God has called all men to repent, to believe the Gospel, to be Saved through Jesus Christ, His Son, whom He sent to die on the Cross for our sins. 

 

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has established a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has appointed. He has given assurance of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”  Acts 17:30-31

 

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  1st John 4:10

 

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  2nd Corinthians 5:21

 

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”  Romans 3:23

 

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 6:23

 

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 5:12-21

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”  John 3:16-21

 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

 

Of what mistake is there?  As the waitress walks away from the table singing the tunes my mind is full of zeal regarding the work of Christ that needs to be done!  O, if only people could be told, if only people would listen! 

 

“Say to them: As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, I take no delight in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, O house of Israel?  Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression. As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.  When I say to the righteous that he shall live life, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of all his righteousness shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has done, he shall die.  Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall die the death; if he turns from his sin and does justice and righteousness, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life, not committing iniquity, he shall live life; he shall not die.  None of all his sins which he has sinned shall be remembered against him; he has done justice and righteousness; he shall live life.  Yet the children of your people say, The way of Jehovah is not fair. But as for them, it is their way which is not fair!  When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.  But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, he shall live because of it.”  Ezekiel 33:11-19

 

The waitress, the same as most of the world, will go on serving others in her lifetime.  The false prophets prophesizing falsely to her, as many others.  If her last breath should be taken, despite the egging on of the world’s so-called knowledge, that everything will be alright, she would find otherwise.  While most will not listen, let me be clear here, that serving Jesus is what this life is about, even if we must serve others during our stay here.

 

Do not believe their lies, do not believe the world.  Understand that God is not hidden that He cannot be found.  Seek Him!

 

“Seek Jehovah while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Jehovah, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says Jehovah.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:6-9

 

“And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13

 

“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is longsuffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with intense burning; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, of what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness,  looking for and earnestly hastening unto the coming of the Day of God, through which the heavens will be dissolved, being set on fire, and the elements will melt with intense burning?”  2nd Peter 3:9-12

 

Amen!