Our Lord charged his followers, “All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20). This Great Commission (as it has become known) from our Lord Jesus Christ is the privilege and duty of every believer.

The fact that our Lord has all authority makes the execution of this charge credible and achievable. There is no place or circumstance that is exempt from his authority or his presence. At his beckoning we go into all the world, and he enables us to do what he has called us to. The Lord Jesus spoke of the urgency of this charge during his earthly ministry as well as linking it to his authority. He taught “For the Son of man [Jesus] is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning” (Mark 13:33-35).

The implication is clear. The Lord has given each of his servants a work to do and the authority to carry it out. It belongs then to each of us to pursue that particular labor entrusted to our care reckoning on his provision to accomplish his intended purpose, the propagation of the gospel and the building of his church.

We see this principle at work in the book of Revelation. In our Lord’s letter to the church at Philadelphia he told those believers, “behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” (Revelation 3:8). He instructs them to “behold” the door, meaning take note of it for the opportunity that it is. We often miss opportunities the Lord gives us because we are busy pursuing our own agenda. Jesus told his disciples “Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35; emphasis added). We often forego opportunities that belong to us now by waiting for a more convenient time that is more suitable to our plans.

The Lord also told those believers in the context of the open door before them, “I know thy works…for [that] thou hast a little strength” (Revelation 3:8). The measure of our strength is of no consequence to God. He has called us and given us a work to do. We follow him where he leads and pursue his work through his enabling. God directs his work. He opens doors and he closes doors. He intends for us to go through the doors he opens when he opens them and by the power he provides.

An open door does not mean there will be no resistance. Paul wrote “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:9). Even so, he went through that door! What door has the Lord opened for you, believer? Are you following him, carrying out that which he has given you to do now by his power? Remember, all authority belongs to him, and he is with us always!

The Apostle John records for us that at the end of the age “another angel [will] fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:6-7).

The command to fear God is not new. Jesus taught the people “And fear not them which kill the body [mankind], but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Solomon wrote almost a thousand years earlier, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Job, perhaps another thousand years before Solomon, wrote “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

Men are to fear God. In fact, the fear of God is characteristic of all them that know and trust him. The Psalmist testified “Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments” (Psalm 112:1). Paul, conversely, after describing the wickedness of unregenerate man in a variety of ways concluded with this simple testimony, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). It is evident that a right relationship to God requires that he be feared.

To fear God begins by recognizing him for who he is and for what he has done. The appeal of the angel  is rooted in acknowledging God as “him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” We are to worship him as Creator. The Psalmist made the point “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3).

The failure to acknowledge and worship God as Creator is at the heart of God’s formal accusation of sinful man recorded by the Apostle Paul. He writes “that which may be known of God is manifest in them [sinful man]; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20).

The angel who called upon earth’s inhabitants to fear God not only appealed on the basis of creation but also warned “the hour  of his judgment is come.” God, who created all things, “hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). Paul told the men of Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained’ whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him [Jesus] from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

The message of the angel to those at the end of the age to fear God and give him the glory due unto him is ours to embrace now. Those who fear God will enjoy him forever, but those who remain unrepentant will face certain judgment. The choice is ours.

As the children of Israel were preparing to enter the promised land, Moses set before them God’s expectations for them in the land. One of those areas of God’s concern dealt with caring for the poor. “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).

It is the very nature of God to give. When it comes to our salvation we read “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever beleveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16; emphasis added). Furthermore, Paul reminds us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32; emphasis added). In light of his very nature, God desires that his people also be givers; hence, his command to the children of Israel upon entering the land.

Christ understands the plight of the poor. He himself was born into a poor family. Wrapped in “swaddling clothes” at his birth, Mary and Joseph could only afford the poorest of offerings required of every male that openeth the womb, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons (Luke 2:22-24). Our Lord identified readily with the poor. In fact, Solomon teaches us that “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he [the LORD] pay him again” (Proverbs 19:17; emphasis added).

God has a heart of compassion for those who are weak, helpless, and unable to provide for themselves. Moses testified “he [God] doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

Those of us who have received of the grace of God through Jesus Christ are bound to tell of the great goodness and mercy of our wonderful God. God would have us to be compassionate, to show mercy, and to give generously of that which he has given us. As ambassadors of Christ and as those representing this great King, others should see the goodness of God through us. It is interesting to note that God told the people “that for this thing [giving to the needs of the poor] the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto” (Deuteronomy 15:10). The Israelites were challenged to give freely knowing that God would bless their labors and meet their needs.

Are you generous with that which God has given you? Solomon warns “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24). To this the Psalmist answers “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psalm 41:1). Do others see your God as one that gives?

In Psalm 90, Moses displayed the insignificance of man’s existence against the backdrop of the eternal God. He testified that all mankind throughout all of man’s existence lived out their lives in complete dependence upon God, the Creator. “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:1-2). Man’s generations come and go, but God is eternal and unchanging. “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).

In contrast Moses concedes “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10). Not only are our lives brief, but they are filled with uncertainty. James writes in his epistle, “ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

In light of this truth, Moses prays “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). It is one thing to know that our lives are brief and unpredictable. It is another thing to consciously live that truth by literally measuring our days in light of our opportunities. If we can know anything at all then about what it means to number our days, then at the very least it means to apply them to their best use. To do that we must understand the relative value of our opportunities and invest our time and energies in those things which matter most.

It is wisdom that teaches us the value of things and so we are to apply our hearts unto wisdom while opportunity permits. Solomon, credited with being the wisest man that ever lived (not counting our Lord Jesus), admonished “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). Job brings even greater focus to this matter. He writes “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

Putting this all together the highest and best use of our time is to cultivate a genuine fear of God that results in a life that pleases him. Such wisdom is only found in his word. Tragically, most people live their lives as if God does not exist or, at the very least, is not present among us. Indifference to the things of God does not make him indifferent to us. He has spoken “Behold, all souls are mine…the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Moses’ prayer should resonate within us. “Teach us to number our days so that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. Wisdom gives a right value to things that must be pursued as well as those that should be laid aside. In these brief lives of ours, we are drawn after many things. Jesus asked a most penetrating question that still applies to us today. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Are you numbering your days? How much do you value your soul?

In the week preceding Jesus’ crucifixion, the Scriptures record the Pharisees “watched him…that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20). On one occasion they asked him, saying, “Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?” (Luke 20:21). They hoped that he might challenge Rome’s right to levy taxes and this would lead to his arrest by the Roman governor.

But Jesus refused to be taken in by their treachery. He said to them, “Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s. And he said unto them, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:24-25). How perfectly he turned the tables on them. God acknowledges that there are things due Caesar (the government), but demands those things that are due unto him.

Since God is eternal and unchanging, those things that belonged to God in Jesus’ day have not changed. It belongs to us to know such things and render them to him. The Scriptures give guidance to what those things are.

First and foremost, we are commanded to worship God. David wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Part of this command to worship God is rooted in the fact that he created all things. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

There are, however, prerequisites to worshipping God. Jesus tells us “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). We must have spiritual life in order to worship God, who is a Spirit. This means we must be born again, given life from above. Again, Jesus tells us, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:6-7).

We are born again when we repent of (turn from) our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. For it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration [new life] and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

A second prerequisite is that our worship must be in truth. What does it mean to worship God in truth? What is truth? In Jesus’ high priestly prayer for those who belong to him, he prays to the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). To sanctify is to set apart unto holiness. We are to worship God in the beauty of holiness. In Christ we are already holy before God. Ultimately, as we live in accordance with his word our Savior’s holiness is increasingly manifest in our walk.

Are you rendering to God the things that are God’s? I assure you he will not be cheated. He will collect that which is his.

The key to a successful life is seeing things the way that God sees them and then following his way. Why is it important to see as God sees? There are two reasons. First, the “whole world lieth in the power of the evil one” (I John 5:19). Christ tells us this evil one, Satan, “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He is “the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

Secondly, man’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our sin nature has blinded us to the truth, and we cannot know it apart from the grace of God. Paul characterized deceived individuals walking “in the futility of their minds…darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance in them, due to the hardness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17-18).

Reflect on the tragic condition that afflicts men without Christ. The world itself is dark and full of falsehood because of the evil one. Man’s own heart provides no relief for the blindness caused by his own sin. Mankind apart from Christ is blind and walks in darkness. Yet he thinks he sees. This is the tragedy of sin. Man thinks that he sees, but he is spiritually blind! Solomon testified to the futility of man’s own thinking when he observed, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Men need light to guide their steps and point the way. The Psalmist prayed “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling” (Psalm 43:3). Christ gives light! He said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

It is through the word of Christ that we have light. The Psalmist wrote “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The unfolding of your word gives light” (Psalm 119:105,130). It is through his word that we learn of our sin. The world will tell us there is no such thing as sin and that we are fine, but Jesus’ words teach us that we are thoroughly sinful, wretched in the eyes of a holy God, and needing salvation (Romans 6:23). Our darkened understanding will tell us that hell is not real or that a loving God would not send anyone there if it were real. But Christ teaches that hell is a real place “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) and warns of its inevitability for those who reject him (John 3:36). Finally, the world will tell us there are many ways to heaven, but Jesus declares “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; emphasis added).

Yes, true success in life comes from seeing things the way God sees them and submitting to his view. This requires that, as the Psalmist did, we “consider all your [God’s] precepts to be right” (Psalm 119:128). In the words of Solomon, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Do you value God’s view above your own?

We are familiar with the character Job in the Bible. God permitted Satan to persecute Job with the loss of family, possessions, and health in order to move Job to sin against God. Yet Job would not charge God with wrong doing. Even so, God used this trial to teach Job to rest in his care and trust the wisdom of his purposes even when our understanding fails.

There a quite a few spiritual lessons to learn from the record of Job. One that is especially encouraging to me is that of God’s unfailing oversight, orchestration, and execution of all the events in our lives consistent with his unalterable purpose. In one of Job’s dialogues with his friend Eliphaz, Job makes this observation. “Behold, I go forward, but he [God] is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10). Job declared that he could not discern the working of God in the midst of his suffering. He acknowledged God’s activity, but maintained he could not perceive, behold, or see him. In fact, as far as Job could tell God was not there.

Note, however, Job’s true testimony of faith. Though human senses could not confirm the presence and performance of God, Job testified to three significant spiritual realities. First, God was intimately aware of the circumstances prevailing upon Job. He asserted “he knoweth the way that I take.” For the child of God there is no difficulty, hardship, or suffering in this life that our heavenly Father does not completely know.

The Psalmist found such knowledge a cause of rejoicing. He testified “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble: thou hast known my soul in adversities” (Psalm 31:7). God is aware both of the difficulty (“considered my trouble”), and its impact on my being (“hast known my soul”).

The second spiritual reality is that God controls the circumstances and features of the adversity (e.g., duration, extent, etc.). Job was unequivocal about the source of his suffering as he declared “when he [God] hath tried me.” It was Satan who took the lives of his children, provoked thieves to steal all of his possessions, and afflict him with a painful disease. But all of this was done under God’s permission. He set the boundaries.

The third spiritual reality is the suffering was purposeful. Job understood that God would refine his faith, and he would come forth “as gold.” This marvel of Job’s life is true for every child of God. Suffering is dispensed in meticulous specificity from the loving hand of our heavenly Father with infinite wisdom to accomplish his purpose. God uses such things to make the image of his dear Son increasingly manifest in our lives unto his glory and ultimately ours. Paul reminded the Corinthians “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things that are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Early in the week of Jesus’ crucifixion, the gospel writer Luke records an incident that merits our attention today. “And he [Jesus] went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:45-46).

Those who sold are those that marketed approved sacrificial animals as well as currencies to those visiting Jerusalem for use in worship. In particular all males were required to come to Jerusalem three times a year to sacrifice. At the occasion of this event it was the Feast of Passover. There would be many Jews from outside of Jerusalem in the city to worship. It would have been difficult to travel large distances with sacrificial animals, so they were marketed in the city. Furthermore, the foreign currencies used to purchase the animals first had to be exchanged for acceptable temple currencies. These vendors charged unduly high prices for the animals and exorbitant exchange rates for the currencies. In essence they turned the temple into a commercial enterprise.

Our Lord not only addressed those that sold but also those that bought. They were just as guilty in profaning the Lord’s house by seeking and accommodating these merchants in the temple precincts instead of making these purchases elsewhere.

There was no kindness in our Lord’s words for these ungodly merchants. Mark tells us in his account of this event that Jesus “overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer [allow] that any man should carry any vessel through the temple” (Mark 11:15-16).

How many churches and “preachers” have turned the Lord’s house into a commercial scheme in order to enrich themselves at the expense of naïve and simple souls? These have tainted the minds of genuine worshipers to look with skepticism at any form of organized religion. The Apostle Paul obviously had to deal with this as well throughout his church-planting travels. In one instance comparing himself to these false messengers, he reminded the Thessalonian believers “for our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile…neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5). The word “guile” comes from a Greek word that means “bait” and using “flattering words” means to deliberately work to lull into a false sense of security.

Is it any wonder that so many in our society have grown wary toward the true gospel messenger? And Satan would have it just this way. Sometimes people seeking to justify themselves use these phony con artists to say that all religion is alike. How dangerous to make such an extrapolation! We are all accountable for what we hear and to color all gospel ministries with the same brush is indeed risky. How then can we know what is true? Isaiah had to deal with false prophets even in his day. His answer still applies today. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).