...Written Aforetime

...Written Aforetime

(Written by Joy A. Adewumi)

My Bible study plan has been taking me through the books of the Kings and the Chronicles of the Kings in recent times and if you are conversant with this part of the Bible, you'll most likely be able to relate with the tiny ray of hope you hold out for a each new King, especially of Judah, who ascends the throne.

Each time you're probably thinking, "Maybe, just maybe this one would be better than his father, or maybe he'll serve God more wholeheartedly than his father." 

Then somehow, he does something wrong and you are grossly disappointed especially if he started out well.

Then you are just hoping somehow before he dies, he makes his way right with his God, but no written evidence proves he does.

This rollercoaster has had me thinking and I can't help but remember that this characters were real people who lived at a time and that was the summary of their lives. Their mistakes, their stubbornness and their shortcomings.

And I wonder, why did this man not just stay right on track with his Creator? How hard could that have been? 

But then, I look at myself and ask, "Babe, are you any better? This guy you're reading about probably never had the chance to go through the chronicles of his ancestors, but you are opportune to learn from so many lives. What good has that done you?'

Many times we read about one Bible character or the other and we're quick to criticise and draw out lessons, but are we really learning from them? If we are,  why aren't we better Christians? Why do we still fall into the pitholes they fell into?

And if perhaps, you have the "This is just the way I am, no one is perfect"- syndrome, then I should tell you that Christ did not go all the way to Calvary for you to keep being your undesirable self. He did it so you can exchange your selfish nature for His selfless love.

Or maybe the actual question that begs to be asked is, do we even bother to weigh our lives in light of what we read about these people? Do we consider what they did and the consequences of their actions and wonder what character traits we have in common?

Are you outrightly doing that which is wrong in God's sight? Or you're serving God, but not with a perfect heart? Or perhaps, you're doing right in God's sight, but the high places in your heart have not been pulled down, so your consecration is divided?

We ought to take time to score ourselves on the scale and discover where we fall.

The Holy Spirit is ever available to help us with honest evaluations.

Remember, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

And, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Wouldn't it just be such a shame that we make the same mistakes these people made and end the same way they did despite the added advantage of the Holy Bible, Calvary and grace?

Dear God, I do hope the reason I have such easy access to the Bible is not defeated. Amen

Yours sincerely,

Spirit Pen.