The Departure
The Departure
“…the time of my departure is at hand.”
2 Timothy 4:6
The gift of this life, well lived, is determined by an understanding of our accountability unto Him. There is a departure appointed by God for each of us.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once,
and after that comes judgment.”
Hebrews 9:27
There exists a deceptive nature to our life lived here, a numbness to the eternal perspective that each of us will give an account to Him who gifted us with this wonder of life. He is ever beholding us, weighing our motives and conduct in all we do.
“Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.”
1 Samuel 2:3
Arrogance and pride are the children of spiritual blindness. Humility and lowliness are the fruits of seeing Him. Too much of the preaching today alleviates the heart from the eventuality of our accountability unto Him. Within its ministration, a cavalier and haughty spirit desensitizes us to His Spirit’s convictions and discipline.
“Brothers, I have lived my life before God
in all good conscience up to this day.”
Acts 23:1
Paul’s life was governed by a holy accountability of himself unto God. He was held by the fear of the Lord in his interactions with others.
“For WE ALL must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to what he did, whether good or bad. Then, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…”
2 Corinthians 5:10-11
Those who walk in the fear of the Lord “persuade men,” but those who live outside this precious truth walk in darkness without understanding the consequences awaiting each of us. The natural man walks according to their understanding while those residing in Him know of His nearness. The carnal man tends to please those deemed necessary and treat others with less regard.
While Jesus declared:
“Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these My brethren,
ye have done it unto Me.”
Matthew 25:40
The Day of Judgment that awaits each of us should bring sobriety and carefulness to our everyday lives. To harbor unforgiveness, to allow unresolved relationships and bitterness in our hearts to remain, we will carry with us into His Presence. Today, we can walk in cleanness of spirit and the freedom of being pure in His sight.
The Economy of God
“forgive us our debts,
AS we also have forgiven our debtors…”
Matthew 6:12 (ESV)
The keyword in the scripture above “AS”. Truth, in God’s eyes, requires our involvement. Our forgiveness will be to the extent that we have forgiven others.
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 5:7
The mercy given to others is how we obtain the more significant portion of His Mercy.
“Give, and good measure will be given to you, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For the same measure which you measure, it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:38 (LITV)
The Fear Of The Lord
The “fear of the Lord” is not an oppressive truth. It is meant by Him to bring us into the freedom and the riches of His Kingdom. Our accountability to Him is to produce in us a life that can receive the riches of Himself! Discipleship is the path to our apprehension of His Love. Only those who willingly pick up their own cross and follow Him will know the power of His Love resident within their own being.
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.”
John 13:35
The Cross of Christ is known individually in proportion to our faithfulness to His Word and Spirit. Others will always censure those who live faithfully for Him. Some time ago, this phrase came to me:
“Those who bear His Word
must bear His reproach.”
Contrary to much of what we hear today, Paul declared with great boldness that all men would be judged according to the gospel committed unto him. May we allow the Holy Spirit to infiltrate our thinking and remind us that the “secrets” of our hearts by which we conduct ourselves will be made bare on that day.
“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men
by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”
Romans 2:16
Paul’s encounter with God enabled him to touch God’s holiness. From that understanding, he was freed from the fear of men. His open rebuke of Peter testified to his faithfulness to God alone.
“But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before all, If you being a Jew, live heathen-like, and not as the Jews, why do you compel the nations to Judaize?”
Galatians 2:14
To live our lives unto our departure will bring a solemnity to us. It will liberate us to live godly and righteously in this present world just as Abraham who “looked for a City, whose builder and maker is God”. Living with our eyes on the world to come will cause us to live rightly in this present world.
Others may consider Living by His Word ” legalistic”, but those who allow His Word to govern their way are confident and carry within the Peace of God.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 (ESV)
Faithful servants of God seek to please Him in every action and every word. They do not seek the approval of men; they feel no compulsion to fit in with the party spirit by which men align themselves. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit strips away the façade and pretense of appearing “spiritual” and brings us to the bedrock of our own desperate need for His Life to govern our own.
Integrity is simply a life lived honestly before Him.
May we live in the ever-present truth:
“…the time of my departure is at hand.”
2 Timothy 4:6
Related Posts:
Forgiveness and the Kingdom of God
“Take care of your life
and the Lord will take care of your death.”
George Whitefield
Brian Troxel
I had a dream/ night vision where I saw a honey pot suspended over a church. If you think about it in the natural, pouring honey over someone would illicit emotions of anger/disgust at the sticky mess that now had to be washed off because you one would not want to be seen in church or in public with honey dripping from oneself. Honey is sticky and attracts pollinators. As long as they are treated with respect you wont be stung as they are there just to collect the honey. With that said I saw in my dream/ night vision a honey pot suspended above the church and subsequently being poured out over the church. I saw people walking about glistening from honey and extending their right hand to offer it to others.
If ones reaction is of disgust /anger at the thought of honey, God’s Mercy, being poured out on oneself it could be because of unforgivness of self or a religious spirit.
Honey is sticky and,unless washed off, will stay on you.
Honey is a natural antibiotic
Honey has no expiration date
If you won’t allow it to remain on you, you will have none to offer others.
Not wanting to be seen with honey driping from oneself is pride
Not sharing ungrateful
Mercy and grace flow from those who know how undeserved and unmerited He gives. There is an indebtedness which fills those who have valued His condescension. ” I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise…” (Romans 1:14) the debt is reckoned of grace.
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…”
The Christian life has but one aim and one purpose that is by grace we are to “walk worthy unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and ever growing in our relationship with Him. The fear of the Lord is the most liberating aspect of our relationship for it causes us to pay attention to His discipline and His Love. It is the core of those who learn from His dealings in us and we profit from His corrections.
The Parable of the Talents and the Pounds are clear insights into our accountability unto Him.
Blessings my brother!
BT
One who is intimate with God cannot be intimidated by the world. Ravenhill
Yes… Amen.
A Good and timely word!
BT