In yesterday’s blog we discussed how the Lord had spoken to two believers about putting Him first in this coming year – WHATEVER WE DO FIRST MAY FRAME OUR WHOLE YEAR!
The Lord told Prophet Tomi Arayomi, recently moved back to the land of his forefathers, Nigeria, to GIVE HIM THE FIRST month of this year. God told Tomi that if he gave God the first month, then He would bless the other eleven months for him. They would be busy setting up home in a new country, but God said GIVE ME FIRST AND I’LL TAKE CARE OF THE REST FOR YOU.
He has set aside the dates 10-31 January to fast unto the Lord.
Luke’s Gospel includes some unique accounts not included in the other Gospels.
Luke 15 contains three parables of things that were lost, the sheep, the coin and most importantly the lost son. That son ‘squandered all his wealth in wild living’ and then a famine came. In desperation he hired himself out to look after pigs, the lowest job for a Jew and he was starving.
17 ‘WHEN HE CAME TO HIS SENSES, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him:
His terrible circumstances forced him to go back to his father and repent, but his father RAN TO MEET HIM AND SHOWERED HIS SON WITH LOVE AND THE BEST GIFTS HE COULD GIVE HIM. Does God want to meet with us at the beginning of this year? Will we take the time to seek Him in this first month and set the tone for the whole year?
Luke 16 ends with the account of Lazarus and the anonymous rich man. (Also only in Luke’s Gospel)
19 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate WAS LAID a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Lazarus was laid at the gate and he was starving, no energy. He couldn’t do things for himself and had nothing to do all day, but HE HAD LOTS OF TIME TO THINK, even in his distress. The account moves quickly to the deaths of both men and their final destinations; Lazarus being comforted with Abraham and the rich man tormented in hell. It wasn’t anything that Lazarus did that allowed him to go to Heaven, but who he was. Something IN HIS TIME lying at the rich man’s gate opened the way for him to get to Heaven. The rich man pleaded for his five brothers in his father’s house. He came from a large, wealthy family and no doubt there was a lot happening, with many responsibilities of wealth. But he and they, mustn’t have had any TIME FOR GOD and that told in the final account.
The outcome of this year, success or failure, may be determined in the way we spend the opening days/month.
May God bless and direct us in these important opening days of the New Year.