“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isaiah 3:10,11).
TEXT — Isaiah 3:1-12
Message
A religious sceptic once asked the German reformer, Martin Luther, why God created man when He knew he would sin. Luther, the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, replied, “Let us keep clear of these abstract questions and consider the will of God such as it has been revealed to us.” As a learned priest, Luther knew that God was not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He also understood God’s desire that man should choose what is right over that which is evil.
God’s proposition, from the creation of the earth, showed that He wants man to obey Him freely, without force. He rewards such free will obedience, punishing disobedience as seen in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
Our text chronicles God’s expectations and the abysmal failure of man over the years. As it was in the days of Isaiah, so it is today. Men are still chasing the vanities of life while their lives are fleeting. God cannot be mocked. He diligently rewards the obedient with blessings and those gone astray with just compensation for their sins.
God is always fair to all. If you do what is right, it shall be well with you. For those whose choice is wrongdoing, God will never permit the unrighteous to go free. The only way out is to repent of all sins, forsake all evil ways and make Jesus your Lord and Saviour. Again, the choice is yours:
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”(Deuteronomy 30:19).
Thought for the day
God is always fair to all. He rewards what is right and punishes what is wrong.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
