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He is the Lord who holds your every moment, and He is your healer. And may you be blessed by trusting in Him, as you hear His voice speak to you, specifically and relevantly into your situation through His promise over every aspect of your life, saying It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually upon it from the beginning of the year until the end. [Deuteronomy 11:12] It is seen in His eye of favor and grace upon you, even as it is written that Noah found favor in the sight of God, though he lived in the midst of a perverse generation. [Genesis 6-8]
Exploring what the favor of God does:
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear [reverence] built an ark to save his family. [Hebrews 11:7] He was led to an attitude of reverence. And scriptural reverence that implies more than a mere outward display of it, but goes deep within, makes a person responsible. It is what happened in Noah, as he prepared an ark for the salvation of his entire household. And it played out in his whole family being saved. Responsibility is taking ownership, even as seen in the words of Joshua of his whole family, to say As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. [Joshua 24:15] Being led by the word of God, and not humanism, you will be able to fulfill your responsibility towards your family through God, to say in the presence of God, as you put your trust in Him, Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel, from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. [Isaiah 8:18] And in the new covenant, after the Cross as a new creation in Christ, all that you are and do in the kingdom of God is in Christ and through Christ. In the challenging times that is prevalent now, it is only by His grace and wisdom from Him that you can carry out your commitment and responsibility when it comes to your family.
You and your family:
At the same time it is very much in the will and purposes of God that even as you believe, your entire household is saved, though at present you may be the only person who has turned to the Lord, to believe and be saved. For, when the question of the jailer was, ‘What should I do to be saved?’, the apostles answer emphasized the importance of the entire family, in saying, ‘Believe in the Lord, and you and your household will be saved’. [Acts 16-31] Even the person growing up in a Christian environment, can end up not having a personal walk with Him, and may need the truth and empowering of the Holy Spirit to experience the joy of salvation, that no amount of legalistic traditions can bring about in him. The bottom line is that you have a responsibility towards all around you. And therefore
How should your behaviour as a Christian be?
When you use your rights rightfully as a God given privilege, He will use it to fulfill your responsibility. The principle involved is what Paul explains in his epistle ‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’, but I will not be mastered by anything. [1 Corinthians 6:12] The people of the world may say that they have the right to do whatever they want, not being aware of their sinful condition. But when you become a Christian you have a freedom in Christ, a right, that comes with a responsibility to use the right in a right way, with discernment.
1. Will it be beneficial?
In other words, when you are not saved, you have the freedom to sin; but when you are saved, you have the freedom not to sin, and the responsibility to use it for good, to be a responsible person. It comes when you have a reverence for God, and know that you now have the freedom to carry out your responsibility, rightly. It is where scripture needs to speak to you, and you need to trust God, even as it is written, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. [Matthew 4:4] Therefore, depending on His grace, and not depending on your own feelings, or worldly thinking that comes as you lean on your own understanding, you need to pray even as the prophet Micah writes, [Micah 6:8] to walk humbly with your God, to receive understanding from Him to know your responsibility, and fulfill it rightly. Solomon knew that it was God who had made him king, and it was to fulfill the responsibility of governing His people. Therefore, he was able to ask for the grace of God, that he may receive wisdom to accomplish it rightly.
2. Will you be mastered by it?
That he would not be connected to anything that would end up controlling him was the stand that the apostle was able to take, and needs to be yours too when it comes to using your responsibility rightly. And it is for your own good, for it was the reason why the rich young man came to the right person, asked the right question, received the right answer, but went away looking sad. It was because he was unable to follow the counsel of the Lord, for it was not about him having money, but all about money having, controlling him.
3. Will it edify & enrich your character?
Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. [1 Corinthians 10:23] And it is by depending on the discernment and power that comes to you by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit that you can rightly fulfill your responsibility, even as you perceive His will and purpose for your life. The fruit of it will always edify you, and it will enrich your character, and not lead you in the path to destruction.
HIS favor–> reverence –> responsibility:
And godly responsibility can be carried out only in godly and right ways. For the world and it’s desires will pass away, but only he who does the will of God will abide forever. It is indeed a privilege to be a child of God, basking in the love that the Father has lavished upon you. And in thanksgiving as you give Him your heart, your life, may you surrender in love so that He may have His way in you, praying, Father, We humble ourselves and thank Thee for what you have given us, the freedom that we now enjoy, not to sin, but come before Thee to worship and adore Thee, to bow before Thy throne that you may lead us, guide us, giving clarity, and the enabling to do what you have called us to do, to rightly fulfill the responsibility that you have graciously granted unto us, to shine for Thy glory. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
