THE NATIONS WILL BOW BEFORE GOD
Psalm 67:4-7
4 Let
the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for
you judge the peoples with equity
and
guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let
the peoples praise you, O God;
let
all the peoples praise you!
6 The
earth has yielded its increase;
God,
our God, shall bless us.
7 God
shall bless us;
let
all the ends of the earth fear him!
The author reminds us that God guides the nations with
equity and justice. There is an expectation of God’s care and a natural
response of praise.
When we look around, it is easily apparent that the world is
great chaos, nations are suffering under the leadership of totalitarian
governments, and within same countries people are killing each other because of
their religions or ethnic hatred. Countries are at war with each other, driven
by decades of animosity. Natural calamities are bringing destruction and
sorrow.
Where is God in all of this? He is both judging the people
and attracting His own to Himself. He is active, and His glory will be made
manifest. One day, every knee will bow and will recognize His majesty and
lordship.
Romans 14:11-12
for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall
confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an
account of himself to God.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As believers, how should we react to these truths?
First of all, we should have great confidence that God is in
total control. We are not abandoned in the hands of ungodly rulers, but we are
continually under the careful scrutiny of our God Who is accomplishing His
purposes, so we have no reason to fret.
Secondly, we should not lose sight of our responsibility to
reach the nations with the Gospel. God has chosen to use His own to reach the
lost. We should do this at any cost.
2 Timothy 2:8-10
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering,
bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I
endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
During Paul’s ministry, some questioned his life and methods
because of his many sufferings. He reminds the readers of all of the power and
veracity of the Gospel. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. His
word is not limited by the will of man or by the schemes of the devil. Paul’s
responsibility was to endure all for the sake of those who would believe the
good news. He was certain that there were God’s chosen people who needed to be
saved.
Even though Paul lived during unjust times, where nations
were ruled by other nations, when social injustice was normal, his focus never
became fixed upon the governments, but always on the only true hope, the Gospel
that transforms the hearts of people.
Dear friends, our focus must continue to be the spreading of
the Gospel around the globe. Proclaiming Christ and then teaching the believers
in local churches, making disciples who are followers of Christ.
Today, many missionary efforts give more importance to
physical needs than spiritual ones. Although it is noble to help the nations, this
must not replace our primary responsibility to confront the spiritual state of
men. Others have evangelized, giving little attention to the establishment of
local churches, which requires discipling the converts and training men for
ministry.
Dear friends, this psalm demands that we review our
commitment to reaching the lost around us and in the whole world.
Romans 1:14-17
I am under
obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the
foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I
am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The
righteous shall live by faith.”
Four things must be clear in our mind. As believers we are under obligation, we are
responsible to preach the Gospel. Secondly, we need to respond: we must be ready. And thirdly, we must not be ashamed. We are
preaching a powerful message, which we must not change in any way, because it
is the power of God. Lastly, it is God’s plan that His message will go forth
through His children: we must be
faithful.
Our praise to God begins with our faithfulness to Him. What
a privilege we have to know Him, to know His care, to be aware of His promises!
We must shine as lights, as we live in a world oblivious and uncaring of who
God is, nevertheless in desperate need of Christ.
May God bless us and use us to reach the lost for Christ!
That is the only hope for a world in despair!
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