Title: The Upright Who Will Rule Over
Dear believers, who is the happiest person on this earth? If you look at the Word of God, you will find that those who worship God with all their heart, all their mind, and all their strength with a longing heart to open the gates of heaven and receive grace, and those who receive grace, are the happiest person.
If you read Psalm 49, which is today’s text, the psalmist says that relying on wealth and thinking that earthly wealth can save the soul is the most useless thing (Psa 49:6-7). There is a song that I often sang when I was in Sunday school. It goes like this: “You can’t go to the kingdom of God with money, with strength, with a social state, with academic knowledge, even if you are pretty or if you’re kind. You can only go to the kingdom of God, if you’re born again, and by faith.”
The psalmist says that those who think they can enter the kingdom of God with earthly things are arrogant and foolish. And it says that death will be the shepherd of such people and lead them, but the upright will rule over them. However, the psalmist is talking about the visible morning hours (Psa 49:14-15). It means spiritual morning.
- What does morning mean?
- Morning means the time of creation (Gen 1:5)
God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And evening turned into morning. In other words, morning is a time that separated from evening. In other words, evening is a time when there is no God’s word of creation, and morning is a time when God’s word of creation is present.
- Morning is the time for new start or God’s work to be done
– It was in the morning that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Gen 19:27-28).
– It was in the morning when Abraham set out to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:3).
– It was in the morning that Jacob realized that God was with him and confessed his faith as ‘Bethel’ (Gen 28:18).
– It was in the morning that God’s plagues were brought to Egypt (Exo 7:15).
– Morning is also the time to offer sacrifices of atonement and sanctification before God (Job 1:5).
– It was also morning when the seven tribes of Canaan were struck down (Joshua 6:12-13).
– Seeds were sown in the morning (Eccl 11:6).
Looking at the verses above, morning is a time of awakening from sleep and a time of recording a new chapter in which a new era emerges.
- Morning brings joy and blessings
– The energy army was destroyed in the morning (2 Kings 3:21-24).
– God hears and answer prayers in the morning (Psalm 5:3; Psalm 88:13).
– Healing also occurs in the morning (Malachi 4:2).
– It was also morning when Jesus overcame death and resurrected (John 20:1).
In conclusion, morning is a time full of hope, signifying new beginnings and victories.
- How to live in the morning?
So, saint, how can we live in the morning, or how can we become the people of morning?
1) We must find God and worship Him (Psalm 74:16; Genesis 1:5). The psalmist confesses that both night and day belong to God. When we look at Gen 1:5, it is God who created light in the darkness. That is why we must seek the presence of God at night. Only then can we come out in the morning and meet God, who proclaims the word of creation.
There are many kinds of night in our lives. It is night if we are sick, and it is night if our business is not going well, and it is night if things don’t go as we want. However, we must know that these nights also belong to God, and we must seek God’s presence in the time of night. At night, we must cry out to God to appear as light so our nights will be shone away and be removed.
2) We must follow Jesus as Jesus is the morning (Revelation 22:16; John 8:12). The Bible says that Jesus is the bright morning star. And it is saying that if we follow Jesus, He will take away the darkness. That means He will bring us morning. A life that follows Jesus is a life that keeps the words of Jesus (1 John 2:5). I believe that when you keep the words given in your heart, you will be with Jesus and evening will become morning.
In conclusion, we must kneel down in prayer in the evening and seek God. But more importantly, when it comes to the morning, we must not be lazy but diligent in giving thanks, being faithful and receiving grace.
The first quarter of 2024 has passed. As we think about the second quarter, there are many important things happening. First, we would like to proceed with church renovation of putting up 2 new TVs in the altar. It is planned from year 2022, budgeted last year and it is going to happen this year. The contractor visited two weeks ago and we are waiting for quotation. The goal is to complete construction in May 2024. Please pray that things will go smoothly and finish in time.
Secondly, a BBQ party will be held in May. Many leaders and believers have told us that the greatest weakness of our church is the lack of fellowship among believers. So, we try to have time to gather comfortably, talk, and eat. Please be sure to attend and pray for it to be a meaningful time.
Thirdly, there is a special Bible study in June. It will be held from Tuesday to Friday, and the poster will be ready soon. Everyone, this special Bible study should be an opportunity for evangelism. Pastor Andew is coming from the United States. Pastor Andrew came to TLCC in 2012 for the opening service. Shouldn’t we show him that our church grew and gotten better than 12 years ago? Also, the overall theme of the Bible Study is ‘David’. It will be a meaningful time if you invite your friends or colleagues to come and attend together.
Fourth, there is a TLCC retreat. We will meet at The Glamz in Genting throughout the Hari Raya Haji period. It is said that the environment is better this time than last year’s retreat venue and we were told we had the entire campsite to ourselves. We will be able to plan and prepare this retreat well if we all attend with a sincere desire.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 