Terms and Conditions Apply, Ts & Cs apply – a very popular statement you would typically hear at the end of radio and television jingles and/or advertisements. It is also common to see these in business contracts, purchase agreements and even with the mobile applications we download onto our devices.
Although for many reasons we ignore the fine details of these Ts & Cs, they largely determine what we stand to gain or lose in a transaction, especially when things don’t turn out in our favour. We casually tap on the “I Agree” or “Accept” button in a heartbeat without understanding the fine print because for some reason we trust that we will not have any issues engaging a mobile application.
When you get a job and you sign a contract, you’re generally offering your services, experience and expertise in exchange for a remuneration monthly/weekly/daily. Any rational person will typically stay within a work environment where their skills are valued and they in return make good money. People hardly work for free unless in rare cases, given the job is not the main or only source of their livelihood, where they would offer their time for the experience.
Similarly when you accept the gift of salvation and become a born again Christian, you have entered into an agreement with God. As part of it, you need to choose His will over yours in order to fully enjoy the benefits of His salvation. You need to trust Him enough that His Holy Spirit will lead you onto better paths than any choices you would have made independent of Him. We cannot only serve Him when the conditions are favourable for us; serving only to enjoy His favour and not because you really revere Him or love Him.
Let us hear the story of an 79-year old missionary who never got married despite her dedication to God’s work:
It is Satan who tries, in every way, to spoil the peace and joy that God’s servants have in their work. Ellen, my new traveling companion, had gone with me to a lonely mission field in Mexico. Our hostess was a lady missionary, unmarried, in her forties. One evening while we were alone in her little abode, she confessed her bitterness and resentment over being unmarried.
‘Why have I been denied the love of a husband, children, and a home? Why is it that the only men who ever paid any attention to me were married to someone else?” Long into the night she poured out the poison of her frustration. At last she asked me, “Why did you never marry?”
“Because,” I said, “the Lord had other plans for me than married life.
“Did you ever fall in love and lose someone, as I have?” she asked bitterly.
“Yes,” I said sadly. “I know the pain of a broken heart.”
“But you were strong, weren’t you,” she said in biting tones. You were willing to let God have His way in your life?
“Oh, no, not at first,” I said. ‘I had to fight a battle over it. I was twenty-three. I loved a boy and believed he loved me. But I had no money and he married a rich girl. After they were married he brought her to me and putting her hand in mine said, ‘I hope you two will be friends. I wanted to scream. She looked so sweet, so secure and content in his love.
“But I did have Jesus, and eventually I went to Him and prayed, Lord Jesus, You know that I belong to You 100 percent. My sex life is yours also. I don’t know what plans You have for my life, but Lord, whatever it may be, use me to realize Your victory in every detail. I believe You can take away all my frustrations and feelings of unhappiness. I surrender anew my whole life to You.
I looked across the little table at the bitter woman in front of me. Her face was furrowed, her eyes hard with resentment. I sensed she had been trying to run away from her frustrations. Perhaps that was even the reason she was on the mission field.
Sadly, there are some of God’s children who go to the mission field to escape the pain of not having a husband. I know others, back home, who spend every evening away from their families, attending Christian meetings, because they are unhappy and frustrated in their marriages. Work – even mission work – can become a wrong hiding place. “Those called by God to live single lives are always happy in that state,” I said. “This happiness, this contentment, is the evidence of God’s plan.”
“But you loved and lost,” she exclaimed. “Do you believe that God took away your lover to make you follow Him?”
“Oh, no,” I smiled. “God does not take away from us. He might ask us to turn our backs on something, or someone, we should not have. God never takes away, however; God gives. If I reach out and take someone for myself and the Lord steps in between, that does not mean God takes. Rather it means He is protecting us from someone we should not have because He has a far greater purpose for our lives.”
This missionary clearly understood the terms and conditions of her calling. She embraced and fully obeyed the responsibilities that accompanied the kind of ministry God had called her to. Rather than blame God for not having what she had originally desired for her life, she chose to trust Him, knowing that what He had planned out for her life would yield an even greater eternal reward. Her consolation was not in her earthly success, but rather in her ability to attain eternal milestones for her Saviour with her life and through fulfilling His purpose.
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan,” Genesis 12:1-5 NLT
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.”
“This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.””
Genesis 17:1-4, 7-14NLT
“On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day, along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.”
Genesis 17:23-24, 26-27 NLT
“The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:1-6 NLT
We are all too familiar with the story of Abraham, how long it took and how old he was before he had the son that God had promised. Our emphasis today is on the terms and conditions of that covenant God made with him. God had instructed him several times and he had obeyed. Even when he told “white lies” about Sarah his wife, God still kept his promises of prospering him. However when it came to the ultimate blessing of becoming a father of many nations, there were terms to that covenant that had to be fulfilled in order for the manifestation thereof.
Abraham’s responsibility was to obey the terms of the covenant. Bible let’s us know that he complied immediately, same day! As soon as he did this (ensuring that every male within his household was circumcised), a year after, Isaac was born. And we see that even after God’s promise was fulfilled, he still obeyed the terms by ensuring Isaac was also circumcised as God had commanded of his household. When God revealed His covenant to Abraham, he didn’t seek the approval or consent of other men. He spoke to him in a language Abraham understood, knowing from His relationship with Abraham that he could be trusted to live up to God’s expectations.
We need to seek and understand the terms and conditions of our relationship with God. What does God require of me? What is He seeking that I do? He speaks to us in diverse ways based on our relationship with Him, so be careful because not everyone will understand your assignment and why you do some of the things you do. Even though it is great to be hopeful for God’s promises to us, we should also diligently obey and execute our responsibility as far as His promises are concerned.
Serving God only with the hope of enjoying His benefits thereof might shatter your joy and eventually leave you faithless. But to even fully manifest the benefits of our service to him, we need to diligently heed to His instructions (terms and conditions) as outlined in His word. I pray you find the courage to trust in God regardless of what your expectations of life are. May we live not by our terms and conditions but by His. Always endeavor to declare; God’s plan, not mine! God’s will, not mine!! God’s way, not mine!!!
With Love, Esinam.
Virtuous Living 