All For God

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

What does it mean to do something for the glory of God?  Jesus said if any man desire to come after Him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him.  Self-denial compelled by love for God's sake, even in a decision so trivial as what we choose to eat and drink, brings honour to our worthy Saviour.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians can be intentional in doing anything in obedience to the LORD in denial of our own desires or for the benefit of others.  We know when to do or not do something is our natural inclination, and when we choose God's way in any matter He is free to work in and through us.

Isn't it amazing we can bring glory to our God in the simplest of choices?  Whatever we do can be an offering of praise and love unto the LORD.  Even the satisfaction of temporal necessities can be divinely converted into eternal gain and glory for God.  No longer are we to be governed by the opinions of men, a desire to please others or measure up to an arbitrary standard, or pressured by guilt to conform:  we who have been transformed by the indwelling Spirit are quickened to will and do God's good pleasure.  The children of Israel fasted for months at a time, but God revealed it was for them and not for God because when they chose to eat and drink it was not unto Him (Zech. 7:5-6).

Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 10:32-33, "Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, ³³ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."  Paul lived for the glory of God, and his labours for God were governed by God's love and grace.  He did not seek His own profit but the profit of many.  In the smallest decisions of our lives, even in the matter of what we choose to eat or drink, do we seek to give God glory?  How amazing is that?  What opportunities God has provided us in this life to honour and glorify Him!  If we eat and drink unto ourselves, which is a very small thing in the scope of eternity, how can we say we live for God's glory in the "big" things?  Those who are faithful over a little will also be faithful over much (Luke 19:17).

Fruit Unto God

The scenery of life changes, but the core issues remain the same:  will I live for myself or for God?  Who am I going to rely upon?  Whose approval do I value and seek?  What is my motivation for serving God and others?  The answer we give with our mouths is not always reflected in our hearts and minds.  I thank God for the Bible which illuminates our hearts and the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin and guides into all truth.

As we serve God, there is a very real possibility we might do so for selfish reasons.  Our motive may not be selfish at the beginning, but we can fall into a works-based trap that we ought to see a measurable return on our investment.  We consider our sacrifices and efforts as great and feel we have not been adequately recognised by God or men.  When our focus drifts to what is not we discover selfish expectations tucked away in the recesses of our hearts.  I remember vividly as a young teen when a man helping with the youth group at church angrily stormed out of a Sunday night meeting because he wasn't "seeing any fruit" from his efforts.  I never saw him again and would not know his face if I saw him today.  But his anger and frustration has always stuck with me.

I believe there is no shortage of servants of the Most High God who tangle with anger and frustration, people who struggle to cope with their dashed expectations.  They are embarrassed by the lack of "fruit" from their efforts.  People come and go from church.  Youth leave the ministry people have poured their heart and soul into for another group with more kids their age, better facilities, or more fun activities.  And maybe, just maybe, they leave because they are sick of the preaching!  Like Jacob we can say, "All these things are against me!" or finally realise we ought to serve God for God's sake, not so we can bask in the fruit of our labour as if we have done anything.  When we understand the church is the Body of Christ and He is faithful to build His church we are freed from the burden of our failed expectations.  Our wildest dreams are pathetic and feeble compared to the plans God has for every one of His beloved children.

It is good for us to recognise disappointment and frustration in our hearts immediately and realign our eyes and purpose with Jesus Christ.  Remember the joy of God calling you to serve Him in the church?  For those who serve in a foreign field, remember how you wondered how God would bring such desires to fruition?  You wondered how God would establish you in a foreign land and now in the field new questions crop up:  how can we reach the community?  What am I supposed to be doing?  Why does it feel I am spinning my wheels and being bogged down in the mire of administration?  Where are other faithful labourers?  All these questions and concerns are answered by the presence of the Almighty God.  We labour because He labours; we serve because He serves; we sacrifice because He gave all.  Anger or frustration concerning the lack of fruit in the lives of people we are serving likely reveals we ourselves have ceased to abide in the Vine Jesus Christ and have begun to look to our own works for validation instead of God's love and grace.

People are constant in our labours as Christians, but it is Christ who must remain central.  When ministry becomes about people or ourselves we begin to serve a master other than Jesus, and this master cannot deliver on a single promise or meet one of our needs.  Let us heed the words of Paul when he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit."  We quench the Spirit of God when we cease to rejoice, pray, or thank God in everything.  This will cut us off from fellowship with God and hamstring our ability to run the race with endurance God has set before each one of us.  When we labour and run our race for God's sake He will see we reach the end and finish strong by His grace.  It is through abiding in Christ's love we will bring fruit unto God.  We ought to rejoice that God causes fruit to spring from our barren hearts and repent when we are frustrated or bitter there isn't more.  The fruit is for God, after all!

The Heart Reveals the Man

"As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man."

Proverbs 27:19

In our social media age, people go to great lengths to craft and polish an online persona.  Mobile phones have cameras ideal for selfies complete with settings to remove blemishes.  Instead of mirrors people use their phones to arrange their hair, apply makeup, and practice their perfect "duck face."  Touching up photos is a common practice in magazines to the point where models claim the image presented in print looks nothing like them in reality.  It's a funny thing that mirrors made of polished metal were dim and cloudy, yet with modern mirrors people don't always like what they see.  We aren't comfortable with reality so we feel an intense need to cover up, augment, or smooth out our blemishes with software.

That is the sense of this verse in Proverbs:  the clear reflection of a face in water does not lie.  A mirror image is a true representation of reality.  Sometimes when the conditions are clear and still over a large glassy body of water, the mirror image is breathtaking.  The point being made by Solomon is even as a person's reflection in water is a true indication of reality, so the heart of a man reveals the man in truth.  Spiritually the heart of man is the real person; the habits, body, and mind of the person is the reflection.  There can be a great disparity between what resides in the heart of a man and the carefully crafted image or physique on the outside.  A man who appears in the prime of health can be unknowingly dying of heart disease or cancer.  People can dye their hair, surgically augment their bodies, and refuse to be seen in public without makeup or fashionable clothes.  But it is the inside - not the outside of a person - which provides a picture of a person in truth.

It is cliche to say "it's what a person is on the inside that counts" yet in a spiritual sense the heart is the only genuine indicator of what sort of man or woman a person is.  And according to the Bible, in our natural state the hearts of men aren't a pretty sight.  It reminds me of a poster I used to have in my bedroom of an anti-smoking campaign which pictured a smoking woman supposedly covered in tar with the statement, "If what happened on your inside happened on your outside, would you still smoke?"   I would think very few would answer in the affirmative.  Forget duck face:  old tar-face is not a look any sane person would desire.  We would try to clean up our hearts if we could.  The Bible says Jeremiah 17:9-10, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? ¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."  We might be able to conceal the wickedness of our hearts from men, but nothing is hidden before the searching gaze of God who will judge all in righteousness.

A fair question is posed in Proverbs 20:9, "Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?  The rhetorical nature of the verse implies no man can make this claim.  Praise God He has sent Jesus to wash people of sin and to impute His righteousness to all who repent and believe.  Even after we are born again and made new creations, we must continue to guard our hearts and minds.  We can't let a clean complexion in the mirror deceive us to thinking all is well within our hearts.  It is the Word of God and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit which make us aware of our true condition and profound need for cleansing.  Only the power of God can align our new nature birthed by spiritual regeneration with our lifestyles.  It is good for us to labour to this end.  It is easy for us to think clean living ensures the heart is clean, but Christ's criticism of the hypocritical Pharisees is proof of this folly.  It is the condition of the heart which is paramount.

It is not a man's appearance, words, or deeds that make a man:  it is his heart which reveals him in truth.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  When you examine your heart, what do you see?  If we are embarrassed about a sliver of lettuce in our teeth or to be seen without makeup, consider this:  if what was inside your heart was exposed on the outside, would you do something about it?  Paul said of Jesus Christ came in Acts 26:18 "...to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."  Those whose sins are red as scarlet He can wash white as snow.  Good news indeed!

When It Rains It Pours

Today's message at Calvary Chapel Sydney was titled, "When it Rains it Pours."  What has become a modern cliche was first coined and copyrighted as a company slogan by the Morton Salt company in 1911.  It carried quite a different connotation than it does today.  Morton Salt was marketed as superior because of an additive which kept the salt pouring freely even in damp weather.  Today people say "when it rains it pours" to convey how bad or trying circumstances seem to come in bunches.  There are plenty of problems in this world and our lives to be sure, but as children of a loving heavenly Father we can turn our focus in all situations Him with joy.

A common response of all people in the midst of a trial or unfathomable pain is "Why?"  Often God does not give explanations but responds to the humble seeker with a fresh revelation of Himself.  It is good for us to recall to mind how God has already blessed us with life, love, grace, and mercy.  He has continued to rain down blessing on us.  The probing question we are faced with is, are such blessings pouring from our lives?  Pride and selfishness could be compared to the damp which caused salt to clump and hinder it from pouring freely.  We are the salt of the earth, and the Holy Spirit enables us to shed abroad the love of God He has placed in our hearts.  An additive will do us no good:  we need transformation obtained only possible through spiritual regeneration through faith in Christ.

Can you say concerning your life, "When it rains it pours?"  Does the joy, light, and life of Christ have a free release in your thoughts, words, and deeds?  May it be so LORD Jesus!