Well Pleasing to God

No one likes the feeling of being judged, especially when perceive judgments are unfair.  Negative opinions others have about us can be hurtful and impact us deeply.  How can we balance caring for people without trying to please them?  Paul was a follower of Jesus who set a great example of how to do this because he primarily lived to please God.  He was not careless about the feelings of others, for he loved deeply and served others sincerely.  But even when he was judged negatively by people inside or outside the church, he pressed on in faith in pursuit of Christ without regrets.

Paul wrote to people in the Corinthian church, and many in that fellowship had a low view of him.  They questioned his motives; they downplayed his leadership.  They admitted he wrote powerful letters, but his bodily presence was weak and his speaking contemptible - which means they despised it!  Paul knew well he would one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ and would receive according to all he had done or said, good or bad.  He wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. ¹¹ Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."

The apostle Paul aimed to be well pleasing to God, and he realised God knew him perfectly.  On the Day of Judgment God was not going to take into account the opinions or judgments of men concerning Paul's actions or motives:  God already knew them.  Paul, in a sense, examined his heart and made his decisions in light of the impending judgment he would face before the righteous, holy God.  Therefore the opinions or judgments of men (negative or positive) had minimal impact whatsoever on him.  He was not buoyed by a sense of success from adulation, nor was he waylaid from obedience to God by harsh censure.  Paul was not in the habit of walking according to his shortsightedness but had a singleness of mind in following and obeying Jesus.

Because Paul feared God he sought to persuade men to be well pleasing to Him.  Paul didn't want people discipling one another and walking uprightly only when he was around but also when he was not able to oversee the ministry in Corinth.  He did the best he could in person or through letters to convey instruction and rebuke seasoned with grace, to exhort and encourage all to continue steadfastly in the faith.  He warned them with many tears, not caring if they judged him weak and contemptible.  He did not speak with wisdom of words but with fear and trembling, seeking to impact the church for God's glory.  Not all received or appreciated what Paul had to say, and the same could be said about His LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Jesus lived to do the will of the Father, and as His servants we should do the same.

The supreme courts of men do not have authority which extends above the throne of God which is above all.  If we in a clear conscience can stand boldly before God's throne of grace, then we do not need to worry about the opinions of men.  Paul stood because God enabled him to stand, and praise God that is His will for us too.  Take to heart the words of Galatians 6:9-10: "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  Receiving a "Well done, good and faithful servant" from the lips of my King will be sufficient.  God is well pleased to say this to His redeemed.

Receiving the Reward

God rewards those who trust and diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), and the life of Enoch is cited as an example.  Enoch pleased God, and without faith it is impossible to please God.  He was translated to heaven and never saw death, and what a great reward eternal life is for all who place their faith in Jesus Christ.  Heaven is not the only place where God rewards His people, for we are abundantly blessed with God's presence, love, forgiveness, peace, and fullness of joy even now.

The rewards supplied by God by His grace come to us in unexpected ways.  God has set aside for us a "full reward" John alludes to in 2 John 1:8.  There are ways we can miss out on the rewards God intends to give us.  Paul revealed when followers of Jesus are judged for our stewardship before the judgment seat of Christ we could potentially suffer loss (1 Corinthians 3:15).  Perhaps a little story might help this make sense.

There was once a man who worked for his wealthy father as long as he could remember.  He toiled away day after day because it was expected of him as the oldest son to set a good example.  Before the sun he rose to his duties, but often his heart wasn't in it.  He felt he was hard done by, for what did he have to show for his labours?  All it did was increase his father's wealth.  Let's say he didn't feel there was much upward mobility.

When the season to plow and sow arrived, the father supplied his son with an abundance of seed, farm equipment, and provided access to a well-watered plain.  "Feel free to sow all you want," the father said with a gleam in his eye.  "No doubt it will be a bountiful harvest."  Well, needless to say the son was not impressed.  Fine for him to say, the man thought to himself.  The rich get richer and the workers just keep slaving away, and for what?  What do I have to show for decades of work?  The son was glad for his pay and benefits, but could not be bothered to apply himself.  His father already was rich and lacked nothing.  To rub it in, he was going away on a long holiday as well!

As he continued day after day, the son became increasingly bitter.  It struck him how poorly he was being treated, even taken advantage of!  He felt under pressure by this expectation of a good crop!  So what did he do?  He decided to teach his old man a lesson for taking him for granted.  His days still began before dawn, but he sowed rusty nails instead of seed.  He took long breaks when he should have been clearing new fields, and napped when he could have repaired the irrigation system.  Month after month this continued.  A meagre crop sprang up from old seed, but it was a pitiful amount, a fraction of previous years.  Man, when dad finds out he'll learn his lesson.  The look on his face will be unforgettable.  He smiled thinking about it.

Having returned from a holiday, the man's father gathered the family for an announcement.  He said, "It's no secret I am a wealthy man.  Because I value and rejoice over my eldest son who has served me these many years, instead of harvesting and selling this year's crops for my benefit, in addition to his wages as his reward all that grows in all my land is to be sold for his profit.  At my own expense I have provided soil, seed, equipment, and will even employ harvesters to ensure none of it is lost.  Congratulations, my boy:  you will receive all you deserve."

If you could look at the son's face, I imagine he wore an expression so full of regret and disappointment we do well to consider always.  The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof.  We are unworthy to be numbered among God's children, but He is gracious and good.  He has provided everything pertaining to life and godliness.  He has a full reward set aside for us that is better than money that perishes.  The question is, are we working in a way worthy of receiving it?  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."  May we be faithful sons and daughters that persevere in obedience, faithful to serve our Saviour as He did the Father.  Jesus said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."  Let our lives be marked with integrity for God's glory, for such will receive a full reward.

Faith and Victory

The Bible is full of truth, layer upon layer.  The more I consider and study it, the basic and fundamental themes grow more profound.  I find myself increasingly amazed by the power and simplicity of the Gospel.  God's love and grace is a revelation of not only His goodness towards us, but to guide how we live.  The world has hijacked terms like "love" and "peace" for worldly pursuits, and these feeble caricatures bear no resemblance to the abundant provision God supplies for those who trust in Him.

After Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of thousands, they returned the following day hoping for more food.  Jesus told them not to work for food which perishes but for what would provide them eternal life.  The Jews asked Jesus, "How can we do the works of God?"  John 6:29 says, "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  The good work Jesus spoke of was to believe Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, the Bread of Life come down from heaven:  all who partake of Him through faith will be born again and have eternal life.  Men are not saved by good works, but those who trust in Jesus are to enter into the good works He has prepared for us, that we would love God with all our hearts and love others as He loves us.

Walking in God's love is a good work all believers are called to, and it should be no surprise the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 begins with love.  It is not a coincidence we need to breathe oxygen to live on earth, and God created an atmosphere on earth with the perfect balance of oxygen to support humans and all living things.  One percent less oxygen and the air would be deficient of oxygen, and one percent more and the atmosphere would be oxygen enriched and volatile!  God is wise to supply all our needs through the Holy Spirit who indwells and enables us to do what we are called to.  It requires faith in God to obey Him and forgive others, to exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, and self-control.  Faith in Jesus is not just the starting point but what enables us to continue and persevere.  Paul wrote in Roman 14:22, "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin."  Simple faith in God works and overcomes all.

See the prevalence of love and faith in the Christian experience in 1 John 5:1-5:  "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. ⁵ Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  The victory provided by faith in Jesus is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of grace.  Jesus has given us the command to love others as He loves us, and He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  With the Holy Spirit within us we overcome the world - not because of our might, power, love or wisdom - but by faith in Jesus.  Selah!

Angry At God?

"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil."

Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger is a natural response for people, and it is not always a sinful one.  It is possible to be angry without sin, but the occasions are very rare.  Paul makes clear the connection between remaining angry and giving place to the devil - which makes us exponentially susceptible to sin.  When Jonah became angry after God relented from destroying Nineveh, God asked Him a question we do well to consider when we are angry:  "Is it right for you to be angry?"  If we would answer honestly, much of our anger has nothing to do with God or righteousness at all.  The driver behind much anger we experience is pride and self.  It is fuelled by perceived infringement on our rights or desires, and it is nothing about God being robbed of His just due or being sinned against.

Is it possible to be justified in anger towards God?  No, for there can be no righteous indignation directed towards a righteous, holy God.  In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges wrote this:

"Let me make a statement loud and clear.  It is never okay to be angry at God.  Anger is a moral judgment, and in the case of God, it accuses Him of wrongdoing.  It accuses God of sinning against us by neglecting us or in some way treating us unfairly.  It also is often a response to our thinking that God owes us a better deal in life than we are getting.  As a result, we put God in the dock of our own courtroom...I acknowledge that believers can and do have momentary flashes of anger at God.  I have experienced this myself.  But we should quickly recognise those occurrences as the sins that they are and repent of them." (Bridges, Jerry. Respectable Sins. NavPress, Published in Alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016. pg. 123)

I don't know I have ever heard it put the way Jerry Bridges did when he asserted, "Anger is a moral judgment."  This is very perceptive and helpful to deal with the source and reason behind anger we experience.  It is good to recognise there are moral judgments I accept as right and wrong and these do not necessarily always line up with God's righteous judgment.  I have been angry before at people I believed were in the wrong, but my anger revealed it was really I who was sinning.  When we are offended it can often be another way of saying we are angry.  Being "offended" pins the blame of our anger on someone else, but we still must own it.  Feelings of frustration or annoyance can also be anger in disguise.  Praise the LORD He knows our hearts better than we do, and better yet God is able to cleanse them!

Brothers and sisters, let us not give place to the devil in our lives through anger - especially when we are angry towards God.  He is altogether righteous and good, and we are not.  We can always bring our anger to God in repentance, and He is able to help in profound ways sowing to the flesh through exhibiting our anger could never accomplish.  How good it is to be set free from the bondage of anger and bitterness!