Choosing Good

A camper last week described his intentional effort to show self-control with his tongue.  His statement reminded me of myself when I was that age, measuring success primarily off what I avoided doing:  "I have only sworn twice all year!"  I commend the lad's efforts to stop cursing.  Jesus taught the words we use reveals the truth of the condition of our hearts, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).  Trying to cease cursing with our mouths is futile without a change of mind and heart by God's grace.

When I heard the young man's comment I recalled the responsibility of believers not only to avoid sin but to do good, to speak the truth in love.  Better than avoiding gossip our words ought to encourage; rather than harsh censure we can edify others with gracious words.  Realising the Christian walk is more about doing good than avoiding evil was a revelation from God.  The call to self-control goes far beyond speaking and is shown by listening patiently and choosing to remain silent instead of speaking our mind.  We can demonstrate love by refusing to negatively judge or condemn people who do not seem to be making the concerted effort in areas we are.

How about you, believer?  Have you begun to embrace your sanctification beyond surface level and dealt with matters of the heart?  King Solomon gave instruction concerning folly to avoid and also directives to follow in Proverbs 4:20-27:  "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. ²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; ²² for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³ Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. ²⁴ Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. ²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

It is easy to trip when we are moving forward and our eyes are not on the path right before us.  Following the car in front of us can lead us to drift from the centre of the lane.  If we will walk uprightly, we must keep godly instruction from God's word in our hearts, be on our guard to avoid hypocrisy, ponder the paths of our feet, and walk in the way God has established.  It is Jesus Christ--the Way, the Truth, and the Life--who alone has the words of life.  His sheep hear His voice and we are to incline our ears to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.  When we are convicted for sin it is good we remove our feet from evil:  let us take the next bold step of repentance to do what is right and pleases God.

God's Sovereign Goodness

After the earth began to be repopulated by people after the flood, the people banded together in Shinar.  They decided to make bricks, build a great city with a tower that reached to heaven, and make a name for themselves so they would not be scattered across the earth.  God knew their plans and decided to miraculously disrupt them and bring about exactly what they worked to prevent.  Genesis 11:7-8 reads, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." ⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city."  The name of the unfinished tower was called "Babel" because it was the place God confounded the languages of the people.

The inability to understand one another ended the singleness of mind and purpose the people once shared.  Without anyone to translate what they said and meant their efforts turned into a ruin.  This incident, more than merely showing how the multitudes of languages in the world came to be, reveals the importance of communication.  This can be seen in marriages, families, the workplace, and church.  God was observant of the reason behind the building project in Shinar, and He also is keenly aware of what His ultimate plans are for His glorious kingdom.  The people wanted to unite all in one place, yet God was determined to send them forth.

The situation at Babel is a good reminder of God's sovereignty and plans that are infinitely better than our own short-sighted goals to make a name for ourselves.  I recently read a biography of David Wilkerson and he once attended a church filled with notable preachers and worship leaders.  The church did not last long and one of the senior members put it like this:  "Too much salt."  Jesus told His followers they were the salt of the earth and they were pleased after His ascension to remain in Jerusalem.  It was not long after the Holy Spirit came upon them in power great persecution arose against Christians who scattered and brought the Gospel with them to Jews and Gentiles alike.  I do not suggest this to justify church "splits" or irreconcilable differences among believers which hinder fellowship but to say God's ways are higher than ours.

We can be content to make a name for ourselves and settle down when God has other plans.  I was very settled and content in the east county of San Diego before God moved me and my family to Australia.  Instead of finding rest in a marriage, job, house, or familiar surroundings God intervened to teach us to discover rest in Him wherever He places us.  When we first came to Australia I was connected to pastors who also had ministry in Australia on their heart and sought to plant a church in the Sydney CBD.  It was like the A-team huddled up and was on mission to minister for the glory of God.  But for whatever reason, it did not come to pass as imagined.  Those pastors are now scattered across four nations (at least!) in fruitful pastoral ministry.  I am convinced their efforts were not a failure because their uniting led to seeking the LORD and He moved them according to His will.

How awesome are the works of God who does glorious things!  The confounding of languages led to friends moving apart but new friendships and horizons were discovered.  Trying circumstances and upheaval led to exploration and visions of grandeur far greater than a tower made with bricks and slime.  In the breakdown of the building project many other leaders were forged.  Without the comforts of city walls people looked to the LORD for guidance and protection in ways they never needed to in the past.  Blessed be our God whose mighty, redemptive works are beyond our desire.  When we look back with eyes of faith, our great regrets of unfinished works can miraculously melt in His sovereign goodness.

Replaced With Praise

God is better to us than we know.  Even when we credit Him for all good things we have received by His grace He is infinitely more worthy of praise and honour than the thoughts in our heads or the words on our lips.  Every day provides countless opportunities to praise and honour the God who does everything.

I was impacted by the song of David in Psalm 144:9-15:  "I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. ¹⁰ It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. ¹¹ Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: ¹² that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace: ¹³ that our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: ¹⁴ that our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. ¹⁵ Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."

David sang of salvation and deliverance given him by God.  He prayed to be rid from those who spoke vainly, for prosperity, and that there would "be no complaining in our streets."  The mouth that compliments can also complain, and it is a shame we would use our mouths given us by the grace of God to complain rather than speak praise from a glad heart.  Lying and gossip says something about the sinful condition of our hearts and complaining is the same.  Complaints show a lack of appreciation and thanks for what God has given us; it reveals discontent and ultimately reveals a lack of faith in God's provision, power, and wisdom.  The very nature of complaining puts self in primary focus and how our expectations or perceived needs have remained unmet.  David prayed for deliverance from vain talkers (because they were around) and would not join them in their disgruntled murmurings.

Happy is the people whose God is the LORD:  the LORD who saves and delivers from vain talking and from our own habitual complaining.  God desires we would grow to maturity and be spiritually fruitful, that we would be pure on the inside as well as polished on the outside.  David sang in Psalm 35:27-28, "Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. ²⁸ And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long."  God has pleasure in our prosperity, yet we ought not define prosperity in the narrow sense of health and wealth.  God has prospered us in body, soul, and spirit enough to praise Him all the day long.  Complaints fade in hearts touched by the grace of God and are replaced with praise.  Believer, through our Saviour Jesus Christ we are most blessed!  May we live to magnify our LORD with praise.

Worship in Vain

"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

Matthew 15:7-9

Jesus minced no words when He addressed self-righteous Pharisees and scribes who sought to destroy Him.  They put great emphasis on having a clean exterior according to the Law of Moses but neglected the condition of their hearts.  Jesus perceived the greed in their hearts which moved them to seek the praise of men over the glory of God.  The religious rulers drew near to worship God with their mouths but their hearts were far from Him.

The worship of the self-righteous rulers Jesus said was in vain:  empty, worthless, fruitless, and ineffective.  Their worship of God was vain because they taught as doctrines the commandment of men.  God has provided the Bible to reveal sound doctrine (teaching) concerning God and His righteous ways.  When Jesus applied the words of Isaiah to the Pharisees it must have been deeply shocking and confronting.  Jesus exposed their words as empty because their hearts did not match.

No matter how much we know or how long we have followed Jesus, there remains the potential our worship of God is in vain because of hypocrisy which blinds us to the truth.  I am grateful Jesus does not pander to those ensnared to hypocrisy so they might recognise their need for repentance.  Jesus has given us new hearts through faith in Him and He enables us to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, owning sin we never saw as sin before.  How good is our LORD and gracious to speak to the Pharisee in each one of us so our worship will not be in vain.