Your Gut or God?

In my mind, one of the most cringeworthy words of priestly advice on the silver screen were spoken in the D.C. movie Superman when Henry Cavill entered a church.  As Clark Kent wrestled with the idea of turning himself in to an alien invader to save the earth--knowing both General Zod and mankind were untrustworthy--the priest, identified by his white collar, asked:  "What does your gut tell you?"  From a biblical perspective, that question is entirely out of left field.  What good is a gut feeling when we can turn to God's word, considering God's truth, goodness and His personal guidance already established?

The priest doubled-down on strange advice as the budding superhero and future household-name walked from the room:  "Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first...the trust part comes later."  Again, this advice was more whimsical than wise.  Never in the brief conversation was there any inkling to place faith in God, and that faith is trust marked by obedience to God.  It seems this "leap of faith" to the priest was a blind leap and simply wishing for the best, and that Clark was best served to go with his gut, rely on himself or others.  With God completely out of the picture (as D.C. comics have no place in its universe for the real God--preferring idols who wear tights and have a weakness), perhaps that is the best anyone can hope for.  This provides no hope for humanity unless you possess superhuman abilities and are a mild-mannered, nice guy.

The God who created the heavens, earth and all living things provides genuine hope in this life even when everything is out of our control.  To follow Jesus is no leap of faith, for He calls all to follow Him in the Bible and find rest for our souls.  Having been born again by trust in Him, our feet are shod with the Gospel of peace and have been made to stand on the reality of the God-Man Jesus Christ:  His coming, death, resurrection and ascension.  No priest, nun, prophet, apostle or martyr ever died for the sake of others and rose from the dead as he or she predicted three days later, and in doing so Jesus proved He has all God's authority and can give eternal life to all who trust in Him.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead after being crucified and buried in a tomb, it would be a leap of faith to follow Him--and there would be no one who survived the jump and landed in heaven.  Faith in Christ comes first, and our trust is demonstrated by obedience to Him.

I read an article recently by a professing atheist who said at a low point a priest "helped restore faith in herself."  Unlike the headline suggests, it was evident the priest intended to glorify Jesus.  Unlike the advice given by the priest in the film, the priest shared the teaching of Jesus Christ with his desire the inmate would trust Him.  Without faith in Jesus as God and Saviour, it seems the Gospel was reduced to a self-help mental exercise that missed the heart transformation, forgiveness and salvation God offers by His grace.  Being born again is infinitely more than blind faith, for Jesus opens the eyes of the blind and is trustworthy.  It is not our gut but God who has spoken in John 1:11-13:  "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  God has revealed His will for humanity, and He gives each of us the opportunity to answer the question:  will you trust Jesus?

Desolate Waste no Longer

God is awesome in all His ways and thoughts which are higher than ours.  As the Creator of heaven and earth and all living things, He has thought of everything and provides abundantly for our needs.  Jesus taught His disciples not to worry about their life, what they would eat or wear, for the LORD can be trusted for all things.  Jesus directed His followers to consider the birds, how they did not build storehouses for food but were supplied with food by God every day.  He told them to think about lovely lilies, how they did not work to be clothed with beautiful colours and king Solomon in his glory could not compare to them.  Jesus concluded in Matthew 6:30:  "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

In God's revelation of Himself to Job, I was struck how God cares for what people never observe or see.  When I worked in a building trade, often concealed work people would never see had a lower standard than finished, exposed work in a mechanical room.  We can do the same with the condition of our houses, for we prepare before the arrival of guests or a home inspection differently than usual by scurrying around to tidy up.  See what God said in Job 38:25-27:  "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, ²⁶ to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, a wilderness in which there is no man; ²⁷ to satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?"  It is God who divides channels for waters to flow and makes a path for the thunderbolt.  Mankind has developed many innovations to improve irrigation for relatively small areas, yet God does this constantly in places no man sees.

God satisfies the unseen, desolate wastes in due season so they no longer remain dry and barren.  We buy seed or sod to beautify our little patch of yard and carefully water it because it is ours:  the heavens and the earth are the LORD's and the fulness thereof, and thus He cares for it (and us!) continually.  What is true concerning the watering of land is insightful concerning the hearts and minds of people, places that are unknown and unseen by others.  Paul used an spiritual illustration from agriculture in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  God is the giver of life who plants, waters and causes to grow, and He empowers His people to contribute in the process.  Know that God is working behind the scenes in the lives of people to soften, irrigate and prepare hearts to receive the Gospel, to respond to rebuke and be edified by encouragement so He will be glorified--long before we have done anything.

Pleasure In Prosperity

"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Psalm 35:27

David exalted and magnified the LORD who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.  It occurred to me there can be a disconnect with the meaning of the passage if we limit the words "pleasure" and "prosperity" to their most common, modern-day implications.  These words generally mean one thing to people now, but it is helpful to consider their use in the Bible to better comprehend them.

When we speak of "pleasure" today, it has almost exclusively been limited to concern sensual or sexual pleasure.  While this is one way to define it, the word has much more broad scope.  In addition to appealing to the senses, pleasure means to take delight in and to be pleased with, and in relation to God Webster described it as approbation--which is to approve of, like, and to be in favour of.  A different Hebrew word is translated into "pleasures" in Psalm 16:11:  "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  The Strong's Concordance defines these pleasures as "pleasant, delightful, lovely and happiness."  It is clear therefore that "pleasure" should not confined to sensual satisfaction, and can have eternal implications.

The word "prosperity" is also a word generally viewed as present wealth and success.  Webster defines it as, "Advance or gain in any thing good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; success; attainment of the object desired."  What is largely neglected from such definitions are the spiritual aspects of prosperity, the eternal salvation and sanctification of the human soul.  The apostle John connected the two in his epistle to Gaius in 3 John 1:2:  "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."  Some might desire their spiritual prosperity would match their prosperity in business, yet John put it the other way round.  A person who soul prospers by faith in Jesus Christ is most prosperous indeed, and it is unlikely our efforts and health could possibly rise to such a level in this life.  In a biblical sense, without Christ the most prosperous people on earth cannot prosper but resemble chaff the wind drives away.

David urged believers to shout for joy and be glad, to magnify the LORD who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant David and in all His servants.  God does not show partiality, only favouring men of the tribe of Judah, shepherds, kings or psalmists, for He is gracious and generous to all who fear Him.  God not only takes pleasure in the prosperity of our souls, but that our prosperity presently would increase by faith and praise of Him.  Our portfolios may diminish and our health can fail, but we can prosper despite these things today because we look to God who alone can help and redeems us.  David concluded the song in Psalm 35:28, "And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long."  May God's people be pleased to proclaim praises of God continually, for He is righteous and takes pleasure in the eternal prosperity of His people.

Godly Sinners

When people think of a "godly" person, it is natural to think of someone who is blameless and above reproach.  In our primary school days it would be the equivalent of a "goody two-shoes" or a "teacher's pet," a student so eager and intent to please the teacher it grated on other students.  It may be a surprise to people that a godly person is far from perfect but one who freely admits their faults and confesses their sins to God and man.  Godliness is righteous standing by virtue of God's grace by faith in Him, and in light of God's perfection His people notice our sins more than ever.

David wrote in Psalm 32:5-6, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him."  David said everyone who is godly will pray to God and acknowledge their own sin before the LORD, those who recognise their need for forgiveness and restoration.  It is not good deeds that lift Christians above judgment that rushes like a flood to drown mankind in perdition, but humble contrition and repentance for sin before the God who hears, forgives and exalts the lowly.

In a sermon C.H. Spurgeon delivered concerning Romans 8:7 that says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God," he shed light on the enormity of man's sin and how the godly become acutely aware of it:

"The carnal mind," he says, "IS ENMITY against God."  He uses a noun, and not an adjective.  He does not say it is opposed to God merely, but it is positive enmity.  It is not black, but blackness; it is not at enmity, but enmity itself; it is not corrupt, but corruption; it is not rebellious, it is rebellion; it is not wicked, it is wickedness itself.  The heart, though it be deceitful, is positively deceit; it is evil in the concrete, sin in the essence; it is the distillation, the quintessence of all things that are vile; it is not envious against God, it is envy; it is not at enmity, it is actual enmity...

The holiest men, the most free from impurity, have always felt it most.  He whose garments are the whitest, will best perceive the spots upon them.  He whose crown shineth the brightest, will know when he hath lost a jewel  He who giveth the most light to the world, will always be able to discover his own darkness.  The angels of heaven veil their faces; and the angels of God on earth, his chosen people, must always veil their faces with humility, when they think of what they were.  Hear David:  he was none of those who boast of a holy nature and a pure disposition.  He says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."  Hear all those holy men who have written in the inspired volume, and ye shall find them all confessing that they were not clean, no, not one; yea, one of them exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Spurgeon’s Sermons: V. 1-2. Baker Books, 2004. pages 232-233; 235)

The child of God can have confidence in forgiveness, cleansing and pardon of sin by faith in Jesus Christ when we ask as it says in 1 John 1:9-10:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."  Those who refuse to admit their sin in pride--like the self-righteous Pharisees Jesus confronted--are marked by sin which remains.  The godly who walk in the light of God's word see how often they stumble; the indwelling Holy Spirit who illuminates our consciences convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment.  The godly are not people without need to confess and repent of sin but those who frequently humble themselves before God to acknowledge their sin in light of God's holiness.  It is the ungodly who refuse to repent of sin, and without atonement for sin it will cling to them forever.