What God Pleases He Does

"For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. ⁶ Whatever the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places."

Psalm 135:5-6

God is the sovereign creator over all, and whatever pleases Him God does.  No one has any right or authority to criticise or condemn Him, even though man makes a habit of doing this.  God has given mankind the freedom to choose what we say and do as those created in His image, yet God is the only being who always does what is right.  With the understanding God has given us, limited by our short-sighted human perspective, we can complain God is not on task when we are unwilling to trust; we suspect He is not working because we are waiting.  The irony is when it seems God is not actively working, He is accomplishing His good purposes we could never imagine.

We catch a glimpse of this in John 11 after Jesus received word His friend Lazarus was sick.  Mary and Martha were assured of Jesus' love for them and their dying brother, and likely assumed because Jesus loved them He was obligated to come at once and heal Lazarus.  Jesus did not do this.  He waited until after Lazarus was "sleeping" in death and explained His purpose in waiting to wake Him in John 11:14-15:  "Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."  Among the disciples of Jesus, there was at least one (Judas!) who did not believe.  Rather than sparing Lazarus from illness and death, Jesus allowed him to die physically so others could be born again and receive eternal life by faith in Jesus when they saw His mighty works.

When Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead 4 days and the village was bustling with mourners who came to comfort Mary and Martha who were bereaved of their brother.  Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and wept, and this demonstrated His genuine love for him and those who had suffered great loss.  He then commanded the stone to be moved from the entrance of the tomb.  John 11:41-45 reads, "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." ⁴³ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" ⁴  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." ⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him."

Isn't this incredible?  While Mary and Martha felt Jesus was not helping them by healing Lazarus, He purposed to save sinners by raising Him to life.  The miracle of people being born again is as great a miracle as Lazarus physically walking out of the tomb.  The sign of Lazarus being raised up was another demonstration of God's grace to prove beyond a doubt Jesus was the Christ, the resurrection and the life, and that people by faith in Him could receive eternal life in His name.  This passage teaches us even when God has not answered our prayers or done our will, He is still working to accomplish His glorious purposes.  As people raised to new life by faith in Jesus, may our lives be a living testimony of God's  grace, love, and power to redeem so others will believe on Jesus Christ and be saved.  How good it is that what God pleases He does!

Unity in Christ

God gives wonderful gifts to mankind, and we tend to take them all for granted.  Ageing can be difficult when we feel entitled to the fit body of a young person that heals quickly, is more coordinated, can recall information without a struggle, can see more clearly and hear easily.  When I was a kid I had a wrist contusion that required me to wear a splint for a few weeks.  There were many things that were instantly difficult and showed me how much I took for granted--like the ability to hold a fork, wash myself and tie shoes.  It is easy to take a healthy body for granted because God designed our bodies wonderfully, and we can also take the Body of Christ (the church) for granted too.

By faith in Jesus Christ, we have a connection with God and one another in the church which is miraculous, supernatural and wonderful.  We who were once foreigners and enemies of God have been accepted into the beloved, chosen and blessed by the LORD who we now know as our heavenly Father.  Through the Gospel, Jew and Gentile have been united as one with Christ and we are privileged to have fellowship with God and one another.  There are many professing Christians in the world and in many places many Christian denominations to choose from, yet the fellowship of believers is totally unique in this world.  From a group of sinning strangers God has created brothers and sisters in Christ.  Groups of friends, hobbyists, sports enthusiasts, or work mates apart from Christ cannot experience the oneness we share with Christ and one another.

Psalm 133:1-2 illustrates this unity well:  "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ² It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments."  The psalmist extolled how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.  The anointed of Aaron as high priest is a compelling example of how pleasing and unique our calling as God's people truly is.  The holy anointing oil was something most Jews could only smell and would never touch their skin, for it was reserved for the service of the tabernacle and temple before the LORD.  But the unity God's people can enjoy is precious and at the same time abundant, even as the poured oil ran down Aaron's head, through his beard, and soaked to the edge of his priestly garments.  Aaron was privileged and at the same time humbled to be chosen as high priest, in himself unworthy to  be accepted or to serve the holy LORD.  That is why he needed to be anointed to fulfill his God-given role.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Anointed One, our great High Priest.  He prayed before His crucifixion concerning His disciples He sent into the world in John 17:20-23:  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  As Aaron was physically anointed with oil, so all Christians have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and perfectly united with Christ and one another as one the world may know the Father sent the Son Jesus Christ and loved us as He loved His only begotten Son.  How wonderful it is to be chosen, accepted and anointed as members of God's body, the church!

Even as our physical bodies are not always functioning properly, so the church at times can have the spiritual equivalent of aches, pains and illness.  As the Corinthian church illustrates, divisions and conflicts can arise within the church and lead to serious problems.  Despite our falling short of God's perfection, the blessing of the fellowship and unity we have with God and one another outshines all other connections and relationships because unity in Christ profoundly deep and eternal, transcending our earthly existence and all our differences.  How good and pleasant it is to have brethren everywhere and to be united together in the rest, peace and joy of our glorious Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Rather than taking God or the church for granted, let's thank Him for the opportunities He grants to enjoy fellowship with God and one another continually.

Christ's Call to All

I have observed people refer to the role of pastor as a "calling" rather than a career, and this is true.  However, I suspect this reference may hinder people from understanding every Christian has been called by God regardless of their role in church ministry.  It may give the impression that if one is not a pastor, they have not been called by God to anything important--which is untrue.  All God's people are called to serve and glorify Him.  In Os Guinness' book The Call, he makes a distinction between the general call of all Christians and then specific, personal calls to each individual.  The second call can only be answered well when the first call is responded to with faith in Christ, humility and obedience.

The call of God upon the lives of each Christian is not an enigma only deciphered by dreams, visions or dramatic divine revelation, for it comes into view as clearly as our initial call to receive the Gospel.  Whether we are willing to answer God's call by yielding ourselves to Him is another matter.  God's call comes to us; we do not need to go seeking it.  As we seek the LORD, what He calls us to do becomes increasingly clear by God's word, His grace and the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  Samson was called by God as a Nazarite from the womb, one who would begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  He did not aspire to this role, but it was God's call upon His life.

We may all wish we were as Samson, called to be the battle axe of the sovereign God swung against the Philistines.  Our call may not be as dynamic because we are not endowed with supernatural physical strength or established as a ruler over a nation.  Jesus called for all to come to Him in John 7:37-39, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."  Answering this call of Christ in obedience by faith expresses our need only Jesus can supply.  The fact we have answered God's call is not a sign of strength but weakness, an admission of folly only God's wisdom can refine.

Our security and strength is not in our calling but in Him who has called us:  Jesus Christ, the Son of God!  Do you know what your calling is?  God's calling is true of every Christian:  to be conformed into the image of Christ, to bring glory to Jesus as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31:  "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."  Peter said when we do well and suffer for it, this is acceptable to God.  To this we are called, for in so doing we walk in the steps of our LORD Jesus who lived free of sin, did not speak deceitful words or threaten, and He committed Himself to God who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:21-24).  Our calling is in our weakness to rely on God for strength to fulfil Ephesians 6:10 in our lives:  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

The Bible is littered with such passages that flesh out God's call upon all Christians.  How wonderful that being called, chosen and empowered by God is not only for Nazarites, judges or pastors but for all God’s people.  We could not be born again or saved without being called by God, and Jesus calls us to believe on Him, to look to Him and come to Him.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Answering God's call never gets old because we always need Him, and He is always worthy to be praised and obeyed.

The Scene of the Fall

Today I walked by what could be called, "the scene of the fall."  I took a tumble a couple months back when I kicked a raised kerb on the footpath during a morning walk before daylight.  It seems the local council took notice of the lifted kerbs in the area and ground them flat to prevent others from tripping like I had.  Without me notifying anyone, the council put into practice a principle of Romans 14:13:  "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way."  A council worker observed the raised area, judged it to be uneven and unsafe, and ground it flat to remove the walking hazard.

It is possible to have a perfectly flat footpath and still trip over our own feet and fall down.  But if we are the ones who have fallen, we ought to be circumspect and more careful when we pass by that way again.  When I came to the area where I fell, I took care to walk more to the middle of the footpath.  The wise do the same when it comes to falling into sin, and the term "fall" may be a misnomer in many cases.  Many times we dive into sin like a swimmer does a pool, taking to it like a duck to water.  I have seen clips of people accidentally falling into pools while doing maintenance or when talking on their phone, but sin is rarely an accident.  Sin is natural to our flesh and often intentional, even habitual.

Sometimes we have failed to recognise our attitudes, outlook, judgments, actions, motives and words are sinful, and because He loves us God convicts us of our sin.  His word is like a light that shines in the darkness of our hearts and reveals how contrary to God we actually are.  Other times our sin is premeditated, and there are well-worn paths to sin we have habitually frequented.  As Proverbs 26:11 says, "As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."  I always wondered what our dog was thinking when he did weird things like eating grass or returned to eat his own vomit.  I don't believing thinking had anything to do with it, for he was an animal driven by instinct.  He did so because he was a dog, and those are commonly observed behaviours in dogs.  In his parable Solomon said dogs and fools act according to their nature, and fools express their folly by repeating it.  Without thought of God, fools do not learn from their folly and on their own cannot change.

Having been born again by faith in Jesus Christ, we no longer are to walk as fools--who live as if God did not exist.  We no longer have a "sin nature" because Jesus has made us new, raised from death to life.  We are empowered by God to put off the deeds of the "old man" and sins associated with life apart from Christ, and we can do as Ephesians 4:23-24 says, to "...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  Though we continue to live in a body of flesh that has a hearty appetite for sin and tries to justify itself in pride, we are to walk wisely and remember what led to previous falls.  We ought to avoid what has caused us to sin in the past and ensure we do not stumble others.  Even if the council worker hadn't leveled the footpath, by God's grace I was not doomed to fall again.

Knowing I had fallen and can fall again today prompted me to walk wisely and carefully.  It would have been foolish for me to walk away from the "scene of the fall" proud I didn't fall today, scoring a victory over that dumb kerb!  We can make the mistake of feeling proud of ourselves for avoiding where we stumbled in the past only to have another sin like pride overtake us because we believe we are sufficient in ourselves due to our knowledge, maturity or spirituality to avoid such errors.  How we need to rely on Jesus to walk uprightly!  God save us from sin and flesh that repeats its folly!