What if God’s will is the short stick?

This morning I’m reading about the sin of envy and how envying others who enjoy their blessings is actually determining that God has no right to dispose of His own goods in whatever way He wishes. The writer says envy is a “mental theft” of God's decisions that makes personal desires more important than His will. This implies the opposite of what Jesus did:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… (Philippians 2:5–6)

Envy says that God is not ruling His goods the way I think He should and I should have as much right to His favors as anyone else. This denies that all creation belongs to Him and suggests He is unjust or unwise in His decisions. But God says, 

I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hatred against them. And I will make myself known among them, when I judge you. And you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 35:11–12)

Satan’s sin was this attitude to be better than God. The sin of envy in the first man was an envy of God’s prerogative in knowledge and wanting more than what God had given. Cain envied Abel’s sacrifice before his, denying God his right to choose what was acceptable. Then he denied God’s right of propriety and usurped His power over the life and being of his brother, which solely belonged to God. Envy is rooted in not accepting God’s choices.

But what if I am the object of envy rather than the one who envies? What if others see God's blessing in my life and envy it, then treat me as unworthy of such blessing (which is true)? 

In the NT, the disciples were selected by divine wisdom, not anything they earned or deserved. Most of them were persecuted by some who envied their position and activities. Jesus was also envied by the religious leaders of His day. 

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:19)
For (Pilate) perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.(Mark 15:10) 

Pilate figured it out and did what the angry leaders wanted. He had Jesus put to death.

I’m not experiencing this kind of envy but the kind that makes some people put on masks or a layer that shuts me out of their lives with a falseness than ruins true fellowship. Their envy makes me an enemy?

Looking to Jesus, He did three things: One, He called it like He saw it. I cannot because those who envy are hiding it behind a ‘not a real me’ mask. Because of that, they might not see their problem as envy. Besides, I do not hear Jesus telling me to do that.

Two, He spent time with others who really needed Him… “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) He didn’t spend quality time with those who wanted the power and popularity that He had.

Three, He did not let their behavior affect His. Instead, He obeyed the leading of His Father, spending time in prayer seeking His will, not concerned with false reactions to His words or His successes. God blessed Him because Jesus was focused: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34) 

I cannot force people to do what I want. Instead, my focus needs to be on doing what God wants. Blessing or not. Living with this or crucified. I can ignore those who envy me, but also treat them well and pray for their faith in the Lord to grow. 

PRAY: Lord, it is easy to be side-tracked by wanting others to respond to me as You want me to respond to You. But it isn’t a guarantee. Instead of wanting to be well-liked and hearing others bless You because You have blessed us, I need to pray for them and rely on You to remove their masks and bless them in ways that You desire, such as contentment and a deep faith in Your will for themselves and for all of Your people. Help them to be thankful for all that You give them.

Patient in trials — for God’s glory!

 
A quote from yesterday sticks with me today. When Jesus told His disciples to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He revealed a most remarkable thing: His will done here gives us heaven on earth. It gave me a deeper longing to experience the will of God!

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

When Jesus told His disciples that He had food to eat that they did not know about, they were thinking physical food, but Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." (John 4:34)

Physical food is not only necessary for life but also enjoyable to eat and makes me feel satisfied. Oh, I can overdo it, eat too much, or eat the wrong things, or consume something that makes me feel ill, but generally food is a delightful part of life. (I’m thinking the chicken wings at the Mossleigh restaurant and the Lobster Bisque we had last Thursday, and countless recipes discovered and created in my own kitchen.)

And Jesus said that His food was to do God’s will! How incredible a description for something that a lot of people think of as sacrifice and a duty, even a giving up of enjoyment. This is the difference between “I must” and “I’d love to” — a delight in doing whatever my beloved Lord asks of me, not because of the perks of it, but because it is the heart of God expressed through me, the Hand in this glove, the reason I’m here.

Yesterday was stressful and lovely both. Stressed because my devotions were interrupted at least six times. The phone rang often. Someone dropped in. I needed a file from a government website and it locked me out several times. After three hours of trying, making calls, and waiting, the person online could not help, transferred me to another person, and I went through the process of proving my identity at least three times after their site kept shutting me out — three times in the same three ways for the same person on the other line! It was no fun at all.

But in the middle of the day, there was a lovely prayer time with two friends. Also, God gave me answers to moving issues that seemed to have no answers. An appointment that would add more stress was postponed, and my hubby did the supper dishes. This made the frustrations feel less stressful, but I still wondered what is the will of God in them? One thing comes to mind:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

I didn’t meet the stressful stuff with joy and steadfastness. I could excuse this with “I didn’t get enough sleep” or some other reasoning, but that isn’t the honest answer. My failure was more about wanting the day to be easy and my will to be done. God essentially let me know that His will includes interruptions (Jesus had lots of them) and other negatives — such as being misunderstood, no one listening,  the frustration of betrayal, and the weight of bearing the sins of the world, including mine. Yet it was His “food” to do the will of God, and He did it so the “world may know that He loves the Father.” (John 14:31)

PRAY: Jesus, You show me that putting up with the trials of life is not just about me learning steadfast patience. Doing Your will could have a far-reaching effect on those around me, so they can see Your love in action, even have a taste of heaven. Forgive me for my impatience of yesterday and grant me the ability to at least be patient with the stresses of life, or better yet, downright joyful — knowing that You can use this for Your glory.

Dead to old, alive to new…

Today’s devotional offers a good illustration of what it means to be dead to my old life and living in the new. When I was a child, I loved to make little rooms in the forest beside our house, ride horses, play with our dogs, and play all day. I did not like housework, especially dusting and was not interested in cooking. But when I became an adult woman, my feelings were reversed and I enjoyed the things I once avoided and could not be bothered with the things I once loved.

In other words, I “took up the cross” to my childish play and no longer wanted to do those things. I became delighted in the pursuits of maturity and left behind the pleasures of childhood. While this is not a perfect illustration (I still love horses and hate dusting), it does illustrate what it means to take up the cross and die to my old life and live the new life.

Some Christians look at the Christian life as a child might view the adult life — thinking it means giving up the things they love and to do the things they hate. They call this “taking up the cross” and actually think God enjoys their grudging service. However, this idea totally misses what Jesus meant when He said:

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

When God saved me, I entered His family as a babe in Christ. As the Bible says, I needed to grow up through realizing the goodness of God. He is not a mean taskmaster:

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2–3)

Perhaps the problem with those who think that doing the will of God is “grudging service” that gives up everything they enjoy is that they have not spent enough time in the Word of God (pure spiritual milk) to taste His incredible goodness. Or it could be that they are clinging to the ‘playtime’ of their former life, preferring to stay in control of what they want to do instead of submitting to the good will of God. This submission is a choice — to turn from that worldly way of thinking and allowing God to transform my mind. In that process, I learn that His will is good, more than acceptable, even perfect.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

As the devotional says, and as He is teaching me, if my affections are set on the will of God, I will love it. If I love it, then how can it seem a great burden? This means saying what David said and what Jesus repeated:

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:34)

God wants me set on His will and delighting in it. This is possible as my new life in Christ changed my heart. I now recognize that I am dead to anything that is contrary to Jesus. This is my cross — that recognition that I am dead to the world and alive only in Christ. How heavy that cross can be is determined by how mature I am in Christ.

PRAY: Today’s ‘cross’ is being dead to my plans that I can do God’s will in taking care of my husband. His pain is severe and he cannot do small things, like pick up a dropped pencil or reach something at the other end of the sofa. I’m dead to my I-wants on my to-do list and alive to the will of God that urges me to pick up or reach or do whatever is needed for my hubby. Because of You, loving Your will (and loving my husband) makes that cross a great deal lighter!

Water and Bread

 

The word “water” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. In last night’s group study, we looked at some of them and saw how its unique physical properties symbolize the wonder of God’s salvation. That study and the topic today use the ordinary stuff of life to bring out His goodness and His purposes, first water and now bread. The first major instance in the OT is:

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

The OT story of God’s people in their wilderness journey from slavery in Egypt to the land He promised includes supplying manna for their food. It was an object lesson. Like water, bread (or food) is important to life, yet God is the supply. He wanted His people to realize their need for Him was like their need for food and drink. Without both, we will not survive. As Jesus said, He is the Bread of life. (John 6:35)

In other passages, water is compared to the life of God given to and flowing out from believers. This water of life springs from the Word of God, first declared and powerful, then to bring everlasting life to sinners:  

He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. (Psalm 147:15–19)

You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

These verses declare that just as God uses natural elements like water and bread to accomplish His purposes, He also sends His Word to do the same. And His Word is powerful and productive:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10–11)

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer the temptation of Satan to turn stones into bread. Instead of performing a miracle to satisfy His own hunger, He said:

It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

As vital as bread (and water) are to our physical well-being, the Word of God supplies spiritual sustenance as it brings conviction of sin, sinners to repentance, encourages God’s people, reveals spiritual truth, gives us a weapon against Satan’s lies, and blesses us in many other ways. Feeding on it transforms our lives.

PRAY: Jesus, I can trust what You say, live in nourished confidence, and be motivated and enabled to do what You tell me. I can also tell others so they can feed on the truth and be spiritually nourished, growing in their faith. You said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34) indicating that nourishment comes from knowing and doing Your will and that means feasting on it, desiring it like a baby desires milk and like a hungry person desires food or a parched soul craves water. You know that I make and love bread, having some for almost every meal. May my hunger for Your Word be like that — a necessity and not a luxury or a snack but my very life.

PONDER: List the promises in John 14:1–14 and meditate on their significance as something greatly to be desired and greatly needed.