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.

We Sin -- God Saves

 

The Hebrew verbs translated ‘save’ are used 491 times in the OT. The Greek word for ‘save’ is used 106 times. Volumes are written describing what this action of God means to us as humans in physical and spiritual peril. I’m certain my devotions today will yield insights, yet not come close to the riches of God’s power to SAVE.

Some of those OT words describe people rescuing people. The majority are about God rescuing His people from their enemies but only a few speak of spiritual deliverance. The latter especially focuses on God delivering His people from bondage in Egypt:

Exodus 3:7–8. Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey . . . .” 

This deliverance is like His deliverance from sin described in the NT. It is complete (no going back) and unmerited. They were rescued by God’s choice and His faithfulness to the promises made to the patriarchs, not because the people were worthy or holy. Spiritual saving is God’s doing, both then and now.

However, because they were stubbornly unrepentant, God also delivered His OT people into exile with no one to rescue or save them until He did that for them as well:

Ezekiel 34:12. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Isaiah also promised a deliverer of all people as it became increasingly obvious no one could save themselves. When Jesus came, He declared Himself as that One who would save:

Luke 4:18–21. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 19:10. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The word for save in the NT also has application for rescuing, healing and well-being, yet mostly denotes salvation from the penalty and power of sin.

For this, forgiveness is only part of what it means to be saved. God does that and much more; He changes those who believe in Jesus Christ so that our attitude toward sin changes. As the Bible says, we struggle against it, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to resist it even though we are no longer condemned for it. Jesus took that condemnation on Himself while we were still sinners. Even now, He prays for our deliverance. Hebrews 7:25 is a blessed assurance: “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

The Bible is clear that I am saved by grace using a verb tense that emphasizes a past action that has an ongoing effect. The culmination is ultimate salvation from the presence of sin on judgment day when that battle is over, even though my win was declared that moment when saving faith and a changed life occurred. In other words, being saved involves a past event, a present experience, and a future hope, all accomplished by Jesus Christ.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The past event of putting my faith in Christ is vital in fighting the lies of Satan who accuses me of all sorts of things usually based on failures in my present struggles with sin. The present experience is always the same — keep putting my faith in Christ. He says that my good works (or lack of them) is not the issue; I am saved by grace through faith, yet my obedience proves it. Vital also is gazing at the future. Every now and then God grants a deeper understanding of what eternal life will be like and this boosts my hope and present joy. Living for Christ may not make me popular and is sometimes very difficult yet the alternative is unthinkable. Praise God for His power to save!