When God Goes Against His Will

 

But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:25)

The sons of Eli the priest would not obey their father when he rebuked them for their sin. There are three implications of this text for our lives.

1) It is possible to sin so long and so grievously that the Lord will not grant repentance.

That is why Paul said that after all our pleading and teaching, “God may perhaps grant them repentance” — not, “will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25). There is a “too late” in the life of sin. As it says of Esau in Hebrews 12:17, “He found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” He was forsaken; he could not repent.

This does not mean that those who truly repent even after a whole lifetime of sinning cannot be saved. They certainly can be, and will be! God is staggeringly merciful. Remember the thief on the cross. Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

2) Sometimes God does not permit a sinning person to do what is right.

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” Listening to the voice of their father was the right thing to do. But they would not. Why? “For it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.”

The reason given for why they did not obey their father was that God had other purposes for them, and had given them up to sinning and death. This shows that there are times when the will of God’s decree is different from the revealed will of God’s command.

3) Sometimes our prayers for God’s revealed will to be done will not be done because God has decreed something different for holy and wise purposes.

I suppose that Eli prayed for his sons to be changed. That is how he should have prayed. But God had decreed that Hophni and Phinehas not obey, but rather be slain.

When something like this happens (which we do not ordinarily know ahead of time) while we are crying out to God for change, the answer of God is not: “I don’t love you.” Rather the answer is: “I have wise and holy purposes in not overcoming this sin and not granting repentance. You do not see these purposes now. Trust me. I know what I am doing. I love you.”

GIVE YOUR ENTIRE ATTENTION TO TODAY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 29, 2023.

SUBJECT : GIVE YOUR ENTIRE ATTENTION TO TODAY!

Memory verse: “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118 vs 24)

READ: Proverbs 27 vs 1; Matthew 6 vs 34: 

Proverbs 27:1: Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it’s own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

INTIMATION:

There are two days in every week that we should not worry about, two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension. One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. Nor can we erase a single word we’ve said. Yesterday is gone. 

We may have done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because of our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don’t dwell on the past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. 

The other day we shouldn’t worry about is tomorrow. Tomorrow is beyond our control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise either in splendor, or behind a mask of clouds but it will rise. And until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn. Because there is no guarantee on how tomorrow will turn out, one should be careful not to worry about it, but rather fully appreciate each day of his or her life. 

Obviously, we all plan for the future which is good. But living as if tomorrow is in your hands to control is wrong. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. 

In one of the passages we read today, Jesus is not here condemning one’s planning for the future. In order words, we must not add worries about the future to the responsibilities of today. Worry works against faith. We must assume through faith that all things work together for good (Romans 8 vs 28). And thus, we must walk by faith (Second Corinthians 5 vs 7). The more one walks by faith, the less worry there is in his or her life.

Now, we are left with “Today.” Give your entire attention to what God is doing today. Every day is a privilege in the life of frail men. Therefore, one should live today to the fullest—leaving the past days behind where they belong, and allowing future to take its turn, while rejoicing for the privilege of seeing today. 

There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is down, our situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. When you don’t feel like rejoicing, tell God honestly how you truly feel. And as you talk to God in prayer, He will give you a reason to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve Him—be glad! 

However, any person can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives people mad, it is the remorse of bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. 

Experience has shown that many things we worry about never come out as dreadful as we would have thought. Worry has its negative effects on us; it may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, reduce your ability to trust in God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of today. Give me the grace to live today to the fullest—rejoicing with gladness of heart for the privilege of being a partaker of Your gift of today, and giving my entire attention to what You are doing today, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DIVINE GUIDANCE!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 28, 2023.

SUBJECT : DIVINE GUIDANCE!

Memory verse: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32 vs 8.) 

READ: Psalm 25 vs 9 - 15: 

25:9: The Humble He guides in justice: and the humble He teaches His way.

2:10: All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

25:11: For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.

25:12: Who is the man that fears the LORD? him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

25:13: He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.

25:14: The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.

25:15: My eyes are ever toward the LORD; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

INTIMATION:

The greatest guide of any human being is divine guidance; the special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings; the ability to be guided by or hear God and be lead by Him. This is because you are guided by One who knows the road you are traveling on and all of the problems that lay ahead; the end is already known to Him from the beginning, therefore, He can give you dependable advice. He is able to help you be all that you can be, and can enable you either to avoid or overcome every obstacle or problem in your lives. 

Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for His purpose. What you call ‘coincidence,’ somebody calls it ‘Godincidence.’ Stop now and think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. Obviously, as a child of God, He has led you to the point you are right now. He never promised us a trouble-free life, but rather He promised to be with us even in our troubles. As you grow older, you will look back and see God’s involvement more clearly than you do now. He will make all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where He wants you, whether you’re moving or staying in one place, and you are sure of achieving the purpose for which you are created because the Creator and determinant of the purpose is guiding you. As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. You are physically somewhere now. He has a purpose in placing you where you are right now. Begin to understand God’s purpose for your life by discovering what He wants you to do now where you are. We must not close the door on what God can do. 

How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is that you must be spiritual, and desire to be guided. You must realize that God’s primary guiding system is in His Word—the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives. When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance. We need both a map that gives us directions and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is such a map, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

God describes some people as being like horses or mules that have to be controlled by bits and bridles (Psalm 32 vs 9). Rather than letting God guide them step by step, they stubbornly leave God with only one option—chastisement. If God wants to keep them useful for Him, He must use discipline and punishment. God longs to guide us with love and wisdom rather than punishment. He offers to teach us the best way to go. Accept the advice written in God’s Word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire my help to come from you who created heaven and earth; who has all knowledge, and knows the end from the beginning. My absolute trust is on You. Guide me, O Lord, that I may remain in the path You fashioned for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Payout for Patience

 

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

The story of Joseph in Genesis 37–50 is a great lesson in why we should have faith in the sovereign, future grace of God.

Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, which must have tested his patience tremendously. But he is given a good job in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Then, when he is acting uprightly in the unplanned place of obedience, Potiphar’s wife lies about his integrity and has him thrown into prison — another great trial to his patience.

But again things turn for the better, and the prison keeper gives him responsibility and respect. But just when he thinks he is about to get a reprieve from Pharaoh’s cupbearer, whose dream he interpreted, the cupbearer forgets him for two more years. Another painful trial to his patience.

Finally, the meaning of all these detours and delays becomes clear. Joseph is raised up to be the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He ends up saving from starvation the very brothers who sold him into slavery. Joseph says to his long-estranged brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. . . . As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 45:7; 50:20).

What would have been the key to patience for Joseph during all those long years of exile and abuse? The answer is: faith in God’s sovereign, future grace — the sovereign grace of God to turn the unplanned place and the unplanned pace into the happiest ending imaginable.

That’s the key to our patience as well. Do we believe that God is working for us in the strangest and most painful turns of our lives?

Authentic vs. Phony Faith

 Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

The question before us all is: Are we included in the “many” whose sins Christ bore? And will we be saved at his second coming? 

The answer of Hebrews 9:28 is, “Yes,” if we are “eagerly waiting for him.” We can know that our sins are taken away and that we will be safe in the judgment, if we trust Christ in such a way that it makes us eager for his coming.

There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ, but is only a fire insurance policy. Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. It has no real desire for Christ. In fact, it would prefer if he did not come, so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world.

So, the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Or do we want him to stay away, while our love affair with the world runs its course? That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.

Let us be like the Corinthians as we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7), and like the Philippians whose “citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

That’s the issue for us. Do we love his appearing? Or do we love the world and hope that his appearing will not interrupt our plans? Eternity hangs on this question.

ENTERING GOD'S REST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 27, 2023.

SUBJECT : ENTERING GOD'S REST!

Memory verse: "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4 vs 2.)

READ: Hebrews 4 vs 1 - 10:

4:1: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 

4:2: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

4:3: For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4:4: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";

4:5: And again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

4:6: Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

4:7: Again He designates a certain day, saying to David, "Today," after such a long time, as it had been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

4:8: For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

4:9: There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

4:10: For he who entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

INTIMATION:

Why are there many Christians but only a few share testimonies of the goodness of God? In a typical Sunday service in a large church, attendance might be five thousand worshipers, and the testifiers might be as few as two people. The reason is "unbelief." Many Christians do not believe completely that God will do what He says He will do. 

The Bible says that, when people hear God's Word but do not believe it, "the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Many of the Christians in our churches today, do not know Christ personally. They know a great deal about Christ, but do not have a personal relationship with Him, and do not combine their knowledge with faith. Consequently, when a problem shows up in their lives, they will be overwhelmed by the difficulties of the present moment, and allow that to overshadow the reality of God's promise. 

They turn back on the promises of God, and doubt that God would fulfill His promises. Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, only those who believe do enter that rest (do obtain His promised blessings). God even swore in His anger that the unbelieving hearts would not enter His rest (Psalm 95 vs 11). 

The major conditions that keeps us from God's ultimate blessings ("entering His rest" include: (1) Not worshipping or submitting to Him. (2) Hardening our hearts, especially to sin. (3) Trying God's patience because of stubborn doubts. (4) Ungrateful hearts—not being thankful. In the passage we read today, the Bible warns us not to harden our hearts, but to reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God.

For the Christians that believe, the apostle Paul has a word for them in First Thessalonians 2 vs 13, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

God wants us to enter His rest; to be at peace with Him now, and rest eternally with Him later. He offers the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest, that is, invites us to come to Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”  (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). The relationship is not subject to your creating it; it is already in place, and you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey Him. 

We do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord here on earth will one day end with death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know" (John 14 vs 1 - 4). 

You will never miss Christ and God’s rest, in Jesus’ Name. Declare today to totally commit yourself to Christ and be assured of eternal rest in Him. Since it is possible to lose our rest through disobedience and unbelief, every Christian must be in fear lest he turn from the security of God’s grace. The choice is yours.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have said it, I believe it, and that settles it. In Christ Jesus I have rest round about, and in Him I live, and move, and have my being. Give me the grace for raw obedience to Christ that I will not lose my rest through disobedience, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Strength to Wait with Patience

 

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Colossians 1:11)

“Strengthened” is the right word. The apostle Paul prayed for the church at Colossae, that they would be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience” (Colossians 1:11). Patience is the evidence of an inner strength.

Impatient people are weak, and therefore dependent on external supports — like schedules that go just right and circumstances that support their fragile hearts. Their outbursts of oaths and threats and harsh criticisms of the culprits who crossed their plans do not sound weak. But that noise is all a camouflage of weakness. Patience demands tremendous inner strength.

For the Christian, this strength comes from God. That is why Paul is praying for the Colossians. He is asking God to empower them for the patient endurance that the Christian life requires. But when he says that the strength of patience is “according to [God’s] glorious might” he doesn’t just mean that it takes divine power to make a person patient. He means that faith in this “glorious might” is the channel through which the power for patience comes.

Patience is indeed a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but the Holy Spirit empowers (with all his fruit) through “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:5). Therefore Paul is praying that God would connect us with the “glorious might” that empowers patience. And that connection is faith.