The Lord Works

Are you one who believes in fate or do you believe in coincidence? Do you view the world as a series of random events that chaotically intersect, sometimes producing positive outcomes and sometimes negative? Or do you believe that things happen for a reason; that events, even some that seem small, are part of a master plan? If you are a believer and have witnessed God’s hand at work, I hope you believe that he is in control, that he has a plan, and that he works everything out for his purposes and for his ends. I sometimes view the world as a complex chess board where God moves pieces around for his good. He places the right pieces in the right places at the right times to produce the right results. You may have heard the term, “divine appointments”, referring to the notion that God can arrange for you or I to connect with specific person at a specific time for his purposes. I believe in divine appointments. I believe that God has a master plan. And I believe that we can all play a part. Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 4, says:

“The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

This verse implies that God is at work in our lives advancing our destiny for his own ends. He may have had a hand in your career path. He may have played a role in your relationship path. He may have even placed someone in your life at just the right time to lead you to himself. Proverbs says that the Lord works out everything for his own ends. It even offers and example by saying that he even works out the the day of disaster for the wicked. I’ve often prayed for divine appointments in my life, especially when I go on mission trips. I know of several who have prayed for God to bring them their future mate. You may have prayed for God’s hand to arrange a situation in your life. Proverbs reminds us that God is in the background working things out in ways we cannot see. He is moving pieces around and arranging connections that would confound the most masterful of chess players. Our job is to listen to, and obey, the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Who knows, God may use you to help someone in need, change the trajectory of someone’s life, or even lead someone to Christ. Are you ready to be on the same page as the Holy Spirit? I hope the answer is “yes”.

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“The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster.” Timing is everything, and with God everything works out at just the right time and in just the right way. If we are not willing to walk in step the Holy Spirit; if we are not willing to follow his plan in his way, God will choose someone who is. I pray that you and I will pray with expectation that God will use us for his ends; that we will play a role in his master plan. After all, the Bible tells us that he made us for his purposes. It would be better for us if we didn’t resist, but would be on the same page as God. I encourage you to make that declaration today. I encourage you to seek God’s plan for your life and to be used for his purposes without resistance.

Good of Others

Jesus modeled so many things for us in the gospels. In essence, he showed us how to live. He showed us what it looks like to be perfect in God’s sight. Not only is Jesus the Son of God, but he is the only man who ever lived, and ever will live, who was without sin. So every word he spoke, and every action he performed should be examined as a model for how we are to live in this world. He taught us how to pray, how to obey, how to trust the Father and how to serve our fellow man. None of these things are effective without faith or without the aid of the Holy Spirit. But serving our fellow man brings with it an added level of difficulty because there are so many variables to consider when it comes to our flawed nature. For example, as a species we are quite selfish, which means that our flesh always wants to put ourselves first. And as believers we can become quite self-righteous, which can be a stumbling block to those considering the faith. But Jesus taught us to behave differently. He taught us that there are times when we should alter our normal pattern of behavior for the good of others. And Paul reinforced that notion in his letter to the Corinthians in first Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 24, which says:

“Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”

At first blush, this verse may sound a bit extreme. Are we really called to stop seeking that which is good for us and solely pursue that which is good for others? No. That isn’t what Paul is saying. At the time Paul writes this, he is in the process of explaining to the Corinthians that we shouldn’t allow our religious rights, freedoms, and behaviors to cause others to stumble. We need to consider how we behave around unbelievers, seekers and new believers as to not leave a negative impact on them by doing, or not doing, things that are not sinful, but might be solely religious in nature. Later in this chapter, Paul uses the example of an unbeliever inviting a believer to a meal. That believer should eat whatever is provided without raising any objections even if he would normally choose not to eat it out of religious conviction. In doing so, not only is he not sinning, but he is not seeking his own good, but the good of the one who invited him to a meal. In the same way, we are to temper our religiousness if it might have a negative effect on the one we are trying to reach. Jesus ate with sinners, Paul made himself like those he was trying to reach, and we should temper our legalism for the good of others. 

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“Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” I encourage you to put your religiosity on the shelf when dealing with those who are unbelievers, seekers or new believers. Don’t use Christian lingo that they don’t understand. Don’t turn your nose up at them when they have a beer or wine with dinner even if you don’t drink. If you are with someone who doesn’t drink but you normally have a glass of wine with your meal, choose not to order wine in their presence. Learn to overlook a religious offense if it is done in ignorance. If what you encounter is not sinful, or counter to God’s laws or his character, let it go for the good of others. And if your normal religious behavior may cause someone to stumble, abstain from that behavior while in their presence. I encourage you to be ready to lay aside your own good for the good of others. In doing so you will be practicing this mandate and reflecting the character of Jesus.

Evil For Good

I can remember a time when identifying as a Christian was a good thing. Even those who weren’t willing to believe in the faith understood that the values brought about by Christianity were those that most anyone would want to emulate. Parents would send their kids to church even if they didn’t go themselves because Christian values were prized as moralistically good. But things have changed. The rules have been rewritten. What was once considered good is now vilified, and what was once moralistically wrong is now celebrated. In Isaiah we find a warning for those who have chosen to conform to this ideology by ignoring the truth and becoming wise in their own eyes. It says in chapter 5, verses 20 and 21:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” 

If someone where to try to convince you that the sky was green, even though you could clearly see that it was blue, by their sheer conviction alone, they would not be proven right. Likewise, if someone where to convince themselves that the values and mandates God set in place were wrong, that wouldn’t make it true. Why, then, do we, as humans, convince ourselves of obvious falsehoods? I believe that Satan is behind this deception. 1 Peter reminds us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And Isaiah says, “woe to those” who fall prey to him by taking the bait and calling evil good and good evil; who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. The devil is crafty. He doesn’t always boldly entice us with things that are clearly sin. He may choose to be more subtle. He may come as an angel of light, convincing us that bad things are actually good. For those who do not know God, Satan can slowly manipulate and convince them of this lie. But for those of us who know God, this tactic should neither come as a surprise, nor should it be effective. So I encourage you not to fall into this deception. For those of us who understand that the Bible is Holy, objective truth, any change in our culture should not alter our spiritual compass.

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The evil one has put into motion plans that we can’t see with our eyes, but we can see their results in our news, our culture and in those around us. Believers should recognize his hand at work in the minds and hearts of those who don’t believe, and believers who have been deceived. I pray that you and I heed Isaiah’s warning. We should never find ourselves compromising the truth, even if doing so may save our job, our relationships or our comfort. And we should never call evil good or good evil, even if we are persuaded to believe the world’s moral compass over God’s holy word. The Bible has not changed since it was pinned, and it will never change until the return of our Lord. What was true in Jesus’ day is still true today. If we lose sight of that, we will find ourselves operating in the flesh and walking out of step with the Holy Spirit. We will become wise in our own eyes and clever in our own sight.

The Sick

There is a big difference between being sick and being healthy. When we are sick, we know that there is a problem because our bodies respond negatively, painfully and sometimes violently to our illness. Often times we require some form of medication. And if our sickness is severe enough, we may even make an appointment with a doctor. When Jesus explained to the Pharisees why he decided to eat with tax collectors and sinners, he chose to compare himself to a doctor in Luke, chapter 5, verses 31 and 32, which says:

“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’”

Jesus came to earth for sinners. He preached the message of salvation for sinners. And he died a horrific death on a cross for sinners. His mission was to seek and save the lost. He came for those in need of a savior. Do you need a savior? If you are a human being, I would suggest to you that you do, because the Bible reminds us that none of us are righteous, not even one. So, when Jesus said that, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” what he was really saying is that he came for everyone. Jesus came for anyone who is willing to admit that they are a sinner in need of a savior. He proved this by eating with those who were still in their sin, and calling them to repentance. If you are reading this today, I hope you understand that Jesus came for you. You, and everyone who has ever lived and ever will live, are spiritually sick and in need of the only doctor who can save your soul.

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I encourage you not to let pride or self-righteousness come between you and salvation. We are all sick and in need of a doctor. We are all sinners in need of a savior. The difference between those who allow Jesus to work on their heart and those who refuse, is whether we understand this truth and choose to accept his help. If you’ve never humbled yourself before Christ by admitting you are a sinner in need of a savior, then I hope you are willing to do it today. Before we can accept his help, we must first admit that we need it. Do not compare your righteousness to those in the world. Compare it to Jesus. If you still think you are righteous compared to him, then maybe you don’t need a savior. But the Bible teaches us that we all do, even those of us who have already accepted his sacrifice for us. We are still not good enough. Every day we are still in need of a savior. If you haven’t already, I hope you come to that realization as well.

Hypocrisy

When you were a child, did you ever catch your parents behaving in a way that was contrary to how they taught you to behave? They may have used foul language, but would reprimand you if you did the same. Or they may have lied about being sick so that they could take a day off from work, but would ground you if you skipped school. They may have even gone so far as to use drugs or act promiscuously, but wouldn’t allow you to do the same. And if at any time you tried to act like them, they may have told you to, “do as I say, not as I do”. If these examples resonate with you, I hope you will chose to act differently with those under your authority. I hope that you and I will chose to practice what we preach. Jesus said this to a crowd of people in Matthew, chapter 23, verses 2 and 3:

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

Whether we think people are aware of our actions or not, we should always behave as if we are being watched by those around us. Your friends may be watching, your children may be watching, your co-workers may be watching, and even your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ may be watching. If we openly proclaim our faith in Christ, we should make every effort to reflect his nature. None of us are perfect, but in as much as it is possible with us, we should always practice what we preach. If we don’t, our credibility and our testimony will be suspect. Think about it. How can we convince anyone to behave in a certain way when we don’t do it ourselves? How can we claim to be Christ-followers when we clearly don’t do what he teaches? I encourage you not to be like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. I encourage you to practice what you preach.

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Whether we think our hypocrisy will stay hidden or not, there always seems to be someone who notices when we aren’t practicing what we say we believe. And even if we are lucky enough to escape notice from those around us, God is always aware of our hypocrisy. Jesus told the crowd that they are to obey what the teachers of the law and the Pharisees taught, primarily because of their position, but also because much of what they said lined up with the character of God. Nevertheless, they didn’t live out their faith. They didn’t practice what they taught, and Jesus took notice. How is your walk? Do you practice what you preach? Do you encourage people to live one way but secretly, or even openly, you live another? Jesus tells us that we aren’t to behave that way. We are to hear the word of God and obey. We are to read the Bible and follow what it says. And when we fail to live up to what we know is right, we need to repent and acknowledge that our actions did not reflect what we say we believe. I encourage you to reflect what you say you believe, whether in word or deed. I encourage you to practice what you preach.