God's Why

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You Don't Have to Know God's Why

John 12:16

"These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him."

Often when you read the Scriptures you will see that people did things when they had no clue about the greatness of their actions. For instance, many of the men whom God used to pen the Scriptures on paper wrote about things that had not yet happened. However, they obeyed what God told them to write and would often understand what they wrote later when the Scripture was fulfilled.

The story from the verse above is about the triumphal entry of Christ coming into Jerusalem. The Scriptures say that as Jesus entered Jerusalem that the people pulled down branches of palm trees and strawed them along the way as they cried, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." When these people were obeying the leading of God, they did not know that they were fulfilling Scripture. In fact, the verse above teaches that it wasn't until later that the disciples realized that what they did was prophesied earlier in Scripture.

One of the reasons that you should do right all the time is because you never know what your obedience will bring. There are hundreds of stories of people who obeyed what God told them to do, though they didn't understand why God told them to do it. Yet, because they obeyed, God blessed their obedience to accomplish something great through them. 

One illustration of this would be Philip. Philip was preaching a revival meeting when God told him to leave the revival and go out into the desert. Though Philip did not understand why God wanted him to leave this great revival meeting, he obeyed and met the Ethiopian eunuch. When Philip saw the eunuch reading the Scriptures in his chariot, he stepped inside the chariot and led him to Christ. Many believe that the eunuch went back to his homeland and led many to Christ which resulted in a great revival. It wasn't until after Philip obeyed that he understood why God wanted him to do this.

You don't have to understand why God wants you to do something in order to obey. You must realize that if God tells you to obey that the command is what you are to follow. Understanding always comes after obedience. Too many people miss being used greatly by God because they wait for understanding before they obey, when if they would just obey they would eventually understand. Understanding never comes before obedience. If you wait until you understand, then you will end up disobeying God and miss His will.

Christian, decide right now that you are going to start obeying Christ whether or not you understand why He tells you to do something. Yes, it takes faith to obey Christ, but living by faith always pleases God. When you step out by faith and obey what God tells you to do, then you will find understanding after you obeyed.

Approval?

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Man's Approval Results In God's Disapproval

John 9:22

"These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue."

It was just another Sabbath day for this young blind man. He did not know that on this day his life would change forever. It would change because of Who would pass by his way. We don't know if this young man was simply feeling his way through town, or if he was standing by the wayside begging, but we know that Jesus passed by his way. When Jesus saw this young man, knowing that he was born blind, He had compassion on him and healed his blind eyes.

The problem with this story is that the Pharisees didn't think that Jesus should heal on the Sabbath day. When they asked this young man who healed him, he said he didn't know who it was. The Pharisees didn't believe that he used to be blind, so they went to the parents to ask them if their son was really born with no sight. They confirmed that he was born blind, but out of fear of being thrown out of the synagogue, they wouldn't confirm how he received his sight.

Herein is the problem with many Christians. Too many Christians are more concerned with the approval of man than they are with the approval of God. They are more worried about what man can do to them than they are about what God can do to them. When you live for the approval of man, you can rest assured that your life will be disapproved by God.

Let me remind you that God is greater than man. People are so afraid of what man can do to them when they don't realize that God is the One Who ultimately determines what He allows His children to go through. You should always keep God's approval of what you do as your highest priority.

Furthermore, if you live for the approval of man, you will find that you will never succeed. If one group of people approve of you, then there will be another group of people who will disapprove of what you have done. Compromise starts when you start living for man's approval. Living for God's approval is easy, for you will only have one set of rules to obey. When you live for God's approval, you will find an inward satisfaction when you have accomplished this lofty goal.

Christian, be careful about living for the approval of man. Live your life to please God. Don't be concerned with what man thinks about you, but be concerned with God's approval of your life. If you will live to please God then you will find that you will be able to live a fulfilling life.

Relevance

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The Relevancy of God's Word for Your Life

John 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

If you were to listen to what society says about the Word of God, you would think that God's Word is just a bunch of stories that are entertaining to read. Most of society views God's Word as the writings of men and not the very Word of God. However, when you study the Word of God you find that every Word in the Bible is the very Word of God.

In John 1, you will also find that God's Word is relevant to your life. Though some may think that God's Word is out of date, when you study It you see that It's principles are relevant to your life and every situation you currently face. In fact, God's Word has the answer for every problem that you face. If God's Word doesn't have the answer for your problem, then you don't have a problem. In John 1, you can see several ways that God's Word is relevant to your life.

First, everything begins with the Word of God. It says in the verse above, "In the beginning was the Word..." You will notice that God started this world with His Word. You should always start everything you do with God's Word. Start your day off in the Word of God. Start your marriage off by using the Word of God. Start your business by following the Word of God. When you look at the founding of the United States of America, you will see that the principles of the founding documents came from the Word of God. If you start anything without the Word of God, then you are starting it off the wrong way.

Second, God's Word gives life. John 1:4 says, "In him was life;..." We believe that the King James Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of God because without inspiration there is no life. God's Word gives life through It's inspiration. The only way your life will sustain excitement, interest and vibrancy is by wrapping your life around the Word of God. Without God's Word, you will find your interest will waver in your pursuits. However, with God's Word involved in every pursuit, you will find that life and excitement will be sustained.

Third, God's Word gives life. It says in the second part of John 1:4, "...and the life was the light of men." God's Word is a light that shines upon the pathway of life. When you are wondering which direction you should take in life, God's Word will shine a light upon the right pathway. When you are making decisions, you will find that God's Word will give you light so you can clearly see the proper decision.

Fourth, God's Word is truth. John 1:14 says that God's Word is "full of grace and truth." If you are looking for absolutes, then look no further than the Word of God. The source of all truth is found in the Word of God. Only God's Word can guarantee what It says to be true.

Fifth, God's Word gives grace. Not only is God's Word full of truth, but It also shows you how to be gracious as you live It's truths. In other words, grace is having the people skills to properly apply truth without running everybody off. Don't get me wrong, God's Word will offend some people, but if you will properly apply It's principles, you will learn how to get along with people.

Christian, you need God's Word in your life. It is relevant for your every need. I can never stress enough the importance of daily spending time in the Word of God. Don't let church be the only time you open It's pages, but let the pages of the Word of God bring It's relevancy to your daily life by reading It and living what It says.

Keep your distance

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Keeping Your Distance

Luke 22:54

"Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off."

Have you ever been around someone with whom you wanted to keep your distance? The reason you wanted to keep your distance from them was because you were either not sure about them or you just didn't quite want to be identified with them. When you kept your distance from them, it wasn't that you didn't want to be around them, for you were still close enough to be in their presence, but you kept your distance because you didn't want to deal with the fallout of being hurt from whatever you were afraid of about them.

In the verse above, "Peter followed afar off." The whole reason why he followed Jesus at a distance was because he didn't want to leave Jesus, yet he didn't want to face the persecution and potential hurt that could come from being close to Him. How sad that Peter closely followed Jesus for three years, and now that Jesus faced crucifixion he backed off because he didn't want to carry the shame of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. However, though Peter followed afar off physically in the verse above, he had already followed Jesus afar off in his heart. Luke 22:34 says, "And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Jesus knew when He made this statement that Peter's heart was afar off. The action from the verse above was simply a follow through of what was already going on in his heart.

Christian, are you keeping your distance from Jesus in your heart? Maybe you have already started to physically keep your distance from Jesus. Why would you keep your distance from Jesus? Are you afraid that Jesus is going to hurt you? Are you afraid to identify with Jesus? Let me briefly deal with both of these areas.

First, why would you be afraid that Jesus is going to hurt you? Jesus has never let any person down. Anyone who has ever put their faith and trust in Jesus and what He commands us to do has never been hurt. People may hurt you when you get close to them, but Jesus will never hurt you. Proverbs 18:24 says about God, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." You can count on Jesus always being there for you in your time of need. Not only will He be there for you when you need Him most, but He also will never hurt you when you open your heart to Him. Though you may have been hurt by people to whom you have been close, you can count on the fact that Jesus will never hurt you when you open up to Him.

Second, don't keep your distance from Jesus because you are afraid to identify with Him. Let me remind you that it was Jesus who died and paid for your sin. He was willing to go to the cross to pay for your sins, the least you could do is identify with Him. Let me ask you, what has the world ever done for you that you would be more willing to identify with it rather than with Jesus? The only thing the world has ever done for you is hurt you. Though identifying with Jesus may bring shame and criticism from the world and backslidden Christians, it will also bring a closeness and security that He will never leave you and will be there to help you through every facet of your life.

If you are one who has kept your distance from Jesus, let me implore you to stop it. Whether your distance is in your heart, or maybe you have physically kept your distance from Jesus, you are making the greatest mistake of your life by doing so. Decide to close the distance by opening your heart to Jesus and pouring your heartaches and worries upon Him. Physically close that distance and decide that no matter what criticisms may come that you will identify with Jesus every place you go.

Focus

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Heaven's Focus

Luke 15:7

"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

One of the mistakes I made in my early ministry was focusing on the rebel more than I focused on those who needed and wanted my help. Though God used me in spite of my mistakes, there were many who I could have focused upon and helped in a greater way. When I realized that my focus should be on helping those who wanted my help, it resulted in many more people being helped.

Often you see ministries that seem to focus upon the rebel. Christian schools many times will ruin the good child because they focus so much on how to salvage the rebel. With the focus being upon how to salvage the rebel, the good child slips through the cracks and ends up not being helped in the way that they could have and should have been. Many different church ministries will focus upon the rebel, when they should focus upon the ones who really want to be helped.

In the verse above, you will notice that Heaven's focus is upon restoring the lost. There are three parables in Luke 15. Two of the three deal with the lost and one deals with the loss of a rebel. It is interesting to note that Heaven's focus was not upon the rebel. Don't get me wrong, I believe we should pray for the one who has rebelled, but too much focus is placed upon the prodigal when it should be placed upon the lost. You can see from the verse above that Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents. Yes, Heaven is thrilled when people are right with God, but the thing that gets Heaven to throw a party is when the sinner repents.

The purpose of the church is to be a spiritual hospital. I often say that a church is an emergency room where patients who are sick and wounded from sin come every Sunday and Wednesday to get help. Churches must be careful about losing that focus. When a Pharisaical attitude starts creeping into the church, then the sinner will not feel that they can get help from that church. Sinners should feel welcome in every church. No, they shouldn't feel that they can continue in their sin and feel good, but they should feel that they can get the help they need and feel loved and wanted at the same time.

Furthermore, be sure to place the focus of every ministry in the church on helping the ones who need and want our help. Ministry leaders should not give the rebel the attention they want, but rather they should focus on helping the one's who are desperately wanting their help. When you focus on the sinner who wants help, then that lets the rebel know that their rebellion is not the way to get the attention they desire.

Moreover, parents need to be careful to help the children that want their help. Parents often spend much of their time trying to bring the rebellious child back and end up forsaking the other children who need and want their help. Parent, let God deal with the rebel and focus your attention on the child who will respond to your help.

Last, every Christian should focus on bringing the lost to Christ. Though the parables in Luke 15 deal with saved people, I still believe that the principle of Heaven rejoicing over one sinner repenting applies to those who are lost in sin. Be busy every week doing your best to win the lost to Jesus Christ.

Always remember that a clean emergency room is an unused emergency room. If the church is doing what it is supposed to do, you will find the sick and hurting throughout the church. Be sure that your focus is the same of Heaven's focus and that is helping the sinner to repent.