The Positive Side of Not Killing Anyone- 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther – Day 10 - Purity 1283

 

The Positive Side of Not Killing Anyone- 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther – Day 10 - Purity 1283

Purity 1283 02/24/2024 Purity 1283 Podcast

Purity 1283 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a sunrise on the horizon between two mountain peaks comes to us from Fred Dimmick who shared this scene, presumably from somewhere near his home in Murphy NC, on social media on Thursday, along with the following poetic sentiment.”

“Waiting on the new sunrise.

When changing colors fill the skies.

A mountain top.

My happy place

The rising sun

Will warm my face.

High in a tree a young bird sings.

Of opportunities

The new day brings.”

Well as the sun sets on another week and will arise a new tomorrow, it is my prayer that all my friends follow Fred’s example by keeping their eyes open to the beauty around them and by choosing to look at each new day as an opportunity to enjoy their lives and work to make them better.  Fred had to put forth some effort to find his happy place and so I encourage all of us on the path of Christian Discipleship to not forget that our relationship with God and our experiencing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is dependent on that paradoxical balance between faith and action.   We trust the Lord to do His part in our walk of faith, but we realize that we have to do our part too. 

Repentance is more than just agreeing with the Lord’s ways of doing things. Repentance also includes our actively “turning” and walking in the way God would direct us to go. We choose each day to follow the Lord and put forth our best efforts to be more like Jesus while understanding that any hopes for our success in doing so needs to be supernaturally empowered by the Lord. 

And so we are happy to report some success this morning (food plan success!) as I have repented of my “vacation indulgence diet” and am back on my Keto food plan that has been instrumental in putting me in the best physical shape of my life.  The Lord has impressed upon me that repentance includes being a good steward to the temple of the Holy Spirit, my body, and it feels good to have the first of what will prayerfully be a long line of days being victorious and free over the bondage to comfort eating.    And what better time to look for new opportunities to make a change and simultaneously draw close to God than the season of Lent. 

It’s the tenth day of Lent and so we continue my personal walkthrough of Gracia Grindal’s 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther to observe and celebrate the Lenten season.   In this walk through Grindal’s devotional,  it is our hope that we will get to know Martin Luther a little better as we seek to draw closer to the Lord on our journey to Resurrection Sunday – Easter.  

And so we continue.

“Journey Day 10

“YOU ARE NOT TO KILL.

What is this?

Answer: We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life’s needs.

This commandment is violated not only when we do evil, but also when we have the opportunity to do good to our neighbors and to prevent, protect, and save them from suffering bodily harm or injury, but fail to do so.

If you send a naked person away when you could clothe him, you have let him freeze to death. If you see anyone who is suffering from hunger and do not feed her, you have let her starve. Likewise, if you see anyone who is innocently condemned or in similar peril and do not save him although you have means and ways to do so, you have killed him. It will be of no help for you to use the excuse that you did not assist their deaths by word or deed, for you have withheld your love from them and robbed them of the kindness by means of which their lives might have been saved.”

Biblical Wisdom

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13: 8-11.

Silence for Meditation.

Pause the podcast, or stop reading, and sit quietly for 60 seconds, a few minutes, or 10-15 minutes, or however long you feel comfortable with and have time for. Focus on your breath and the calm stillness in the present moment that is always available to us in God’s creation. Meditate on Martin Luther’s comments for the day, and the content of today’s Biblical wisdom.

 

Questions to Ponder

·       How does it change our understanding of this commandment to think of both what we should not do and what we should do?

A big part of changing our faith from a religion to a relationship comes from understanding that obeying the commandments of the Lord is not met simply by the things we don’t do.  “I haven’t killed anybody today” isn’t something we should point to as evidence that we are following the Lord. To follow the Lord we have to understand that walking by faith not only requires us to abstain from overt sins – the things we should not do -  but also requires that we look for opportunities to love our neighbors as ourselves – to look for the things we could do to help others – to do the things we should do – and do them.  Our Christians' lives should not be defined by the evil we don’t do but should also be demonstrated by the good things we do.  This makes us more like Jesus and gives God glory.  

·       What good might it do for us and our society if you and I love our neighbors and help them to flourish?

When we love our neighbors and help them flourish we could cause them to choose to follow the Lord and in turn do good to others to help them to flourish. Our efforts to love our neighbors could bear more fruit as our good deeds inspire others to do their own random acts of kindness as part of their new lives in Christ. Our purpose in blogging and podcasting is to encourage others to do just that – to not only have their lives transformed by choosing to follow the Lord with the way they live their lives but to also impact others with our message of hope and the good works we engage in.  The Lord’s love in us can create a chain reaction of love and community when we help others.

·       In a world where so much violence is both encouraged and sanctioned by certain “religious groups”, how might you both encourage and support the positive understanding of this commandment?

We can encourage and support the positive understanding of this commandment by being advocates for peace and righteousness. Our motivation is to serve God and our mission is to show others His love through kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness. We are to protect those we can and help others to see the wisdom of following the Lord from the peace it brings to our and other people’s lives. 

Psalm Fragment

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalm 133: 1, 3b

Journal Reflections

·       Reflect on how you keep this commandment. Do you hear only its negative side (do no harm), or does its positive side (do good) cause you to think of your neighbor and his or her needs differently?

As I indicated above, I try to keep this commandment from both its negative side, by trying not to harm anyone, and from its positive side, by doing good, and the best way I can think to do this is to encourage others to put their faith in Jesus and to follow Him.  While I can give to good causes and help people with problems they face as I encounter them in my everyday life, being used by the Lord to bring people into the kingdom of God or to help Christians discover their identity in Christ and the new life they have in Him, has the potential to do infinitely more good than right here and right now as those God blessed activities can spread and bear fruit beyond my limited understanding and reach.

·       Remember times when you withheld love from a neighbor or family member and journal about your reasons. What did it feel like? What, if any, consequences were there? Would you do it differently now?

I have often said that we regret the things we don’t do in part because I can remember times when I had the opportunity to do something good for someone else and because of fear, I decided not to do them.  Instead of being bold, courageous, and faithful, I shrunk away from the opportunity to “DO SOMETHING” – to either protect, defend, encourage, or help others that I have encountered along the path – and in hindsight knew that I could have done more to love my neighbors as myself.  It feels bad when you realize that you chose not to do good, and it convicts me to not drop the ball next time. The reasons of fearing that my efforts would cost me something, or fail to be competent, adequate, or effective that prevented me from action are never comforting when I consider that my actions could have helped.    

·        Are there any friends or family members with whom you are in conflict and you long to be reconciled with? If so, write about steps you can take to begin the process. Take those steps.

Currently, the only person I could say I am in conflict with is my son, Brennan, who is in his twenties and who lives with me with the understanding that he will pay a modest sum each month for rent and utilities. Inexplicably, Brennan made decisions that have caused him to lose his job and now I am in the unenviable position of being the only person in my son’s life that has any power to compel him to do what’s right.   At the beginning of February, I gave him 60 days' notice to get a job and to start paying rent or to move out of my home. Reconciliation is a two-way street, and I can only be reconciled with my son when Brennan chooses to work and pay his way.  In a few days, I will remind Brennan of the obligations of living in my home and encourage him to get a job to meet those requirements.  I am praying for things to change.

PRAYERS FOR THE LIFE OF FAITH

Pray that you may see the world and the people in it with more tenderness.

Lord God, help me to see the world and the people in it, including those I am in conflict with, with more tenderness and to follow You with the way that I respond to them. Help me, Lord.  Amen.

PRAY FOR TODAY

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to keep hatred and contention from my heart and mind, and help me to work on the best for my neighbor.

Amen.

(Gracia M. Grindal. 40-day Journey With Martin Luther. Kindle Edition.)

(We encourage you to purchase Grindal’s book and take the 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther for yourself by purchasing Grindal’s book wherever books are sold. You can find it online at many different sites and purchase it new, used – paper or electronic for less than $15.00).

 

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Conscience.

1 Timothy 4:2 (NLT2)
²  These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

Today’s verse falls under the fourth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Conscience.

4. A conscience can be seared.

Today’s verse reminds us that people’s consciences can be dead. Romans 1 tells us that our sin changes us.  When we give into sin, if we persist in it, it can harden our hearts to deny that there is anything wrong with what we are doing to the point that our minds become debased and we not only defend our right to sin but then become advocates of evil and encourage others who do the same.  

A look at our society with its sins of the flesh proves that the word of God is true.  Evil begets evil and kills the conscience. 

So don’t let your hearts be hardened toward God and what He tells us about good and evil. Let your heart be afflicted and your eyes be open to the truth of the evil of persistent sins that the world accepts. Turn to the Lord in repentance and let your conscience be restored to His good, pure, and holy ways.  

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

MORNING READING: MARK 15

“He answered nothing.” – Mark 15:3

Surely, this is where grace in all its divine splendor shines forth!

He who called the world into existence by the utterance of a word, He who upholds the worlds by the word of His power, He who could have asked His Father for more than twelve legions of angels to come to His aid – this One, my blessed Lord, stood in that judgment hall, “bearing shame and scoffing rude”⁵ and “answered nothing” (v. 3).

Oh, matchless grace, that Jesus there alone
On Calv'ry's cross for sinners should atone:
To such a Friend, a Saviour and a King
Our lives for service we will gladly bring.^6[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).

Active Helpfulness - Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 28– Purity 1000

Active Helpfulness - Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 28– Purity 1000

Purity 1000 03/25/2023 Purity 1000 Podcast

Purity 1000 on YouTube: Coming Soon!

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the Northern Lights over Lake Ontario comes to us from SUNY Oswego student meteorologist, Tommy Cerra, who captured this heavenly scene on Thursday evening and was kind enough to share it with the school who passed it along to all of us on Facebook. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=585347503626557&set=pcb.585347573626550) As a proud alumni of SUNY Oswego, I wish Mr. Cerra Al Roker levels of success, and give him my thanks for capturing a wonder that I never had the pleasure to experience during my days at the college on the lake and sharing it for all to see.  

Well, it is Saturday and just like Mr. Cerra felt that he couldn’t keep the amazing thing he saw to himself, I too feel that part of my purpose is to share the hope and the beauty of the new life that we can all find when we put our faith in Christ and decide to actually follow Him too.   And today is a milestone of sorts in that purpose for me as today’s “Purity” message is the 1,000^th encouraging word that I have shared.  If you would like to see that first message that is on the blog as well today: https://www.mt4christ.org/2023/03/the-sexual-purity-encouraging-text-that.html  

But since I did that time is short, so let’s celebrate the 1,000^th encouraging word, by continuing our current series as we enter into the 28^th day of Lent and Day 28 of the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons change, the Lord will use it to change us too. 

You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) . 

Day 28

Bonhoeffer writes:

“The other service one should perform for another person in a Christian community is active helpfulness.

To begin with, we have in mind simple assistance in minor, external matters. There are many such things wherever people live together.

Nobody is too good for the lowest service.

Those who worry about the loss of time entailed by such small, external acts of helpfulness are usually taking their own work too seriously.

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God, who will thwart our plans and frustrate our ways time and again, even daily, by sending people across our path with their demands and requests.”

Biblical Wisdom

“The greatest among you will be your servant.” Matthew 23:11

Questions to Ponder

• What are the forms “active helpfulness” might take in a community of faith?

M.T. Clark: One of the things I stress when I encourage or disciple Christians is that as “servants” sent by God to share the good news of Jesus Christ, we should also actually serve people and be known as people who solve problems.   We are to be actively helpful. The way we can do that in a community of faith is by serving in the church, volunteering to active ministries in that body, and by lending a helping hand to people in and out of our faith community.  While we are not saved or approved by God by our works, after we receive our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, we really are called to “DO SOMETHING” – to walk into the “good works that God has prepared for us.”  So be active in helping others, and also solving the problems in your own life so you can be available to help others with the problems in theirs.

• Is it true that: “Nobody is too good for the lowest service”? Why, or why not?

M.T. Clark: Yes, it is true that nobody is too good for the lowest service. As Christians, we are wretched sinners that were made saints through faith alone. That should humble us and make us grateful to do service for God’s kingdom and to accept whatever task, no matter how lowly, that we are asked to do.  Doing lowly works in itself can be a good practice in humility and so  doing things “beneath us” can actually benefit us as we are to not think of ourselves more than we should.

• How does taking their own work too seriously tempt people to undervalue the real needs of others?

M.T. Clark: Work is a double edge sword. As much as it can be used to give God glory it can also cause us to be prideful! Most of our work on this earth will fade away with time. The only work that truly matters is the work we do for God. So our “really important” work that we do to support ourselves or expand our careers might not be as important as we think.  Our being too busy or “working hard” can make us “unavailable” to help others and thus our pride in our work could cause us to undervalue the needs of others.  We have to be aware of our prideful tendencies and try to have a balance in our life where we can support ourselves and thrive but also be available to walk into those helpful works that would give God glory.

Psalm Fragment

For he [the ruler] delivers the needy when they call,
   the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
   and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
   and precious is their blood in his sight. Psalm 72:12-14

Journal Reflections

• Reflect on specific instances in which you were “interrupted by God” in the form of someone in need of help who crossed your path. What did you do? How did you feel about it?

M.T. Clark: I remembered one instance at work where I had a job that turned out to be the “customer’s problem”, meaning that their issue went beyond my company’s responsibility and technically I didn’t have to help them with their problem. I could just walk away and be totally in “the right”. But the customer was elderly and the solution to their problem seemed to be a burden they would not be able to bear because of their financial situation and their physical and mental capacities.  So I believe the Holy Spirit compelled me to “do what it is right” and so I went above and beyond what was technically my responsibilities to help this person and alleviate their problem.  It felt good to do this and I have done this for more than one customer as the Holy Spirit seems to really compels me to do “what is right” all the time now!

• Write about your degree of willingness to be “interrupted by God.”

M.T. Clark: OOOF! My “degree of willingness” could use some work! Part of me still doesn’t like to volunteer thing for anything, but that part doesn’t stand a chance if the Holy Spirit puts a word in. So yeah, I will hem and haw and try to avoid helping people initially but then I find myself turning around and helping them anyway because the leading of the Holy Spirit springs me into action because I know if I don’t answer the call I won’t have peace. So, I “do what its right”, and have become a little more willing in that regard but could be a little more help in being  “actively helpful”. 

• What might the “lowest service” be in your community of faith?

M.T. Clark: That’s a matter of opinion. What one man would think of being lowly service can be someone else’s delight.  Some could think that any of the tasks in the community of faith could be low service. Grounds keeping, children ministry, recovery ministry, hospitality, or ushering could all be seen to be “beneath us” by some but that is why God made the body of Christ – to have people with individual talents and dispositions to meet all the functions of the body. And as long as the service we do brings glory to God, there really is no “lowest service”

Prayer for Today

Lord, as I go about my business today, don’t hesitate to interrupt me, and give me the grace to notice the interruption.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

 

(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)

***As we are being provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.*** 

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God.”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS continues

 

In 2 Peter 2:5 we read of “the world of the ungodly.” If then, there is a world of the ungodly there must also be a world of the godly. It is the latter who are in view in the passages we shall now briefly consider. “For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33). Now mark it well, Christ did not say, “offereth life unto the world,” but “giveth.” What is the difference between the two terms? This: a thing which is “offered” may be refused, but a thing “given,” necessarily implies its acceptance. If it is not accepted it is not “given,” it is simply proferred. Here, then, is a scripture that positively states Christ giveth life (spiritual, eternal life) “unto the world.” Now He does not give eternal life to the “world of the ungodly” for they will not have it, they do not want it. Hence, we are obliged to understand the reference in John 6:33 as being to “the world of the godly,” i.e., God’s own people.

One more: in 2 Cor. 5:19 we read “To wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” What is meant by this is clearly defined in the words immediately following, “not imputing their trespasses unto them.” Here again “the world” cannot mean “the world of the ungodly,” for their “trespasses” are “imputed” to them, as the judgment of the Great White Throne will yet show. But 2 Cor. 5:19 plainly teaches there is a “world” which are “reconciled,” reconciled unto God because their trespasses are not reckoned to their account, having been borne by their Substitute. Who then are they? Only one answer is fairly possible—the world of God’s people!

In like manner, the “world” in John 3:16 must, in the final analysis, refer to the world of God’s people. Must we say, for there is no other alternative solution. It cannot mean the whole human race, for one half of the race was already in hell when Christ came to earth. It is unfair to insist that it means every human being now living, for every other passage in the New Testament where God’s love is mentioned limits it to His own people—search and see! The objects of God’s love in John 3:16 are precisely the same as the objects of Christ’s love in John 13:1: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His time was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” We may admit that our interpretation of John 3:16 is no novel one invented by us, but one almost uniformly given by the Reformers and Puritans, and many others since then.^[1]

 

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 214–215.

No Good Deed… When God Puts a Limit on "Good Works" - Purity 934

 

No Good Deed… When God Puts a Limit on "Good Works" -   Purity 934

Purity 934 01/06/2023 Purity 934 Podcast

Purity 934 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a thriving corn field underneath an exquisitely blue sky with idyllic cumulus cloud formations comes to us from yours truly as I captured this peaceful scene on Waite Rd in Easton back on August 13^th of 2022.   

Well, It’s Friday and while I pulled the short straw and have to work tomorrow, I know that for most today is greeted with joy or at least relief as the first work week of 2023 will draw to a close at “quitting time” later today and I am choosing to rejoice with those who will be rejoicing and pray that all who read or hear this message have an easy day at work and a wonderful weekend.   

One sign of a healthy, growing, mature Christian is seen by one’s ability to share in the joy of others. Rather than giving into feelings of envy or coveting someone else’s good fortunes, our hearts thrive when we can share in someone else joy rather than lament over our perceived lack.  

One of the prayers from Dr. Neil Anderson’s “Overcomer’s Covenant in Christ” is to “choose to adopt the attitude of Christ, which was to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind” to “regard others as more important than” ourselves, “and not merely to look out for” our “own personal interests but also the interests of others”, knowing it is more blessed to receive.  

So as Christians who seek to do the Lord’s will, we try to adopt an attitude that considers the needs of others and to look for opportunities to “do good works”, to help others when we can.  

When we walk in the Spirit where we are drawing close to God and listening for His guidance, occasionally we will receive intuitions or promptings to step out and do good works.  Some of these promptings or opportunities are pretty easy to recognize.  If your local church is organizing an event where you can serve the church or the community in some way,  that’s a wide open invitation to step out in faith and lend a helping hand.  Now that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to say “Yes” to everything, nor does it mean that you should exercise “your freedom from legalism” by saying “No” to everything!

We have to be discerning in doing “good works” and be sure that we are doing them for the right reasons and with the right spirit.  If you are signing up to do “good works” because you think it will make God love you more or that He will accept you more, I would invite you to review the teaching from Dr. Anderson’s “Victory over the Darkness” to gain the understanding of who you are in Christ and to accept the fact that God’s love and acceptance are not impacted by your efforts. God loves and accepts us according to His grace, not our works.   

If you become frustrated or angry or feel you are doing “good works” out of obligation, you should probably take a break from them because you are probably burned out or operating from a self-focused attitude that has forgotten all that you have received in Christ and that it is a blessing to be able to represent His kingdom and to do the good works He has prepared for you to walk into.    We don’t “have to” do good works, we are blessed to “get to” do good works and to give God glory.    If you don’t feel “blessed” by the ”good work” you do for God, you may need to remind yourself of who you are in Christ and what that means. 

Without Christ, we are eternally lost. We are dead. Did you forget that?  We don’t operate by obligation. We could never pay back God for what He did for us. It’s not about that.  

But if we truly grasp and meditate on all that we have in Christ, we should have a well spring of joy in our lives that never runs out. When we focus on the world or ourselves instead of focusing on what God has done for us, that joy can dry up. So abide in Christ, in prayer, worship, praise, and meditation, to keep your joy flowing, so you can have an abiding peace and joy that will naturally lead you to step out into good works.  

I will keep it real and admit that sometimes frustrating things or circumstances can arise and the outcomes of our good works can be less than we expected, but when your motivation is to surrender to the service of the Lord for His glory and out of the joy of your salvation,  you will be able to endure the negative and accept the results for what they are or as another lesson for growth on the path to sanctification.   

I often share the story of organizing “bell ringing” for the salvation Army during Christmas time at my former church and how a colleague  was less then joyful to be standing outside in the cold in the early morning hours as we partnered to do the first shift on the opening weekend of that Christmas drive a couple of years ago.  Although he was enthusiastic to sign up, he wasn’t “feeling it” early that morning.  But I showed him how it was done and impressed upon him that we were blessed to be out there collecting funds for a good cause and greeting people with a hearty “Good morning!” and “Merry Christmas”.  It was awesome to his grumpiness disappear, as his frown turned upside down and he gave into the “joy set before us.” 

We later went to lunch and were talking about our recovery ministry and a woman in the restaurant overheard us and came over to tell us her testimony of how the Lord had led her out of the darkness years ago and how she was over 30 years sober because she trusted God to bring her out of her addiction.  We were blessed by her testimony and encouraged her to keep on walking and talking with God and she seemed to appreciate it because even though she had the victory she seemed to need to get her “joy” back and so she tapped into ours because we were openly rejoicing over what we had done and by what God was doing in our recovery ministry and the good works of the day.  

Joy is infectious. Its is the fruit of the Spirit and it grows when we praise the Lord and follow where He leads us. 

Now I have to ease back on the joy meter a little here. I definitely want to encourage you to operate in joy and seek good works to give God glory but we also have to be discerning and realize that some of the “ideas” we get to do good works are not necessarily “God breathed” and we have to be open to His guidance when He calls us to ease back or to walk away from situations that we thought were a “good work” but either prove to be our own ideas or that our “work here is done”.  

I have two examples of this. 

Years ago I saw on social media that a Facebook friend was having difficulties with the new housing that they were blessed with. They needed furniture and a few things around the apartment needed fixing.  Feeling that this was a great opportunity to do good works, I offered up to bring over some old furniture right away and to try to see if I could possibly help with some other things.  I was encouraged to help this “friend” because they had made some posts about going to church and turning over a new leaf from their previous broken existence.  So I rushed over and delivered the furniture but after I talked to them for a few minutes “my spirit” told me to “ease back” and walk away because their faith was surface level and disingenuous and perhaps a “scam” because they were obviously still living a sinful lifestyle and their requests for additional help seemed opportunistic. They didn’t seem to be working towards righting their situation but seemed to have their hands out to take whatever they could get.  When we discussed their “new found faith” I got the impression they had found a local church that was giving to them and they were gladly accepting their help but they were only in it for what they could get.  So I felt foolish, I gladly gave what I did without regrets but pulled the plug on that “good work” project and encouraged them to stay connected to that local church to receive the help and guidance they needed.  

Was that mean? No, I don’t think so. Is this a good testimony, where this friend went on to be strong in the Lord and to be transformed.  No unfortunately it is not. It appears that my spirit was right because as far as I know they quickly gave up their new faith.   

I’m sure there are some who would say that I should have done more and that I could have turned things around, but I don’t think that is the case.  That was years ago, and I have continued to be “out there” encouraging and inviting people to the ministries I have done and to follow the Lord, but I still haven’t heard from this person.   

The other example was similar. I recently decided to bless a person with Christmas card and very small and modest gift, a $5.00, gift card because  I felt lead to bless them. This person is on public assistance I believe, is distant family, and has special needs.  We have been chatting on FB messenger and they asked about a Christmas card and asked for gift, a $30 dollar gift card to a restaurant.  I decided to be kind and send them a Christmas card and obviously a more modest gift.  I had considered giving the full amount but something in “my spirit” told me that what I sent was “enough”. 

I felt good about it. “Look at me, sending a gift to one of the “least of these”, right?  

Well, now I know why my spirit told me that my meager gift was “enough?’  Just like my previous experience, this “friend” seemed energized by my giving and quickly told me about the fact that their birthday is this month and they asked for 2 – or 3 gifts cards ($30 or $40 dollars each, please) and a “small handheld computer”.    

I didn’t really consider sending the money but offered to send them my old laptop and actually started to prepare to ship it to them.  

But before I got a chance to send it out, they contacted me again asking for the gift cards.  When I made it clear that I wasn’t going to send them any, I realized that maybe that the fact that my spirit told me “$5 was enough” meant that I wasn’t necessarily “called” to bend over backwards to “bless” this person. Maybe my idea to do this “good work” was more about stroking my ego than answering the Lord’s call.  

So I asked if my old lap top, from 2014 with windows 7, was something that they wanted.  They quickly replied that they wanted a “hand held” computer – indicating that what I wanted wouldn’t be welcome and that they basically wanted a “new” computer.  

It was at that point that I realized that “I was done”, this wasn’t necessarily something I was “supposed to do” and if anything it was either a lesson for me to be discerning or possibly a lesson to this person to pursue work to obtain what they desired.  They admitted that they wanted a “paying job”.

 So I don’t know if this interaction will light a spark and move them seek employment or if it was just a lesson for me to be discerning in offering help.  My offer of an old lap top seemed to be a good idea but could be seen to be an insult.  We have to be careful when we seek to help the “least of these” not to give “less than” what they desire or need.   I think that our “benevolent ideas” are so benevolent when we give people our junk. This why some charities refuse to take used toys or items. It isn’t really a blessing to receive junk. 

So my magnanimous attempt to “be nice” ended up opening my eyes to this and have humbled me.   Causing me to warn all of you to be discerning in “answering the call to “do good works” and to be sure that our attempts to offer help or meet needs will meet the expectations of and actually bless the people we want to help.   And so I join with the Apostle Paul who prayed:

Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
¹⁰  that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
¹¹  being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  

As representatives to the King, we want to do right things for the right reasons, using our knowledge and discernment to be filled with the fruits of righteousness and to do “good works” that will actually give glory to God.  

So I encourage you to do good works but to be led the Spirit and to know when “enough is enough” or when to say “No.” and when to “turn and walk away.”   When we do things in our own strength or to stroke our egos, they usually result in a mess and cause us to think that “no good deed goes unpunished” but in truth these “failures” should humble us and cause us to see that we may have misread our signals or have been given the opportunity to learn patience and wisdom from our mistakes.  

We learn as we go, right? So keep walking and talking with God and try to listen every once in a while. Sometimes He may tell you back off, rather than press in. 

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

CHAPTER TWO

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN CREATION

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

Having shown that sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God, let us now observe how it marks all His ways and dealings.

In the great expanse of eternity which stretches behind Genesis 1:1, the universe was unborn and creation existed only in the mind of the great Creator. In His sovereign majesty God dwelt all alone. We refer to that far distant period before the heavens and the earth were created. There were then no angels to hymn God’s praises, no creatures to occupy His notice, no rebels to be brought into subjection. The great God was all alone amid the awful silence of His own vast universe. But even at that time, if time it could be called, God was sovereign. He might create or not create according to His own good pleasure. He might create this way or that way; He might create one world or one million worlds, and who was there to resist His will? He might call into existence a million different creatures and place them on absolute equality, endowing them with the same faculties and placing them in the same environment; or, He might create a million creatures each differing from the others, and possessing nothing in common save their creaturehood, and who was there to challenge His right? If He so pleased, He might call into existence a world so immense that its dimensions were utterly beyond finite computation; and were He so disposed, He might create an organism so small that nothing but the most powerful microscope could reveal its existence to human eyes. It was His sovereign right to create, on the one hand, the exalted seraphim to burn around His throne, and on the other hand, the tiny insect which dies the same hour that it is born. If the mighty God chose to have one vast gradation in His universe, from loftiest seraph to creeping reptile, from revolving worlds to floating atoms, from macrocosm to microcosm, instead of making everything uniform, who was there to question His sovereign pleasure?

Behold then the exercise of Divine sovereignty long before man ever saw the light. With whom took God counsel in the creation and disposition of His creatures? See the birds as they fly through the air, the beasts as they roam the earth, the fishes as they swim in the sea, and then ask, Who was is that made them to differ? Was it not their Creator who sovereignly assigned their various locations and adaptations to them!

Turn your eye to the heavens and observe the mysteries of Divine sovereignty which there confront the thoughtful beholder: “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). But why should they? Why should the sun be more glorious than all the other planets? Why should there be stars of the first magnitude and others of the tenth? Why such amazing inequalities? Why should some of the heavenly bodies be more favorably placed than others in their relation to the sun? And why should there be “shooting stars,” falling stars, “wandering stars” (Jude 13), in a word, ruined stars? And the only possible answer is, “For Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

Come now to our own planet. Why should two thirds of its surface be covered with water, and why should so much of its remaining third be unfit for human cultivation or habitation? Why should there be vast stretches of marshes, deserts and ice-fields? Why should one country be so inferior, topographically, from another? Why should one be fertile, and another almost barren? Why should one be rich in minerals and another own none? Why should the climate of one be congenial and healthy, and another uncongenial and unhealthy? Why should one abound in rivers and lakes, and another be almost devoid of them? Why should one be constantly troubled with earthquakes, and another be almost entirely free from then? Why? Because thus it pleased the Creator and Upholder of all things.^[1]

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 

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^[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 35–36.