The Path of Success
Good Morning,
God created a perfect world; no place could be more wonderful than the blessed creation of God. Man and woman were placed into this wonderful world, and it was not long before they sinned and turned against God in disobedience.
God could have quit right then and dropped the entire idea of humanity, but He did not. The plan progressed with frail humanity.
How often could we count the times when men failed at their most basic instructions? Cain offering his sacrifice, Abraham bringing Lot with him as he traveled, and Jacob lying about who he was to his father; the stories are numerous.
The church was founded upon the perfect Son of God, but He regularly corrected the thinking of His followers. The “Sons of Thunder” wanted to call down fire upon men who were not traveling with Jesus. Some disciples argued about who would be greatest in the kingdom; yet all, of course, fled and abandoned the Lord in is His hour of suffering.
The work of God is built upon God, not the perfect actions of men. Read through the book of Acts and see how often these men drifted from the right path. They chose an Apostle, which they had no business choosing; they had folks lying about their giving, and soon the church fussed about the care of widows, and on and on the stories go.
God uses frail men, sinful men. Israel was so sinful that they were carried away to other nations; yet, God had a plan for the Saviour. He was born in Bethlehem right on schedule (as was announced hundreds of years before in the book of Micah). Sinful leaders in Israel or in heathen nations could not thwart the plan of God.
We act as if the world stops when a sinner shows up; when, in fact, the entire sovereign plan of God includes the worst of mankind with all their corruption and still sees fit to accomplish His will in life. We act as if the success of life depends upon men all being good and right, but, in reality, the entire plan of God works with sinners every day.
Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”
Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and others had enjoyed success in reaching natives in South America, but they felt the Lord leading them to reach into the Auca people, who were well-known for their violence toward outsiders.
On a few occasions, these men had made contact with the Auca people, and they thought they had found a friendly reception, but within a few days, they saw a group of Auca warriors with spears raised and ready to be thrown. Jim Elliot had a gun in his pocket, but each of the missionaries had promised he would not kill an Auca who did not know Jesus in order to save himself from being killed.
The death of these faithful men was not the end of the story. In less than two years, Elisabeth Elliot, her daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) were able to move to the Auca village. Many Aucas became Christians, and the tribe eventually became friendly. Missionaries, including Nate Saint's son and his family, moved in to live among the Aucas.
How different from the vindictive spirit among so many who call themselves Believers. Just because heathen men acted a certain way does not erase the involvement of a wonderful God. When we are hurt, never doubt that God is in control as much as He was when Daniel was carried away to Babylon.
Simeon was held in an Egyptian prison (Genesis 42) while his brothers returned to their families in Canaan. Picture the returning group of men and the heart of the family waiting. The story was tragic, heart-wrenching, and so terribly wrong; yet, when the story is told, we understand that God had all things in control and never, even for a moment, did anything happen outside the care of a loving Father. Why do we act as though tragedy exists? We all do at one time or another, but we should not. God is real; He is faithful, good, and worthy of our trust.
God's presence is a wonderful possession. He promised it to the people through the prophet Haggai. God’s presence was to be as real in rebuilding the temple as it was when Israel left Egypt one thousand years before.
Haggai 2:5 “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not."
God also promised it to us in the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
That blessed promise of God's presence, "...lo, I am with you alway..." is "even unto the end of the world." We have no need to fear, but much reason to simply "be strong and of good courage." (Joshua 1)
We live among a fallen race–a people, who are prone to sin and shame, even though some are redeemed. We live among sinners, by choice and by nature. Yes, we obtained a new nature when we were saved, but do not think that the old nature was eradicated as some might teach. Live among other people, even for a short time, and you will see that as Paul wrestled with his flesh, so do all of God's precious children.
The Good News is not based upon the good lives of the people around us but rather on the presence of God among us. When God promised "good success," (Joshua 1:8) He did so knowing that we live among sinful humanity. Rest in Him, not in the frail lives of men.
Pastor