Our feelings must never be allowed to dictate or determine our attitudes and behaviour.
This statement came from a professor at Dallas Seminary many years ago. “God rarely explains Himself so stop asking why.”
Jeremiah had some questions (Jeremiah 15:15-21) “take me away from life, I know that for Your sake I suffer reproach. I did not join the wicked; You filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable? Will You be like deceitful failing waters to me?” What was God’s response to this litany of genuine sufferings and doubts?
“IF YOU - THEN I WILL”
If you will give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair, if you will separate the vile in your own heart from the precious, turn from the unworthy and suspicious concerning God’s faithfulness, then I will give you a settled place of peace and safety and then you will be My minister and My mouthpiece.
We need to honestly express our emotions to God. Anything we repress and refuse to acknowledge, try to keep buried, can be used by Satan to undermine our faith and confidence in God and harden our hearts.
A visiting pastor on Living Truth said – “If a person is having an MRI on his brain and during the test speaks a word of negative or positive emotion (resentment, anger, fear, guilt, shame, excitement, anticipation, delight, happiness, etc.) the MRI shows that the emotional centre of his brain is calmed.” We can always freely express our feelings to the Lord but our feelings must never be allowed to dictate or determine our attitudes and behaviour. We can always (Philippians 4:7) receive the calming, comforting peace of God’s lavish, unfailing grace.
(Dr. Jeremiah) said he read something in a biography of Charles H. Spurgeon which he hadn’t previously known. “When Spurgeon was a teenager, and an unbeliever, he planned to be a farmer but he switched to Greek and later didn’t know where his life was heading. His life was changed, not by a professor nor a classmate, but by a cook from the kitchen, her name was Mary King. There followed many spiritual conversations with Mary and he received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. We all know that Spurgeon was the greatest preacher of the 1800’s. Many years later he heard that Mary King had retired and he supplemented her income out of his own pocket.” God used a humble obedient cook to win one man who would reach thousands. Just think - - what could He do with you and me? IF WE – THEN HE WILL.
Jesus said (John 16:23) in that day you shall ask Me nothing. When is that day? (Oswald Chambers) – “When the ascended Lord makes you one with the Father. When you have come to the place of entire reliance on the resurrection life of Jesus which brings you into perfect contact with the purpose of God and there are no more questions to ask.”
(Pastor Gideon Levatam) reminded us that Reuben, Gad and the half Tribe of Manasseh were definitely part of Israel but (Numbers 32:1) they did not go into the Promised Land. Why not? They had large flocks and when they saw the abundance of green grass and pastures, they chose to trust what they could see rather than believe God. God had promised a land flowing with milk and honey, which means a rich abundance, lavish to meet every need and more. Of how much did the choice of their own understanding rob them?
Like some Christians who are truly saved but fail to (Hebrews 4:1) enter in fully, come short of all the riches and blessings in the great and precious (2 Peter 1:4) promises given to us.
We know about the lazy, foolish servant (Matthew 25:25) who buried his talent rather than use it to accomplish something worthwhile. Do we bury the glorious possibilities and the expanding potential of the great and precious promises; or do we allow God to invest them as spiritual currency in our lives so that we can re-invest them in our world? Are we co-operating with the Lord by obedience and entering into being one with the Father?
“IF WE - THEN HE WILL”
This is for the – ‘for’ – ‘to’ – ‘through’ of the Divine Order.
The Divine Order: - Jesus gave Himself FOR me in order to give Himself TO me in order to give Himself THROUGH me.
Are we foolish enough to join Reuben and his cohorts and rob ourselves of the fullness of the joy in God’s promises? Or are we wise enough to join Mary King and make an eternal difference?