Are You a Success?

"If you haven't made a mistake, you haven't made anything!"
"If you haven't failed, you haven't tried!"

Mother Teresa of Calcutta wisely said, "We are not called to success, but to faithfulness."  She also said that  "true holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  Everyone fails at something sometimes and you haven't lived until you find out that you're human and have limitations.  King George III said that you shouldn't try so hard to do what you enjoy, but enjoy what you do.  One of my bros. tells me that if you do what you're good at, you may have the opportunity to do what you want to do.

What's a success in your book?  [Before we proceed, let me define "success":  I do not mean making a certain amount of money, or landing that dream job or getting fame or power,  but God making your way prosperous as it says in Ps. 1 for those who are godly; in other words, having God's approval, glory, and blessing in your endeavors.]   Furthermore,  John wishes that "all may go well with you" in 3 John 2--but we must "never boast, except in the Lord" because 1 Cor. 4:7 says:  "Who makes you different from anyone else?   What do you have that you didn't receive?" Think of what George Whitefield said of a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."

"I am confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (Ps. 27:13).  It's not about achieving the so-called American dream or cashing in your spiritual lottery ticket and thinking that godliness is a means of financial gain (all false doctrines), but finding fulfillment and meaning in Christ and making an impact in His kingdom, while we influence others to His glory.

Success in the eyes of the world is no sign of God's favor ("For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked," says Ps. 72:3), because the rain falls on the unjust as well as the just and for "those in this world whose reward is in this life" (Ps. 17":14) some people's "portion is in this life," it is written in the Psalms.  God blesses all people but some people in all ways and some in some, but all are blessed in some way because God is good--no one can deny that!

The more accurate questions would be:  "Are you in the will of God?"  If you are, then you are really successful, regardless of what the world thinks.  Many people give themselves a pat on the back and congratulate themselves for the success:  We deserve no accolades--God gets the glory!  (E.g., the self-made Englishman who worships his creator doesn't praise God!)   Psa. 100:4 says that "He has made us, and not we ourselves." We seem to be the product of our genes, our environment, our family and friends, and many other factors, but we are not the slave to them by the grace of God--Providence must be put into the equation.  The old debate, nature vs. nurture thinks everything can be explained.  God must be reckoned with and given the glory--Soli Deo Gloria!

Ambition is not sinful, if to the glory of God and not selfish (Jer. 45:5:  "Do you have great plans for yourself?")  Isa. 26:12 says, "All that we have accomplished, [God has] done."  The Jews were reprimanded by Amos in chapter 6 verse 13:  "You who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar [nothing] and say, "Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?"  Success is not so much a matter of self-confidence, as God-confidence.  We are only responsible for the gifts and opportunities we have.  Isa. 45:7 says that God brings prosperity.  Deut. 8:18 says that God brings the power to get wealth

If you give yourself the credit or think that it was your hard work that brought you success, it isn't the kind of success God calls us to.   "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God"  (2 Cor. 3:5).  We are merely vessels of honor that God has used:   Providence is at work:   "He who is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much."   Give God the glory for what He has wrought in you and be like Paul:  "I venture not to speak, but of what the Lord has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18).   To use a cliché, our success is more a matter of trusting, than trying and being a faithful steward of what God gives us, rather than our abilities--"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong"  (Eccl. 9:11).  Sin is usually the downfall, not ability or effort.

Many people are hard workers and never get anywhere, and others just seem to inherit or fall into prosperity by fate or destiny, but it is Providence in reality and they are giving God the credit.  The book of Eccl. says "Luck and chance happen to all.," which means that there are not explainable events that are attributed to forces other than God--but we know that there is no such thing as an accident or fortuitous event with God, but a time and purpose for everything--there are no maverick molecules!

 A note on the will of God:

We have the power and ability to thwart God's preceptive will but not the right--we are culpable for sin, which is the violation of God's revealed will.  God's decreed will is none of our business and we are not to seek it.  Evil is simply not His plan.   Now can you see why necromancy, seances, and fortune-telling are taboo or off-limits?   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You Inspired?

I don't want to sound flaky (I do not mean theopneustos or "God-breathed" like Scripture claims), but all Christians have the anointing per 1 John 2:20, and I am not just using that word carelessly or loosely.  Note that Christians don't have a monopoly on definitions.  God can put His words into our mouth and we can prophesy (even Caiaphas did)--there is still the ability to prophesy in the body of Christ--but inspiration applies to more than that.  Do you ever feel moved and influenced by God?  I don't mean the ability to speak ex-cathedra like the Pope when he pontificates and claims to have the infallibility or inerrancy like Scripture.

I believe Shakespeare was "inspired" to use the term loosely--he wasn't just an intellectual giant but possessed a divine gift and calling from God (he claimed to be a Christian, mind you). I've heard people say that they wondered where the Beatles got their "anointing" to have such an impact on a generation.   Poets who write love sonnets must really feel in love and have a passion for what they are writing.  They usually pen these sonnets while in the mood and take advantage of the "spirit" whenever or wherever it might hit them.  To be inspired you must be ready to go with the flow, so to speak, and make the sacrifices.  Many great poets have been bipolar or manic-depressive in their personality type and go through moods of euphoria when they feel especially creative.

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king;  my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer"  (Psalm 45:1).  We all have the anointing as believers according to 1 John 2:20).

You wouldn't believe the love poems I wrote when I was in love and really just had to express it.  I believe inspiration is for all believers if they find their niche and pursue it with all their passion.  Poetry is not just an intellectual thing, but a matter of the spirit of the man and is his connection with God being expressed verbally.  I know of a preacher who said he knew the Bible was inspired because it inspired him.  Many a husband will honestly say that their wives inspire them--for this is the word of love.  Martin Luther claimed that he never prayed or preached better than when he was inspired by anger, his biggest flaw.

Biblical examples of being inspired are David being "moved" by Satan to number Israel in 1 Chron. 21:1; Cyrus the Great being "moved" to liberate the Jews;  and the people being inspired ("having a mind to work") to work in Neh. 4:6 and Jesus telling his disciples not to worry about what to say when they were delivered up to the authorities (Luke 12:12) because the Spirit will give them the words to say at the time.

The Word, according to the Psalms, is supposed to be inspiring to us:   "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path;"   "The entrance of thy Word gives light, it gives understanding unto the simple;"  "For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light;"  Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me." Hosea understood what it was to be persecuted for claiming inspiration: "The prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac"  (Hos. 9:7).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Celebrating Failure?

I am glad that there is not anyone that is perfect in the Bible except Jesus, our only Exemplar and whom we should emulate as we see Him in the Word and other believers. King David, for example, was a great man of God and the only one in the Bible that was a "man after God's own heart," but his success on the battlefield and with the pen and harp didn't translate into paternal success, as his children took after him in the worst way--seeing his failures, rather than his successes.  For instance, they saw disregard for human life in his murder of Uriah the Hittite, and lack of control over his lust in his many wives and concubines.

Cases in point:  The Bible is a place where we can see many godly fathers, (e.g., Samuel and Eli who also failed as fathers, and even great kings failed to have sons who were chips off the old block! The godly King Hezekiah's son Manasseh was the evilest of all Judah's kings.

When we go through failure ourselves, we sympathize with others in our shoes and when we say, "Been there and done that" we understand what they are going through. The cliché goes, "Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in his moccasins!"  To be specific, I have a lot of grace and patience toward backsliders because I have been that route myself and a bone that is broken heals all the stronger.  People who have had drinking problems also have more tolerance toward this fault; they have learned to support each other in times of need.

I have been divorced and was a failure as a husband, but that doesn't mean I can't be a success at something else and find God's will for my life.  Success is doing God's will with a smile and enjoying the toil and task God has given us, leaving the results to God, who gives the increase, as we plant, water, and reap.

I am patient with divorcees and realize that Christians aren't perfect.  After all, being a friend is accepting someone despite their failures and even when we know their weakness and mistakes we still like them as a person who deserves our respect because of the dignity God has given a man, in the image of God.  The bumper sticker is right-on:  Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven.

It is worth mentioning that God tells it like it is and doesn't sugarcoat the truth in the Bible not sparing the details, if is edifying, by either positive or negative examples.  We need to see that King David isn't perfect, even though Jesus is called "the Son of David."  What we have to realize is that God can use even us in our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, if we surrender to God's ownership of our life.  However, note that we all have "feet of clay" (according to Chuck Swindoll) or shortcomings that are not readily visible to others--a dark side that only God sees, like the moon that has a dark side we don't ever see.

 A contemporary news personage is Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings who last year was the MVP and won national acclaim on the gridiron, only to manage national disgrace and shame the year after, ruining his career because he was a failure as a father when he was supposed to be a role model.

This begs the question:  Who is a failure?  The answer is that we are not to judge or condemn someone, but to have an attitude of grace, as the great preacher/revivalist George Whitefield said about the condemned prisoner:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."   Some people are just held to a higher standard, because to whom much is given, much is required.

To sum it up in a sentence:  We are given examples of failure and shortcoming in the Scriptures so that we wouldn't give up, but hang in there and not be discouraged, but there's hope for all of us to have a chance at having an impact for the Lord at something.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Are You Aiming For?

An old motto of the Air Force was "Aim High."  This is very good and practical advice because you can't achieve higher than your goals.  God has a plan for us but we are also to make plans and allow God to fulfill them.  To be specific, if you want to be the president, don't aim to be a state senator--you're aiming too low to ever get there--aim for what you want and if you fall short (for instance, only become governor), you will not be considered a failure even in your own eyes, but if you aim for nothing, that's what you will get--we don't accidentally become someone, as if it was our fate (destiny is different and requires our input and faithfulness as well as God's providence--if it's your destiny to be a piano virtuoso, you must practice!

There are those who don't want much from God:  achieving the American dream, for instance, or getting the mate of their dreams and don't realize that God has opened the door to limitless opportunities.   "Now to Him, who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think..." (Eph. 3:20).  "Rom. 8:32 says likewise:  "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

 Indeed, there is no limit (the sky's the limit!) to what God will give us if we have the faith:  "Be it done unto you according to your faith."(Cf. Matt. 9:29)   How big can you think?  How big is your God?  Don't you realize that we will be of a higher rank than angels in the kingdom of  God and be part of the family of God and not just creatures like the angels who will be our servants and we will judge them?  God never gave such promises to angels!

Abraham was rich in this life and will be greatly rewarded in the next because God gave him a special promise that also applies to us!  "I am thy shield, and exceeding great reward" (Gen. 15:1).  Jesus is ours and there can be no greater reward but to share in His reign, as we rule over the kingdom of God with Him.  God rewards some people in all ways and all people in some ways, but God is good to all according to Ps. 145:9:  ("The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.")   No one will ever testify that God is not good!   Soli Deo Gloria!

How Important is Knowledge?

Note that I am referring to the average Joe believer and not the one called into the ministry who must utilize all the tools of the trade and prepare himself by studying.  Knowledge is usually a byproduct and not a goal to see how smart one can become; there is little correlation between education and spiritual maturity or growth.  If there was I would certainly be rated a great believer, simply by virtue of my knowledge.  Knowledge must be accompanied by wisdom and understanding.  "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty (Mal. 2:7).

Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and in increasing knowledge results in increased pain"  (Eccl. 1:18).  The meaning of what Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required" applies in that the more we know, the more responsible we are, especially in our sinning and ministry.  The goal, Hosea says, is to "go on to know the LORD"  It is better to know the Author than to know the Bible, no matter how vital this is.  But don't get the fallacious impression that ignorance is bliss!  "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Ps. 111:10).

1 Cor. 8:1 says that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." God hates arrogance and conceit.  We overestimate our place in the body and our importance when we know a lot and don't relate to the less informed.  We may think of them as a poor specimen because they aren't as clued in as we are and it may be a source of pride.  We are not to reject knowledge per se, but it is not the goal, it is the means to an end, and not the end itself.  We must always ask ourselves, "Why do I need to know this?"  For instance, I don't learn Greek, because I can't justify it, even though it would be a source of pride and I could brag.  I asked a friend of mine why he was taking this course and he really hadn't thought about it--it seemed to satisfy idle curiosity it seemed.

Hos. 4:6 warns the priest that has rejected knowledge (it comes with the territory). And "since they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD" God will not answer their prayers and let Himself be found by them.  For some brethren, it is more pleasing to God that they serve in a soup kitchen or charity than take a theology course to think they are "educated" and "informed" (i.e., a person should know his gift and how  God uses him in the body).  People erroneously think that "knowledge is power" and this only applies to the right kind used wisely and of spiritual knowledge, otherwise it puffs up (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).

The man of God knows who God wants him to hearken to and submit to.  There are many courses over the internet, for instance, and one must exercise caution and discretion.   I like the prayer warrior who replied that he didn't have theology on prayer, he just prayed!  Another teacher said, "I don't need another book on prayer, I just need to pray, and I won't find the time, I must make time!  Most of us know enough, we just aren't applying enough.  The proverb that "curiosity killed the cat" has some validity, in that one may get too enamored with the intellectual side of Christianity and lose its main focus, which is seeking God and doing His will which will glorify Him.

Some people are converted to the program and not to Christ--and this is another danger.  If one is too intellectual and not practical, he may be in love with the idea of God, rather than God.  God is not looking for some genius to discover His truths (I have been told that I'm the brains behind the program and I don't take this as a compliment, because God is looking for a man after His own heart--it is no accolade to be smart in some one's eyes, but to be able to be a spiritual or spiritual leader is another thing)--He's looking for an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart to search the Scriptures ("Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life," according to Prov. 4:23; cf. Prov. 23:7)  The question is whether a person's heart is in the right place, not how smart he is.

We want to know what God showed you in the Scriptures, not what the experts say:  Jesus was contrasted to the Pharisees who quoted the authorities and never footnoted His sermons, but said, " You have heard it said, but I say unto you."  "No man ever spoke like Jesus," cf. Matt. 7:29.  To be called a scholar is more of an insult than a compliment because he doesn't have first-hand knowledge of the Lord, but only knows what he has read in books.  "Of making many books, there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (Eccl. 12:12).

It is so refreshing to talk to a believer who doesn't read any book but the Bible,  in contrast to him.  We need believers with more than a second-hand knowledge of the Lord.  There is knowledge we all can commend: the knowledge of the Lord, which must be contrasted with knowledge about the Lord.  This comes from our daily walk in the Spirit.  Experience, indeed, is the best teacher, and we should always need someone who has been there and done that or has gone through the school of hard knocks, as it were.

To sum up in a sentence:  the gift of knowledge is a gift and we should try to be like them who have been filled with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, not emphasizing and elevating knowledge, but not despising or rejecting it either--it has a place--we are to love God with all our mind, too.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What is the Essence of Worship?

Caveat:  Only worship the LORD your God, for He alone is worthy, that even goes for angels who stand in the presence of God and represent or speak for Him.  "At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD of hosts."  Worship is called that because of His "worth-ship."  We worship God for who He is and what He has wrought.

The typical believer thinks that he simply goes to church to "worship" God and hopes to get something out of it.  This couldn't be further from the truth, biblically speaking, that is.  We don't go to worship we are to worship with our bodies, our time, our talents, our resources, our opportunities, our money, our speech or testimony, our demeanor or attitude, our relationships, our vocations and vacations or witness.  Our whole life is a devotion to God.  "Present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God...."  Worship is a prostration of ourselves unto God, valuing and recognizing his "worth-ship" (the origin of the English word).  We "bow" to God ("worship and bow down," says Ps. 95:6). Whenever we give God His "due" we are worshiping and humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord--"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Worship must be lively or "in the Spirit" and not "lukewarm, nonchalant, disinterested, or casual  (this refers to Mark 7, Matt. 15 and Isa. 29:13 which says, "Because these people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote." Jesus said, "But in vain do they worship me.")--we take God seriously and not treat Him in a flippant or frivolous manner.  Don't be a fraud at worship, but sincere.

Indeed, some are more demonstrative and some are by nature stoical or inhibited, but God wants us to learn to worship God, nevertheless--feelings are not wrong, but worship is more than emotionalism, just as much it is more than intellectualism.   "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name, worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness"  (Ps. 29:2).  ("Bless the LORD, O my soul, all that is within me bless His holy name, says Ps. 103:1.  Jesus said that those who worship God must "worship in spirit and in truth," according to John 4:24.  

That means that accuracy and right teaching are important to God as well as how excited we get. Speaking of excitement:  Ps. 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courts with joy."  Ps. 47:1 says: "Clap your hands all ye peoples, shout to God with the voice of triumph."  Likewise Ps. 89:15 says:  "Blessed are the people who hear the festal shout," or "Blessed are the people who hear the joyful call to worship!"  or "Blessed are the people who have learned to acclaim You."

Worship is a celebration and meant to be happy and a "sacrifice of thanksgiving."  "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me," says Ps. 50:23.  All worship glorifies God and whenever we do something to the glory of God it is a sacrifice to God, in fact, "whatever you do, do to the glory of God,"  1 Cor. 10:31.  God hates "solemn assemblies" and "religious feasts" (Amos 5:21).

 We offer our daily activities to glorify and honor our Maker and they are the worship we are called to do, just as the pastor giving his sermon is doing what God has called him to do in life (another example is the bricklayer seeing himself as building a temple for God, not just making money or laying bricks).  I've heard it said that we don't "go to church, we are the church."  It is the same in worship, there is corporate worship as the body assembles and we are not to neglect this, but we are to worship God individually (our private walk with the Lord), too and I don't mean like the farmer who says he can give God His due in the cornfield.

 The biggest misconception concerning worship is that one can listen to someone sing and that is worship per se.  "Sing to the LORD a new song {not listen]."   Worship is not passive, au contraire, it is very active and so active you would call it a sacrifice unto God.  Yes, it's sacrificial and going to cost you (you might have to give up something, and I don't mean for Lent)   We don't receive, we give--only God is worthy of worship and in today's society there are many idols people worship, such as fame, fortune, power, success,  and money even though we don't worship "idols" like the Israelites did.

There is no "one-size-fits-all" worship and some are traditionalists by nature and don't like new, untried activity.   God wants us to always give Him the credit and not think it ours.  The motto of the Reformation was Sola Deo Gloria or to God alone be the glory! The more we exalt God the better and we should be like John who said, "He must increase, I must decrease."  The whole idea is to get our eyes off ourselves and on our triune God.   As we get older we get set in our ways, but this is not ideal--we should be young at heart and relate to the youth, even then, and reach out to them--the older are to mentor the younger in the Lord.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Preaching?

Sometimes we are preached at and know it, other times we think we have been preached to and really only given a facsimile or similitude of a sermon. Note that preaching is not the same as teaching and they are separate gifts, though often the same person has both; one may find the two distinguishable, but not separable.  A report, a lecture, a story, a testimony (though these may include preaching), is not a sermon, and preaching requires exhortation and implies some kind of response or application.  We don't listen to sermons to get info as the main objective, or to get informed; but transformed, if you will.   We go to school to get informed and prepared.  That is, preaching should aim to be edifying to the spirit and to encourage, exhort, or convict.

 A real preacher afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted--no one is uninfluenced and there is no neutral opinion or unmoved listener. He never loses track of keeping the main thing the main thing, which is the preaching of Christ, and Christ crucified (the gospel message--the Great Commission).  We don't need to get the scoop, the lowdown, the skinny, or the latest news when we are given a sermon, unless it is only incidental as a digression, or to mention in passing or parenthetically, as it were, as an aside to make a point; such as using an anecdote for an illustration as  a teaching technique.

Some preachers are big on quoting the authorities like the Pharisees were and don't have more than a second-hand knowledge of the Lord.  It is one thing to go to the commentaries and share something interesting, and quite another to get an original message from God speaking to you personally.  The commentaries are not inspired and we need to learn to depend on the Bible and not secondary sources for our authority. They really want to hear what the Lord showed the preacher in the Word personally more than what the Keil and Delitzsch Commentary says.   The point about sermons is that they need not just be interesting, but change lives, i.e., have an impact!  The purpose of the Bible is not to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.  Don't "wow" them with your scholarship!

Some preachers give you the feeling that you have just been in a class lecture and not a church meeting.  People need to learn to seek the Word of the Lord while it is available because according to Amos 8:11 the time will come when people will seek the Word of the Lord and not find it.  We need great expositors of the Word who have a literary mind and can interpret Scripture as well and an explanation of the Word never goes out of style.  The man with a message will never go out of vogue, but the man of learning may go out of style and out of demand.  ("They will go to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it," Amos 8:12b).

 It is not a compliment to call someone a gentleman and a scholar; that's what the Pharisees were, and Jesus despised them--they didn't "know the Scriptures, nor the power of God," (Cf. Matt. 22:29) though they had studied them all their life and had even been teachers.   The scholar is not an original, but only quotes authorities and dares not say anything new that may not have been heard before or break new territory--he plays it safe.  We need preachers who will dare to stand alone and be a Daniel, and not be people-pleasers, who are just concerned about the people's opinions or trying to be popular.

 In summation, preaching is a spiritual, not an intellectual endeavor-there is no special advantage to someone just because he is intelligent, educated, or wise, but sensitivity to the Spirit and the anointing is what matters most.  The flock doesn't need a lecture, they need a savior and not a report, but someone to believe in that has the gift to preach-there are too many preachers not called into the ministry. They need to be leaders who have learned to follow first and aren't control freaks, but willing to let God be God and not play God.  They are not to exalt themselves or lord it over the flock, but to be examples and instruments of God's grace and truth.  "Don't take my word for it; check it out for yourselves in the Word like the noble Bereans, who searched out the Scriptures to see if these things were so.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is God Doing His Best?

Some people think they are doing God a favor by "helping" Him out and doing Him a favor by what they do.  God doesn't need our aid to accomplish His purposes; He only has decreed the means to His ends and it is a privilege to be used by Him, not God that is privileged by our aid.  God doesn't need us in the slightest and can accomplish His will regardless--to say that He needs us is to deny His self-existence or His self-sustaining ability--He requires no outside aid to exist--God is dependent on no one. 

 Of course, some look at the lost and say that God is trying to save everyone and only doing His best--which means that God is a failure because not everyone is going to be saved.  ("As many as were appointed unto eternal life believed," says Acts 13:48.)  The doctrine of election is further delineated in Romans 11:7 saying, "The elect obtained unto it, and the rest were hardened."  Peter says, "They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do" in 1 Pet. 2:8.  There are encouraging words to the elect:  "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ," says 1 Thess. 5:9.  However, regarding the reprobate, Jude says, "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation."

God achieves what He sets out to do and "accomplishes all His good purpose" (Isa. 46:10).  God takes no pleasure in the ultimate destiny of the wicked ("For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live," says Ezek. 18:32).  You might think of a judge that has to execute the guilty person but hates doing it.

God is a God of mercy and love, but also of justice and in some cases, justice must be served.  God owes mercy to no one or it would not be mercy, but justice.  God could have decided to save no one and He would still be God.  Yes, everything is going according to plan A and there is no plan B as a backup--God will not fail!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Hymn by Isaac Watts

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
  And did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
  For such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done
  He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity!  grace unknown!
  And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
  And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
  For man the creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
  While his dear cross appears;
Dissolve, my heart, in thankfulness,
  And melt, mine eyes, to tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
  The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away--
  'Tis all that I can do.

              Isaac Watts (1707, public domain)

What Is Fellowship?

When believers get together, what should be the topic of conversation?  (Jesus, as much as possible!) Is it real fellowship when they just talk sports or the weather or news events?  [N.B. I am not referring to fellowship with the Father and the Son, but fellow brethren.] Genuine fellowship (from the Greek word koinonia which means having something in common: Christians have Christ, a mission, ministries, purposes, the Bible, etc. in common)  which is two fellows in the same ship, as it were facetiously, is when honesty, authenticity, and real sharing takes place in the name of the Lord ("For when two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them," reads Matthew 18:20).  Sometimes it involves confession or empathizing and/or sympathizing.   Consoling each other as an example is fellowship (we are comforted so that we can comfort others--2 Cor. 1:20), but that can even take place even among nonbelievers in a technical sense. 

There is fellowship, and then there is fellowship.  What we ought to have in common is not the weather or our team, but our Lord.  Is the Spirit of the Lord present is all that matters, and if you have discernment in the Spirit you should be able to tell if the Holy Spirit shows up or is a "no-show" to your fellowship.  Sometimes all it takes is the mention of His name because He is not far from each of us and is in us already.

But we stifle the Spirit and hamper His free expression and quench His presence by our conversation--we need to be sensitive to what is pleasing in His sight (cf. Psa. 19:14).  The Spirit does not lie, exaggerate, jest, or tease, etc., but is full of love and that is the key to His presence in essence--Christians love the brethren, and His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are the Sons of God.  The believers will know if they had fellowship, but an outsider would not be able to judge or discern, for he is unaware of spiritual things and blind spiritually.

There is no limit as to how far we can go into the realm of the Spirit if we but open the door and be willing to confess Him before man and be open and free in our spirit ("Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,' says 2 Cor. 3:17). When we are having fellowship, we are equal in God's eyes and there is neither Greek nor barbarian, slave nor free,  male nor female, etc.  Rank has its privileges, but not in Christ--we kiss our social position goodbye.  There is often a so-called esprit de corps of the Holy Spirit, you might say.   The possibilities are limitless and sometimes even ecstasy and euphoria are possible, as well as the other extreme end of the spectrum which is grief--some people don't feel they are really friends till they have cried together, not laughed together.

In summation, we must differentiate between surface-level chitchat and real genuine fellowship, which is not a given, even among believers--they may be out of fellowship with God.  We must put Christ into it or be inspired or led by Him in our conversation.  We share our walk and can relate to each other as to how we are doing, which is also key; but NB:   There is no fellowship (in my interpretation of Scripture) with an unbeliever:  "For what does light have in common with darkness?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"  (2 Cor. 6:14-15).  Soli Deo Gloria!