You're not a Jedi-- don't force the issue!
"And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife." --Genesis 16:1-3
One of the most common problems we face as believers, is that of our own self-will, and rarely does it show up undisguised, or without what seems to be justifying reasons. Sometimes, we just can't help but force the issue and try to make God's promises happen. In the previous chapter, Abraham had believed God, and now, he goes from listening to God to allowing himself to be dominated by human reasoning (after all, Sarai means "dominative"). When it seems as though Godís promise is beyond reach, we must often take a second look at who weíve been listening to.
Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. (Prov. 20:18)
It frequently occurs that we face disappointment because the counsel we have listened to has not been of God. Letís face it, thereís always an abundance of people who will present you with what seems to be a good idea in light of your own apparent failures. This can be an easy trap when we do not recognize that there is a distinction between Godís will and His promise. Too many of us, when we become aware of the promise, pursue it as if itís the next step, failing to understand that Godís promise is for receiving, and Godís will is for doing.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (Heb. 10:35-36)
If we donít understand this principle, weíll always get into trouble because weíre trying to do the promise, and as a result, we reap the consequences of what are, in fact, actions based on self-will. We try to make the promise happen because we want it, and many of us donít even consider that there might be some intermediate steps to take before weíre positioned to receive the promise. How many bridges will we burn before we get a clue?
For many of us, this pattern has even plagued our witness of the gospel to others; we have preached to others around us, not for their salvation, but often because we have enjoyed preaching, or to win an argument, or for a variety of other wrong reasons, and often without a thought as to whether we were sent to do so (Rom. 10:15). One of the things we must realize is that a verbal witness without demonstrable fruit will nearly always be counter-productive. People may not ever read the Bible, but they will read you. Are we not to witness then? God forbid. Instead, let us have a better ear to hear where God would send us to bear Him witness. You may even want to consider that sometimes excellence can be your best testimony, and sometimes your demonstrated character can prove to be the best semon you'll ever preach.
If therefore we choose to pursue His will, then the promise will become inescapable (Deut. 28:1-14). Those who chased the promise (or their notion of it) always ended up defeated. In Abrahamís case, his attempt to make the promise happen resulted in the emergence of offspring who, to this day, trouble Israel. Carelessness is a sure indicator of immaturity, and Abraham was no exception. He had believed God and left Ur, but he had yet to truly do the will of God, and could not do so, because he was still a liar.
In Genesis 20, we find that Abramís lie to Abimelech about Sarai being his sister nearly resulted in the extinction of an entire bloodline (Gen 20:1-7), and if we read the chapter in its entirety, weíll find that Abraham had been lying about Sarai for over 10 years (v. 13). In fact, even after God cleans up the mess Abraham had made of things, Abimelech later compels Abraham to swear an oath before God that we will not deal falsely with him, his son, or his grandson, because even after God Himself had fixed things, Abimelech couldnít trust Abraham (Gen 21:22-23)! How many people are there in our lives who distrust us because of what we did after we got saved? Sometimes these were things that we did, like Abimelech, out of integrity and innocence yet because someone like Abraham had lied to us, the results where unwholesome, undesireable, and even disastrous. Abraham wasn't just anyone coming before a king and lying to him; Abraham was a very successful commodities (wool from his flocks, for example) investor, and he was obviously good for business. Often it can happen to us that there have been people who have looked good, sounded good, and even did good things and said many things that were good and right and true, but because of ignorance, or fear (like Abraham), there's a lie they've told you. Sometimes the person who lied to us is us. William Howard Taft used to say that people usually have two reasons for what they do: the real reason, and one that sounds good. Sometimes we've been taken in by the one that sounds good.
How then do we ensure that we do Godís will, that we may receive the promise? First, examine yourself and determine whether you have been preparing for His promise. After all, would anyone have thought that Abraham had believed God is he hadnít so much as packed his bags? In Luke 19:13, in one of Christís parables about some men who had been entrusted by their lord with money, we find that their lord had commanded them to ìoccupyî until he returned. The word ìoccupyî is pragmateuomai, which is to occupy oneself, or to do business. What business have you been doing? The men in that parable had been entrusted with money, and were expected to occupy themselves with what they had been given. There are 12 basic things we can do in order to remain rooted in Godís will, and thereby occupy until the appointed time.
1. Evaluate the resources presently available 2. Consider your particular equipping 3. Submit your gifts to Godís authority 4. Renew your commitment to Godís will and repent if necessary 5. Give God quantity time, and not just quality time 6. Change your thinking (Prov. 23:7) to conform to Godís will. 7. Change your conversation to match your call. 8. Carry yourself as the person God called you to be. 9. Change your associations and friendships if necessary 10. Change your habits, as they determine your future. 11. Allow your conduct to reflect Godís goodness and His righteousness 12. Return to your first love in your fellowship with God. God bless you, and God keep you. -SM
One of the most common problems we face as believers, is that of our own self-will, and rarely does it show up undisguised, or without what seems to be justifying reasons. Sometimes, we just can't help but force the issue and try to make God's promises happen. In the previous chapter, Abraham had believed God, and now, he goes from listening to God to allowing himself to be dominated by human reasoning (after all, Sarai means "dominative"). When it seems as though Godís promise is beyond reach, we must often take a second look at who weíve been listening to.
Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. (Prov. 20:18)
It frequently occurs that we face disappointment because the counsel we have listened to has not been of God. Letís face it, thereís always an abundance of people who will present you with what seems to be a good idea in light of your own apparent failures. This can be an easy trap when we do not recognize that there is a distinction between Godís will and His promise. Too many of us, when we become aware of the promise, pursue it as if itís the next step, failing to understand that Godís promise is for receiving, and Godís will is for doing.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (Heb. 10:35-36)
If we donít understand this principle, weíll always get into trouble because weíre trying to do the promise, and as a result, we reap the consequences of what are, in fact, actions based on self-will. We try to make the promise happen because we want it, and many of us donít even consider that there might be some intermediate steps to take before weíre positioned to receive the promise. How many bridges will we burn before we get a clue?
For many of us, this pattern has even plagued our witness of the gospel to others; we have preached to others around us, not for their salvation, but often because we have enjoyed preaching, or to win an argument, or for a variety of other wrong reasons, and often without a thought as to whether we were sent to do so (Rom. 10:15). One of the things we must realize is that a verbal witness without demonstrable fruit will nearly always be counter-productive. People may not ever read the Bible, but they will read you. Are we not to witness then? God forbid. Instead, let us have a better ear to hear where God would send us to bear Him witness. You may even want to consider that sometimes excellence can be your best testimony, and sometimes your demonstrated character can prove to be the best semon you'll ever preach.
If therefore we choose to pursue His will, then the promise will become inescapable (Deut. 28:1-14). Those who chased the promise (or their notion of it) always ended up defeated. In Abrahamís case, his attempt to make the promise happen resulted in the emergence of offspring who, to this day, trouble Israel. Carelessness is a sure indicator of immaturity, and Abraham was no exception. He had believed God and left Ur, but he had yet to truly do the will of God, and could not do so, because he was still a liar.
In Genesis 20, we find that Abramís lie to Abimelech about Sarai being his sister nearly resulted in the extinction of an entire bloodline (Gen 20:1-7), and if we read the chapter in its entirety, weíll find that Abraham had been lying about Sarai for over 10 years (v. 13). In fact, even after God cleans up the mess Abraham had made of things, Abimelech later compels Abraham to swear an oath before God that we will not deal falsely with him, his son, or his grandson, because even after God Himself had fixed things, Abimelech couldnít trust Abraham (Gen 21:22-23)! How many people are there in our lives who distrust us because of what we did after we got saved? Sometimes these were things that we did, like Abimelech, out of integrity and innocence yet because someone like Abraham had lied to us, the results where unwholesome, undesireable, and even disastrous. Abraham wasn't just anyone coming before a king and lying to him; Abraham was a very successful commodities (wool from his flocks, for example) investor, and he was obviously good for business. Often it can happen to us that there have been people who have looked good, sounded good, and even did good things and said many things that were good and right and true, but because of ignorance, or fear (like Abraham), there's a lie they've told you. Sometimes the person who lied to us is us. William Howard Taft used to say that people usually have two reasons for what they do: the real reason, and one that sounds good. Sometimes we've been taken in by the one that sounds good.
How then do we ensure that we do Godís will, that we may receive the promise? First, examine yourself and determine whether you have been preparing for His promise. After all, would anyone have thought that Abraham had believed God is he hadnít so much as packed his bags? In Luke 19:13, in one of Christís parables about some men who had been entrusted by their lord with money, we find that their lord had commanded them to ìoccupyî until he returned. The word ìoccupyî is pragmateuomai, which is to occupy oneself, or to do business. What business have you been doing? The men in that parable had been entrusted with money, and were expected to occupy themselves with what they had been given. There are 12 basic things we can do in order to remain rooted in Godís will, and thereby occupy until the appointed time.
1. Evaluate the resources presently available 2. Consider your particular equipping 3. Submit your gifts to Godís authority 4. Renew your commitment to Godís will and repent if necessary 5. Give God quantity time, and not just quality time 6. Change your thinking (Prov. 23:7) to conform to Godís will. 7. Change your conversation to match your call. 8. Carry yourself as the person God called you to be. 9. Change your associations and friendships if necessary 10. Change your habits, as they determine your future. 11. Allow your conduct to reflect Godís goodness and His righteousness 12. Return to your first love in your fellowship with God. God bless you, and God keep you. -SM
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