As I began to write this manuscript, my mind was not upon God’s true magnificence or His will for my life. I just felt in my heart a compassion to do something worthy; I just felt I needed to write. Like so many, I really didn’t feel I owed this world any more than my being here; and I found comfort in doing as little as I possibly could. I am not a writer and really had no aspirations of becoming one. To be honest, I just wanted to be left alone, to take life easy and not be bothered with life’s difficulties and problems. To put it frankly, I was somewhat lazy and self-contented. I didn’t want to go through life without accomplishing something of true worth; but, not being self-motivated, that would seem to be just another good intention.
As I began to express myself, I also began to dig deeper into my life, my heart; and it was then I asked myself what my existence had been all about. Had I really done anything while here on earth that was worthy of living; was my time here on earth to be considered wasted? I began to share my writing with my friends and family, and the enthusiasm that was beginning to emerge was in their eyes and their expressions of support. At that time I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what I was hearing. Somehow, I wanted them to tell me I was just killing time, and all the energy and time I spent would just be wasted. A negative opinion from my friends would have gotten me off the hook; and, I could have gone back to doing little or nothing, as I had been content in doing. Not surprised but somewhat daunted, I knew that I could not give up something that was causing me to develop a more spiritual attitude or character, and was something that could possibly be used of God to bless a world that was truly in need of Him. It was then, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I told God that I would do whatever He wanted me to do. I felt deeply in my heart that God wanted me to write, but what good would I accomplish if there would be no one to hear? With this thought centered on my mind I submitted a section of my manuscript to the publisher and within hours was given a contract for my book to be published.
Not knowing what I would do or say next, I just kept writing what I felt in my heart I was being told to write. As I did I began to feel more secure, more content. I had not taken any time to study or to research my topic; in fact, it was many months before I would choose a title. All that I wrote came from my heart; I just wanted to tell the world how marvelous God really is. You may ask what all this has to do with the true wisdom of God; and I will tell you that, without His wisdom and leadership, this would not and could not have happened. God knew what I needed; and, in His wisdom, He showed me what He wanted me to do. Causing me to think and to share would become my deliverance. Taking God at His Word, I knew that, no matter what He required of me, He would be there to comfort and guide. Placing God in your life, where He wants to be, will cause you to grow; and the energy that you expend will give true joy and satisfaction. I know no better way than that of serving Jesus, and I now want to be in that place where He can bless. What He does and where He chooses to take me is of little consequence, I know that He will be with me and meet my every need. They say that true confession is good for the soul; and I will tell you that, no matter where my writing takes me, I have been totally blessed by my willingness to do what God has asked me to do. I know that, without Him, His wisdom and His power, I am powerless, a good for nothing. United in Him, I can go those places only He has gone and feel the joy only He can give. Will I succeed? That is something that we will decide. If I stay where He has placed me, I cannot fail. I pray that He will give me the strength to endure, and that my motive for life will forever be one of faithfulness and dependence. God is true; God is kind, and He will never fail me. The truth is and will always remain the truth, but there are so many things that God has chosen not to reveal to us while we are on this earth. God’s ways and thoughts are much higher than man’s, and He, in His wisdom, has determined that we could not handle His vast knowledge. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36
How could you ever truly understand the completeness of such a God? Just imagine your first day in heaven. You will not only be amazed by its total beauty and splendor, but you will then be able to understand the many why and why nots of life on this earth. Your body will be totally changed into a perfect body without the pains and imperfections that were present while here on earth. It is reward enough to be present in that Holy City with the one and only merciful Savior, but then you are to be given many crowns, rewards as the prize for your faithfulness while upon the earth. I cannot now fathom the total majestic grandeur and splendor of such a time, of such a day. To know it will happen, to have the promise that I will one day be a part of it all, is staggering. By faith in the promise of God, I look forward to that day, but I know that I must not forget the present; I must continue to fulfill the commands of God and to be faithful in what He has for me in this present day. My acceptance and faithfulness are what will insure that day. God’s promise and sacrifice is what will make it all possible. Heaven is not just a place where I will visit. It is my eternal home. God is in control of it all. There is not a moment in life that passes, that is not important to Him in the present as well as in the scope of eternity. In His wisdom He has caused His children to rejoice; and through His love, He has given us the treasures of His magnificent Paradise. God has given His creation the total choice over their lives, and He only wants them to choose what He has provided for them. He has given us, in His divine wisdom, the only way that will work, the only way that will give us the peace and joy that He desires us to obtain. He has made it very simple, both in His promise to provide our daily needs, and in providing us a place of comfort for the eternal future. God is not about part-time or sporadic assistance; His actions are complete and His assistance is continual. He has not promised to be there some of the time or when it is convenient; He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b) That’s 24-7. Consider this. He is with us now as He has promised to be, but He will be with His children for eternity. That is a time span I cannot truly express or, what is more, even understand. He will not leave us simply because we cannot exist without Him. He is the provider; He is the sustainer; and He is the only one we really need. If we are to live, He is the only one we cannot do without. The very presence of God is all that keeps this world from total destruction. I must have said it a hundred times before, but it bears repeating. If God did not exist, as some suggest, there would be no creation. Without God, all that we know of the earth and its inhabitants would not exist, nor would they ever have existed. To have a creation, you must first have a creator. Is there any question why God hates pride and arrogance? The pride of man says they do not need God; they can do it without Him. The arrogance of men gives them the boldness and impudence to try to live without Him. Man has chosen to forget God, but God still desires to provide all the necessities of those who have forgotten Him. For the unsaved, He has given His life’s blood; He died for all mankind. Without His salvation, we have lost it all; without His salvation, we are condemned. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believath not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). We have been condemned because of our sin. We are brought into this world, born in a state of sin. Sin is an inheritance from our ancestors, which means that all who are born are born with a nature of sin. That sin nature is what keeps us away from our Creator, and to remove its effect from our lives, we must ask for His forgiveness. When we receive His forgiveness, God no longer condemns His children for their sins, but when we sin, He is always ready to forgive. It is impossible to be removed from God’s condemnation and then to sin and fall back into that same condemnation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only forgotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). One of the key words here is everlasting; God promised everlasting life. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Once we are saved, we are to live a life that shows that we have been forgiven, but God will not allow His children to be destroyed. Many teach that simply asking forgiveness will not insure your eternal security. They say that it can’t be as simple as that, but who do we believe, them or God’s infallible Word? That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Romans 10:9-11
An act of the repentant heart and the confession of a willing mouth will secure God’s eternal forgiveness. The importance here is a genuine desire and act of seeking true forgiveness. It is not the words alone that save you; it is the contrite heart crying out for absolution. Does this give you an idea why many want to change or re-translate His Word? God is a loving God. Why should He make it difficult to obtain his forgiveness? He only desires that you love Him and want to serve Him. His most difficult part of our salvation was His dying on the cross. He has already made that sacrifice; there is nothing more for Him to do. What He did was flawless. What He did was complete. How could we have the power in ourselves to do more? In mankind, there is no such thing as sinless perfection, but when we do sin, God’s atoning blood is ready and available to cleanse us of that sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10). True and absolute perfection is not a human word or possibility. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
All men are sinners and are in need of a savior. That includes clergy as well as the sheep who follow them. Anyone who claims to be perfect is only denying the truth of God’s Word; and, in his or her arrogance, will be forced to pay the price of his or her presumption. The only perfection, in the life of the believer, will be realized when we go to heaven. While we live here on earth, God commands our obedience and our humbleness of spirit. He expects us to live a life of honor and respect while knowing that we are totally dependent upon Him. He does not remove our ability to choose that make us unique in all His creation. He wants us, by our love for Him, to choose to obey. God finds true significance in love by choice, not decree. In His love, He will not excuse our sins but is ready to forgive when we ask His forgiveness. It is this spirit of cooperation that makes life that much sweeter and our joy that much fuller. He does not hold a grudge or seek revenge; these are human characteristics. We learn from the past. He is not here to condemn or destroy us, but He is forever ready to forgive, to lead us and guide us. We not only learn from the past, but when we seek Him, we also learn that every moment of our lives, He is providing our daily needs. We are led to believe that we do so much when we really do so little. Without the daily provisions of God, we could not survive. Without His willingness to die for our sins, we would all perish and be sent into an eternal hell. As the Bible puts it, without God, we are helpless, eternally condemned without hope. God’s deepest desire is that we will not choose to live our lives without Him. It even says in His Word that hell was created for Lucifer and his angels. It was not God’s intent that anyone be sent to a devil’s hell; but many have chosen, by their disobedience, to enter there. The perfect plan of God was given unto all men, but it is a choice. It is appalling to me that anyone would choose not to accept God’s forgiveness.
It is even more hideous that they would doubt His existence. Of the saddest things on earth, while many have been told about His loving goodness, they still refuse to accept Him; and though many have never heard about Him, they are deeply longing to know more of Him.
As I live in the present, I cannot forget what has been promised me for the future. The difficulties and problems I must endure now only make God’s promises for the future more real and alluring. Knowing He has promised to meet my needs and to walk with me every step of the way makes our journey rewarding and possible. Without Him, I know I would not make it; but what makes Him so precious is the fact that He knows what I need and He is willing to pay that price. The loving price He paid for me on the cross was only the beginning; He continually gives those things that protect and sustain me. Being a friend of God is not without benefit or merit. Being God’s friend gives me those things that are profitable and enduring. The true wisdom of God is far beyond my comprehension or understanding, but my lack of knowledge does not minimize God’s true completeness. He is important, not what I am or profess to be. The true splendor of God only makes me more dependent and accepting of Him. It is my need of Him that makes me want to build Him up and not seek to tear Him down. The negativity I possess is removed when I see Him for who He really is. The more I learn of Him, the more real and important He becomes. There is not a soul alive who can resist His love and perfection once they have seen Him for who He truly is. The total beauty of His character, the complete honesty of His compassion, will cause all men to desire Him. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). It is His perfection that we are to proclaim; it is His compassion that we are to share. The people today who impress me the most are shamelessly sharing the goodness of God with all who are lost and in need of His love. We have been given a cause to worship. We have been given a God to praise. As we move toward that better home with Him, it becomes imperative that we share the eternal goodness of His undying love with all those who are dying without Him. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38. As His blood-bought children, we are to labor in His harvest. We are to spread the word of His love and compassion, of His willingness to save all who will ask for His forgiveness.