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Something came up recently, and these words, “I want to do things right before the Lord,” sparked these thoughts:
Those words sound like if we please the Lord, things will go well for us. While that is true, it could also be false, depending on the understanding and motive. We aren’t here to be sycophants or pleasers. We are so prone to please, this being a very selfish thing indeed. Primarily, we seek to please people, so we’ll be accepted by them or benefitted somehow.
We then presume to do the same with God, like Cain did. He was a pleaser! And where did it get him? Abel didn’t bring a sacrifice to please God. He brought it because he knew it was right. Had his sacrifice been rejected, he wouldn’t have felt badly, as did Cain. He would have sought for the right way (of course, the reason his sacrifice was accepted was because his heart was right, and therefore he could not but be accepted). However, Cain was offended: “Well, if that’s the thanks I get, phooey on God! I won’t believe in Him anymore!” We have heard that many times.
We are called to do right because it is right, whether pleasing to anyone or not. We are here to choose the successful and true right, the one and only kind of right there is, and not what we ignorantly and foolishly imagine and choose to be right, in that it is selfishly advantageous. Choosing right, things will go well for us. Choosing to please, we destroy those we pretend to please (not that we can destroy God, of course, but we grieve Him), and we destroy ourselves.
God isn’t asking us to please Him. Where in the Bible does one find God wanting us to please Him? It isn’t there! Did you know? He isn’t primarily interested in His own welfare and feelings. He wants to see things go well for us, and He has shown, and is showing, us how that can and must be because He cares for us.
God is called “Love” because He cares about us over Himself. That is the nature of true love. When we do right and things go well for us, then He’ll be pleased. He’ll be satisfied because we are fulfilled and satisfied in reality, by His satisfaction and not by the destructive, blind-alley kind of satisfaction that comes out of self-serving lack of knowledge and understanding.
Victor Hafichuk
– April 17, 2011
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The mindset that all believers have equal authority and status with God is another doctrine of devils. It breeds independence and disrespect for those God has set in His Body as leaders, making their responsibility so much more difficult and robbing those who believe this lie of the things they could have of God. They are damned by their thinking, which is prideful and rebellious.
From: Alexander To: The Path of Truth Sent: Monday, August 29, 2016 12:51 PM Subject: How to tell if Jesus restores you Paul and Victor, My name is Alex. I just turned 25 last week. I live in Chicago. Growing up I went to a large non-denominational church in the suburbs. Big light show, positive message, preaching "basic salvation" of accept Jesus into your heart. You probably know the type. Anyways I went to this church growing up, got baptized at 10 (mostly to be able to eat the crackers with the adults in service) and went to church camp and some short mission trips in Jr. High and High School. Didn't have much in the way of a relationship with God or Jesus. The Holy Spirit was an abstract concept to me, and not a real person. I believed in the sense that I really didn't have a good reason not to, because everyone around me, my family and friends and church community believed. So I didn't have srong convictions about it. Didn't really pray or read the bible. Pretty much jumped into trouble as soon as I could in high school by drinking and smoking and chasing girls, and was mean to my sisters and my parents since puberty and a jerk to a lot of my peer group - basically I never really ever tried to obey Jesus's commands. But I had enough of a fear of Hell not to totally blaspheme. As I got later into high school, ages 16-17, I was starting to doubt the whole thing. Stuck somewhere between not really willing to believe it with my whole heart and soul but no...
From: Jennifer To: The Path of Truth Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2016 3:24 PM Subject: Geri McGee Paul, I was wondering what made you say that Geri was assuming the role as a lead pastor of a church? And being an authority over them? Also we are able to cast off demons and cast out the scripture tells us that we are. And we can rebuke Satan in Jesus name and say get behind us as we can do all things through Christ and he said all that he did even greater things we shall do. I am not sure I agree with your interpretation and judgement of Geri. You may be assuming things incorrectly about her, and also misinterpreting the scriptures in the areas you condemned her for. We are called to be ministers of God and to tell everyone, that doesn't mean she is a lead pastor of a church, but she does show obedience of sharing truth and experience in her walk with God and the wisdom she gained. She does believe and use the gifts of the spirit and stand on Gods truth when he said we would do greater things than he and if we have faith we can move mountains and we also can cast out demons. So I am not sure I agree with your rash judgement of her. Jen From: Paul Cohen To: Jennifer Cc: Victor Hafichuk Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2016 7:53 AM Subject: Re: Geri McGee Jen, you ask: “I was wondering what made you say that Geri was assuming the role as a lead pastor of a church? And being an authority over them?” Did you not read the article and...