| Christian Life and Doctrine | December 1965 |
The Keeping Power of God
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be sympathetic, be courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”—I Pet. 3:8,9
“For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee.”—Deut. 15:6
“The Lord thy God be with thee [Joshua], as he was with Moses.”—Josh. 1:17
“And he [the Lord] said [to Moses], My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”—Exod. 33:14
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”—Ps. 16:11
“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.”—Ps. 140:13
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”—Jas. 4:8
“Brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”—II Cor. 13:11
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior [through Jesus Christ our Lord], be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”—Jude 24,25
God spoke to Moses, that holy man of God, at the burning bush. In Exodus 3:12 we read what God said to Moses as he sent him forth: “Certainly I will be with thee.” And those words are an inspiration to us today as we continue to do the will of God—in trial, in difficulty, and in seasons of blessing. He says to us, “Certainly I will be with thee,” and if God be with us, who can prevail against us? Moses left the burning bush to endure difficulties, trials, vexations and disappointments. But on those occasions of distress and grief he would recall the words of God, “Certainly I will be with thee,” and because God was with him, he prevailed against all obstacles, some seemingly insurmountable, and led the people of God to liberty and freedom.
And who shall say what the future holds for us? Trials and difficulties, disappointments, discouragements—they are bound to come—even bereavements; they also come. But in such experiences our privilege, yes, our duty, is to turn our eyes toward our Father in heaven and claim his promise, “Certainly I will be with thee.” This will mean eventual victory, eventual entrance into the promised land of our blessed hope. Without the Lord we can do nothing. With him beside us, we can overcome every difficulty of life that presents itself. Yes, we “can do [endure] all things through Christ who strengtheneth” us.—Phil. 4:13
Moses’ Faith Established
God established the faith of Moses. He gave Moses a realization of his presence by various signs and providences. When he spoke to him from the burning bush, the burning bush itself became a sign of God’s presence, of God’s power in his life. Moses left the burning bush with the words of God ringing in his ears. These words gave him assurance. He realized that God was directing his affairs, and that assurance made him strong. Certainly I will be with thee,” was God’s promise to Moses. May these words send us forth with strength, strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. The Psalmist David says, “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried [margin, or, refined]: he is a buckler to all those who trust in him. For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?—Ps. 18:30,31
Again in Psalm 73:23,24, “I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by thy right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” What a wonderful thought—our Heavenly Father holds us by the hand! He guides us through the difficulties of life, and afterward receives us to himself.
One of life’s most important lessons is to learn of our own insufficiency, our own lack of wisdom our own need. In childhood we could seek counsel of our parents. In adulthood we have sought counsel of our friends. Some of it has been good and some not so good. Certainly none of it has been perfect, for all human counsel is biased by imperfections of the counselor.
But after learning of the grace of God, after learning of his provision through Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, after learning of his plan for reconciling us to himself, made acceptable, righteous, justified before God through consecration, through the merit of the blood being imputed to us, we have found that more than ever, as sons of God, we need counsel, good counsel, reliable counsel. No one in the world can give it, for the course which we have adopted is contrary to the world, and contrary to the wisdom of the world, and contrary to the spirit of the world. But what a wonderful assurance we have that our Heavenly Father will guide us by his counsel, and afterward receive us to glory!
Inspired Counsel
We have found his counsel in his Word—given by inspiration, given for doctrine, reproof, correction from error, instruction in right living—that we might be mature, completely equipped for every good work, And to follow his counsel brings comfort and joy. Of course we do not have to follow his counsel. Are we in the condition of heart where we do not feel our need? Have we become self-sufficient in knowledge and understanding? Do we feel we can depend upon our own present amount of wisdom? If so, be careful! Israel fell into that condition and her house was left desolate. So we can be turned aside by a device of the Adversary. But the observation of those who have been long in the way is that through stumbling, blundering, and disappointments, many of the wayward, with mellowed hearts, learn their need of the divine counsel provided in God’s Word.
May we for just a few moments note some of God’s wise counsel given through his servants: “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Prov. 15:1) That is good counsel isn’t it? Simple as it is, it is not always easy, perhaps; but if we follow his counsel we will find that God will be with us—in our class, in our job, and in our home.
And again: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3) He who listens to the counsels of the Lord will find that the best way to be successful in compliance with his good counsel is to have a heart filled with love and good thoughts—not only for God’s people, our brethren, but for all others, too; for the good man out of the good treasure of his heart will bring forth good things; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Teachable
And here is another bit of good advice: “The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his way.” (Ps. 25:9) We all want good sanctified judgment. We all want to know God’s way for us. And we can have these. It is that simple. All that is necessary is that we be meek, teachable. Of course, if we have pride of self or of knowledge, we will never submit to the Lord’s guidance. Some people never learn because they think they understand everything already, so why should they bother to listen? If we are “holier than thou” in language or demeanor, the beauty and wealth of this counsel will likely escape us. But if we are meek, humble, lowly of mind, God has promised to guide us in judgment. He has promised to teach us his way.
Here is further counsel—Hebrews 10:24,25: “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” May we listen to this counsel. May we determine to make full use of every means of grace which the Lord has provided for his people. Among these is the privilege of assembling with those of like precious faith, of enjoying spiritual fellowship. We enjoy the fellowship of God. We enjoy the fellowship of his Son. Let us enjoy to the full the fellowship of the ones of our own ecclesia. Of course they are not perfect; but neither are we. It is worth all the effort we can give to obey this counsel of God.
Our great “Counselor” has given us hundreds of such admonitions. They are all full of wisdom and blessing and good advice for us. All the meekness he instructs us to have, all the patience, bring to full development the spirit of love which is the bond of an the loving-kindness, is merely designed to cultivate in us and perfectness, for love binds everything together completely. Love represents the only condition of heart acceptable to God. It is love which says, “I delight to do thy will.” It is love which says, “Show me the way which I take.” Can we say this as we approach life’s experiences? So let us remember the assurance, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” (Ps. 73:24) The Psalmist David says, “I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: … I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”—Ps. 16:7,8
The Peace of God
In Hebrews 13:20,21 we find these words: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight.” May the God of peace indeed be with us! There are two kinds of peace in a Christian’s life. Both of these come from God. First there is the peace of reconciliation. We were born at enmity with God. But through obedience to the invitation, “My son, give me thine heart,” and through consecration, by virtue of the merit of our Master’s sacrifice, we have been made acceptable to God. Robed in the Master’s righteousness, we are righteous before God—justified—reconciled to God and thus in harmony, at peace, with him. He begets us by his Spirit, and we are the Sons of God.
But wonderful as this process of reconciliation is, there is more to the peace which God gives than this basic family relationship. He also gives tranquility of mind, freedom from mental disturbance, calmness of soul, peace and rest of spirit. “The God of peace” is never disturbed, never perplexed, never confused. This is not because there is no disorder in his domain, no rebellion, for Satan has been in open defiant rebellion against God for six thousand years and more. Nor is God’s peace based on indifference to human problems, for if it were, he would not have sent his Son.
God has peace because he knows his plans will not falter, his purposes will not fail. He knows the end from the beginning. “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” From his vast resources of the perfect balance of justice, wisdom, love, and power spring the peace which God possesses.
It is important for us to know that God has promised us his peace. Are there disorders in our small domain? Is there disharmony, discord? Do some misjudge our motives? Do some think our sincerity will bear watching? God has promised to exercise his power for us, and the foundation of God standeth sure. As our faith realizes the power of his peace we, too, shall have peace and rest in him. His peace is the basis of our repose. Yes, may the God of peace ever abide in our hearts—during every day of every year still remaining in our pilgrimage.
Walking with God
And just as Jesus walked with Cleopas and the other disciple on the way to Emmaus, may our Heavenly Father walk along life’s way with us! And just as the hearts of those two burned as our Master broke to them the light of truth, may our hearts burn within us as the Father walks with us and talks with us and tells us we are his own, and we can talk with him as he walks with us. The privilege of prayer is great. As we walk along he reminds us of his promises—that he will never leave us nor forsake us; that his grace will always be sufficient. And we can imagine him saying, as we stroll together, “Besides these assurances, remember I have given you ‘some, apostles; and some, prophets; … evangelists, … pastors, and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’”—Eph. 4:11-13
Now, concerning our temptations, he may say, “There may come a desire to have pet ideas of your own. But you know that everything you hold as truth must be in harmony with my inspired Word.” You may be tempted to lean on man, to worship idols, or to lean on the traditions of the elders as did so many in Israel. But thus you may lose the virility of thought so necessary for growth in grace and knowledge. So he may suggest that we each request a “thus saith the Lord” for what we hold dear. “To the Law and to the testimony,” he says through the prophet, “if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:20) He may say, as we walk along, “It is a privilege, you know, to have the truth. It has brought great joy, but the truth doesn’t lie on the surface. You have the truth,” he says, “because I have revealed it to you. You prayed for truth, you studied the Word, and have been approved of by me, so through my Spirit I have helped you to rightly divide the Word of truth.”
Keep Searching
But do not be satisfied with your present attainment. For “search we may for many years, still some new rich gem appears” to quicken our joy of walking in the light. Each one who walks with God in the light of his Word wields a power that must be used wisely. They must ask themselves the question, “Have I the faith to take a stand for truth, even though I know my stand will be unpopular with some? Have I the fortitude, the courage, to seek for truth?” Some do not. But oh the reward couched in the words of our Master, “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”—Matt. 7:7,8
Co-laborers
And here is another expression found in God’s Word (I Cor. 3:9): “For we are laborers together with God.” Here is a relationship of unselfish service. Paul himself said, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” (I Cor. 3:6) And then he added, “So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Working together with God is a high and honorable commission. It is given to every child of God. We have all seen much lost effort, wasted energy, in the preaching of error. But here the word “together” becomes meaningful—laborers together with God, with all the results, all the increase, dependent not on us, but on our partner in the service. It is God that giveth the increase.
Spiritual fellowship and spiritual service are the basis of much of the joy and satisfaction of a Christian life. To be efficient “laborers together with God” it is well to study how Christ, as the Master workman, went about it. First of all he wanted to do what the Father wanted done. “Lo, I come … to do thy will, O God.” (Ps. 40:7,8; Heb. 10:7) This must also be the keynote of our service. The doing of God’s will is the first consideration. The work may not always be to our taste. But doing the sweet will of God should be to our taste always.
Sometimes the Lord may let us do some reaping, and that is pleasant work; we see results from our labor. But mostly the work we are asked to do is still, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” (Ps. 40:8) The Master went from town to town preaching the good news. Matthew 9:35 reads: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom.” We have the same privilege. Let us unitedly labor together with God and he will be with us as we labor with this determination—not in faction, but in unity.
One secret of our strength is the realization of our need. It is when we feel our own inadequacy and our own need that God can work in us to do his will. When we reach the point of helplessness, what do we do? Give up? Let self-pity take over? Or do we open the door through prayer, and let our Lord take over and exert his power in handling our affairs? “In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”—Ps. 16:11
So may God be with us in our trials, in our victories, in our times of need, and in our times of joy. May he be with us through every experience of life, until we see him face to face. May he uphold us by his counsel, and with his sheep may he securely fold us. May he securely hide us beneath his wings, and provide us with daily manna. When we are threatened by the perils of life may he put his arms unfailing ‘round us. And may we keep his banner of love floating over us until we have fought the last battle of faith, and, through his grace, have gained the victory!