The Heaton File

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.  (Psalm 33:10-12)

God Among The Nations

President Woodrow Wilson said, “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.” History is the great teacher, but few attend class. One of the constants in the story of humanity is its inability to learn from past mistakes to achieve a better future. Generations may separate one civilization from another, but all men are the same, no matter what place in history they live. The same needs, wants, and desires fuel the spirit of man. Technology may change, but the heart remains the same. Advances in science open the world to new discoveries, but there is nothing new under the sun.

Every nation begins somewhere, and whether it learns from its past will determine how long its future will last. Human character remains the same. Whatever made the nation great in the beginning is often discarded over time for a philosophy that will bring its downfall. The foundation of a people is governed by the values of morality that define it as a nation seeking the good of all men. Righteousness can only come from the word of the Lord because God is the one who brings nations to glory, and He is the one who destroys nations. A nation built on the belief of the one true Lord will find greater success than one established on hatred, prejudice, and immorality.

Israel was the greatest nation on earth. God blessed the Hebrews with His protection, blessings, and guidance. When Israel followed the Lord’s will, they experienced great success. What brought about the destruction of Israel was when they turned their back on God. Moses warned them what would happen if they forgot the one who delivered them from Egypt. It did not take long for the nation to forget where they came from, and God destroyed them. Israel is given as an example of what happens when a people forget where they came from and who delivered them.

Any nation that becomes a godless society will reap the whirlwind of God’s wrath. There is no respect of persons in the mind of God. God does not bear the colors of red, white, and blue. His word is truth, and only when a nation seeks to follow Him will there be any hope of a future. America will not be destroyed by an enemy marching on its borders. It is being destroyed from within because it has rejected the principles that made America great in the past. Learning from the past will teach us what the future will be. A nation that forgets God gives up its best hope of being a great nation. The word of God must be the foundation because truth comes from the word of God.

And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. (Titus 3:14)

Good Advice For People Of God

One of the qualities of those who follow Christ is the manner of life they share with the world, and the example they set in dealing with others. Jesus told His disciples to be lights in the world and to be the salt of the earth, seasoning their influence among others with the glory of God. No greater example of godliness can be found than those who love the Lord, showing their love for others. Paul admonishes Titus to help the Christians on the island of Crete to be full of good works, showing the love of Christ in their lives in serving others. The people of Crete had a reputation for being liars, evil, and lazy gluttons. They had an unrestrained indulgence of wild and ferocious passions. In the midst of such a world, the gospel of Christ needed to be presented with a clear and demonstrative light.

There was a concern that the influence of Crete could impact the faith of the Christians. The character of the Cretans could easily sway the hearts of the people of God to become like them. Paul wants Titus to teach the saints the need to be people full of good works. When the hand is busy with good works, the heart becomes a harder target for being slothful. Busy hands should characterize the lives of God’s people. There should be a conscious effort to fill each day with the work of the Lord, helping others, encouraging them, and engaging in good works in the world, so that the light of God can be seen in them. The people of God should be known as people of good works.

There were many needs to be met. Jesus taught the importance of serving others. When an urgent need arises, the people of God should be the examples of individual hearts extending the welcome relief of benevolence to those in need. The parable of the Samaritan helping a stranger emphasizes the importance of the people of God demonstrating their faith through their actions without prejudice. Learning to maintain good works and meet the needs of others helps the Christian grow in their faith so they will not be unfruitful. God does not want lazy, slothful children. When a person accepts life as a follower of Christ, they become a worker in the Lord’s vineyard. The purpose of working in the vineyard is to work. People of God are workers. They demonstrate this by engaging in good works and meeting urgent needs.

Paul emphasizes the importance of the brotherhood when he tells Titus to remind “our people” to care for one another. The family of God is bound by the love and fellowship shared through the blood of Christ. God’s family is a special group of people dedicated to good works. No greater light can be shone than when God’s people shine the light of love for others in a dark world. It is not the common goal of people in the world to be kind to others. Children of God practice good works, meeting urgent needs, because they know the debt they have in being called children of the Most High God is something that can never be repaid. Paul’s good advice is for God’s people to be full of good works, and when there is an urgent need, to fill that need.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. (Acts 10:1-2)

He Was Not Saved By Prayer Alone

Cornelius was a very religious person. As a Gentile, he was an unusual example of someone who believed in God and demonstrated his love for God through his life. He was a devout man trying to show the world that he was a person of faith. Somewhere in his life, he learned about the one true God and feared Him with a reverent fear. His position as a centurion brought a certain amount of prestige and honor and afforded him some measure of wealth. Cornelius used his possessions to help others, giving alms generously to those in need with a benevolent heart full of charity. A key ingredient to this life was a constant prayer life to the one true God.

The world around Cornelius was filled with idolatry and the worship of many gods. As a Roman citizen, he would have been inundated with worship of a multitude of deities from an early childhood. Learning about the one true God changed his life and made him a different kind of person. It must have been difficult for him to maintain his persona of faithfulness in such a dark world. If there were any who challenged him for his faith, the scriptures do not reveal. It is certain that while the world may have taken notice of Cornelius and scoffed at his faith, the one true God took close examination of his heart and allowed him to discover a deeper faith.

Cornelius was a deeply religious man and a man of prayer. The Holy Spirit says that with all the good deeds done by the centurion and all his prayers, Cornelius was lost. His good deeds did not save him. All of his prayers were heard, but they did not save him. An angel appeared to Cornelius, but that did not save him. The angel instructed Cornelius to send men to Joppa and ask for a man named Simon (Peter), who was lodging with a tanner by the name of Simon. They would find the house by the sea. The angel tells Cornelius that Peter would instruct him on what he needed to do. Later, when Peter recounts the story of his meeting with Cornelius, the apostle says that when he came to the house of Cornelius, the centurion said the Lord instructed him to send for Peter, who would tell them words by which he and all his household would be saved.

Cornelius was a devout man, but he was lost. He was a man who feared the Lord, but he was lost. Giving alms to the people was a noble gesture, but Cornelius was lost. All the prayers offered could not save Cornelius. The words Peter spoke to Cornelius and his household are what the centurion found out to do to be saved. Praying did not save him alone. Offering a prayer could not and did not bring the blood of Jesus into the heart of Cornelius. God never promised anyone salvation by prayer alone.

Many in the religious world believe salvation comes from what is called the “Sinners’ prayer.” This has been rebranded as the “Salvation prayer.” Individuals are encouraged to seek repentance from their sins, ask God for forgiveness, and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That is all that is needed for one to be in a saved condition. This prayer marks the beginning of their Christian walk in fellowship and covenant with Jesus Christ. What is tragic is that this prayer is never found in Scripture, and thousands of people, like Cornelius, are very religious yet very lost. There is no example of anyone praying the sinner’s prayer in the Bible.

If anyone could have been saved by praying, Cornelius was the prime example. The angel could have instructed Cornelius on how to be saved, but he did not. He told him to send for Peter. The apostle Peter said that Cornelius was lost and needed to hear the words whereby he could be saved. Peter gave him those words. Cornelius and his household heard the word and were baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. Uttering the sinner’s prayer will not save you. Failing to do the will of the Father will condemn a person because they follow the teachings of men, and not Jesus Christ. Find one example of a person saved by the sinner’s prayer. You will not find it in the Bible.

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” (Romans 4:5-8)

Forgiven

In a cemetery not far from New York City is a headstone engraved with a name and a single word: Forgiven. There is no date of birth or death. Nothing else is included. The message is simple and unembellished. Nothing else needed to be said for this individual because the sum total of life can truly be defined, whether one is forgiven or not. Whomever the deceased was, they believed in the grace and mercy of God to remove their sin. It did not matter how much wealth they gained in life. The measure of their happiness was not governed by what they enjoyed in this life. All the things that mattered to the world were lost on this person. They had one desire in life, and that was to be forgiven.

Seeking forgiveness comes from the awareness and belief that one is in conflict with God. Many who pass by the headstone and read the inscription lose its significance. They may nod in agreement with the faith of the departed soul, but the impact has little value to their life. For a person who does not recognize a need to be forgiven places no worth on the blood of Jesus and the reality of the wrath of God. They live for themselves. Refusing to acknowledge the need for forgiveness does not remove the need because all men sin and fall short of the glory of God. Every person from Adam who walked in this world bears the burden of sin and the need for forgiveness. Jesus is the only exception as He died after more than thirty years in the flesh, yet without sin.

Forgiven means sin is real and the consequences are eternal. If a man denies there is such a thing as sin, there will never be a desire for forgiveness. As the person who left their testimony on the headstone recognized, death puts a person before God to be judged about sin and whether grace and mercy are to be given. Jesus said most people deny sin and will die unforgiven. That is the greatest tragedy. Very few tombstones can bear the word: Forgiven. Why? Because there is no belief in sin, and without that belief, there is no forgiveness. Most headstones bear the word: Unforgiven.

Jesus died to open the way of salvation for people to find forgiveness. The Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount that not all who say “Lord, Lord,” will be forgiven. Only those who have done the will of the Father will be forgiven. There are great epitaphs inscribed on marble that tell the stories of those who have passed on to eternity. At death, there is only one word that will make a difference: Forgiven. If that word cannot be inscribed on the heart of the deceased, there is no hope. What is on your tombstone?

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Not Everyone

Two words are found on the lips of Jesus that astound the world and change the reality for most people who make up the more than eight billion souls living today. Jesus did not come to bring a message of peace but of conflict. His words would be likened to those of a sword. The Prince of Peace came to set a man against his own household. God sent His Son to put a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. To be a follower of Christ will bring enemies into one’s own household. The war Jesus speaks about is when a man loves his father and mother more than Him. God has always demanded first place and will never take anything less. Refusing to take up a cross for Jesus Christ will disqualify one from eternal life.

At the conclusion of the mountain sermon, Jesus declared the division that would take place when the eyes of His Father looked into the hearts of all men. The world is filled with many people who are religious. There are many types of faiths that follow gods that are false and beliefs held on the shaky ground of human wisdom. Many believe Jesus is the Christ and follow a false belief in His will. The words of Jesus are startling to accept that not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved. There will be many religious people who believe they are following Jesus who will never see eternal life. Salvation will only be given to those who do the will of the Father.

Jesus illustrates His point that not everyone will be saved when He refers to those who claim to have done wonderful things in His name. There are those who prophesied in His name who are lost. Some will suppose they cast out demons in the name of the Lord, but will be proven false prophets and teachers fooling the people. Many will declare the wonderful things they did in the name of the Lord, but never hear their names called from the Book of Life unto eternal salvation. Jesus shows that being religious and doing things in His name does not save. Only those who do the will of the Father can and will be saved. Not everyone is going to Heaven because most people are lost to perdition.

The greater tragedy is how unwilling God is to punish anyone. It is not the desire of the Heavenly Father for any of His creation to perish in the lake of fire and brimstone. He sent His Son into the world to open the way of salvation for all men to come and find peace in the eternal arms of the grace of a loving Father. The sadness is found that most people have no love for God and many follow false doctrines, man-made churches, deceptive teachers, and teachings that are not found in the word of God. Everyone is responsible for knowing and doing the will of the Father. Salvation does not come apart from keeping the commandments of the Lord. Because of His righteousness, God will punish the disobedient with eternal condemnation.

“Not everyone.” Incredible words to consider. Most people believe that most people R.I.P. when in fact most people do not because Jesus said they cannot. The commandments of the Lord are not burdensome. His grace gives man the eternal blessing of hope to be saved from a perverse world. Jesus died to offer mankind cleansing in His blood through obedience. Being a religious person will not save. Following false doctrines will not save. Being a good person will not save. Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of Heaven. Those who do the will of the Father will be saved. Please do not be one of the “not everyone” – your eternal soul depends on it.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

By Grace

The first time the word “grace” is found in Scripture is when Noah found favor or grace in the eyes of the Lord. It was in the Garden of Eden that grace was first demonstrated after Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit. God created Adam and Eve, placing them in the garden to tend and care for it. They were told to eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree in the midst of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was forbidden. God warned that in the day they ate of its fruit; they would die. Satan deceived the woman who took of the fruit and gave it to her husband. The eyes of both of them were open, and they knew they were naked. Hearing the Lord walking in the cool of the day, they hid themselves in fear.

Sin brings fear. Adam and Eve did not fully understand the consequences of their actions, but they knew to fear God. When the Lord confronted Adam and Eve, He told them the consequences of their disobedience would be grave. He punished Eve with sorrow in pain in childbirth. Her desire would always be in submission to her husband, as he would rule over her. To Adam, the Lord cursed the ground, and that he would labor by the sweat of his brow to survive. Fearing Adam and Eve would eat of the tree of life and live forever, God cast them out of the garden, protecting the tree with a cherubim at the east of the garden and a flaming sword guarding the way to the tree of life. What Adam and Eve experienced without them knowing it was the grace of God.

The Lord had no other choice but to save man. His righteousness is found in the grace He gave Adam and Eve. Before time began, a plan was in place to redeem sinful man through the gift of grace. When Adam and Eve sinned, God did not abandon them to their own folly without the promise of salvation. He told Satan the woman would bring forth a seed who would destroy him and bring about his eternal ruin. The first message of grace was ironically told to the devil that through Jesus Christ, God would save mankind. God did not destroy Adam and Eve and create two new beings. He formed Adam from the dust of the ground and, taking a rib from Adam, created Eve. The Lord could have destroyed what He created as easily as creating them. Instead, the Lord preserved Adam and Eve, placing upon humanity the consequence of sin as a curse.

Grace is the love of God to offer the world a way of escape. When Adam and Eve sinned, the best they could do was to hide from God. Did they know how to save themselves? Was hiding in the trees a way to escape the wrath of God? As a result of sin, Adam and Eve became fearful, trying to hide from God. They could not find an answer to fear. Hiding from God was useless. Adam and Eve could do nothing to save them. The first heartstring of grace was when Adam and Eve realized their Creator was not going to destroy them but to save them. Facing the wrath of God, Adam and Eve found grace in the eyes of their Redeemer.

The story of grace is found in Noah. God determined to kill everyone on the earth because they had become so wicked. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he was righteous, but he had no idea what God was going to do. Grace came when God told Noah what He would do and how Noah could save himself and his family. Noah believed to the saving of his soul, and eight souls were saved through the grace of God. Without obedience, Noah would have been lost. God told him to build an ark, and he did. The water that destroyed the world saved eight righteous souls. Grace through faith in obedience saved the family of Noah.

Today, grace is found in the word of God. The Lord will not destroy man off the face of the earth because He has given His Son as the sacrifice for sin. Grace is found in God, providing a way of escape. Nothing in human wisdom could have devised and brought about the plan of salvation. Everyone is like Adam and Eve – helpless and alone without God. By grace, a man is saved through faith. Adam and Eve were saved by grace. Noah and his family were saved by grace. Every faithful child of God partakes of the grace of God as they act upon their faith to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. What a joy to know how much God loves us that while we deserved His wrath, He gave us His love.

And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts 2:40)

A Perverse Generation

Sin is not new. It has been in the world since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Satan lost no time in destroying the minds of nearly every soul on earth when God destroyed all life in the flood, except for Noah and his family. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Paul illustrated the depravity of the human mind when he described for the Romans how God gave men up to the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies for vile passions. Women exchanged the natural use of what is against nature. The men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another. A perverse world filled with those who committed what is shameful because they did not retain God in their knowledge.

Marriage was created by God when he formed Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from a rib of Adam. The Lord created male and female for the purpose of a holy union that would bring children into the world. Jesus declared that His Father made male and female in the beginning. He further said that when a man divorces his wife and marries another, he commits adultery. The one who marries the woman commits adultery. What Jesus declared was that the difference between a husband and a wife is the gender of male and female. Throughout scripture, the husband is the male party of the marriage, and the wife is the female party of the marriage. This is the only union that can produce children. Two men cannot produce a child no more than two women. It is a natural impossibility for children to be created outside the law of God.

A recent headline suggests a man is on trial for the death of his husband. It seems incredulous at the perverseness of a generation would accept and promote the agenda of a perverse view of marriage. The irrationality of such a suggestion reveals how the world’s mind becomes polluted by accepting an impossibility. Common sense cannot answer the conundrum of ungodliness when men use language that exposes their ignorance. Calling a man a husband does not make a man a husband. A perverse world is a generation that is crooked in its thinking. To pervert a thing is to distort its purpose. Man was not created for man, and woman was not created for woman. Biology proves that. God created male and female, and only through the creative process of a man and woman can a child be created. There is no deviation in the creation of children, but only a perversion of the union of man and woman.

When a nation turns away from God, it begins to make its own laws. The stupidity of human reasoning is that they try to create something that God has established cannot be changed. When men burn in their lusts for men and women burn in their lusts for one another, it does not alter the established created plan of male and female. At best, they only make themselves to be fools. Jesus died to establish the truth God created in the beginning and turn the hearts of a perverted generation back to the Father. Peter told those gathered in Jerusalem to save themselves from a perverted generation. That generation began with Adam, and it continues to this day. The challenge is finding hope in a broken world through the grace of God and restoring the principles of male and female as designed by the Creator. It is sad a man was murdered and a life lost. Sin never brings anything good.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Luke’s Stories About Baptism

Luke is the author of the Acts of the Apostles. He is writing an orderly account of the early days of the church for a man named Theophilus. As a historian, Luke assembles the stories from his research and personal experience. Luke inserts himself into the story when Paul and Silas are called to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel, and Luke continues to travel with Paul in his travels. Paul will mention Luke in his letters to Colosse, Philemon, and his final letter to Timothy. The Acts of the Apostles is exactly what the title implies. Luke tells the stories surrounding the beginning of the church and the fulfillment of the Lord’s command to spread the gospel to all nations. The first part of Acts focuses on the work of Peter and the latter half on the work of Paul.

Jesus commanded the eleven to preach the gospel to every creature under heaven. He told them to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those who believed and were baptized would be saved, and those who refused to believe would be condemned. Jesus instructs the eleven that the message of repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. After Jesus ascended back to the Father, the eleven went to Jerusalem as instructed by the Lord. Ten days later, on the first day of the week, the (now) twelve apostles were in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and the work of the church began.

During the Feast of Pentecost, devout Jews from every nation gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Harvest. A great sound drew the crowd to the twelve men from Galilee who began preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Luke records Peter’s sermon as the basis of the new covenant granted to all men by the grace of God. Jesus had promised Peter that he would be the one who would open the doors of the kingdom to the world. When Peter showed the people that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and that fifty days earlier, He had been killed on the cross, three thousand souls responded to the message of the crucified Christ. When asked what they must do to be saved, Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.

Luke writes that God added to the church daily those who were being saved. As the story of the church unfolds, Luke shows how the gospel was preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world. Philip went to the city of Samaria and preached the gospel, where both men and women were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. A sorcerer named Simon believed and was baptized. Philip taught a man from Ethiopia the gospel of Christ, and he asked Philip why he could not be baptized. They both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

The apostle Paul began his story in the Acts of the Apostles as the great persecutor of the disciples of Christ. He imprisoned men and women who were Christians and persecuted them in foreign cities. On a trip to Damascus, the Lord appeared to Saul and instructed him to enter the city and learn what he must do. Three days later, Ananias tells Saul to rise and be baptized to wash away his sins. Saul becomes a devoted servant to the Lord God and will be known as the apostle Paul. Peter brought the gospel to the Gentile world when the Lord brought him to the household of Cornelius in the city of Caesarea, where he baptized Cornelius and all of his household.

Outside the city of Philippi, Paul baptized Lydia and her household. Imprisoned falsely, the Lord set Paul and Silas free from their prison in Philippi. The keeper of the prison was baptized along with all of his household. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, was baptized along with his household. Many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Aquila and Priscilla taught Apollos, a great orator but who was only versed in the baptism of John, the way of the Lord more perfectly about the baptism of Jesus. Paul found twelve men in Ephesus, whom he thought were disciples of Christ, but still followed the baptism of John. When Paul taught them the gospel, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Luke was a first-rate historian who told the story of the early church, showing the grace and mercy of the Father on sinful man. He shows the apostles did what Jesus commanded them. People were taught about the love and grace of the heavenly Father who promised eternal life to those who heard the word, believed Jesus was the Christ, and confessed His name, repenting of their sins, and washed in water for the remission of their sins. One of the key elements repeated in every story is the importance of baptism. Sins are washed away only in the waters of baptism, where the blood of Christ is found. Salvation comes through the grace of God. Belief, confession, and repentance are vital and necessary, and without them, there is no salvation. Faith leads the heart to accept the word of God. The new birth will not happen until one is immersed in the waters of baptism. If you deny baptism as necessary for salvation, you deny what the Holy Spirit wrote through the pen of Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. Why do you wait? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.

Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

Choking God Out Of Our Lives

Augustine (A.D. 354-430) said, “God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full – there’s nowhere for him to put it.” In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the thorny ground was consumed by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. Many things in life are good, wholesome, and not sinful. God wants His people to be industrious and busy in caring for their families and being a productive part of society. What often happens is not that a person is engaged in sinful activity, but rather that life becomes so busy that God is crowded out. Like Augustine observed, God wants to bless the soul with His grace, but there is no room because life is so full of the cares of the world.

Being busy is not a sign of productivity. Spinning wheels in sand create a lot of motion, but unless there is traction, there is no movement. Life can be full of good things that become the downfall of faith because they consume life, leaving no time for God and no room for Him in the heart. One of the consistent lessons throughout Scripture is the importance of making time for God.

Men and women of great faith found time to spend with the Father. Abraham was the patriarch of a huge family (he had 318 trained servants of war), but he never allowed his responsibilities to overshadow his worship of God. Jesus was an extremely busy teacher throughout his nearly three-year ministry. The disciples would often find the Lord alone in a secluded place, seeking the favor of His Father. Jesus took time to open His hands to the Father. If Jesus needed to spend time with the Father, no one needs it more than His followers.

Life can become so busy that there is no time for God, but the day will come when everyone will make time for God. The hands may be full of the affairs of life, but if God is not allowed to be part of that life, the soul will stand before the Lord with empty hands and empty hope. Life must be about examining what needs to be done and what needs to be left undone. God will not force Himself into the lives of His people. He waits to bless and give His children what they need, but He cannot do that when their hands are full of so many other things.

Crowding out God never serves a good purpose. Men seek the awards and accolades of their peers for being so productive and busy, but if they have not prepared themselves for eternity, their lives are empty. Never become so busy that God is not first in everything. He demands and seeks first place because He loves us. God gave the gift of His Son, proving to the world what He is willing to give. When life becomes so consumed by the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, God has no room to find Himself. The gift of Jesus becomes a rejected offering of grace and mercy. Eternal life is found when we empty our lives to fill them with the Divine. All things in this world perish. Take hold of eternal life, which will never be taken away. Open your life to the glory of the God who made you.

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (Romans 15:1-3)

Who Do We Please?

Pride and self-centered thinking are the bane of the soul. Selfishness is the trait of thinking only about oneself and what can be done for self-gratification. The world is a selfish place. It is all about “me, me, me” and little about others. Men pride themselves on their own accomplishments and glory regardless of others. Entitled people believe the world owes them everything because they are the center of the universe, demanding respect and recognition. The Christian lives above the selfishness of the world because they follow the example of Jesus Christ. God loved the world enough to send His only begotten Son, and Jesus loved the Father enough to empty Himself to walk in the flesh among men. Jesus did not come to earth to please Himself. He did not die to please Himself. His death on the cross was not about Him because He had no sin. In the greatest selfless act of Jesus dying on the cross, God shows the love of selfless sacrifice for others.

What makes the sacrifice of Jesus more astonishing is that Jesus died in the face of those who hated Him, yet He forgave them. He knew His sacrifice would bring the blood of redemption to humanity, accomplishing the eternal plan of His Father. Jesus had no sin, but He had to suffer and die to save the lost. His life was forfeited to serve others. He did not please Himself. Everything Jesus did was to save others. In a selfless act of love, the Son of God died so the world could find eternal life.

The example of Jesus is the pathway His followers must walk to be His disciples. Jesus did not please Himself, and His followers learn how to remove selfishness from their lives to help others. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Some struggle with greater burdens than others. Paul’s admonition to the Roman saints was for the spiritually strong among them to help those who struggled with weak faith. Not everyone is on the same plane of faith as others. Some, through years of struggle and devotion to God, have a deep and abiding knowledge of the love of God and the power of forgiveness. Those new to the faith face many struggles and often make many mistakes. Like a newborn baby, the Christian must grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to maturity – but that takes time. The weaker Christian needs the help of the older Christians to be patient with them and help them.

A hallmark of the Christian life is the willingness of God’s people to seek out opportunities to please others ahead of self, leading to edification. The purpose is to build others up. An edifice is a building, and to edify is to build a strong support structure to help others endure the storms of life. Selfishness cannot accomplish the love of God. The Christian is not trying to please himself but to help others. It takes a sacrificial heart to do things that will edify another. When the strong in faith help the weak in faith, they do so not to please themselves, but to help others on their journey of faith. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus demands that those steps be measured by self-sacrifice. Christ did not please Himself. Follow His example.