One Whom the Lord Commends
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September 07, 2014 |
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 "For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends" (2 Corinthians 10:18).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
God commends those who give out the aroma of Christ with righteousness in heart.
Not many Scriptures are found where Jesus commended people. He sometimes praised some saying, 'She has done a good deed to Me' or 'What this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her' (Mark 14:6, 9), rather than commending straightforwardly. Thereby He let people know what kind of person is approved by God and follow their deeds. Let's now look into what we should do to be able to earn the Lord's compliment.
1. We must do what we should do
1) We should earnestly build an altar to God
In the Bible, people met God and built altars earnestly to keep communicating with Him. Today 'to build an altar to God' means coming to the church which is the Lord's body and offering worship services. It also includes giving offerings with gratefulness, listening to the Word of God, and keeping it in heart. We don't just listen to the Word but also we make the Word spiritual bread for our life and practice it. This is to worship in spirit and truth, and only when we give this kind of service, God is pleased and leads us to blessing.
2) We should offer up God-wanted prayer
We should offer up God-wanted prayer in order that our souls prosper and we enter Heaven. Only through such prayer can we receive God's grace and strength and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, in which we can cast away untruth and fleshly thoughts and replace them with the truth. Then we can become persons of truth and spirit; so our souls prosper, everything goes well, and we enjoy good health.
Therefore, we must pray without ceasing on our knees and cry out in prayer with all our hearts just as Jesus did. We ought not to pray in meaningless repetition, but we must pray with faith and love. Then God accepts it with joy and gives us blessings.
3) We should have faith worthy to receive answers
A Roman centurion came to Jesus and implored Him to heal his servant who was inflicted paralyzed (Matthew 8). Jesus said He would come and heal him but the centurion professed his faith saying, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed." He marveled at his faith and humbleness and commended him saying, "I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel."
This kind of spiritual faith, however, isn't simply given because you long for it. God gives you such faith to the extent that you achieve goodness and practice the Word.
Since the centurion had a heart of goodness, he believed the works of Jesus just as he had witnessed and heard. God commends such people who believe Him and act without any doubt, and He works for them according to their faith.
4) We should humble ourselves before God
In Mark 7, a Syrophoenician woman appeared and asked Jesus to cast out the demon out of her daughter. But He said, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
The woman didn't feel anger nor did she show resentment toward Jesus though He seemed to treat her like a dog. She rather humbled herself and said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs."
Jesus was moved by her faith and humbleness and cast the demon out of her daughter. We should also ask God with such a humble heart before God.
5) We should sow with faith
Sowing with faith is deemed righteous. When we sow with faith, God praises and blesses us. If you want to be rich you can be rich by sowing your finances according to the law of sowing and reaping. In particular, tithes and thanks offerings are closely linked to the law.
Our offerings to God are used to extend God's kingdom—for souls' salvation, sanctuary construction, missionary works, charity, and so on. By giving offerings, we can express our love for God, and God will accept them joyfully and repay us by 30, 60, or 100 times. Thus we must cheerfully give offerings in faith and love, not begrudgingly or under feelings of compulsion.
6) We should believe and rely on God in any circumstance
Since David relied on God in any situation, he could avoid many difficulties under God's guidance.
God loves children who trust and depend on Him in any situation. If we are dependent on the world or our own knowledge, though we call God Father, He can't help us.
To the extent that we live in the truth, our trust in God grows better and we gain the Lord's compliment. I urge you to ask God, wait for His answer patiently, and receive it. I hope you will be under His guidance all the time.
7) We should obey the Word of God
As God tells us to rejoice always and give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18), we should rejoice and give thanks under any circumstance. When we bear the Word and obey it, God is with us. He doesn't force us to obey Him unconditionally beyond our capacity, but He guides each of us according to our measure of faith.
When we obey Him even in most insignificant works, God may allow us to experience His work and He gradually increases our spiritual faith. Then, we can do greater things when He commands.
2. We should crucify the flesh with its passions and desires
We have to crucify the flesh with its passion and desires, which God deems righteous, and He praises us for it. As Galatians 5:24 says, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires," we should cast away passions and desires for they are not different from sins.
David fell under a great trial for having taken his subordinate's wife because of the lust of the eyes and had her husband killed in the battle. Achan stole a mantle and gold and silver out of his greed. In the end he and his family as well were stoned to death. His wrongdoing even caused the Israelites to lose in the battle in the city of Ai. On the other hand, Asa the King pleased God by abstaining from his passions and desires; he removed her mother from the position of queen mother because she had worshiped idols.
In order to do the will of God, we should abstain from fleshly passions and desires and have faith that never compromises with the world. Then we can keep our faith. Thus, we must cast them away. Now it is how to be commended by the Lord: to do what we should do and to cast away every passion and desire with its flesh.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do you practice the Word of God as His children? If you serve God and are worthy of the Lord's praise, you will receive answers from God, receive healing of any kind of disease, and be with God all the time. I pray in the name of the Lord you will be approved by God and earn the Lord's praise.
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