How Can We Please God?

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Is it possible to please God, to make him happy? Are God’s feelings toward me affected by anything I can control? Yes! Starting with the truth that God exists and that he created us, the way we think and the way we live our lives, most certainly do affect the way God feels about us. So how can we please God?

To answer this question positively, it is important to first review what we can NOT change about God by anything we think or do. We can NOT change God’s love for us by anything that is within our power to think or do. This may seem like a contradiction to the opening statements in the first paragraph, but that is probably because of the limited understanding we have in modern culture around the word and concept of “love.” It is most often associated with a “feeling” of love.

But when we read the English translations of the Bible and read the English word “love”, there are actually many Greek words (Greek was the language the New Testament was written in) that are translated by our English word for “love.” The three most common ones are: philia, eros, and agape. “Philia” describes a “brotherly” love one has for family and friends. “Eros” describes a passionate or romantic love such as exists between a husband and wife. But the word used for “love” most often in the New Testament is “agape”, which often represents an unconditional love that is completely independent of feelings. It is the word that is used, for example, when Jesus tells his disciples to not hate their enemies, but to love them (see Matthew 5:43-44). Such an act of love is done independent of feelings (who “feels like” loving their enemies?!) It is an act of the will. When Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins as an act of the most supreme love ever demonstrated, the Bible records that he prayed to God to remove that hour of darkness from his life in the moments leading up to that event. He didn’t really “feel” like going through with it. In fact, he was in agony and sweated drops of blood. But he prayed “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) That is an example of agape love, which is a love shown and done independent of “feelings” of love. God loves us with this kind of love, and nothing we do can change that: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

So how do we affect God’s feelings towards us? How do we please him? The verse quoted above in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews states it as plainly and simply as it can be stated: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) This chapter in Hebrews is full of examples of men and women who pleased God through their faith.

As this verse states, faith starts by believing that God exists. This is in contradiction to the foundations of modern culture which are based upon a belief in evolution. Secondly, after we believe that God exists, we must have a proper belief about the way God acts towards us. This is what trips up most people. We must believe that God rewards those who sincerely seek him out. We are dependent and needy creatures created by God, and God is our provider and sustainer. Every breath that we breathe, every drop of blood that our heart pumps, is a gift of life from God who sustains us with his Word. When we need or want things, we must believe that he loves us and is going to give us what we ask and need. When we need things and don’t seek him out, it affects his feelings towards us. We break his heart, just as any child breaks the heart of their parents when they go their own way and trust in people and things that cannot help them, instead of going back to their parents who have the authority and ability to give them everything they need.

One of the best stories Jesus told, as recorded in Luke 15:11-32, is the story of the prodigal son. The story clearly illustrates the principle of love and faith, and how a son can please his father. The prodigal son took his part of his father’s inheritance and left to go spend it in “reckless living,” while the older son stayed home working for his father. Was the father pleased when his son left home to squander his inheritance? No. Did the father ever stop loving his son, even though he was living a sinful life? No! So how did the younger prodigal son end up being able to please his father? He returned to his senses and went back home, having faith that his father would accept him back, even if only as a hired servant. What was the father’s reaction?

And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:21-24)

The father of this prodigal son was pleased that his son came back. The only thing the son had to do to make his father pleased, was to come back home – an act of simple faith. The son believed that his father existed, and that he would reward him if he came back to him. He came back home with nothing! He had squandered all of his inheritance on reckless living, but his position in his father’s family was secure. He could not stop being his father’s son, and he had the benefit as a son to enjoy all the good things of his father’s house. All he had to do was to go back home in faith, believing that his father would receive him and take care of him. I can think of no clearer picture painted in the Bible that illustrates Hebrews 11:6 than this simple, yet profound story that Jesus told.

Now, imagine if the son had first thought to himself: “I cannot go home empty handed! I need to find a better job somewhere so I can pay my father back for all things I took from him.” – and then proceeded to stay away from home for several years until he could earn enough money to pay his father back. Would his father have been pleased with that? No! He just wanted his son to come home!!

Or what if after the son came home, he would have taken off the best robe his father had put on him, and taken off the ring and shoes, and had refused to eat the feast prepared for him, because he wanted to follow through with his plan of living like a slave in his father’s house, because he felt so unworthy of all the nice things his father was doing for him. Would his father have been pleased with that? No! His father would only be pleased with his son if he came back home, and accepted all the wonderful things he wanted to give and do for his son. Nothing else would have pleased the father more.

And yet, that is just how most of us treat God. Some of us don’t believe God would accept us because of certain things in our life, so we don’t come back home to him. Or we come home and try to “make it up to God” for our past mistakes, and we refuse to believe that God would actually just give us good things when we don’t deserve them. We “believe in God,” but we act like slaves instead of his privileged children. The result is that we do not please God, and in fact we break his heart and make him very sad. Not because we are bad people (even though we are!), but because we simply refuse to believe that God could be that good to us, and we refuse to receive what God wants to give us.

So do you want to please God? Do you want to make him happy? There is only one way to do that: go to him and receive everything he wants to give you with simple faith! It does take repentance (a change of mind) and humility. Remember the story of the prodigal son. He became so humiliated that he ended up feeding pigs for a living, and was so hungry he ate the same food he was feeding the pigs. And during that whole time, all he had to do was change his mind (repent), swallow his pride, and run back home to his father to receive all the wonderful blessings that his father had for him in his house. How about you? Do you want to please God? His heart yearns for you…

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (Jesus in John 14:1-3

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The World is Coming to an End!

You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. (Hebrews 1:10-12)

One of the most constant truths found throughout the Bible is that the physical world is corrupted and in the process of decay. This truth is in direct opposition to the belief in evolution which believes that the world is evolving and becoming better.

This statement in the book of Hebrews, which is actually quoted from the Old Testament book of Psalms where it says the same thing, makes it clear that the created earth is wearing out. It is compared to how old clothes wear out with usage and time, and eventually have to be replaced. The old clothes are disposed of and changed. That is exactly what is going to happen to this earth where we currently live.

The earth was not always in this process of decay. The book of Genesis portrays a beautiful, perfect earth with a perfect environment. It was the sin of Adam that changed all that:

And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

This event of rebelling against God upset the entire physical creation, and started the process of decay and death. That process is still in force today. As has been written previously, our only hope is to be recreated spiritually. Those who are born again into the spiritual Kingdom of Jesus as God’s children will get to have new physical bodies which cannot be corrupted in the future, and will be able to live in the new heavens and earth that will replace the current ones. In the meantime, we all suffer from having to live in a corrupted, decaying world:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23)

Unfortunately, those who refuse to accept this truth, and who continue to walk in the kingdom of darkness believing in things that are not true, such as the belief in evolution, will be destroyed along with the current physical world:

They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same Word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (2 Peter 3:4-14)

So make no mistake about this: the world IS coming to an end. No specific day and time is given in the Bible. It just warns us to be ready for it to occur at any time. Many of the writers of the New Testament seemed to think it might happen within their life time, and that was over 2000 years ago. So how much closer and imminent are we today?

But there is one person who knows. As the verses from Hebrews above state, Jesus is always the same, and his years of life will not come to an end. He has already died the physical death and has taken his position in the new kingdom, which exists in the spiritual realm. At the proper time, he will destroy the current physical realm and put into place the new one. Will you be part of it?

…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power… (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)

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How God Speaks to Us Today

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

God speaks. I guess that is the starting point, isn’t it? There is a God who created everything, and he is a communicator. He is not silent. He speaks. He knows every language since he created language. “God’s Word” is the most important reality we can ever know.

The book of Hebrews in the Bible starts out by drawing a distinction between how God spoke to his people in the past, and how he speaks to them today. In previous devotionals we have looked at the nation of Israel when they came out of Egypt to serve God on Mt. Horeb. They heard God speak directly to them for the first time, and they were terrified. They didn’t know God. But they knew that Moses knew God, so they decided that it was just best that Moses do all the talking with God, and then tell them what he said. So Moses became the first prophet to hear the word of God and then relate it to the people. That is basically how God spoke to his people in the past, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out.

But when Jesus came, that all changed. Jesus did not just come as a prophet, like Moses, who reported the word of God. He was, and still is, the Word of God: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

Notice the statements the author of the book of Hebrews makes about Jesus in the first three verses of the book of Hebrews:

1. He is appointed as heir of all things (he owns everything).

2. He made the universe.

3. He is the radiance of God’s glory.

4. He is the exact representation of God’s being or nature.

5. He sustains all things by his powerful word.

The last point is very interesting, because it states that not only did Jesus create life, but that he sustains it by his word. So if Jesus stops talking, we are all doomed! The universe falls apart. I find it interesting that within the field of alternative or natural health, that there is often a lot of emphasis on “energy” and energy patterns. A lot of it is very useful, and some of the practices are very old, such as Chinese acupuncture. But seldom, if ever, do I hear people in these practices encouraging their patients to seek out the source of all energy in the universe, which is a person, and not just a “force.” When Jesus walked on the earth he created, he had complete power over its energy fields, and incredible things happened. People touched him and were instantly healed. Dead people heard his voice and came back to life. Really astounding things occurred through Jesus and the energy of Jesus’ powerful word. And Jesus hasn’t stopped talking.

So today, the Old Testament office of prophets no longer exists, because now anyone can know Jesus directly and become a prophet, knowing God’s word directly from the source! If one is reborn spiritually and walking in the Kingdom of Light and paying attention to their King, they will know God’s Word, who is Jesus. Jesus represents everything God is and what he wants for our lives and for the world we live in. Are we listening to him? Are we getting to know him better by spending time with him? Do you realize that if you are walking among those in darkness as a member of the Kingdom of Light that you are Jesus’ prophet to those walking in darkness? You represent the King. What does he want you to do today? His word upholds the universe. Are you telling people about him, and leading them to the one who sustains their life?

For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

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Who Do You Trust?

I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away... I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel… But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you… Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you… (King David in Psalms 31:9-19)

David is one of the most amazing people in the Bible, because he was a simple person who had a simple faith. We have more text about David than anyone else in scripture, because we have both historical narrative about his life, and numerous Psalms written by David himself which give us great insight into his life. We know about his weaknesses, failures, and sins, since so much is written about him. If there is one person in the Bible that just about everyone can relate to and look up to, it is David. As a young shepherd boy, the youngest of his father’s sons, God took him out of the fields from tending sheep and anointed him as the king of Israel.

David quickly gained fame among his people in his famous encounter in battle with Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior, as recorded in I Samuel 17. Goliath defied the armies of King Saul and they fled from him in fear: “When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.” But David looked at him with the eyes of faith, and years of working faithfully for his father in the field protecting the family’s wealth in their livestock had taught him some important principles about trusting God: “No one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him. I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death. I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. The LORD has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine.”

As this famous story goes, David kills the giant easily and instantly with only a sling and a stone. His trust was not in superior weapons, but in the Lord’s faithfulness to him: "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."

So life for David took a dramatic turn after this great victory. He was pledged to the king’s daughter in marriage, was exempt from taxation, and became a leader in the army. His life was one of fame and fortune after this event, right? No! What followed was a life of intense pain and suffering, of persecution and constant dangers, of facing terror and death on almost a daily basis. The battle in the spiritual realm had just begun.

Even though David had been anointed as the next king, and David enjoyed favor with the people after he defeated Goliath, his predecessor king Saul was not about to give up his power and reign as king so easily. What followed for David was more than 10 years as a fugitive running away from Saul. He lived in caves and had to travel away from his home and country, gathering a band of men who were criminals and misfits to help him in his battles against the enemies of his country, as well as protect him from the attacks of Saul. As has been written previously, when one enters the Kingdom of Light in the spiritual realm, one also enters into an intense battle with the spiritual rulers of the kingdom of darkness. God does NOT take us out of this battle – he gives us power to endure and overcome through our faith and trust in him, understanding that we are co-heirs with Christ to eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. David had faith that one day he would become king, and he even had more than one occasion where he could have killed King Saul, but he put his trust in God waiting for God’s timing to bring everything to pass, in God’s timing, not his own.

It was during these many years of running as a fugitive that David wrote some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible, in the book of Psalms. David recorded some of his most intense experiences of persecution and sickness, of homelessness and betrayal by friends:

“I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away... I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel…” (Psalm 31)

One theme we see over and over again in David’s Psalms is that those who put their trust in the Lord, will never be disappointed. Sickness, for example, is something David suffered constantly during those years on the run. Sometimes he attributes the sickness to his sins, other times it is the result of persecution and just simply following God’s path for his life, and having to deal with intense stress that brought about physical sickness. But his remedy is always the same:

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you. Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me. Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! (selected verses from Psalms 31)

David always ran to the Lord when he was in trouble or sick. His eyes of faith always saw the light at the end of the tunnel, because he trusted in God’s love and God’s purpose for this life. David knew God’s love and experienced it on a daily basis. He was a man that changed the world, because he took God at his word, and never doubted God’s unfailing love for him.

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. (Psalms 6:4)

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. (Psalms 13:4-6)

For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms 21:7)

But just as David’s experience with God’s unfailing love did not end the day he defeated Goliath, so our experience does not end the day we are born again into the Kingdom of Light. We must continue to live in faith, trusting God’s unfailing love for us and engaging in battle with the kingdom of darkness. The spiritual forces ruling in the world today through the kingdom of darkness have set up a world system that is not based on God’s unfailing love and his creation. Today it is based on evolution and man’s own knowledge and achievements. Just as David wrote above, “I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD,” we have our own idols we trust in today, such as science, technology, materialism/wealth, “insurance”, and many other things that are contradictory to trusting in the Lord. If we are trusting in these idols, we are not engaged in battle against the enemy because we are no threat to their kingdom of darkness. It would be like David staying with his sheep on his father’s farm after he had been anointed king, rather than entering into the battle and defeating the giants that got in his way as he trusted in God’s unfailing love to establish the kingdom, the kingdom which was promised to David.

Some of you reading this today are facing your own giants, and you are tempted to react as King Saul and his soldiers did in fear, instead of trusting in the Lord with child-like faith in his unfailing love for you. You lack experience in living inside of God’s love and daily care for you. Others of you reading this are not even in the battle because you trust in things around you that the world system has provided and they have become idols in your life. You are not a threat to the kingdom of darkness, and therefore you have little or no experience in the spiritual battle.

So who are you trusting today? Do you live your life with child-like faith believing that you are in the Kingdom of Light, born again spiritually into God’s family and enjoying his unfailing love? Or are you trusting in the world system around you, which is built upon a foundation of evolution and man’s knowledge, trusting things like the modern medical system which generally believes all sickness is only at the physical level? How about the food you buy to feed yourself and your family? Who are you trusting in when you shop for groceries or eat out? In the US today less than 1% of the population feeds the other 99%, while in the days when Abraham Lincoln was president about 50% of the population was feeding the nation. Are these people supplying our food today worthy of our trust? How about government? Do you trust in the government to take care of you the way the people of Israel did when they went to Samuel and asked for a king to be appointed who would solve all their problems and fight all their battles? How about your financial situation? Who are you trusting for that? Are you trusting in insurance companies and retirement funds along with your employer to take care of you during tough times or emergencies? Are they worthy of your trust?

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes (government). (Psalms 118:8-9)

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Is God Trying to Get Your Attention?

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

The Israelites were about to cross over the Jordan River and start their occupation of the “promised land.” Moses was not going to be leading them any longer. We saw in last week’s devotion that God knew ahead of time that the Israelites would eventually stop serving him and start serving other “gods.” These “gods” were the idols from the wicked nations around them they were supposed to be driving out of the land. So he teaches Moses a song they were supposed to memorize and be able to recall when God’s discipline and judgment came upon them. We saw last week that at the beginning of the song it starts with several statements about God’s character that we need to understand and believe if we are going to have a healthy relationship with God. We must understand that God is perfect, fair, and always right and just in his actions.

So after the song’s verses about God’s character, it makes some statements about God’s people, the believers: “They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5)

When we wander away from God, we are always the ones who move. God is described several times here as a “rock”, something sure and unmovable. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Even though God had done wonderful things for the Israelites by delivering them from their slavery in Egypt, and taking care of them in the desert for 40 years, and then leading them into the rich “promised land” to inherit wonderful possessions that they had not worked for or earned, he knew they would still stop following and serving him and start serving the gods of the nations around them. So this is God’s response to their unfaithfulness:

Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? (Deuteronomy 32:6)

If the Israelites living under the Law of Moses were foolish for abandoning God, their Creator, how much more those of us today who have been reborn spiritually and have had all of our sins forgiven and wiped clean by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross? If you are suffering today from a health challenge or some other challenges that are making your life difficult, the first question you should ask yourself is: “Have I wandered away from God?” Is he trying to get your attention?

The next section of the song is verses 7 to 14, where God instructs them to remember how much he blessed them and watched over them in the past. We would be wise to do the same thing. When life gets rough, take time to remember God’s faithfulness to you, and all the times in the past you have benefited from his blessings. Ask God why his blessings have been withheld from you. Remember that it is okay to complain (in faith) to God. He is pleased when you come to him looking for answers.

The next section of the song is verses 15 to 18, which shows that it is God’s people who move away from him by serving other gods. The gods and idols in 21^st century western culture are science, technology, medicine and wealth. We live in a society built upon evolutionary belief. God’s statement to the Israelites applies to his people today just as much as it did back then: “You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.” (Deuteronomy 32:18) Notice again the reference to God as “the Rock,” the one who does not change or move. We are the ones who move away from him.

Verses 19 to 21 then tell us God’s reaction:

The LORD saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. "I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols.” (Deuteronomy 32:19-21)

Are we making God angry and jealous today with our idols? Is it possible that God stands by ready and waiting to heal and comfort his children, but we turn instead to our idols of medicine, science, and technology thereby preventing God from working in our lives?

Verses 22 to 27 explain how God judges the ungodly and rebellious, and how he disciplines his children. It’s ugly. It is his last resort to get their attention. You don’t want to get to this point in your relationship to God, but I am afraid that some who read this may unfortunately already be there. If so, you need to turn to him in humility and listen to what he has to say to you! He is trying to get your attention!

Verses 28 to 38 then go on to explain the purpose of God’s discipline, which is to knock some sense into his children so that they return and start following him again: “If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” (Deuteronomy 32:29) If we don’t turn away from our current path in such a situation, we are heading down a path of destruction.

Verses 39 to 43 ends the song by explaining that God always wins and always accomplishes his purposes, whether we follow him or not: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Unfortunately, most of us today are taught to explain things away through evolutionary eyes, viewing disasters, calamities, sickness, etc. as just “natural” causes. We therefore look for "natural" and man-made solutions, and seldom consider if God is trying to get our attention through such events and circumstances. This song that God gave to Moses to remind the people of their relationship to God holds the same truths for us today. A loving father will always discipline his children for their own good, and that is just as true with our relationship to God today as it was during the days of Moses:

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5-13)

Is God trying to get your attention today? Are you ignoring him by explaining things away as natural causes, or turning to remedies and solutions for physical problems that might have spiritual roots? Only God truly holds the power for healing and restoration, and for life and death. So if he is trying to get your attention right now, it is in your best interest to give it to him!

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Is the Way You Think About God Healthy?

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. (Deuteronomy 32:1-4)

Moses was 120 years old, and his time to leave had come. He had led the nation out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years. The next generation was now ready to go in and take the “promised land.”

As has been noted in a previous devotional, the people were able to enter and live in the promised land not because they were good people who deserved it, but because God was merciful and because he was fulfilling his promise to their forefather Abraham. They were in fact a stubborn and rebellious people. God knew that after they entered the land and had settled down there, that they would quickly stop serving him:

Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give. (Deuteronomy 31:19-21)

God gave Moses a song to teach them, so that when they were disciplined by God after they stopped listening to him and served other gods instead, they would remember the song and it would remind them who they were and who God was, and it would teach them how to repent and turn back to God.

This song teaches incredible principles about God and our relationship to him, and we have much to learn from it today! Notice how the introduction of the song begins in chapter 32 of Deuteronomy: Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD.

God’s words are life and nourishment to us. Just as God gives nourishment to the ground by providing rain for plants that allow them to grow, so he provides teaching to us that is nourishment that allows us to grow spiritually and enjoy a healthy relationship with him. The Israelites had learned this when they lived in the desert for 40 years, eating the spiritual food God provided from heaven. (For more on “spiritual food,” see the previous devotional on this topic.)

This special song written to bring the people back to God then makes several statements about God to begin the song: Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

If we are going to serve God and understand his purpose for our life, so that we can experience life and health, we must have a proper understanding of who God is. This statement at the beginning of this song states four things about God that we must understand and believe if we want to be healthy:

1. His works are perfect. God doesn’t make mistakes. The original world and universe that God created was perfect, including man. The problems we face in life today are the result of the choices the created beings have made. We messed things up, but they are not God’s fault. We can’t blame God for mistakes we have made, or for suffering from the results of mistakes others before us have made, which has resulted in a messed up world. God did not create bad things, but he does redeem them and he has a plan for the present and for the future to make things right again. We are imperfect, but God is not.

2. His ways are just. While God is a merciful God abounding in love and grace, he is also a just God. While life may be unfair, God is not. He does not show favoritism or change the rules. In order for him to be merciful to us and not give us what we deserve, justice had to be served. The punishment due to us was put on Jesus, the only perfect and good man to ever walk the earth. He didn’t deserve death on a cross, but willingly took it upon himself so that God’s justice would be served on him instead of us. We are eternally indebted to him, and can never make a claim that any of God’s ways are not fair.

3. He is a faithful God who does no wrong. God doesn’t forget about us even if we forget about him! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is a solid unmovable rock that we can always depend upon. Being perfect, he does not make mistakes or mess things up. He can do no wrong. So while circumstances in life may change, God does not. He remains faithful to his promises and to his word, and we can depend upon him to always be the same God who loves us and cares for us, even when we turn our back on him.

4. He is upright and just. The word used for “upright” in Deuteronomy 32:4 is a Hebrew word that Moses used often in his writing, usually in referring to actions of people, in choosing or doing the “right” thing as opposed to the “wrong” thing. Some examples:

If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer. (Exodus 15:26)

And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 6:18)

You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:8)

…if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 13:18)

God is always right, he is never wrong. When Moses ruled over the nation of Israel teaching them the laws of God and judging disputes, he appointed “chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.” These men were “men who feared God, who were trustworthy and hated a bribe.” If any matter was beyond their ability, or presumably if the judgments were not well received, they went to Moses to decide. (Exodus 18:21) Many legal systems in society today are based on similar principles, with lower courts in districts and then higher courts and judges, and finally a highest court of the land, or in the US a “Supreme Court.” But such a legal system is not 100% accurate, because the judges have to judge based on the evidence presented to them, and it is nearly impossible to know and possess all the facts. And the judges themselves are imperfect human beings.

Not so with God! He knows everything and has all the facts. So he is always right, and he is always fair. If you are not happy with God’s judgments, there is no higher authority to appeal to! You will have to be the one to change, not him.

God knew that once the people entered the promised land and received the inheritance he had prepared for them, that they would eventually stop serving him and serve other gods, breaking their covenant with himself. This would result in God’s judgment. The purpose of God’s judgment is always to bring his people back into a relationship with himself and begin serving him again. So this song was given to Moses to remind them who God was, and why they should be serving him instead of other gods.

These truths about God don’t change, because God doesn’t change. If we want a healthy life today, we must believe and have proper thinking about God so we can know him and have a relationship with him, finding meaning and purpose in our life.

These four truths about God are in direct opposition to the teaching and thinking about evolution that modern society is founded upon. Those starting with a belief in evolution view life and circumstances from a viewpoint that is contradictory to the views of God and his character. Instead of believing in a God who is perfect and in control, evolution sees a system that is evolving through impersonal natural forces, eliminating the weak and imperfect in favor of the strong (survival of the fittest.) Instead of trusting in a faithful God, it sees a “dog eat dog” world where one has to “look out for number 1” - ourselves. Instead of trusting a God who is right and just, evolution sees the strong and more “evolved” eliminating the imperfect and weak, passing judgment based on power and strength rather than moral laws based on a Creator’s character and the existence of a “final judge” that is higher than the man-made courts here on earth. Evolution offers no real hope, because things are constantly changing and evolving, and there is no master plan or higher power controlling things. One must find their self-worth by comparing themselves to others, resulting in either arrogance (I am better than most people and know more than most) or feeling weak and helpless (most people are better than me and I need others to take care of me, like the government or the medical system.) Both extremes are unhealthy belief systems leading us away from a relationship with God, quite often resulting in sickness and disease.

So what is the belief system that affects your thinking today? Is the way you think about God healthy? Do you believe that we are created by God in his image as part of his “perfect works”, that he rules over the universe controlling everything in a fair and honest manner bringing about justice at the proper time, and being faithful to love and save those who trust in him? Or do you believe God is inactive and passive, allowing the natural forces of evolution to take place where everyone must fight for themselves, with the strong and healthy surviving, and the weak and feeble being eliminated? One belief system results in a healthy life and a strong relationship with God, and the other one results in loneliness and a weak relationship with God (if one exists at all) with a life often dominated by sickness. Even if you intellectually believe in God as the Creator, it is highly likely that many of your thoughts are based upon an evolution foundation which you are not even consciously aware of. If you are sick and are only seeking physical solutions to your health problems, for example, a change in the way you think about God and his control over your health might be in order. What you think and how you view the circumstances in your life has a profound effect upon your physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Some verses in the Bible about our thoughts and what we think:

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. (Matthew 15:18-20)

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (1 Corinthians 2:11-14)

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

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He Will Never Leave You!

He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

The time was drawing close for the Israelites to finally cross the Jordan River and take possession of the “promised land.” But their leader for the past 40 years, Moses, was not going with them. He was 120 years old now, and he was not going to be the one to lead them into the promised land. So he reminds both the people and Joshua, their new head, who it was that actually was going to be with them and leading them.

To the nation he says: “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan.' The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken… Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:2-6)

To Joshua: Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)

Later, the Lord would speak directly to Joshua and tell him the same thing. God was clearly telling his people to go in and take the promised land, and no matter what the opposition looked like, he wanted them to be sure they knew that he would never leave them, and that they had no reason to be afraid of any difficulties they might face.

How about today? For those of us entering into Jesus’ kingdom, the Kingdom of Light, does this promise apply to us also? Yes! Jesus said:

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote the same truth for us today: He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU. (Hebrews 13:5)

As has been written previously, when we enter the Kingdom of Jesus through rebirth, a spiritual kingdom at present, we become a minority people in this world. When we listen to his voice each day and walk the path he has laid out before us, we find it is a very narrow path that very few are walking. The spiritual forces in the kingdom of darkness unleash all their power against us, trying to get us off that narrow path. We go against the crowd, with much opposition.

But what a wonderful promise, a sure promise that we can depend upon each day, that Jesus our King will never leave us, that he will be by our side every moment, and that we have nothing to fear! Think of the incredible implications of such a truth:

• No matter how lonely or abandoned you feel, Jesus is by your side 24/7 intimately concerned about everything you are doing! I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
  

• He is the eternal light switch that we can turn to at anytime and flip on, to shine a light on our path if it becomes dark and we find we have lost our way, or made some wrong turns in life. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)
  

• When we find ourselves in a mess due to our own stupidity or selfishness, and when all others have turned against us or are angry at us, he is right there beside us still loving us and accepting us in spite of our mistakes. I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. (Hebrews 10:17)
  

• When we feel guilty for giving in to temptation, and feel “dirty” because of some things we may have said or done, he is right beside us ready to forgive and cleanse us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
  

• When we feel tired and our problems seem to overwhelm us, he walks beside us and offers to carry all our burdens. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
  

• When life in this world treats us unfairly, he walks beside us reminding us that he rules in the spiritual realm, and that justice will ultimately be served in his court one day because he rules over all the nations. Indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8)
  

• When we are sick and weak, he feels our pain, having already suffered to the point of death on a cross for our sins. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) We can turn to him at any time for strength and healing. And many followed him, and he healed them all…. (Matthew 12:15)
  

• When we are facing financial difficulties, he walks beside us reminding us who we are, and that we are co-heirs with him as owners of the universe: The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ… He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:16,17,32)
  

• He understands the grief of a lost loved one. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled… Jesus wept. (John 11:32-35)
  

• He knows and understands the betrayal of a close friend. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." (Matthew 26:21)

Yes, Jesus has promised to never leave us, and has assured us that we do not have to be afraid. But he wants us to turn to him each day not only when we are in need, but also when we are happy and rejoicing in the good gifts that he gives to us, recognizing that everything we enjoy in life is a gift from God: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17) Do you appreciate him? Can we ever thank him enough for loving us when we don’t deserve it, and for giving to us a place in his kingdom? Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

The Israelite’s struggles did not end the day they finally entered the promised land. In fact, they were just beginning! There were giants in the land living in fortified cities that were not going to just hand things over to them. But God made it clear that they were not to fear them, and that he would never leave or abandon them.

The same is true today. When we enter the spiritual kingdom of Jesus through spiritual rebirth, we receive a great inheritance, but our struggles are just beginning. The king of darkness and his spiritual forces will not just hand their territory over to us. They will oppose us and seek to destroy us. But Jesus walks by our side with a power the opposition cannot overcome. Light always overcomes darkness. Therefore we have nothing to fear, because Jesus will never leave us! So be sure you are walking in the light, and not stumbling in the darkness. Turn to Jesus today and trust him, by following his leading!

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

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