Enjoying God's Best # 3

Enjoying God's Best # 3

It was predicted of the Messiah that "Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist" (Isaiah 11:5); and we are told that since He loved righteousness and hated iniquity, "therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows" (Psalm 45:7). Alas that so many have completely lost the balance between God's sovereignty, and God's righteousness.

It is His righteousness which regulates all His dealings with the sons of men now, as it is "he who will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31) in the Day to come. It is His righteousness which requires God to punish vice and reward virtue; and therefore, does He bless His obedient children and chasten His refractory ones. The central thing which we wish to make clear in this article, and to impress upon the reader - is that God has established an inseparable connection between holiness and happiness, between our pleasing of Him and our enjoyment of His richest blessing; that since we are always the losers by sinning, so we are always the gainers by walking in the paths of righteousness; and that there will be an exact ratio between the measure in which we walk therein and our enjoyment of "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11). "I will be careful to lead a blameless life; I will walk in my house with blameless heart!" (Psalm 101"2). "Thus you will walk in the ways of good men - and keep to the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:20).

God has declared "those who honor Me - I will honor", and that expresses the general principle which we are here seeking to explain and illustrate - namely, that God's governmental dealings with us - are regulated by our attitude toward Him and our conduct before Him; for in proportion as we honor the Lord - so will He honor us. But suppose we fail to honor God, suppose we do not obtain from Him that grace which He is ever ready to give unto those who earnestly seek it in a right way - what then? Why, we shall not enter into His best for us; we shall miss it. For as the same verse goes on to tell us, "and those who despise Me - shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Sam. 2:30).

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful!" (Joshua 1:8). That expresses in plain and simple language the basis on which we may enter into and enjoy God's best for us. The believer is not to be regulated by his own inclinations or lean unto his own understanding; he is not to be governed by any consideration of expediency or the pleasing of his fellows - but seek to please God in all things, being actuated by a "thus says the Lord" in everything he does. Nothing less than full and constant obedience to God - is what is required of him!

However distasteful to the flesh, whatever sneers it may produce from carnal professors, the Christian must rigidly and perpetually act by the rule that God has given him to walk by. In so doing, he will be immeasurably the gainer; for the path of obedience - is the path of prosperity!

Conformity unto the revealed will of God may indeed entail trial; nevertheless, it will be richly compensated in this life, both in spiritual and temporal bounties. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon, that the path of God's precepts - is the way of blessing. Though the treading thereof incurs the frowns of the profane world, and the criticism of many in thew professing world - yet it ensures the smile and blessing of our Master! Those words, "for then you shall make your way prosperous" (Jos. 1:8), are from the mouth of "the God of truth" (Isaiah 85:16) and are to be received by us without the slightest quibbling, and treasured in our hearts.

The "prosperity" does not always immediately appear, for faith has to be tried and patience developed; yet in the long run, it will most surely be found that in keeping the divine commandments, "there is great reward" (Psalm 19:11). So Joshua found it: he adhered strictly to the divine Law, and God crowned his labors with success; and that, dear reader, is recorded for our encouragement. Yet if we would prosper as Joshua did, then we must act as he did! That conditional promise made to Joshua was very far from being a special one made to him only - rather does it belong equally to every servant and child of God, for His governmental ways have been the same in all dispensations. From the beginning of human history, it has always been true; and to the very end of history, it will continue so to be, that "no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 4)