When God looks at you from above what do you think is his reaction toward you? Do you put a smile or glare on his face? This is a question that almost all of us have had at some point.
You may have at one point wondered if you are a favourite of your parents or the school teacher or any other important person that you are in close connection with. It’s very natural for humans to have that thought in their minds and most importantly when it comes to knowing our stand before God.
Let’s face it and to be quite frankly it’s either one of the two. God either smiles or frowns at the site of me and you. Why is it so you may wonder? The Bible tells us God has enemies and friends the devil excluded.
Matt 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
What makes God have enemies and friends? It’s because God is about some business. Like any other business, he has an aim, values, and goals to achieve, and therefore possible forces are working against him. What business is God running you may wonder and what forces are working against him? Here is the answer Jesus gave us.
John 5:17-21
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working”… 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
What business does the above text suggest? God is definitely in the business of saving souls that are lost and perishing in this sin-sick world. Whilst on this earth Jesus also once said
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Jesus saw his father do all this and so he performed likewise. You and I should team up with them and get the job done. If we are not workers together with Christ then the opposite is true. God is sowing seeds of righteousness and we are but the enemy who comes at night to sow weeds that disturb the growth of God’s chosen ones. Do you think that can warrant a smile from God? The answer is by no means.
Let me draw you to one interesting topic that will show you how God feels about some of us when he looks upon us every day. Read with me the following text.
Jer 35:1-10
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: 2 “Go to the Recabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.” 3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons — the whole family of the Recabites.
4 I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the men of the Recabite family and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.
7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’ 8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab son of Recab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab commanded
Why did God order Jeremiah thus? What lesson was he trying to put across here? This next text has a sure answer.
Jer 35:12-17
Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 13 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord. 14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. 15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.
16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me: 17 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.
The words in the above text show that God was being overlooked and reviled by the people that he had delivered out of slavery and done so much for. He was running out of patience. God was angry at the fact that a family had been keeping a deceased man’s command with great exactness and dedication yet his’ the Sovereign, immortal and eternal one was disregarded. How embarrassing that may have been for Jeremiah and the whole of Israel.
The expression “I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them,” shows how God was let down by their actions. The next decision God makes about the Rechabite family will show you the kind of people God smiles upon.
Jer 35:19
And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you: Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.
The house of Rechab was elevated into the priesthood because of obedience shown to their father’s commandment. Obedience is a practice. It does not matter which side in the great controversy you are on. Some people think going to church makes them God’s friends but alas! No, because a person out there in the world who knows how to obey and practice their father’s commandments is by far better than you and me when we disregard God’s commands undee his watch.
God is no respecter of persons. He is an accurate judge of character. To a believer or non-believer, obedience can only mean one thing to God and that is when a command is given will a person carry it up to expectation, if not they are not even fit to carry his holy law.
The difference between us and unbelievers is how we are both able to perform before God. The same commandment that God has made known to me if given to an unbeliever and they perform it up to expectation then who would we say is an unbeliever between us?
There are people out there in the world who are obedient to the dark world only because they have not known the truth but the day God sheds light on them there will be high performers than the priests themselves.
When God looks at you today what does he see? Does he see his mission accomplished or not? If neither of the two what do you think is his reaction towards you?
He certainly has no kind words for you just like he were with the Jews. To earn God’s respect we are to practice complete obedience to his words as he commanded the Jews. This and only this could put a smile on his face the next time he looks down at us.
Deut 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
God bless you and may he help us to adhere to his word of life.
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