He Knows

God "will give to each person according to what he has done."  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  Romans 2:6-8

Around this time of year, many organizations spend time talking about raises and bonuses.  A lot of people focus on what they have, and are grateful for what they are to receive.  However, some are frustrated over the promotion they were passed over for or the increase that was not as great as they thought it would be.  They may get upset saying they don’t understand how one person got this, and they ‘only’ got that.  Early in my teens, I would have been one of those individuals always thinking that I should have gotten more.  However, my father taught me valuable lessons on getting things.  He said to not focus on what others have.  Instead, focus on those things that make you happy.  Furthermore, he told me not to get into who makes what.  Instead, focus hard on my own work, and the rest will take care of itself.  Now I won’t say that I got the message right away.  However when I did, my life seemed to get in order.  My family was never wanting and always safe.  I continued to grow in my job role.  Even the house that thought I’d never get suddenly became not only affordable but also available!  There is no doubt that my father knew what he was talking about.  But of course, he was a Christian long before I made that decision, and just as his father before him, somehow, he knew.

In understanding what God gives us, we are to always be thankful.  When reading these verses, it feels like one of those ‘faith by works’ verses, which we know is not how God operates.  However as the replay referee would say, “After further review,” these verses speak of ‘those who by persistence in doing good seek.’  If we seek for ourselves, God will be filled with wrath and anger, and the things we get have diminishing returns.  But if we focus on those things such as His glory, honoring Him, and focusing on eternal life, we will make decisions that are indeed ‘Godly.’  We are not focused on those things that are worldly at all.  We seek to please God, and trust that He will take care of us.  My pastor talked about tithing a few weeks ago.  I wasn’t always a tither, and even today I feel I could do better.  But thanks to a great friend, I learned to give faithfully.  This is not to either criticize those who haven’t given nor elevate me above others.  It is just about God and me.  My focus is on both my relationship with God and whether I have done His will or not.  I trust Him to take care of things, and then all works out for the best – His best, not mine.

If our life is in alignment with God’s will, all things fall into place.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Job that says, “ . . . the Lord gave, and the Lord have taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)  It is an understanding that we have in essence no control over what goes on around us.  The only thing we control is how we choose to praise the Lord.  Let us do our best to give all we can to glorify and honor our eternal God.  What have you been holding from God?  How can you seek more in your relationship with God?  My prayer is that we spend less time worrying about others and more time focusing on God because He knows.  Amen.