Well-pleasing Unto Him.

by S.S.Jardine | Category: General | Feb 1936

No greater and nobler aim could occupy the mind and heart of the saint than to be well-pleasing unto the Lord. This was the aim of the Apostle Paul and his fellows, as he says, in writing to the Corinthians

"Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto Him" (2 Corinthians 5. 9).

'These words are extremely weighty, when considered in the light of the solemn and heart-searching truth contained in those which follow

"For we must all be made manifest before the judge- meat-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

The day "-THE DECLARATION DAY-, when the work of each builder shall be made manifest, decided for Paul the manner of life he should live here on earth (see 1 Corinthians 3. 10-15). Following upon his questions to the Romans-" why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? " he says, "for we shall all stand before the judgement-seat of God. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14. 10-] 2). How intensely solemn and individual! Surely the contemplation of our manifestation and of our work should cause our hearts to cry out-" Draw me; we will run after Thee" (The Song of Songs 1. 4).

Reverting to 2 Corinthians 5. we see that faith is the important factor in being well-pleasing unto the Lord, verse 7, " We walk by faith, not by sight (or appearance)." The concise' history of Enoch's life emphasizes this all-important truth. Enoch, as a "walker with God," shines as a bright example for us, as one who walked with God, by faith, in a lamentably dark day. See Genesis 5. 21-24 ; Hebrews 11. 5. The Spirit's deduction therefrom is, " And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him" (Hebrews 11. 6). Faith in God finds God to be its Rewarder. In 1 Thessalonians 3. "Your faith " is mentioned five times, and chapter 4. begins with the significant words :-" Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk: that ye abound more and more."

In chapter 4. of 2 Corinthians Paul says, "While we look not at the things which arc seen, but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporal ; but the things which are not seen are eternal." What we are looking at-" temporal things " or " eternal things," places us either in the class of" sight-walkers "or in the class of" faith-walkers." How fitting, in this connection, are the Lord's words- "For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also"Matthew 6. 21.

The lives of Abraham and of Lot respectively, serve as illustrations of the two kinds of walk. Abraham walked by faith; Lot walked by sight, The issue of each life was tremendously different. It can be said truly of Abraham, "considering the issue of his life (manner of life), imitate his faith" (Hebrews 13. 7). The sad ending to Lot's life (Genesis 19.) teaches us the awful consequences of walking by sight. Over Genesis 19. could be aptly written the New Testament word-" saved; yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3. 15).

Let us visualize the scene which depicts their separation the one from the other. They are standing together on the mountain, on the east of Bethel; a choice has to be made: "Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. So Lot chose him all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other" (Genesis 13. 10, 11). This journeying east marked departure from God and very soon Lot's tent was moved as far as Sodom, and finally he gave up the tent-life to dwell in a house in Sodom (Genesis 19. 2). Lot forsook the way of the man of faith, and this is but an indication of having forsaken the Lord (see, for the 1)ri1~eiple, 2 Timothy 4. 10).

Unlike Lot, Abraham left his choice with God, who said, after Lot had separated from him : " Lift up now thine eyes, etc. The original call to Abraham was to leave his country, his kindred and his father's house and to go to the land of promise alone. His father and Lot had decided that they would go with him; since then his father had died, and now Lot has departed, God now can give to Abraham very precious promises, and later God said to Abraham: "I am ... thy exceeding great reward " (Genesis 15. 1). Abraham lived by faith and died in faith: may it be ours to follow in the steps of faith, and thus indeed to be well-pleasing unto Him.

S.S.Jardine | Feb 1936
General