Kingdom Quality

UV 767/10,000 Kingdom Quality “On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.” I Thessalonians 2 v 4 We are called not to be men-pleasers but God-pleasers. He has entrusted us with the secrets of the Kingdom of God- the gospel. He expects us to be good stewards of the work and the mysteries of the gospel that He has revealed to us. A good steward or servant aims to please his master and is faithful to him even when he is not present. Joseph was faithful to his master Potiphar and was able to resist and flee from the advances of the latter’s adulterous wife. He did so because he feared God who he knew was testing his heart. There is no need to sugar-coat the gospel. You got to tell people what is the bad news before you can tell them what is the good news. It might not be pleasing to people when we talk of their sin and the need for salvation but we are to share the truth with our conversation always salted with grace. We do not do or speak things to win the approval or to gain popularity with people. Once the Lord told me, “ You are not a man-pleaser but a God-pleaser.” It is easier to please men as we can flatter them or wear a mask of deceit. We can be mere eye-pleasers. We try to look good in the eyes of men. We try to please our seniors or bosses only when they are around and watching. It does not mean that we go all out and displease all the people we come across but that we do not go out of our way to please them by telling them only what they want to hear. Neither should we do only lip service with regard to the Word. We should be willing to make sacrifices and to pay the price when necessary. We must minister with the Word skilfully and in a wholesome way. I once wrote these lines, “ Gospel-go spell it out, In the way you live, Don’t talk of hell, No need to yell.” With God, He knows our innermost thoughts, our motives, our desires, our fears, our hopes, our strengths, our limitations, our need, our experiences and our potential. When we delight in His Word and in doing His will, we cause delight in Him. The Lord sometimes tests us when He allows satan to tempt us. He will see which way our heart is inclined. Is it inclined to please our own flesh-nature or is it inclined to please Him? He also tests the strength of our faith to see if we will endure a time of trial and suffering. He observes what do we give priority to in our daily lives. He reads our thoughts and knows our emotions and leads us in His righteous paths. He checks the integrity of our hearts –whether we are wholly committed to Him. Indeed, everything we speak and do should bear a stamp on it, “ Kingdom Quality.” Prateep V Philip