God doesn’t necessarily reward good or wicked deeds immediately. He waits. There has to be a waiting period. Evil hearts could be concealed under good deeds. If God rewarded right choices immediately, everyone would be rushing to do it for rewards and not because they want to please Him. He allows mistakes to be made and waits for hearts to be revealed. He waits and punishes the wicked after it is demonstrated that they have been exposed to the truth and have had the opportunity to know and do better.
If we had it our way, we would want to see our enemies immediately hurt or deleted.
We should all be thankful that he doesn’t render immediate judgement or justice for every mistake we make. We must do the right thing even when no one is watching. He’s watching to see who really wants to pursue righteousness. Those who truly want to pursue Him and His Kingdom. He wants us to do right even when everyone else is doing wrong. Even when people are doing the wrong thing to us.
We can’t do right only when it’s convenient for us. We must do what is right all the time. He expects us to be holy and do the right thing even in the midst of unholiness and unrighteousness. God is righteous. He’s holy. He’s just and the Righteous Judge. He has a purpose when He waits to judge evil. It may seem like they are getting away with something, but they are not. There is a day of reckoning.
The reason is concealed from us. He’s the only one who knows how to administer justice and rewards; Not if He will, but when He will. He’s the only one who knows how and when. When Aaron’s sons encroached on His holiness, they received instant judgement and justice. It was immediate death. One thing we can learn from Aaron’s two oldest sons Nadab and Abihu is the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Their story also teaches us that we can’t try to do things our way, but God’s way.
I couldn’t help but think of Korah’s rebellion and Yahweh’s judgement/wrath against Him. He allowed the ground to open and swallow him up along with his clan/company/possessions. A total of 3,000 people perished that day. God consumed them all in one moment (Numbers 16). Moses’s prayers could not save them this time.
Numbers 14:18 – ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
To those who love Him: Deuteronomy 7:9-16 NKJV -“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them.
Read Amos 5:24.
Respecting God’s holiness is a prerequisite to becoming holy. Even as He is holy. We as God’s people must strive for holiness.
We should acknowledge Him in every thought, deed and every aspect of our lives. God will never forget our labor of love and will give us beauty for ashes joy for mourning praise for heaviness!
Pursue righteousness!
When we choose to do wrong, we know that in the future we will reap some bitter fruit.
There is always a purpose for what God does.
Emulate our God! Be Holy as our God is Holy! With His power/word we can be Holy (Set apart).
This is what holiness looks like:
Reverence for parents.
No tail bearing.
Treating a stranger with respect.
Equal justice, not social justice. Equal justice for all.
Equal justice for the rich and the poor alike.
An abhorrence for the things that are unclean.
Not placing A stumbling block before your brother.
Consideration of the needy.
Give him prompt wages for reasonable work.
Dealing with our fellowman honorably.
Dealing kindly with our neighbor.
Put everything behind and focus on what God has called us to be and do.
Turn the page. Winter has gone and springtime is here.
Continue to do what is right and what is holy! He has a way of encouraging us in subtle ways through the process and saying I’m with you if you just look around. He encourages us along the way to say I’m with you and continue to do what is right. Serving God pays off in the long run.
There is always a purpose for what He does even when we don’t see it or understand what is going on. In time, He will demonstrate His righteousness and His purpose. in a way that’s visible to us. In the meantime, He’s still active. He’s still working. He just doesn’t always let us see exactly what He is doing. We must trust His judgment. We must trust that He knows what He’s doing. You must have confidence in that. He knows what he’s doing, even though we can’t comprehend it. Even though the purpose is not revealed. Our future is taking shape. We don’t always recognize his handiwork.
Always pursue holiness, even if you are not being rewarded right here, right now.
The Lord Y’shua has promised that when we leave everything to follow Him, we will receive a hundred-fold blessing in this life and the life to come along with persecutions though.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you! ”Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10: 27-31
We must do what is right in the face of adversity, in the face of resistance knowing full well that when we do this one-day God will make it very obvious who has kept His word, His will and who He has loved (Revelation 3:7-8).
He’s been watching and observing. His eyes are going to and fro on the ones who are going to follow Him and embrace righteousness; Those who are faithful, walking in obedience to Him and striving to do what’s right despite what everyone else is doing. That even includes doing right even to those who have done you wrong. There is a day coming when everybody will see that He loves you. The judgment of God is altogether righteous and true. Let’s continue to strive to do what is right in His eyesight. It’s up to those of us who are spiritually mature to hold up and teach those who are weak and falling behind.
*Note – Parts of this writing is taken from Bill Cloud’s teachings