Do Not Reject God’s Counsel for Yourself

Do Not Reject God’s Counsel for Yourself

“And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.” Luke 7:29-30.

Like the Pharisees, many people have rejected and still reject God’s counsel for themselves, for they do not want to justify God. The people and the tax collectors justified God. They acknowledged their sins and thus received forgiveness for their sins. That was God’s counsel with them.

Paul said to the Ephesians that he had “not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Acts 20:27. The temptation is to hide some of God’s counsel, and we can ask ourselves why that is so. The answer is that people must have a spirit of acknowledgment; we must justify God so that His counsel for us can be brought to fruition.

The children of Israel who left Egypt rejected the counsel of God for themselves. They did not enter the Promised Land. They did not justify God in how He led them. They murmured when God led them in such a way that they lacked water and meat. When they came up against something they did not understand and that did not suit them, they did not justify God but rejected His counsel for themselves. Only Joshua and Caleb entered the land. They believed God and justified Him.

Saul rejected God’s counsel for himself. He did not justify God when he did not kill Amalek and everything that was fine and good in the land. He spared what he liked. He rejected God’s counsel for himself, and the kingdom was given to David.

Joseph, on the other hand, justified God and His counsel for Joseph was fulfilled. It cost him sore trials and reproaches to enter into God’s counsel for himself. He did not murmur against God when he was sold as a slave or when he was thrown into prison, despite the fact that he had done what was good. He justified God in His way with himself. Therefore God could advance him to become a prince in Egypt and keep his father and siblings alive.

What is God’s counsel for us? His counsel for us is “whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom. 8:29.

It costs something to enter into God’s counsel for us. Therefore we read in verse 28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” We can often think that God’s way with us is strange, and that many things are to our disadvantage. Then many people murmur; but if you don’t want God’s counsel for yourself to be in vain, you will have to justify Him. You must humble yourself under His mighty hand; then all things will work together for your good.

Jesus received His training here in this world. This is where He was tried and was perfected; He is the author and finisher of our faith. God alone knows the way on which He will lead us so that we can be conformed to Jesus’ image. If we justify Him in all His leading and are thankful for all things, then His counsel for us will be fulfilled.

Jesus said that if anyone wants to follow Him he has to forsake everything and hate his own life. Only a few will justify Him in this. They think it is pointless to forsake everything. Young people say, “We must have some liberty; we are young and can’t go around like old people; it’s not sin doing this, is it?” etc. Many people would like to follow Jesus and also be His servants, and even be considered spiritual, but they don’t justify Jesus when it comes to taking up their cross. They can be nice, polished citizens like the Pharisees were, but they will not become spiritual or be the Lord’s servants.

People need to wake up and begin to think like this: “Am I not destined for anything else than to become offended, be envious, anxious, critical, self-indulgent, or just be concerned for myself?” Yes, He has chosen you in Him before the world was made so that you might be holy and blameless before His face, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph. 1:4-6. But then you have to be in a spirit of acknowledgment and justify God. You must put an end to living a life of self-indulgence and take up your cross each day, deny yourself, and give thanks to God the Father for all things. Then all things will work together for your good—they will mold you to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and you will be to His glory and praise. Then God’s counsel for you is bound to be fulfilled. You will be a member of the body of Christ, and you will have a ministry. Perhaps God’s counsel for you is to be an apostle, a prophet, a teacher, a shepherd, someone who can help and share, etc. Therefore do not reject God’s counsel for yourself.