God Is A Genius

This morning I was continuing my reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians and he is talking about Christ being preached, as follows:

Philippians 1:15-18 NIV
[15] "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. [16] The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. [17] The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. [18] But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Recently I was listening to Graham Cooke speak about the Lord, how He just isn't that worried about our mistakes. He doesn't get real upset about pretty much anything, as He is God and He will always find a way. I was brought back to that line of thinking by Paul's writing above, which is really quite interesting. He is talking about the heart motives of people who are out there preaching about Jesus, and how it didn't really matter to him whether they were doing so out of some selfish ambition or not. I would think that as one with pure motives, and who constantly was preaching ad instructing and living the example of a pure Christian life, Paul would be upset by those that were looking to profit by the Gospel, but he puts that issue in its proper place behind the preaching of the Gospel, which is right.

So often we are quick to judge a person for an area where we disagree, being quick to pass judgment on their theology or area of life where they are not in alignment with the will of the Lord, and overlook the vast importance of their works in furthering the Kingdom. That doesn't men we ignore the issues, but it does mean that we need to keep a proper perspective. Paul put the advancement of the Kingdom before heart issues of the ones preaching.

It is quite clear that God can use sinners to do His will, as we are all sinners, and He doesn't have a choice. Secondly, He can always turn bad and difficult situations to bring Him glory and advance His Kingdom. As it says in Isaiah 14:27 NIV "For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

Paul understood this simple reality - God is God and can work with anything! Bill Johnson likes to say that "God can win with any hand", and that is so true. He doesn't get upset wth us if we mess up. He perfect plans are not ruined by our disobedience. It is never too late for God to act and bring redemption. None of our sins are so big that God can't come in and use us for His purposes. I feel like God is always looking over our shoulder waiting to be given the chance to step in and help us clean up the mess we have created. God does not limit Himself to our failings and misconceptions or mistakes, but is able to transcend them all, that is part of what makes Him God. As Graham likes to say, "He is a genius!"

So my encouragement is to let God be God, and not worry so much about what others are doing or saying, but have faith that God is fully capable of taking care of Himself. I am encouraged to keep things in proper perspective and recognize the genius of the Lord, for His purposes will come to pass, regardless of what we do and how messed up we are presently. I am not saying I don't believe in free will, but rather am saying I believe in the infinite power of God and that He is a genius!