How To Have Good Days With God

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again radio friends. How in the world are you? Doin’ all right today? Or tonight as the case may be — some of you listen very near the midnight hour, don’t you? Wherever you are, and whatever is happening, God bless you. I’ve just been praying that God would put His love, and His truth, and His power, into my voice, and into the words that are said so that once again we might have what someone has called ‘the Miracle of the Ministry’, where God talks through a human throat. And the Holy Spirit of God reveals Christ, an eternal truth. Oh may that be so for you beloved, just now.

We’re looking at 1 Peter 3, ‘a life of blessing’. “Hereunto you were called, that you should inherit a blessing.” Now in Chapter 2 he said, “Hereunto you were called because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps.” Called to suffer. I don’t like that particularly but that’s part of it, isn’t it? The sufferings through which we go are part of the Christian calling, it’s hard to realize that. If, if I had my way, everything would, would work out just right. There wouldn’t be any suffering, wouldn’t be any pain, and everything would be fine, because I’m a Christian. But it doesn’t work, work, doesn’t, it doesn’t work that way.

Paul said to the people at Philippi, he said, “God has, has given you and to me the privilege not only to believe on Christ, but also to suffer for His sake. Unto you,” I’m looking at the page now, Philippians 1:29. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” And Paul said concerning his own sufferings, “I fill up that, which is left behind, of the sufferings of Christ.”

There is a mystical sense and I, I don’t begin to claim to, to un-, to understand it, or to explain it to you, beloved. But there is a mystical sense in which, the troubles that you and I go through as Christians are part of the sufferings of Christ. And as we go through them victoriously, we bring glory and honor to Him, our savior.

So he said, we were called. If we, if we, if, if we’re doing well and we suffer for it, and take it patiently, he said, “You’re called to do that.” That’s part of the calling. Now over in chapter 3 of 1 Peter he said, “Ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” You’re called to a life of blessing, to be, to receive one, and to be one. When I go off the air, I always tell you to ‘walk with the King today, and be a blessing’. And that idea of bringing blessing into the, the life with which you interact has long ago become part of my life. I, I pray God every day that when I enter into a room, or when I begin — as I am now —a broadcast, or whatever it is, that there’ll be blessing there. The presence, the touch, the presence of God, that’s what I want.

So in, in living a life of blessing, it’s a life that you love, it’s a life full of good days. Every day with Jesus is a good day regardless of what happens. Have you decided that? You’re driving your car and you get into an accident, and you say, “God why did you do this to me.” (Laughs) Its part of God’s good days. I don’t know why. But I know, He makes no mistakes, and we’re in His hands. To love life and to see good days. When you’re in the will of God, every day is a good day. You say, “Oh come on brother Cook, you don’t know what I’m going through.” That’s right, I don’t. But I know what God says, and I’m going to stick to it.

He says that the days I live when I’m in the will of God, are good days. Now how do I have that life of blessing? Words that are right, words that are right. An attitude toward sin and righteousness that is right. “Let him eschew evil, and do good.” That’s where we were in the last time we got together. This matter of doing good things, that, that comes under the heading of being helpful, and being loving, and being an encourager. When you see somebody that has a burden, or a need, or a heartache, or whatever it is, you do your best to do something good about it.

I have noticed that there’s always something you can do when faced with an issue involving human need. No we can’t as individuals, assuage all the starvation, hunger in, in large parts of the world. But we can take on one orphan — that sort of a thing. You can’t, as one single individual, fight all the crime in the world, and all the pornography. But you can have a clear testimony at the corner store, so that the man who runs it knows that you’re a Christian, and you stand for holy living and, and against pornography. You follow what I’m saying?

To do good means reflect the will of God within the setting where He has placed you. Reflect the will of God within the setting where He has placed you. You can’t, you can’t hit the whole world. But you can affect your personal setting. Well do good. And then he says, “Let him seek peace, and pursue it.” To seek peace, and, and that’s where we were I guess, the last time we got together. To seek peace means avoid needless confrontation. Now when it involves an eternal issue, if it involves denying your Lord or compromising what you know to be the will of God… Lot of things we argue about are less then eternal, isn’t that true?

Whole churches have split over the color that was to be painted on the church walls. And, and people took sides, and the whole business polarized, and the Church split because they didn’t agree on something like that. Well I don’t think God is going to be concerned a million years from now, nor indeed will we, over what color was chosen for the church sanctuary. Could have been red, or black, or silver, or whatever, as far as God is concerned. And so lot of the things we argue about are less then eternal. I’m not saying you should ever compromise things that involve the known will of God, as revealed in His, in His infallible word, the Bible. Don’t ever compromise what you know to be the will of God as revealed in His Word, the Bible. But there’s a lot of other things that you can avoid, in terms of confrontation.

You don’t have to have your own way on things. You don’t have to have your way as to when to take a vacation. You don’t have to have your way as to how to set up a given budget, or an ad. You don’t have to have your own way in terms of what personal is going to be used for this or that or the other, in the office. You don’t have to have your own way in, in the house. You can, you can very easily say for many things, “All right, that’s all right. You, you, you do it that way, you do it your way.” And say it sweetly, not nastily. Say it with love, and you’ll find that the argument ceases and, and God is glorified. And you somehow become a blessing. Seek peace and pursue it.

What is the peaceful way to approach this problem? I always ask that, when I’ve, I’ve had some little responsibility in what you might call management. And I always ask, “What’s the peaceful, God glorifying way, to approach this?” My tendency of course is to say, “Listen, I’ll tell what the problem is, and what you ought to do about it.” (Laughs) You know, my father’s people came from Germany, and although my mother was Scotch-Irish and I think I have, I have inherited some things from her. There is also that, that, that tendency to say you know, “Achtung! Stand up and I’ll tell you what to do.” It’s like somebody in the show business is said to have remarked, “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.” (Laughs) Well Cook has to learn along with the rest of us, that there is a non-confrontational, peaceful way, to approach situations. Look for it, pray for it. Pray that God will give you that peaceful way to approach issues that you face in the office, or at home, or in the community.

Oh small thought here. When you lose your temper, you’ve lost the situation. Keep your cool, don’t loose your temper. Other pe-, other people may lose theirs. So if they do, all right, that’s their problem. But don’t lose your temper. If you find yourself tensing up and raising your voice, stop and take a deep breath, and back down a little, and, and start over again. Very important, don’t loose your temper when you’re in a stress situation, because if you do, you’ve lost the whole setup. Well I threw that in free. Seek peace, and pursue it. Do good, seek peace, and go after it.

Now look at verse 12: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. Live knowing that He sees you. His ears are open unto their prayer. Pray knowing that He hears you. And the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” Evaluate life knowing that God does take sides. Well we were talking about a life of blessing now. This is something, isn’t it? He says, “Live your life knowing that God sees you. Thou, God, see’st me.”

Frank Logsdon, I guess now is with the Lord for 2-3 years at least. Dear man of God, and a good friend of mine. I went to visit him in his church in, I think it was London, Ontario, Canada. It was a fine church group that met in a huge old mansion that had been made over for a, a sanctuary, and some Christian aid rooms, and all of that. And he had his office in there. So I was in his office, and I looked at his desk. It was covered, it was a large desk, and it was covered with a heavy plate of, of plate glass.

Underneath the glass, there was I guess a picture of wife with family, whatever. And there was also a, a beautiful inscribed card with some words on it. Well I sidled a little closer, and looked over his shoulder. And he looked up and smiled. He said, “You, you, what are you, you’re reading the card?” And I said, “Yes.” He said, “Well, I have it there to remind me that there never is a moment when I am not responsible to God. And He knows, and He sees me.” So the verse was this one, “Thou, God, see’st me.”

Words that came out of the mouth of Hagar, when she was in the wilderness — you remember that? “Thou, God, see’st me.” The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. Live your life with the realization that God is looking on. Have you ever seen a group of little boys engaged in some kind of mischief, and they didn’t realize anyone was observing them? And then as you stood there watching them in their mischief, all unaware of your presence, you shifted your weight and maybe a twig snapped, or some door squeaked, or whatever it was, or a loose board in the floor squeaked a bit. And they looked around and saw you. How their attitude changed when they realized somebody saw them. You remember that?

Maybe you were one of those little boys at some time or other, I don’t know. How their attitude changed when they realized that someone had seen them. “Thou, God, see’st me.” He’s looking at you. Live your life with the realization that He sees you. Pray, knowing that He hears you. His ears are open under their prayers. God answers prayer. You and I are constantly up against the fact that, that when we pray for things, or for the change of situations, it doesn’t always work out that way.

We can have the solid assurance however, based on the word of our Lord Jesus, that our heavenly Father will give us what’s best. “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that I ask Him,” said our Savior. So pray knowing that He hears you, and He will answer. We get at the rest of this verse the next time we get together.

Dear Father in heaven, oh I pray that thou who does see us, and who dost hear our cry, will keep Thy control over our lives for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today, and be a blessing.