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The River of God's Pleasure
Francis Frangipane
The Clamor of Many
Voices
As the
days unfold toward Christ's return, a multitude of voices will clamor for our
attention.
Additionally,
signs and wonders, judgments and upheaval will also burst into the collective
consciousness of man, demanding our focus.
Our world
will experience the increase of sin and lawlessness, which will further deplete
the love of many Christians (Matthew 24:12).
If we are
true seekers of the Most High, we must beware the contagious nature of an
embittered heart.
We cannot
allow ourselves to be infected by, or conformed to, the attitudes of angry,
loveless Christians.
These are
the "difficult times" (2 Timothy 3:1) Paul
warns about.
Yes, our
world is full of artificially sweetened, salt-free Christians who are trodden
underfoot by men. We must not assume it cannot happen to us.
Yet it is
in this very environment that our Father has purposed to reveal Christ in us.
Even now
our destiny is courting our preparation. Let us press
toward full transformation!
Created for God's
Pleasure
What does
it mean to become Christlike? It means we choose to live for one
purpose: to give pleasure to God.
To
accomplish this, we must be intimately acquainted with that in which His soul
delights.
Jesus
always chose to give God pleasure, even in the midst of conflict and cruelty.
Thus,
when injustice wounds us, we must redeem our experiences with mercy.
Let us
make the Sermon on the Mount our standard of conduct. Let us discover those
ways that will reveal Christ through us and thus bring pleasure to God.
As it is written, "Worthy are You, our
Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all
things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation
4:11).
The key
to lasting happiness and true fulfillment in this world is not found in
self-gratification but in bringing gratification to the heart of God.
And while
the Lord desires that we enjoy His many gifts, He wants us to know that we are
not only created by Him but for Him as well.
A Lay Worker for
God
To His
neighbors Jesus was just a carpenter's son. Yet to God Jesus was the one pearl
of great price.
Indeed,
before His public ministry began – before there were any miracles or multitudes
– yes, as a carpenter, Jesus's devotion to God flooded the Father's heart with
pleasure.
At the
core of His existence, Christ's motive was always to do only those things that
pleased the Father (John 8:29).
It was
His desire to please the Father that caused Jesus to perfectly fulfill the Law,
and it was to please the Father that He went to the Cross.
It was
not raw zeal for His culture or religion that compelled this carpenter to a
sinless life. It was something higher and far more extraordinary: the
law of love for God.
His
passion to give pleasure to the Father was all consuming.
Could
Jesus have heard more wondrous words than the praise spoken by the heavenly
Father at the Jordan?
At the
sound of the Father's voice the heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and the
river of God's pleasure flowed outward to His Son.
In words unheard by any human being, the Father spoke: "You
are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased" (Mark
1:11; Luke 3:22).
A Blue Collar Son
of God
Remember,
Jesus was still a lay person during this encounter. He had not yet entered
public ministry.
I am awed
as I consider this reality: it was Jesus's life as a tradesman, a
"blue-collar worker," that increased the Father's bliss!
He did
not need miracles and multitudes, or great insights, to touch the Father's
heart. He had not yet fasted for forty days.
While
accomplishing common, everyday tasks, Jesus flooded God's soul with delight!
Likewise,
those who truly seek God are dedicated to bringing pleasure to their heavenly
Father, even in the common tasks of everyday life.
Jesus'
ability to please God while working a "secular" job tells us God is
seeking something from us that is more hidden, more precious, than the things
esteemed outwardly by man.
In other
words, God delights in that man or woman who serves Him with joy, even when no
one is there to observe or impress.
In God's
eyes, the origin of true ministry is not found in what we do for Him but in
what kind of people we become to Him.
No God-Seeker Is
Insignificant to the Father
You who
seek the Lord ponder this wondrous privilege: we can bring pleasure to God!
In a
world where sin and injustice actually pain the heart of God, with our love and
steadfast faith, as we seek God daily, we can please the Father!
To set
our goal to reveal Christ is to arouse God's pleasure at its highest level.
No one,
nor anything, brings pleasure to the Father as does seeing His Son, even
beholding the Spirit of Jesus Christ revealed in us.
Each time
we submit to Jesus, giving Him access to this world, we please God. Every time
Christ forgives or loves or blesses through us, the heart of God finds pleasure
in our lives.
In every
one of life's varied and challenging situations, let us seek to know how we may
reveal Christ. For in the love between the Father and His Son the river
of God's pleasure flows.
O God, the thought that my life may bring pleasure to You is so
high, I can barely believe it. Lord, look upon me as Your workmanship; create
in me that which will most glorify You. Make my life an aroma of thanksgiving
that ever brings pleasure to Your heart.
This message was adapted from a chapter in Pastor Frangipane's
book, The
Days of His Presence.
Francis
Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
Website: frangipane.org
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
Website: frangipane.org
Francis
Frangipane is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors
and intercessors from many backgrounds. Francis' heartfelt prayer is to see established
in every city Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing
the love of Christ to their communities. Since 1985, he has written fourteen
books plus a number of study booklets. Over the past decades, Francis has
served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has
gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also
retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In this
more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry
of God's Word.
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