I wanted to tell you a story about the decision I took during my internship year back then when I was in uni. I was a software engineering student, and back then most students were trying hard to find work, some were forced to return to their country to have internship experience because they can’t get any opportunity in melbourne. If they can’t find any job then they have to change their course - it is a hard requirement from my University that if you want to stay in a software engineering course in your 4th year, you have to do your internship. Because of that many students have to drop or change their courses - we had from like a few hundred students in 2nd year, and in 3rd year we only had about 20 ish students including myself.
It was a choice back then of what I should do during the transition from my 2nd year to 3rd year internship - find the work diligently or slacking? And.. I chose the latter: I have been slacking even though I know I have to find a job. I still remember playing games with my friends at the internet cafe, and I suddenly got a phone call from unknown numbers. Do you know what that phone call is about? It was from my university, and he said that a company called "Agilent Technologies" was looking for a paid internship, and he asked if I was interested - and of course I said yes. God unexpectedly opened a way for me - even though I have been disobedient.
Long story short I was accepted, and I was surprised that I could get an internship without having to bother searching like my friends did. During that year, do you know how I responded to God’s goodness to me? That 1 year, I have so many choices or decisions whether I be a responsible person or being slack; whether I spend my hours with thankfulness or not; whether I be the salt and light of the world or not - and I chose the later. I left early from work, my work hours were supposed to be from 9 to 5pm, but I left work initially at 4.30, and if I see my supervisor not there then I will leave at 4pm, and I think there’s one time I left at 3.30pm. I browse a lot instead of doing my job, and often I just made up my sick leave.
I have to learn the hard way - after I graduated God closed all opportunities from me for about 5 years, until I promised to God that I will not be doing that again and be a responsible and grateful person at work.
That was just an example of me making bad decisions during that period. In reality we are all living each day with choices. In fact every second without you realizing it, you are already making a decision. Do you know that when given a choice and you choose to not make a choice that is also a decision made by you for not taking a choice.
Some decisions are trivial, like what will you eat for lunch, what clothes will you wear, what ice cream flavour should you pick - but sometimes the decision we are facing requires a lot of thought and might have things at stake. For us Christians, we are faced with a question: How to make a God-pleasing decision?
The short answer is: seek God’s will.
For us Christians, Life presents us with many opportunities for trying to discern God’s will for us. When faced between two good choices or two tough choices, we probably are unsure which one is God’s will for us. This is especially difficult when neither option seems to be more advantageous than the other. At such times, we often ask God to intervene in a special way to show us the way forward. Of course, there are times when God seemed to give us special aid. One of the good opportunities might inexplicably vanish. Though such things may happen, God does not ordinarily guide our decision-making in such ways. We need to know how to make God-pleasing decisions when no special providence is forthcoming, and we need to know how to distinguish what seems to be providential direction from our own imagination.
I have been blessed with the study that I would like to share in a moment from the ministry of John Piper,so, Let's go through the text from Phillipians 2:25-30 and pray that God will give us wisdom by learning from what Paul wrote to the Phillipians:
25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
Here in the text above, and in relation to our topic today in making god pleasing decision, we came to a question on why Paul thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus (verse 25), or why Paul is eager to send Epaphroditus back to the Phillipians (verse 28). The Bible does not state that “Paul has to send Epaphroditus back” or “Paul has to send him at such and such date” - So how did Paul come to a decision to send Epaphroditus, what is the reasoning behind that?
First, who is Epaphroditus to Paul? Verse 25 said that he is: Paul's brother, fellow worker (colleague), fellow soldier (comrade in arms), and he is a minister to Paul’s needs. It is not easy to let him go, because he adds a lot of benefit/comfort when he is nearby to Paul. This is what is at stake - so again why is it so necessary to let him go? What made Paul make such a decision?
Let’s see it again from the text and write down the reason why Paul thought it as a necessity to send Epaphroditus back:
- Verse 26 - for he (Epaphroditus) has been longing for you all (Phillipians)
- Verse 26 - Epaphroditus has been distressed because you (Phillipians) heard that he (Epaphroditus) was ill. Now I want to highlight this for a little moment: we are so selfish in the way we think about our own sickness - we generally want people to know that we’re sick and to feel sorry for us and to be attentive to us and help us. But what’s so wonderful about Epaphroditus here is that he was distressed not because he was sick but because Phillipians heard that Epaphroditus was sick. The reason why this needs to be highlighted is because Epaphroditus here set an example of what Paul had mentioned earlier in Phillipians 2:3-4
Phillipians 2:3-4
“3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.“
- The word therefore in verse 28 gives the explanation to why he is eager, but wherefore? It refers to verse 27: “But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” - therefore Paul is eager to send Epaphroditus back. How does that argument work? God’s mercy spared Epaphroditus for the sake of Paul, and Paul therefore feels eager to spare Epaphroditus for the Phillipians. God had mercy and He did not let me experience the added sorrow of the death of my friend and your minister; so if God had mercy on me by showing me that kind of kindness should I then keep him because he’s my brother, my fellow worker, my fellow soldier and the minister to my need? No - I’m gonna show mercy to you by sharing him with you, and so this is God’s mercy being extended through Paul back to the Phillipians - which is another beautiful example of verse 3-4 above.
- Verse 28 - that you (Phillipians) may rejoice at seeing him (Epaphroditus) again.
- Verse 28 - that I (Paul) maybe less anxious.
So if we summarised the 5 reasoning above it will be:
- Love to Epaphroditus - Paul consider Epaphroditus’ longing / joy
- Love to Epaphroditus - relieve Epaphroditus’ distress
- Paul wants to extend / spread God’s mercy to others
- Love to the Phillipians - their joy
- Paul’s comfort and joy are met because he did the 4 reasons above. (refer to Phil 2:4 - the beautiful thing here is that when taking thought of others becomes the satisfaction of our own interest)
This is the kind of thought process that Paul took in relation to others, and I think the same process can be our example when we are making decisions and how we can relate to those around us - that is in Phil 2:3-4 - don’t be selfish, count others more significant than yourselves. Why? If we take this even deeper, then we can find that we place others more important than ourselves is because of the example Christ had shown to us (Phil 2:5-9); and also that his life is for Christ (Phil 1:19-26).
So if we go back again with the question: How to make God pleasing decisions? The short answer is: seek God’s will. - and God’s will is revealed in His Word; in God-person Jesus Christ; the Bible is God’s revealed word for us to meditate. Does that make sense? If we want to please someone, we need to get to know that person; be in a good relationship with that person - that way we know what that person likes and dislikes. Do you know when my daughter Liesl is silent, it could mean different things, but I doubt you know what she feels or wants at that particular time of silent - it could be that she’s uncomfortable, it could be that she felt guilty, or she’s scared - how do I know? Because I’m her father and I had spent a lot of my time with her (to have fellowship with her), therefore with changes in her facial expression, or even before she showed me her gesture, I would already know if the thing would please her or not.
Lastly, if I may summarise all the answers to what God wants in every decision we will make 1 Thes 4:3 says “This is the will of God, your sanctification…” - always remember which one will make you grow in sanctification. Sanctification refers to your holiness, and our holiness refers to your relationship with Christ. When making a choice, does your choice make you more and more like Christ? If so, take it. And the greatest decision of your life is to take Jesus as your Lord and Savior - Because He has made the greatest decision for you that is to lay His life for your sin.
Amen
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