Romans 9:10-17 TPT:
“Now, this son was our ancestor, Isaac, who, with his wife, Rebekah, conceived twins. And before her twin sons were born, God spoke to Rebekah and said:
“The oldest will serve the youngest.”
God spoke these words before the sons had done anything good or bad, which proves that God calls people not on the basis of their good or bad works, but according to his divine purpose.
For in the words of Scripture:
“Jacob I have chosen, but Esau I have rejected.”
So, what does all this mean? Are we saying that God is unfair? Of course not! He had every right to say to Moses:
“I will be merciful to whomever I choose and I will show compassion to whomever I wish.”
Again, this proves that God’s choice doesn’t depend on how badly someone wants it or tries to earn it, but it depends on God’s kindness and mercy.“
Pastor Steve and I have been helping some of our church people financially. We help some of them consistently, while we help others as God impresses us according to their needs.
We do not tell the church who we help, how much we help, or how frequently we help, for our reward is accumulated in heaven; no one needs to know.
Most of the time, our personal money is used to help. The money that comes in from the church (offering and tithing) can’t cover all the financial help we give to others. But we are very happy to provide.
But with this most recent giving, God wants us to let the church know.
So, about a couple of months ago, Callia got into an accident, and her car was totaled.
Thankfully, God turned it around and blessed us financially. Callia’s car was fully paid off, and on top of that, we received $15,000!
We considered buying another car so that Callia and David could share it. (We also sold David’s car and made $3000!)
But we were open to any path God wanted us to go with the money. We do not tightly hold onto anything we possess; we can let go of anything God asks us to let go. We always need to be ready at all times, for we do not know how God will work through us and what He will ask from us, we do not want to miss it.
Then, during my evening prayer, God SO CLEARLY said, “Make a big downpayment for Darian’s car. Do not pay for the whole thing. Let him make a small payment and teach him responsibility.” (Darian has no car and has difficulty going to places)
Then Pastor Steve prayed; he spoke to God about paying off Tylon’s car. He also wanted to make a car payment for Joshua Hopes $3000. God was pleased and received his prayer. It almost felt like God was waiting for us to do it.
What does God see from them? Why is God blessing them in such a way? We can’t know 100%, for it is God who chooses to provide in such a way.
Are they more obedient, spiritual, and diligent? There are many more obedient, spiritual, and diligent people in our church. Yes, these boys are doing great but it is not like they are way better than most church people.
God said in the Bible,
“I will be merciful to whomever I choose, and I will show compassion to whomever I wish.”
There are times when God rewards and blesses us when we do good. But I have also experienced that God shows mercy and compassion without a particular cause or reason. (It is because we do not fully know why He chooses to do this. Our finite mind can never fully understand.)
God loves every one of us, and we should be happy for the people whom God chooses to bless.
Pastor Yoojin Kim