The Wisdom of Gamaliel
“But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while. He said to them, “You men of Israel, be careful concerning these men, what you are about to do. For before these days Theudas rose up, making himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the enrollment, and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. Now I tell you, withdraw from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!”” (Acts 5:34-39 WEB)
At the first sight of misunderstanding or slander, most people are quick to defend themselves there and then. The silent “Time will tell” response is very rare.
What do you do when someone attacks you? Do you react by lashing out, or do you calm yourself and trust that the Lord will work it all out for your good?
I love Gamaliel’s words in the passage above. The fleshly works of men will never last. They are sustained by the flesh, and once that effort ceases, there is no power to maintain it.
That is why it is torturous to live a life steeped in lies. You have to keep the false image by feeding it with more lies. You can never rest at ease, always afraid that the truth will be exposed.
Another thing is that some Christians are so distracted by what they deem to be wrong preaching and wrong behavior, that they are always scolding, criticizing and complaining, without feeding on what they need the most: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Instead of self-righteously thinking that you have to do something about it through fleshly means, just pray and trust that God will not support what is untrue. The lies will eventually just fall to the ground without His favor—the weapons are formed, but they will not prosper.
In contrast, works of God—actions motivated by the Holy Spirit, will stand the test of time. Whatever is one-hundred percent born of God will last forever.
“I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God has done it, that men should fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14 WEB)
You see, when God tells you to do something, just do it exactly the way He told you. You cannot add or remove from His words—those parts that came from your fleshly thoughts do not have the power to last forever.
There is no stress involved when you carry out God’s words exactly how He tells you. When it is done, God is the one who has to keep His word.
“Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” (Proverbs 10:22 WEB)
When God upholds your life by His blessing, you can prosper in all things restfully, without compromising other areas of your life. Jesus did all the hard work at the cross so that today, you can enjoy the fruits of His finished work!
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