By Elias Aslaksen Being made “sorry in a godly manner” (2 Cor. 7:9) is the same as the sorrow that is the result of always longing to react in a godly way. The way you react to everything and everyone you meet in life will determine the degree of your happiness or unhappiness. Your reaction, and only your reaction, is the determining factor. Whatever happens to you in life, whatever others say or do, these things in themselves have no bearing on your happiness or unhappiness; they neither add to it nor detract from it. This probably doesn’t sound right because it is the exact opposite of the way most people think and speak. But, nonetheless, it is a marvelous truth! The more you try it, the clearer it will become to you. There is hardly anything more foolish than making excuses for yourself and blaming others. What others say or do affects their happiness or unhappiness but not yours—no, not in the least. Others can neither make you happy nor unhappy. Only your reaction to what happens or to what others say or do (their conduct or their treatment of you and yours) can in any way affect your happiness or unhappiness. Your own sin causes you to react to things and to people in a way that is harmful to you and causes you loss. It is very easy to think that what others have said or done has hurt you; nearly everyone is as sure of this as they are that two and two make four. And yet, it is not true. The purpose of this writing is to help as many people as possible to see and forsake this fatal misunderstanding that plagues all of mankind. In order to react to everything in a way that will increase—and not decrease—your happiness, you must seek—and find—a radical salvation and liberation from the power of sin. Only then will you be able to react to everything and everyone in a way that will not disturb your joy, but will increase it instead. What a wonderful salvation from sin! What glorious results can be attained right in the midst of this evil world where millions of people are constantly tormenting themselves by reacting to things and people in the wrong way, to their own eternal loss! The following example illustrates the great mistake that most people make: Someone does something evil to you. You aren’t able to bear it, and so you, too, become evil. Then you rationalize that if the person hadn’t said or done this evil thing to you, you wouldn’t have become evil. In other words, it is the other person’s fault. On the surface this would seem to be right, but it isn’t. In fact, it is wrong, very wrong. The fact is this: The other person’s bad behavior caused you to be tempted, thus giving you a new opportunity to overcome, and an opportunity to add to your ultimate victor’s crown. But you fell in the temptation instead. It was your fault. The source of the problem is your own corruption. It is absolutely wrong to say that you fell because of what the other person said or did. On the contrary, the other person’s behavior only brought to light the evil in you that was there all the time. There is no advantage to retaining the evil that dwells within you. You only deceive yourself and others into thinking you are better and have progressed further spiritually than you really have. You fell simply because you were not saved from the power of sin, and not because of what the other person did wrong. You reacted in the wrong way, the usual, sinful way, and it was totally unnecessary. You could have reacted in a godly way. You could have won a glorious victory! You had a wonderful opportunity, but you failed to make use of it. You can also put it like this: It is faulty reasoning to think that you cannot help but become evil when someone else has been evil to you. That is completely wrong! Of course, as long as you are evil, it is true that evil reactions are unavoidable. But you can be saved from this habitual way of reacting to things. Just read the third epistle of John! If Eve had reacted differently, telling the serpent that they were very happy with everything just as it was, so there was no need whatsoever to eat of the forbidden fruit, then there would not have been a fall, the resulting bad conscience, the resulting banishment from the Garden of Eden, sickness, or death. If Adam had reacted differently, he would have refused Eve’s offer to eat of the forbidden fruit, and sin would not have gained entrance into the world. If Jesus had reacted differently—if He had, for example, been righteous in everything but had been absolutely unwilling to suffer injustice—then there would not be atonement or any kind of salvation at all. He, the Just One, would have remained together with His righteous Father, and all of us would be lost. How unspeakably great and wonderful that He chose to respond in the loving way that He did! We, too, by suffering unjustly, can win other souls whom we would not otherwise be able to win. To quarrel about our rights, to insist on them, or to sue our fellow man is an extremely foolish and dangerous way to live. When someone treats us unjustly, it is important to think in a wise and good way—like this: “He has really treated me unjustly! The poor man! He must surely be miserable now, whereas I am so happy. He is really to be pitied. I truly feel sorry for him. I wonder what good I can do for him now to help counter some of his unhappiness. The poor, unhappy man! But how happy I am! God be praised!” By thinking and reacting in this way, I abide in peace, joy, and happiness; in fact, my peace, joy, and happiness increase. Then I also have an opportunity to help the one who treated me unjustly so that he, too, can become happy. What a marvelous way of reacting! A wonderful, fruitful attitude that glorifies God!

Jesus had predicted Peter’s honorable death, saying that he would stretch out his hands and be crucified just as his Lord and Master had been. Then Peter saw John, and he was curious as to how it would go with him. “Jesus said to him, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.’” John 21:18-22. Jesus did not entice His disciples to follow Him by holding out expectations of glory in this world. Instead He pointed them to sufferings and tribulations: “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus made it clear to Peter that if he followed Him, the end for him would be death on the cross. The reason for following Jesus should not be rooted in anything or anyone here on earth, but only in a fervent and unfailing love for Christ. In the previous verses we see that Jesus wanted to have Peter’s complete assurance that he loved Him more than anything else. “You follow Me” was not to be overshadowed or drowned out by irrelevant and immaterial things, but all his heart’s interests were to be concentrated around it. Jesus said, “What is that to you?” A shepherd is responsible for the sheep; the sheep only have to follow him. A sheep does not stipulate certain conditions for following the shepherd; it just follows him regardless of the weather or the wind or any other outward circumstances. Jesus is the good Shepherd, and He will take exceedingly good care of us if we will just follow Him in love and faithfulness. If we are willing to take up our cross and deny ourselves, to suffer reproach and endure sufferings, times of adversity, and all kinds of tribulations, fully convinced that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ, then He will bless us on all our ways. Who on earth should He bless, strengthen, and help if it isn’t those who follow Him in truth? Only by remaining in the sheepfold will we be led to the green pastures and still waters, and that is where He wants to lead us. David sings in Psalm 23: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This is the blessing in the sheepfold, on the way of the cross and self-denial. Many people go to meetings to be blessed and comforted. They rejoice when they meet with care and goodness in the fellowship of the saints, and they would like to be prayed for when they are sick, etc. They want to enjoy all the good things, but when they meet adversity and tribulations, they are disappointed, and perhaps they even become evil and bitter. Such people have never gone through the door into the sheepfold. John 10:1. Paul exhorts Timothy to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, and meekness, and to fight the good fight of faith. 1 Tim. 6:11-12. Paul knew from personal experience that if Timothy pursued these things, Christ would pursue him with mercy and all kinds of blessings. How meaningless it is when preachers, evening after evening, attempt to work up a kind of joy among carnal, religious people without showing them the only way on which true joy and blessings can be found: the way of the cross and self-denial.Aksel J. Smith

In Genesis 32:23-31 we read about Jacob’s struggle with God. After Jacob had taken his entire family over the brook and was left alone, a Man came and wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Jacob, who knew that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men, was afraid of what would happen to him and his possessions. Therefore he was expecting comfort and help from God who had told him that He would treat him well and that He would make his descendants like the sand of the sea. And least of all did he expect to struggle with God or His angel; on the contrary, he expected to struggle with Esau when he met him. But the Man laid hold of him without asking whether it suited him, and if He had asked him, Jacob would in all likelihood have begged Him to let him go. Our ways are not the Lord’s ways, and our thoughts are not the Lord’s thoughts. Jacob discovered the truth of this fact that night, but at the same time he understood the good effect the struggle had on him inwardly, and when the Man asked him to let Him go, he would not. What did the Man want? He wanted to make a broken man out of him. That was part of his salvation, so he could meet Esau with humility. Jacob sensed that he had drawn closer to God. This gave him hope and faith, and he prayed to be blessed. The struggle resulted in Jacob being weak in himself and strong in the Lord. Arrogance has deep roots in man, and you need to struggle with God to uproot it. Jacob endured such a process of salvation that night, and “just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip.” V. 31. It is easy to understand that the sun shone on him at that point, for then he was strengthened for the things that awaited him. In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus related a parable about always praying and never growing tired. A widow sought help from a judge in the city in order to seek protection from her opponent. But the judge “would not for a long while.” V. 4. Jesus wants to teach us to be persistent in faith and patience and continue in prayer until we receive what we are praying for. The judge would not for a while, but the widow’s persistence brought the desired result. We must be fully assured of God’s goodness and kindheartedness to give us what we are asking for. It is a complete misunderstanding to think that Jesus is reluctant to give us what we pray for, for He says in the parable: Is he slow to help them though he bears long with them? “I tell you that He will be quick to protect them.” V. 8. But we must not think that this statement in the parable is thereby taken away: “And he would not for a while . . . .” What does Jesus want to teach us here? It is that we must not focus on the waiting time and be discouraged from praying. For He uses this time of waiting in His work with us, and when that has come to an end He is quick to give us what we are praying for. We read about the woman in Matthew 15:22-28 whom Jesus turned away outright, even twice, but she did not give up! “She came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ And she said, ‘True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Why did Jesus turn her away? Was it because He did not want to listen to her? Of course not! He proved that by the end result. Through this battle of faith He wanted to give her something greater than just healing for her daughter. And the faith in her heart gave her strength to endure in her struggle with the Lord until she received what she desired. Such a prayer battle with God drains us of some of our hidden natural inheritance from our parents, and step by step we come closer to God and to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Bridegroom. We become God’s fellow workers in that great concluding salvation. This is where this part of the hymn fits in: “I will with the women from Canaan’s land, call out to You and not be still; for You at the end of my prayer will say ‘Amen, yes, Amen.’ Be it done to me as You will.’”Andreas Nilsen