For God is my King of old; the help that is done upon earth, He doeth it Himself. Psalm 74:13
“He is infinite in wisdom as well as in power: And all His wisdom is continually employed in managing all the affairs of His creation for the good of all His creatures. For His wisdom and goodness go hand in hand: They are inseparably united, and continually act in concert with almighty power, for the real good of all His creatures. His power being equal to His wisdom and goodness, continually co-operates with them. And to Him all things are possible: He doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him, in heaven and earth, and in the sea, and all deep places: And we cannot doubt of His exerting all His power, as in sustaining, so in governing, all that He has made…
We should take the utmost care to walk humbly and closely with our God. Walk humbly: For if you in anywise rob God of His honor, of you ascribe anything to yourself, the things which should have been for you wealth will prove to you an occasion of falling. And walk closely: See that you have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. It is so long as you so this that you are the peculiar care of your Father which is in heaven. But let not the consciousness of His caring for you make you careless, indolent, or slothful: On the contrary, while you are penetrated with that deep truth, “The help that is done upon earth, He doeth it Himself,” be as earnest and diligent in the use of all the means…”
John Wesley (1703-1791) Anglican minister and co-founder (with his brother, Charles) of the Methodist Church, in Sermon 67 – “On Divine Providence” 14, 29.
It seemed fitting to read one of Wesley’s sermons this morning for three reasons. One, our recent journey through church history has brought us to the 18th century. Two, I will miss church because I have to catch a flight to Richmond, VA. And, three, and I am speaking tomorrow at the Southeastern Jurisdiction of United Methodist Foundations Conference at the invitation of my friend, Stephen Clark.
The first excerpt from Wesley’s sermon “On Divine Providence” today celebrates God’s providential care for all creation and creatures. I can’t speak for you, but it leaves me in awe of our great God. The second paragraph marks how Wesley thinks we should respond. He’s spot on. Each of us must walk humbly and closely with God.
Notice where we can get in trouble if we don’t walk humbly. If, as Wesley puts it, you “ascribe anything to yourself, the things which should have been for you wealth will prove to you an occasion of falling.” Think about it. God made and sustains everything. If at any stage we take credit for what we have, or as Wesley states, “rob God of His honor,” we will be brought down by that which was intended to lift us up.
Then he also calls us to walk closely, which is to keep in step with Him so we imitate Him. His care must not lead us to be careless, but to exercise the same care. He concludes that even as God uses everything to work for good, we must marshal all the means available to us for the same purpose.
On this Lord’s day, take inventory. I will ask the UMC stewards to follow suit. Has the wealth of God’s abundant blessings to you become an occasion of falling? If so, get back on your feet. Walk humbly and closely with God and marshal all the means available to you to do His work as He would do it with earnest and diligence.