The Issue God Encountered with Preachers-Part Seventeen

Even if What You Do Benefits Others, It Doesn’t Mean It Will Lead You to Your Goal.

To fully understand this message, you need to read Part Sixteen first, because this part builds upon it.

Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out abundantly, and the congregation drank, along with their livestock. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:11-12).

Moses’ ultimate goal was to reach Canaan, just as God had promised him (Exodus 3:7–8; 6:6–8). Anyone watching Moses strike the rock and seeing water flow might have been thrilled to have such a good leader who provided for their needs. But in God’s heart, there was a different verdict: “Even if people praise you, heaven does not praise you, because although what I wanted done was accomplished, you did it in a way I did not instruct.”

Therefore, let us remember: just because our actions benefit others does not mean we are doing God’s will. People measure success by the results achieved, but God measures success by the path taken to achieve those results. For God, the real value lies not in the outcome itself but in the way that outcome was reached.

Conclusion

God gave preachers the responsibility to teach the Scriptures as they truly are. Yet today, many disciples are like children who, though born, end up raising themselves instead of being nurtured by their parents. Remember, a self-raised child is at great risk of consuming whatever they find, including filth. Likewise, as you read this message, God reminds you that there are people He has entrusted to your care. You must feed them with the Word of God more than with your own ideas.

Let us also remember that being praised by people is not the same as being praised by God. Therefore, let us not be deceived by human approval like the Pharisees were (John 12:43), forgetting to examine whether heaven approves of us. It is very hard to truly trust in God if our main pursuit is human praise, just as Scripture says: “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to seek the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44)