Snow and the Kindness of God

Snow should remind us who are in Christ of God’s kindness.

According to Queen City News, Charlotte has not seen measurable snow since January 2022. That’s a three year snow drought. That means, we (the Smith family) have never seen snow in Charlotte. But as I write this, snow sits on the ground outside our house. Our first NC snow! As many of you know, we moved here from the Midwest—namely Kansas City, MO, by way of Minneapolis, MN,—where we grew quite accustomed to lots and lots and LOTS of snow. But, let me tell you, it hasn’t taken very long for us to lose our familiarity with it. Three years of no snow may as well be thirty. So that makes our very first snow in Charlotte and the first snow in three years for many of you as fascinating and magical as ever. And, while there can often be some inconveniences with snow, these white crystals of frozen water that captivate us from the time we’re young should also spark flames of praise to our Heavenly Father. Consider the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 147,

 

Praise the LORD!

He sends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

He gives snow like wool;

he scatters frost like ashes.

He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;

who can stand before his cold? (Psalm 147:1, 15–17)

 

God is the inventor and maker of snow, and that should lead to our wonder and praise. And, when this rare snow starts to melt, which is likely to be rather quickly, that too should remind us to send up praises to the Creator. Again, the Psalmist,

 

He sends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. (Psalm 147:18)

 

Snow should lead us to praise God. But do we praise God merely for this mesmerizing gift of snow as wonder-inducing as it may be? No. This sprinkle of snow and ice, its falling and its ultimate melting, is simply a kind reminder from God that he has been uniquely kind to us who are in Christ. That’s because, just as he sent this snow by his word, he has kindly revealed himself to us by declaring his Word to us. Again, the Psalmist,

 

He declares his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rules to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules. (Psalm 147:19–20)

 

If you know the gospel, if you know God’s Word, it is only because he has spoken it to you and revealed it to you. It is only because God has kindly shown mercy to you.

 

Just as God speaks to send the snow and take the snow away, he spoke to reveal himself, awaken our hearts, and remove our sinfulness through the gospel of Jesus. As long as a three year snow drought may seem, we were on a trajectory of lifelong spiritual drought. And God in his kindness permanently broke the drought. Snow should remind us who are in Christ of God’s kindness to us. This snow, therefore, should lead all of us who are in Christ to one thing. It should lead us to repeat the refrain of the Psalmist,

 

Praise the Lord! (Psalm 147:20)

Do Our Actions Please God?

How can you please God?

Can you please Him by working on His behalf?

We often think: If we would just witness more (or more effectively); if we would just give more to the church, or attend services more regularly, or pray more, or help the poor more diligently then God would be pleased with us.

Is that right?

Consider what Jesus said to His disciples after interacting with the Samaritan woman, telling her He was the longed-for Messiah: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).

Jesus has quoted Deuteronomy previously, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus loves the word of His Father. He delights to do His will. He finds sustenance and satisfaction and fulfillment in accomplishing the Father’s plan. So, in this particular case, He found joy and sustenance from seeing this woman whose life was a wreck come to saving faith as He shared the Good News of the coming of the promised Christ.

So Jesus found joy in following God. Surely we too should find joy in following Him.

But what about the flip side of that truth? Does our activity, our accomplishment, our obedience please God?

We have to be careful here. Scripture makes some subtle but vital distinctions in this area. Consider, for example, Psalm 147:10-11:

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

We never impress God. However strong we may be, however great our accomplishments might appear, God doesn’t jump up and down, saying, “Awesome! I’m so happy you did that! Do it again! Show me what you can do!”

Instead, what gives God pleasure? He rejoices in our dependence on Him, in our acknowledgment of His power and authority, in our trusting in His love for us and commitment to us.

Furthermore, consider 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” That is, God’s will is for you to be made holy. For you to be set apart for Him. For you to be like Him, like Christ.

So putting these biblical thoughts together: We, like Jesus, delight to do God’s will and to accomplish His work. But God’s work and God’s will include not only actions on our part, but also our becoming like Jesus: Having patience, love, kindness, devotion, endurance, gentleness, piety, and self-control. So He desires us to become like Jesus – and for us to help others to become like Jesus. That never happens through our own strength, through our own will-power, through “the strength of a horse” or “the legs of a man.” No. That only happens as we devour His Word, as we depend on His grace, as we submit to His wisdom, as we rejoice in His love. Activity in and of itself does not honor Him. Becoming Christlike and acting Christlike honor Him.

So, no, in and of itself working on God’s behalf does not please Him. He takes no delight in my puny strength, my puny abilities, my puny accomplishments.

But God takes great joy in our fulfilling His purposes for us – as we become more like Jesus inside and outside, in thoughts and attitudes as well as in words and deeds.

So by all means witness – out of the overflow of your joy in Christ. Give generously – knowing all you have is a grant from God to be used for His glory. Worship corporately – in spirit and in truth. Help the poor – with the compassion of Christ for the glory of Christ. Become like Jesus – and act like Him. This is how you can please God.