A Work Ethic

"Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness" (cf. Jer. 48:10).
".. 'I am engaged in a great work [project] so I can't come [down right now!].  Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?'" (Cf. Neh. 6:3, NLT). 
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." (Eccl. 9:10, ESV).
"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need" (Eph. 4:28, ESV).  
"In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty" (Prv. 14:23, ESV).

Work ethic has been called the Protestant work ethic for centuries.  In 1607 Captain John Smith of Jamestown announced that he who wouldn't work will not eat after the admonition in 2 Thess. 3:10.  It was Martin Luther who first brought dignity to work, for it had been considered a curse and fit for slaves by the classic philosophers.  All that mattered was whether one did it to the glory of God--it didn't matter the kind or manner of a work project.

During the Holocaust in a concentration camp at Dachau, the Nazis tried to entice the Jews to work by telling them "Arbeit Macht Frei" or that work makes one free--it was a sham to motivate.  The Germans had a number of wise proverbs including "Arbeit Ehrt" or work dignify; "Arbeit Macht das Leben Suss," or work makes life sweet.  Work is meant to be a blessing just like food and drink according to Eccl. 3:13.

By way of illustration:  There is one well-known anecdote of a man who asks three men at a stone quarry and asks them what they are doing:  one says, "Can't you see?  I'm cutting stones!" another says, "I'm earning 100 lbs a week!" and the last one has a divine viewpoint and says, "I'm building a cathedral!"  Our perspective on our tasks makes all the difference and take on a new light as a witness to the world!

Jesus said, "I have ... [completed] the work you gave me to do..." (cf. John 17:4)--what a sigh of relief!  Nehemiah said, "For the people had a mind to work." (Cf. Neh. 4:6)--God can give intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation and incentive to work, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty" (Cf. Zech. 4:6).   We are as inspired as our dreams and goals--aim high, not low--if you aim for nothing you will get nowhere.

We must all be willing to do humble work, in the so-called "order of the towel," as when Jesus took one to do the foot-washing in the Upper Room.  There is no caste system or class consciousness in Christ, as He leveled the playing field and made us all one in Christ, whether slave or free.

We must learn to do whatever we do with all our heart as unto the Lord, and to His glory, learning to love what we do, thus being a light to the world.  King George III said that we should aim not to do what we love but love what we do!   It's not wrong to take pride in one's vocation or work, for we will do our best and have extra motivation.  When we work, we are expressing God's image in us--work is no curse but part of God's plan and there will be work in heaven. 

It has been said that man is meant and "hard-wired for work" (according to Dr. Carl F. H. Henry), and cannot live without meaningful work or tasks to complete--we're not meant for idleness.  We must be wise to redeem the time for God, not wasting it (cf. Eph. 5:16).  Augustine of Hippo said, "to work is to pray!"  We all must learn to stay out of trouble, for idleness can be the devil's tool and workshop!  We are happiest when we are busy doing the Lord's work! Lack of stimulating work is debilitating--sloth (acedia) or idleness is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

God does not call us to success but to faithfulness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and now canonized.  The Bible condemns selfish ambition, but not godly pursuits.   Jer. 45:5 says, "Do you seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not."  Everyone has a niche and a calling with one or more talents to use for God.   We should never compare ourselves with others but seek faithfulness in our God-given chores, tasks, duties, and errands.   "Whatever our hand finds to do, do it with all our might," says Ecclesiastes 9:10.  

And Col. 1:10 equates work with faith and says to "bear fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God."  We all should hope to find a "labor of love" to complete God's will.  We may retire from our jobs, but not God's service!  In a sense, our job is our workbench of worship and a dress rehearsal for heaven.  Teddy Roosevelt said that there's never been a man who led a life of ease whose name was worth remembering.

One anecdote from St. Francis of Assisi is in order:  He was busy doing his gardening at the monastery and was asked what he'd do if he only had thirty minutes to live.  He said, "I'd finish this row!" O, that we all could die doing what we love--doing God's will and busy at the Lord's work!   He had a handle on his purpose and was ready to meet the Lord at any time.   In conclusion, ask yourself:  "Who are you working for?  The man, the union, or the Lord?  Are you a team player?  Do you seek excellence in the Lord's work? Do you go to work to worship and pray as well as work?    Soli Deo Gloria!

Easy-believism

"You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that--and shudder" (James 2:19, NIV).  
"Believe in the Lord [i.e., accepting his lordship or ownership] Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31, NIV).
"...' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37, NIV).

A. W. Tozer wrote a book, I Call It Hersey, to debunk the false notion of easy-believism (i.e., not accepting Christ as Lord of one's life but believing in spite of it) or cheap grace (i.e., forgiveness without repentance, justifying the sin, not the sinner!), as Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to it as.  This message of domesticating and dumbing down the call to lordship is the gospel in vogue in modern, mainstream denominational churches who disregard repentance and, its flip side, faith as the only means of salvation. William Booth warned of a church offering forgiveness without repentance!

We must have a penitent faith or believing repentance as it were.  Salvation is indeed free, but not cheap--it costs everything we've got (total surrender of self to His will).  The propagators of the easy-believism tend to preach that we don't have to obey Christ to be saved--just believe!  This is not accepting Him as our Lord.  Christ will not dichotomize His offices and personhood.

We must submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior.  We cannot accept a half-Christ.  He is Lord of all, or not at all! (Cf. Rom. 10:12; Acts 10:36).  We must bow to His authority (cf. Phil. 2:10-11) and ownership over our lives as the "Captain of our soul and Master of our fate" (cf. Invictus by William Ernest Henley)--we must release control of our life. In other words, our destiny is in His hands (cf. Job 23:14) and we must openly confess Him as our Lord before men to confirm our salvation (cf. Rom. 10:9-10; Matt. 10:32-33).  There are no secret Christians or closet believers.  There are also no Lone Ranger ones or solitary saints--we must all get connected with the body to function and grow.

Now there is no such thing as a carnal Christian as a class of believers, though believers can become carnal or lose their fellowship, backsliding or even falling from grace.  Christians do disobey God, though they do not continue in it, for God disciplines them and brings them back into the fold.  If we are without discipline, we are not real children of God!  Blessed are those who have learned to be rebuked by the Scripture and don't need a school of hard knocks to learn lives Reality 101.  "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all" (Psalm 34:19, NIV).  

God is looking for believers with gusto, who are gung-ho for the Lord, not halfhearted!  We must seek Him with our whole heart to find Him, for God regards not triflers.  It was said of Joshua (cf. 14:8) that he "wholly followed the Lord."  We must hold nothing back, making no compromises with the world, for if we love the world or the things of the world, we will not love God (cf. 1 John 2:15).  We must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34).  Jesus never made it sound easy to be saved, but even discouraged halfhearted "disciples."

We, also, must not contextualize or water down the gospel message to lure or entice folks with an "acceptable" gospel they can swallow or handle without offense (but Christ is the Rock of offense and a Stone of stumbling!).

Some people merely pay lip service or go through the motions, memorizing the Dance of the Pious, in their worship--which is a fraud and a sham, not the real thing--this is Churchianity or playing games with the church, not Christianity.  The  Bible condemns those whose lips are near but their hearts are far from the Lord only doing their religious "duty" in church, not out of the heart.  Lukewarm believers are ones who are not walking with the Lord and need Christ in their heart to be a real encounter with Him.

The only genuine test of faith is obedience and "only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes," according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Yes, there's a cost to discipleship and no one is promised a bed of roses--our reward is not in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14), for the Lord is our portion (cf. Gen. 15:1)!

Our faith is not measured by our ecstasies or encounters, even experiences such as visions and dreams, but only by our obedience (cf. Heb. 3:18-19)!  Jesus will say that we are merely good and faithful servants at the Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).  Yes, the cost is great and it's a life of sacrifice of self--not living for oneself--but the cost of rejection is greater!       Soli Deo Gloria!

What About Those Divorced?

"'...Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate'" (Mark 10:9, NIV). 

Divorce is nearly one of two marriages now, even among Christians because they are not walking in obedience.  There are umpteen reasons to get divorced but most states now offer "no-fault" divorces so that anyone can get a divorce for virtually any reason, without even stipulating it.  Sometimes one party is forced into it unwillingly and is a victim of sorts of the system. To mention a "for instance," divorce can cause permanent trauma to both parties--there may be delayed or long-term effects.  Divorce isn't God's design but only a concession due to the hardness of man's heart.  It is wise not to go beyond that which is written as 1 Cor. 4:6 says, and to stick to biblical guidelines.  The Bible is very explicit that God SAYS "I hate divorce" (cf. Mal. 2:16)--it is only appropriate in certain cases--(i.e., that it's His will).

But believers are also capable of disobeying God and of falling into sin or rebellion, even backsliding and getting divorced when they should have reconciled or worked it out.  But sometimes this is rendered impossible due to circumstances.  Note that the Bible never gives believers permission to divorce due to falling out of love or what is legally termed "irreconcilable differences."  But we all can make mistakes, fall short, and exhibit poor judgment and we are not to judge or make life difficult for someone's errors and confessed sins committed long ago. 

God doesn't write anyone off as hopeless and out of it--He can work with any penitent soul; i.e., it's never too late for a fresh start with God and a clean slate when coming clean and making our peace with God.  No need to say, "I've made a big mistake AND BLEW IT and I'll be paying for it the rest of my life."  We can always get on track with God's BEST plan for our lives WITH ANOTHER CHANCE.

God is a God of grace and mercy and can extend it to anyone who is repentant, even believers.  One cannot change the past or make up for mistakes but must live and learn and go on with the school of hard knocks and experience.  But redressing or making amends is always called for whenever possible.  God says that no matter what we've done, He will receive us if we repent (cf. Lev. 26:44)!  But God wants sincere repentance and a change of heart and will to abide in Him from now on, i.e., sometimes it's impossible to correct past mistakes or to change the past.   Christians are capable of falling into temptation and sin and disobeying God like anyone else, but God always brings them back into fellowship and restores them--the apostasy or fall from grace is never permanent.

The lesson learned is that God may have other plans for the divorced and doesn't want their "interests divided" as it were.  If a person is divorced, they should not seek marriage but God's will and direction--God's plan for their lives through a life of obedience and submission to the Lord as a calling of being the servant of the Lord.  We should be careful not to celebrate or harbor the world's viewpoint of divorce and remarriage, which is far too lenient and lax, biblically speaking.  Granted, there are times when divorce is warranted, but adultery and unbelief are hardly the common ones we see today--it's usually flippant, selfish, and frivolous reasons that can be worked out and reconciled.

But we should never assume that marriage is the ideal state for everyone, but some are called to be celibate--it's a spiritual gift.  Many divorces can be avoided by not marrying outside your faith and ending up jeopardizing it at the expense of trying to save the marriage.  One's faith must take first priority and to be unequally yoked is forbidden by God (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14), yet people have flaws and feet of clay (weaknesses not readily apparent) and make mistakes that can even ruin their lives. 

But sometimes people act in ignorance and unbelief and need forgiveness, but it's God's will for them to work it out and not give up too soon.  If both parties are one in the Spirit, it can be worked out.  To stay together, however, both parties must be fully committed even though unrequited love is a hard burden to bear, but this is God's will and a test of one's faith.   

Meanwhile, the church is an organism of imperfect souls working out their salvation (cf. Phil. 2:12)--no perfect people need to apply!  The same set of standards for believers and unbelievers in the world differs--we see the light (cf. John 1:7-9; 8:12) and should know better and are therefore accountable and more culpable (cf. Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Unbelievers are sinners who need repentance for their sins.  It is a sin to divorce for unbiblical reasons (cf. Mark 10:9)!  

But Christ came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Luke 19:10: Matt. 18:11) and the church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints!  We're not sanitizing personalities, but salvaging souls, as bona fide members of the soul patrol!  He came not to call the righteous, but sinners [unto repentance] (cf. Matt. 3:2; 9:13; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 5:32).  Sin is not to be condoned, but preached (cf. Luke 13:3,5) and people are to get saved from its power over them (cf. Matt. 1:21)--to be set free in Christ (cf. John 8:36).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Simpler Times With Miracles?

"A miracle is an event which is not producible by the  natural causes that are operative at the time and place that the event occurs." --William L. Craig
"'Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14, NIV).
"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted" (Job 5:9, NIV).   "[T]he day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan" (Psalm 78:43, NIV).   "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11, NIV).
"Even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38, NIV).

Skeptics like to attribute biblical faith in miracles as primitive, gullible, superstitious, and ignorant, and unschooled (this is a misconception and a myth), but even the educated didn't question they happened, as recorded in Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, who was no stranger to the world of the supernatural as a Jew who wrote of Christ.  They were just as sophisticated as us and by no means can we attribute their belief as naivete.  Of course, the error was that the Pharisees attributed these signs to the work of the devil and couldn't discern good from evil they were so blind and hardened of heart.  There were only a few periods in biblical history that miracles were commonplace (the exodus, the conquering of the Promised Land, the time of Elijah and Elisha, the time of Jesus, and the beginning of the church age).

But people have never been "simple" and willing to believe anything and they could distinguish the normal from the supernatural or paranormal activity--they would not be fooled as easily as if we were to drive an auto and they would wonder how we could have a horseless carriage, for instance.  They knew what was plausible and what was clearly impossible and a sign from God!   They knew people don't rise from the dead as Elijah and Elisha had done and then Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.  When Moses presented the Ten Plagues on Egypt, the sorcerers recognized the very "finger of God" at work and told that to Pharaoh.

The point of miracles is that they represent an unusual act of God since everything is orchestrated by Him and a common occurrence of God.  But if they happened all the time they'd be called "regulars."  If you want to see a miracle look in the mirror or at the sunrise!  If you say that miracles are "fixed," then so is the sunrise!  Miracles have been defined as something that cannot happen under the circumstances without intervention from an outside force.  They are indeed unusual events caused by God, but for a reason, since God is not haphazard, whimsical, capricious, nor arbitrary.

Jesus wouldn't accommodate people with miracles on demand to prove Himself, even in front of King Herod during one of His trials.  Neither would He do a "biggie" miracle to convince the Pharisees and skeptics, for miracles don't produce faith, faith produces miracles. They evoke or elicit faith in faithful!  They only reassure the faith of the believer, and they were never for show, to entertain, or for personal gain or selfish reasons.  In fact, miracles only give the desire for more miracles!  The Bible records all kinds of miracles to show God's power over nature, men, the elements, disease, demons, and even death.  John called them signs because they showed a side to His Deity that He was teaching or illustrating. They show the authenticity and genuineness of His claims!

Science cannot forbid miracles, for they are not within its province and the parameters are out of its domain or realm in the same manner that ethics is--but that doesn't imply they contradict science.  They cannot be repeated or duplicated and therefore cannot be tested. One-time events are historical in nature and not subject to repetition.  Miracles are not a "violation of natural law," as David Hume postulated, but a special intervention of God into our dimension.  The Bible makes no attempt to prove its miracles because it's self-attesting and doesn't appeal to any authority other than itself, otherwise it would not be the highest authority--if it appealed to science we would put our faith in science!   In sum, don't boast that you would believe if you could see a miracle, because there is no greater one than the resurrection of Christ which is given by "many infallible proofs" according to Acts 1:3.  Blessed are those who have not seen (a miracle--cf. John 20:29)!

The question of the existence of miracles is a philosophical one and depends on whether there is a God.  Often the issue is not a miracle in question but the very possibility of miracles that is doubted.  We have the veracity of the witnesses as historical evidence and we can easily believe they have not deluded us as madmen or deliberate liars who faced death as the test of their credibility.  If you take the miracles out of the Bible it is nothing and only a system of ethics and stories, but if you remove miracles from other faiths, they remain intact.

But none of Christ's miracles were for show or selfish reasons, and He didn't want to just be known as a miracle worker, for He came on a mission to save sinners, but without His miracles, He may have gone down as a mere footnote in history.  The problem with the Jews was that even though He had done many miracles they would not believe (cf. John 12:37).  Today, you can witness the greatest of all miracles now:  changed lives through Christ's resurrection power.  Note:  You can remove the miracles from other religions and they remain intact, but if you do that to the Bible, it is disemboweled; if Christ had performed no miracles, He would've remained a footnote in history!    Soli Deo Gloria!