The Protestant Work Ethic

Jesus said, "I have ... [completed] the work you gave me to do ..." (Cf. John 17:4).
"For the people had a mind to work" (cf. Nehemiah 4:6, ESV, NKJV).  
"The Lord assigns each man's work" (cf. John 3:27, NLT).
"...[R]ejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God"  (Eccl. 5:19, NKJV).
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might" (Eccl. 9:10, NKJV).
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory" (1 Cor. 10:31, HCSB).

I once accepted a job as a file clerk for the VA.  Filing was always my bugaboo, so this was a challenge!  My pet peeve around the office was when I was assigned the task of filing.  How God has changed my work ethic to realize you can do anything or any task to the glory of God.  Of course, there is extrinsic motivation like more pay and there are intrinsic motivations like feeling called to do a work for God and His plan and purposes.  Like Nehemiah felt "inspired" to say, "I am doing great work and I can not come down..." (off the wall of Jerusalem which he led to rebuilding in a record 52 days).  Zechariah was also an expert on intrinsic motivation, "not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."  You are only inspired as lofty as your insight is.  You probably heard of the three stonecutters at the quarry asked about what they were doing:  The first one said he was cutting stones, the second was merely earning so and so pounds an hour, and the third said he was building a cathedral.  Obviously, the last one had his eyes on the Lord and was considered for promotion and the good role model.  Paul urges us to do our work "heartily as unto the Lord."

The Protestant work ethic has a long history.  St. Francis of Assisi was asked, "If you had only ten minutes left to live, what would you do?"  He was the gardener at the monastery and said that he would "finish this row."  Work is part of our makeup and is an expression of our image and likeness of God.  We show God's nature in our daily tasks and occupations.  We feel compelled to accomplish something and feel pride in what we do.  During the time of Paul's writing, there were 60 million slaves in the world and work was considered a curse and only slaves should do it.  However, Martin Luther brought honor and dignity to work (even mundane tasks) by saying that all work can be done to the glory of God.  Paul stated that anything can be done to the glory of God (cf. Col. 3:17, 23).    During the formative years of Jamestown in 1607, Captain John Smith quoted Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says that if you will not work, neither shall you eat.  You've heard of the "idle rich," but those who wear themselves out to get rich are just as wrong.  Theodore Roosevelt said, "There has never been a man who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering." Everyone needs a purpose in life higher than himself.  Carl F. H. Henry said we are creatures made for work and not for idleness.  And we can be assured of work in heaven, even Adam was assigned the task of horticulture in the Garden of Eden.  This is because we are hard-wired for work and express the image of God doing it.

God does not call us to success but to faithfulness, according to Mother (Saint) Teresa.  Jer. 45:5, ESV, says:  "And do you seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not...."  The Bible condemns "selfish ambition" in Gal. 5:20.  Everyone has a niche and a calling from God whether homemaker or President and we are judged only by our faithfulness in our calling, not its success.  It is not what we accomplish as much as what we are.  Only deeds done to the glory of God in the Spirit are to be rewarded.  God isn't against good deeds but only those done in the flesh apart from God's guidance and will.

Whatever our hands find to do we should do with "all [our] might" (cf. Eccl. 9:10).  We should be "redeeming the time because the days are evil" or "making the best use of our time" (cf. Eph. 5:16).  We are a people created to be "zealous of good works" (cf. Titus 2:14).  But Paul says it is wrong to have zeal without knowledge in Rom. 10:2.   Note Col. 1:19, NKJV, says "...being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (note the correlation!)  We are saved "unto good works" (cf. Eph. 2:10).  We are not saved by them but so we can do them.   I hope you too can find a "labor of love" to complete God's will for you and your mission and calling (cf. Acts 20:27).  Note that Haggai, another motivational prophet to rebuild the temple,  said "... and work for I am with you" (cf. Haggai 2:4).

An anecdote is told of the work ethic being put into practice by St. Theresa commencing to build a convent.  Upon being asked of her resources, she had and telling them she only had the sum of twelve pence; they said not even St. Theresa can accomplish much with a mere twelve pence;  her comeback was that "St. Theresa and God and do anything!"  Just like Nehemiah finished the wall in 52 days and the people gave the glory to God, we can bring praise to God and glorify Him by doing it His way, with His means, and giving Him the credit and glory!   It is noteworthy that Jesus is the highest standard of work ethic, but also the highest incentive!  It has been said that to work is to worship!  We can realize our full potential in serving God with our work, for "to work is to pray," according to Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo.  NB: We can move mountains and glorify God only when we trust Him and are willing to do it His way and give Him the glory!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Consciousness (Cognizance) Of Guilt

".. For I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13, HCSB). 
"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8, NASB).
"... God, turn Your wrath from me--a sinner! (Luke 18:13, HCSB).  

That (the title) is a legal term, or lawyers' parlance, for behavior such as some suspect hiding info, engaging in a cover-up, lying, etc., and is an explanation and description of their dubious demeanor.  It is evidence and can contribute to the conviction of the crime in question.  Likewise, in our faith, we don't come to repentance without cognizance of guilt! Before the good news of salvation, we must hear the bad news of sin--that we personally are guilty, not just mankind.   People are claiming they have faith without ever coming to an awareness of their own sin and how they fall short of God's ideal and standard, realizing they are lost ("I was lost but now am found!").  Repentance and conviction go together--you must not only fall short of your own standards but realize you fall short and miss the mark with God.  How can you claim to be found without realizing you were lost!  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and the sinner--we must be cognizant of this.  We must realize the verdict:  guilty as sin (and that isn't even a strong enough word for it)!

To maintain we are righteous and need no repentance is an insult to God, for our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6). If we are righteous in man's eyes, it is a gift of God.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isa. 45:24).  We don't ever have the freedom to sin or to live on in sin, but must come to a change of behavior and attitude toward our sin.  Repentance is that:  changing one's mind!  Repentance involves a matter of the volition, the emotions, and the intellect--all parts of us are affected by grace, for it's all a matter of the gift of God has penetrated our hearts and changed our minds toward our sin--He changed us from the inside out!

The only qualification for salvation is to realize one's lack of credentials!  Salvation is to the lowest bidders!  We must acknowledge our unworthiness and humble ourselves.  If we insist on our righteousness we will never be declared righteous!  Note that God doesn't make us righteous, but just declares or considers us righteous due to vicarious justification, redemption, reconciliation, and redemption.  God accepts vicarious obedience and Christ obeyed the requirements of the law of Moses perfectly on our behalf.  The yoke of the Law had become overbearing and Jesus came to bring an easy yoke of following God's will: for instance, the Pharisees had added thirty-nine forbidden activities considered as work for the Sabbath which made it a burden and not a celebration of the Lord.  What a relief to accept Christ's vicarious obedience on our behalf!

As believers, we don't have the right to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit.  Our persistent sinning doesn't show our freedom but demonstrates our slavery.  We must learn to overcome the sin that easily besets us (cf. Heb. 12:1) and not to be slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness, in fact, we are more than overcomers!  (Cf. Rom. 8:37).  We don't want any sin to dominate us and to be our master (cf. Psalm 119:133; 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23).  We don't want any certain sin to have dominion over us (cf. Psa. 119:133; 19:13; 18:23).  The psalmist says in Psa. 119:133, HCSB, "... Do not let any sin dominate me."  We must let go of the sin that so easily besets us or trips us up! (Cf. Heb. 12:1).  For we are slaves to whatever overcomes us (cf. Rom. 6:16).

We can never be too aware of our sins, for Samuel Rutherford said that the more aware of our sins we are, the less sin.  William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, and I have a great Savior!'  Also, as we grow in Christ we become more conscious of sin and of God's displeasure!  And who can forget Peter's humility in saying, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man" (cf. Luke 5:8).  Then there's the sinners' prayer in Luke 18:13, emphasis mine, saying:  "God be merciful to me, THE sinner!"  Point in fact:  if you don't realize your need for forgiveness and realize your depravity and sinfulness before the Godhead, Jesus has nothing to say to you and the good news isn't relative to you but only condemnation for disobeying the gospel and not fearing God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

No One Has To Be A Loser With God

God is on our side and we cannot lose with Him as our eternal Advocate "This I know:  God is for me" (cf. Psalm 56:9; 118:6).  God is with us through thick and thin (if He got us to it, He'll get us through it!); that means we are never alone! (cf. 2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:10).  God believes in us--our situation is never hopeless!  We may give up hope, but there are no hopeless situations, only those who've given up (cf. Isa. 49:6; Jer. 29:11).   The trouble is that we often want our own way and don't realize that God knows what is best for us!  The only obstacle to God's best for us and His perfect will and plan is us--our will!  Sometimes, if we don't insist on God's will and God's way, He will just say to us, "OK, have it your way (but you'll be sorry and realize I was right!)."

Job often wondered if anyone could intercede for him in his predicament and trial (cf. Job 9:32-33); but as Christians, we should always be cognizant of the fact that God will never give up on us and neither should we (cf. Lev. 26:44). That's like giving up on God Himself, for all his promises have been proved true, not one has failed (cf. Josh. 23:14). The problem with many believers is ignorance per se--they are unaware of His promises and don't avail themselves of them (willful ignorance is never bliss nor an excuse!).

Jesus changed the dynamic of the Jewish culture by associating with known sinners, adulterers, outcasts, untouchables, lepers, and anyone else whom the Pharisees despised.  He was pushing their buttons all right and upsetting their religious apple cart!  Jesus simply wasn't the Messiah of conventional wisdom to deliver them from Roman rule, but one to deliver from sin--they wouldn't admit this was their problem!  Jesus was also given the title "friend of sinners" meant as an insult!  Where would we be if God never loved us while we were sinners and even enemies of the cross and gospel?  Jesus is always our friend but we are never His friend unless we obey Him.  Jesus is never ashamed of us and proud to call us brethren--we should likewise boldly witness for Him and never be ashamed to name the name of Jesus!

It is important to note that the Twelve were just ordinary men, even a ragtime bunch of misfits, unlikely candidates, and ragamuffins. Conventional wisdom would question this dubious band of brothers to accomplish God's will. But Jesus knew who they really were by the grace of God and saw their potential to be used for God's glory.  If Jesus were to be asked what would transpire if they failed, He would most likely retort:  "I have no other plan!"

And so we learn from Mark's gospel narrative and theme of Jesus as the Servant the following important lessons:  God never rejects us and can use rejects of society--call no one useless for whom Christ died and redeemed; Christ always will give us a second chance and we should never feel we blew it so bad we can never get back with the program and get our act together to serve God, for His gifts and calling are without repentance (cf. Rom. 11:29), but we must never forget that we are servants and stewards of the mysteries of God and our spiritual gifts; finally, God can accomplish much with losers who may not even have any self-confidence and think they are qualified for anything (Gideon said he was the least in his family, Moses had three excuses for not serving God and didn't think he was even qualified for such a noble task, and David was the least and youngest in his family and only a shepherd when anointed to be king of Israel by Samuel, and the LORD told him that man looks on the outward appearance, but He looks upon the heart  in 1 Sam. 16:7 ).

But we must never forget that God can never be frustrated or thwarted (cf. Job 42:2). He can make the unwilling willing to do His will and bidding (cf. Phil. 2:13; Col. 1:29; Psalm 110:3; Jer. 20:9).  God has no Plan B and will accomplish it despite our lack of cooperation.  We must get with the program but not just be converted to the program, but converted to Christ and knowing Him as well as sharing Him and making Him known!      Soli Deo Gloria!