Throwing The Book At Believers

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God"  (1 Cor. 4:5, NIV).

"Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.  One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ... Who are you to judge someone else's servant?  To their own master, servants stand or fall.  And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand" (Rom. 14:1,4, NIV).

"...[B]ut my people know not the rules of the LORD" (Jer. 8:7, ESV).

"[F]or they do not know the way of the LORD..." (Jer. 5:4, ESV).

Some law enforcement officials like to throw the book at hardened criminals because they never seem to learn and could be repeat offenders and need an incentive to go straight.  Some overzealous police officers like to go for the maximum penalty for criminals they are offended by and they tend to get personally involved in.  We must seek to be like God who in wrath remembers mercy!  Jesus didn't exactly throw the book at the Pharisees but condemned their hypocrisy in obeying the letter of the law and ignoring the Spirit of the law.  We must never be so obsessed with minor points or the little things that we lose track of the main focus and issue of our faith, to love God and our fellow man through the power of the Spirit.

This is everyone's problem:  we don't always see our own sin.  We all have the tendency to overlook our own faults and be offended by the sins of others when we should be offended by our own sins!  The faith had degenerated into merely an externalism and Jesus intended to make it a matter of the heart and something that starts from the inside and becomes real and sincere, not just for show. 

The Jewish faith had devolved into externalism of certain favorite practices:  circumcision, fasting, Sabbath observance, tithing, dietary laws, hand-washing, and various sacrifices.  They certainly didn't impress Jesus with their religiosity and neither do we with our legalism and of going through the motions and memorizing the Dance of the Pious.  The Pharisees were rules-obsessed and also wondered what they had to do to earn salvation as if there was some merited work involved.  Jesus answered that the work of God is to believe in His Son!

Even today we still have the issue of legalism in our churches which does nothing but strike a wrong impression of our faith and create a paralysis of spirituality.  It is a parody of the real thing or life in the Spirit, walking with God.  Some Christians seem to reduce the faith to just following the rules and are just converted to the program, not to Christ Himself--they haven't yet realized the fullness of the Spirit in their lives and what it means to walk with God like Enoch, Noah, and Moses did.  According to the record in Genesis, Noah was a "just man, perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."  That's would look good on anyone's resume!  We have the resident Holy Spirit and the full revelation of Scripture and have no excuse for not doing likewise.  

Yes, we can become friends with God and know Him as our Father in our faith.  This is the Christian privilege and we ought to make our faith real and demonstrate or prove it by our good deeds or works of faith. After all, the faith you have is the faith you show!  Without any works, our faith is suspect; our faith must be validated by works and works must spring from faith!  The Reformers had the simple formula for our salvation of being saved by faith alone in this rallying cry:  Salvation is "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone!"

An example of the legalism of the Pharisees was their fetish about the Sabbath Day.  There really wasn't any hard-and-fast rule as to what constituted work, but they concocted 39 additional definitions or categories to be construed as work or forbidden activities to do on the Sabbath.  Observance became a burden rather than the joy it was meant to be.  Jesus warned them that they missed the point of the intent of the holy day: in that, it was made for man, not man for it (cf. Mark 2:27).  We must not reduce our faith to simply following the rules or enforcing a code of conduct, for it's a relationship and way of a new, fulfilling, abundant life in Christ.  

Only Christians are truly free, the unbeliever is a slave to sin.  Christians are those whom Christ has set free--not free to live as we want but as we ought.  We may be free from the law but not from God's will!  The law was given to convince us we don't keep it according to D. James Kennedy.  It was never meant as a way of salvation but as a measure of a man and to show him where he falls short of God's standards.  Those who rely on the law are under a curse (cf. Gal. 3:13).

We must not be so confused with works and do-goodery that we lose track of the ultimate goal of our faith; i.e., enjoying fellowship with Him and getting to know God, the aim of our salvation.  In fact, being saved can be seen simply as knowing Jesus and making Him known!  We must not feel we have to do good deeds to impress others or show off like wearing our religion on our sleeves and flaunt it, nor should we privatize it; however, we ought to grow in our faith and make it real by a life that is honoring to our Lord and worthy of Him--free of all hypocrisy; for we don't need perfect, doubtless faith but only sincere, unfeigned faith.  We must realize that hypocrisy is what offends God, not a person who says, "I believe, help mine unbelief!"

The only thing that interferes with our fellowship with God is sin in the camp or sin in our behavior and conduct.  We must keep short accounts of our sins and confess them as soon as we get convicted and realize them, not letting them stack up until we feel like making a confession.  Note that our fellowship isn't merely with the Father and the Son, but also with our fellow believers!  We cannot and must not become Lone Ranger Christians or go, rogue, because no man is an island and we all need each other in the body--no individual has all the spiritual gifts, but they are all given for the benefit of the body.

Now there are certainly gray areas or matters of personal conscience (and we all should be convinced in our own minds) and we are not to judge our brother nor flaunt our liberty and ruin their conscience or make them stumble (cf. 1 Cor. 8:12). We must not judge our brother in matters of conscience and no one has the right to lord it over another.  The weaker brother needs to grow in knowledge, while the stronger one needs to improve in his love and understanding or sympathy.  We may have the right to do something but it's not always the right thing to do nor does it benefit.  

As Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:23, HCSB, "'Everything is permissible,' but not everything is helpful.  'Everything is permissible,' but not very thing builds up."  The important thing about our liberty in Christ, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (cf. 2 Cor. 3:17) is that we must not let anything control us or make us its slave.  As Romans 6:16 says, we are slaves to the power we choose to obey.

We all have a duty to obey our conscience, and to go against it is neither safe nor right according to Luther, though it can be wrong, it should be enlightened by the Word of God.    Jiminy Cricket told us to always let our conscience be our guide, but this is only valid if it's enlightened and informed by Scripture.  We must bear in mind that the old nature knows no law, while the new nature needs no law--we do what is right naturally and God convicts us when we go astray from the straight and narrow or the fellowship of God.

We must put aside the pointing of the finger and playing the blame game (cf. Isa. 58:9), for we only seem to condemn or judge in others what we are guilty of or is our weakness or area of pride.  What most offends us, we tend to look down on others for and we may have been guilty of it ourselves.  We must always give God the glory in our defeat of sin and of having a victorious Christian life--we can not walk with God in the energy of the flesh or without newness of life in Christ.  In the final analysis, I believe that man is religious by nature and tends towards legalism because he's incurably addicted to doing something for salvation as if it's a quid pro quo.

It's the job description of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and we should never attempt to try this ourselves because He does it good enough without our help using the Word of God.  It is said that if we live in a glasshouse, we should not throw bricks and Jesus also said that he who is without sin cast the first stone.  We need to stop being so offended by the sins of others and look within at our own hypocrisy and how repugnant our sins are to God and should be offending us.  We must always make allowance for each others' faults and realize that we are all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet (cf. Phil. 1:6)!

NB:  Christians are not under the law as the Old Testament saints, but we have a higher law to submit to--the law of love! The law of love can never be satisfied or fulfilled, for we will always be in God's debt.  Grace does mean this:  we cannot pay it back, don't deserve it, and cannot earn it!   We have the privilege as believer-priests to go directly to God and seek restoration and continued ongoing fellowship.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Redeeming The Time...

"Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days"  (Eph. 5:16, NLT). 

Paul admonishes believers to "redeem the time because the days are evil" (cf. Eph. 5:16)!  We must get our plans in line with God's timing and will, for He makes everything beautiful in His time (cf. Eccl. 3:11).  We are only granted only so much of this precious element, which is merely a corollary of space and matter, and no one has more of it than any other until our time is up and we are called home.  We all have 168 hours in a week and the opportunity to get eight hours of sleep, if we are good at managing the time allotted us.

Time management is a managerial skill and it gets better with age and experience.  Jesus had a perfect timetable (never in a hurry nor late), and was always in God's timeline, will, and plan.  Note that Jesus never felt nor complained of being interrupted, for He recognized the providence of God in bringing about the glory of God and meaning to time.  We ought to respect each other's personal time, unless they are working for us, then we have the rights to make demands.

Since we are responsible only for the time given us (some have more downtime or free time than others, for instance), there are only a few things we can do with our time:  invest it; spend it; waste it and save it.  For example, prayer is never a waste of time, no matter how busy you are, and it's really an investment--the busier you are, the more you should pray!  We ought to save as much time as possible only in order to invest it in the Lord's work.  Wasting time is a sin and this is inevitable sometimes, but we must learn from experience.  How we spend time is a resume of our character and we should occupy and do things that are profitable and worthy of our time management.

Caveat:  Man is not made for idleness, but to be productive and busy in order to be fulfilled and have a purpose!  In sum, it's vital to make do with what time we are blessed with, because we are all virtually on borrowed time from God and will be held accountable, even for our R & R and what we do with our downtime, whether or not we can make it productive and meaningful.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

But I Have Called You Friends

"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God" (1 Peter 2:16, NASB).  

NOTE:  WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY SERVANTS AND FRIENDS, WITH AN EASY YOKE AND LIGHT BURDEN, BUT THE MORE ENSLAVED WE ARE TO CHRIST, THE FREER WE ARE IN THE SPIRIT.  

Abraham was called the friend of God, according to Scripture (cf. James 2:23), and Jesus said in the Upper Room that He did not call the disciples servants anymore, but friends (cf. John 15:15).  We are a very privileged group.  However, we are not called to be sidekicks or buddies of the Lord in the same vein as our fellow equals and peers in this world.  As believers, in reality, we are still servants of the Lord and at the Bema of Christ He will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  However, what fulfillment to finally enter into the joy of the Lord.  We are merely the stewards of God's blessings:  time, resources, money, gifts, talents, opportunities, relationships, skills, and any other blessings He bestows.  But Jesus invites us to be His friends and if we do what He commands: loving the brethren, (the yoke and cross of following His will for our lives), then we will receive a full reward (per 2 John 8) and not lose out on His divine favor.  God is partial to no one and doesn't play favorites (cf. Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11), and some believers will be saved by the skin of their teeth and lose reward, due to be disqualified (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27), or their works being burned up in the fire that tests their purity (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10ff).

The Koine (biblical or common Greek) word doulos (bondservant) should be "slave."  But it shouldn't have the connotations it does today with cruelty.  Slaves were owned by their master, not just in their service. Christ has bought us (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  Jesus made it clear that we are only His friends if we obey Him (cf. John 15:14).  Obedience and faith are correlated and can be distinguished, but not separated.  We show our faith by our obedience; likewise, we obey by walking in faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7).  Jesus said no one can be owned by two masters, we must decide whom we will dedicate our life's service to --mammon or Christ.

Slaves are Christ's freemen, while freemen are Christ's slaves:  "He who was called while free, is Christ's slave.  You were bought with a price"  (1 Cor. 7:22-23, NASB). We can be each other's servants, but they don't own us--Christ owns us and deserves the title Kurios or Lord, as we defer in obedience, allegiance, and loyalty.  Becoming a Christian entails giving up the ownership of our lives, being willing to do His will in our calling.

Paul and other disciples referred to themselves commonly as bondservants in their epistles, and those are they who could be set free and decide to stay in slavery or service voluntarily, out of love for their master or the job itself.  The whole beauty of it is that it is a voluntary initiative like Paul not getting married when he had the right to money for preaching;  we don't have to give up our so-called rights or privileges to serve a lowly or humble role.

But in the end, after the rewards are given out at the Judgment Seat of Christ, it will be worth the effort and sacrifice to have served the Lord and done only what was required, no matter how much effort we made, it was only what ought to have done and we will not even deserve a reward, but one will be given by grace anyway.  For that is what grace is:  you don't earn it, cannot pay it back, and you didn't deserve it in the first place; on the other hand, mercy is not getting what we do deserve!

When the apostles called themselves bondservants of Christ, they were taking a special calling to serve Him in exchange for the privilege of the greater reward; they didn't have to make themselves bondservants, (by definition, this is voluntary), and they enjoyed the service of the Lord's work in the kingdom of God. Paul, Peter, James, and John the Elder all referred to themselves this way and they knew what they were getting into, and followed the calling despite the downside and pitfalls.  Paul even said that while he was poor the church could be made rich.

In God's economy, greatness is correlated with how many you serve, not how many servants you have, for even Jesus came serving (cf. Mark 10:45), and much more are we called to serve, walking in His steps.  It is indeed a promotion to be called into the ministry, despite the fact that it means a life of service, not glory or riches in this world, because the reward is in the next life to be handed out according to what we have done in the flesh (cf. Rom. 2:6) in service to God by the power of the Spirit, who is our divine enabler! 

The whole concept of service is that Christians live an exchanged life of Christ living through them as His hands to serve, feet to go, voice to preach, and heart to love  (for Jesus has no hands, etc., to change the world other than ours)  for Him in missions and ministry.  As Paul said in Galatians 2:20 that he no longer lives, but Christ lives through him.  Christianity isn't so much about copying or mimicking Christ as having Him live through us and in us as He takes ownership and control of our lives.  

As far as our service goes, we are still servants and stewards who will be rewarded accordingly, but as far as our relationship goes, we are the friends of God too, for God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality--what He's done for others He can and will do for you!  Don't forget that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren and we are now family with God as our Father, to whom we address prayer in Jesus name.  In fact, anyone who does the will of God is His brother, sister, or even mother (cf. Matt. 12:50)!

In God's economy and in the service of the Lord, the more you humble yourself, and the more sacrifices you make, the more reward in heaven--humility comes before exaltation and promotion--unlike the apostles who wanted to be first in the kingdom, but didn't know what they were getting into, and would have to drink of the same cup as the Lord to prove their worthiness to sit with Him in the kingdom of God.  Case in point:  Take the example of John the Baptist, who said in John 3:30 that Jesus must increase and he must decrease!

Therefore, the way up is down, apparently, because John was the greatest mortal ever born and he lived the life in the wilderness deprived of any luxury and gave his life as his final witness, while he lived such a life of deprivation and asceticism.  Indeed, it is a promotion to become a martyr and die for the Lord, not a disgrace, but an honor to be considered worthy of suffering for Christ's sake in kingdom work.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Man's Accountability

"...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  (Gen. 18:25, NKJV).
"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God"  (Rom. 14:12, NKJV).
"For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself"  (Romans 14:7, NKJV).
"... 'There is no accountability, since God does not exist'"  (Psalm 10:4, HCSB).

If there is no God, man is not accountable--there's no Judge, no Lawgiver, no Executioner of final retribution and justice. The government would be the highest law, and standards would differ from state to state, subject to local opinion or custom.   In short, man would be a law unto himself.  Is responsibility a delusion then?  If there is no God, all things are permissible, according to Dostoevsky!   If there is no Judge, why worry about justice or answering to anyone.  However, the whole system of Western government is based on the premise of natural or transcendent law from God given to man in his conscience, and, since we are in His image, we are mere stewards of God and accountable for His blessings and will be held to account at Judgment Day.

"Man has forgotten God," according to Solzhenitsyn, and the chief question and issue of our day, according to William Durant, is whether man "can live without God."  Nietzsche said that God was dead, that we had killed Him, or that He was irrelevant if He does exist!  To the unbeliever, God is in none of His thoughts, and even if there is a God, he lives as a practical atheist, or as though there is no God--this is the dilemma:  Are Christians going to see the light and be the light, or let society rot and fall apart at the very foundations?  The beauty of the church is the sense and reality of belonging to a family where we are concerned for each other and can share with each other our burdens, blessings, gifts, and talents. Man is not a law unto himself, however, so he can live with the morals of a beast if he chooses, even if he sees himself as one.  (The purpose of government is to put a lid on and restrain evil in society, securing and maintaining our freedoms and rights--note that God confers our rights, and the government derives its power from the consent of the governed, and its main purpose is to keep evil at bay.)

However, God is not dead, He's more alive than ever before and will not die; He is the one who is there and we must reckon with Him, whether we want to or not. If there is no God, there are no absolutes either, and no standard of right and wrong beyond our subjective feelings. Many great atheists have tried to kill God or make Him irrelevant, but God lives on in men's hearts, for Christ founded a kingdom of hearts, not armies or wealth.

Man is too proud, however, to seek God and justifies himself and his sin.  What does this worldview entail and what is the logical conclusion?  We always invent a system of ethics that we feel or believe we can keep, and that doesn't condemn ourselves.  If there is no God, man has no hell to shun, nor fear of a Day of Judgment, and there is no Lawgiver to tell us right from wrong--man is the highest being and we have no one to give an account of ourselves to.

In short, man is an animal and has the right to live like an animal morally.  (Man then cannot be in the image of God, since there is no God, and therefore has no unique, intrinsic nor extrinsic dignity, the image of God implies a lot:  not only dignity but meaning and purpose; we're wired spiritually and rationally; we are also emotional, communicative, and moral beings that are fulfilled and made complete in Christ (cf. Col. 2:10); however, we are not replicas of God--Jesus is the only express image or icon of God.)

Having no Lawgiver implies we can make up our own rules as we go along and there are no absolutes--no God means no absolutes, but all is relevant (principle, morals, truth, and values)!  Having no Judge means we can get away with murder without fearing retribution!   Caveat:  Christianity doesn't endorse "going rogue" or philosophy of "each man for himself" in a "law of the jungle," where it's "survival of the fittest"--we are all family in Christ and ought to have vested interest in each other.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Minding Your Own Business

As concerned believers we are to look out for each other, not just Number One, and that includes being interested in each other's affairs and business and/or family dealings.  We are to mind our own business, though, when appropriate and not to become busybodies, snooping into affairs where we are not welcome.  It is tempting to become aloof and not care about the everyday, mundane lives of our circle of friends and sphere of influence.  Peter says that no believer should suffer as a busybody in other's matters, where we are intruding and unwelcome--the key is to show interest, not being "nosey," or prying!  Some people are encouraged just to be assured that we care and this is a methodology to preach the gospel.  We walk the straight and narrow path to balance the two extremes of ignoring them and meddling.

Paul warns about people who don't work, but expect others to support them while they become busybodies (cf. 2 Thess. 3:11).  We are told expressly to mind our own business in 1 Thess. 4:11, NKJV, boldface mine, and I quote:  "... [A]spire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." We must seek an open door and seize the day (carpe diem, in Latin) when we see opportunity knocking where we can lend a helping hand--for Christ has no hands to help with but ours!

Some believers are naturally charismatic and gifted to handle private matters and to extend mercy and help to those in need in the body.  The primary cause of intrusion into the matters of other believers is lack of productive lives, where one has too much free time or downtime; the saying goes:  "An idle hand is the devil's workshop."  Note that Ecclesiastes 9:10 says that whatever we "find to do," do it with "all our might," and we are not made for idleness, but for work to suit our image of God and find fulfillment and meaning.

In matters of others, we are to demonstrate the love of the brethren and how we can extend it to all in need within the body of believers. Some folks believe religion is a personal matter and one should privatize it and not interfere.  One reminder:  don't get personal, without permission, the go-ahead, or the green light you cannot guarantee the outcome or final result--the Holy Spirit has the job of wooing and prompting the person's interest to open the door.   As a final caveat:  Never pry into uncharted territory where you aren't welcome--build a relationship first and earn the right to get personal!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Perfect Gifts

"Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above..."  (James 1:17, HCSB).

Christ did all He could to discourage halfhearted followers who were more fans and groupies than worshipers and disciples.  He wasn't trying to win a popularity contest and in His economy quality outranks quantity.  He constantly admonished them to count the cost--yes salvation is costs, but it costs  more not to be saved!  Grace is free, but not cheap; the Lord demands our all, He doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience--in short, He wants us and all we are.

But He freely gives us all things to enjoy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17), and the only way He can pour His riches into our hands s if they are empty.  In God's economy emptying comes before filling.  We don't think our lives are anything to be compared to what we gain in Christ:  to live is Christ, to die is gain!  The only condition we need to come to Christ is a bankrupt soul that has stopped trying to save itself and started to trust in Christ.

Yes, salvation is an expensive proposition, but it's worth it!  We offer ourselves as living sacrifices only to receive ourselves back, renewed in the image of Christ.  He wants to change our way of thinking and a whole outlook on life itself.  Yes, we must come to full, absolute surrender to Christ per Rom. 12:1 and also must keep on yielding our will to His.  The motto of our lives becomes:  "Thy will be done!"  We don't come to God on our terms, but His, because He is sovereign and we cannot dictate conditions to God.   We all have a throne of our heart and must give it up to Christ's rule so that we are no longer living for ourselves, but for Him. This is not the easiest life, no bed of roses or rose garden, but it's the most rewarding and best life--the more abundant life.

All that God gave us is only stewardship and we will be held accountable for it.  This includes our wealth, time, resources, talents, gifts, skills, plans, children, future, intelligence, opportunities, and especially our faith, which is given, not achieved, and we are to put it to work and sow seeds and cultivate fruit--no fruit, no faith.  In fact, Paul said, "Who makes you to differ?  What do you have that you didn't receive?" (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).  When we are faithful in our stewardship, God blesses us and we bear more fruit, because He who is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much. We must come to the realization that all we own and possess belongs ultimately to God (Psalm 24:1 says the earth and the fullness thereof belongs to Him).

All we are is stewards; even our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God.  Actually, we don't own anything, and only in Christ can we learn not to be materialistic and we can truly "possess our possessions" per Obadiah 17.  The world has alluring things to offer, but it can only offer things, love cannot be purchased nor and is immeasurable--you cannot ask for two pounds of love!

Christ can demand all because He gave all and our crosses pale in comparison to His, and He isn't asking us to give up anything He didn't.  He gave up His throne and the independent prerogatives of His deity to save us, suffering all the shame and pain on our behalf--all He asks of us doesn't compare and we can be sure that He meant it when He said in Matt. 11:28, ESV, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."   We have to stop making demands on God and trying to get our way--He knows best.  Our very lives are not our own anymore, but a living sacrifice--He wants us to live for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

All the rules that God ordains are for our own good and not to keep us from enjoying ourselves--God isn't a Cosmic Killjoy trying to keep us from having fun.  The rules that applied for Moses apply today, because moral principles are timeless and based on God's character and, therefore, do not ever change--we don't change our values with the times or the whims of society.  And so we must realize that God's rules are the best rules and we function best in accord with them--the Bible is our Owner's Manual.  God demands exclusive loyalty and will not tolerate any competition because He's a jealous God and anything that comes between you and God is idolatry.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Never Too Busy!

The disciples interrupted the people from taking Jesus' time when He was blessing the children because they assumed He was too busy for them (cf. Matt. 19:14, KJV: "... [Suffer] the little children to come unto me...").  Jesus doesn't see interruptions--but only opportunities. Everything is Father-filtered!  How you handle these are a test of your patience!  God's timing is always perfect and He is the Author of time and "[our] times are in [His] hands," according to Psalm 31:15. Our future, then it is in His hands and He has no Plan B, as it were. We can frustrate our plans and they may never come to fruition, but God cannot be thwarted and will not fail; however, we are on the winning side and are in solidarity with Christ or in Christ.

The greatest obstacle to God's will is our will, it has been said. When we walk in step with the Spirit things go according to the glory of God and He is glorified through us; we must learn to walk with God like Enoch and Noah did. There is ample and adequate reason for everything that happens during our day and God has a time and purpose for every occasion in God's creation and under the sun, or so it says in Ecclesiastes. NB:  It's only because man has the precious gift of time consciousness and can anticipate the future and remember the past that he has the side effects of worrying about the future and regretting the past--two notorious time thieves!

We can do many things with our time:  We can invest it to bring dividends from God-like in spiritual ventures; we can spend it on profitable enterprises and things of extrinsic value; we can gain an intrinsic reward from the saving of time (what a joy!) by prioritizing what is important to God, not us; we can also spend our time on things of intrinsic worth like those that are edifying, educational, and inspiring; we can even waste time by killing it and doing nothing notable with it worth remembering and we may even regret doing; we can do nothing with our time because of boredom or sloth, but there is always something to do if we are willing to do it;  we enjoy time the most when we learn to spend it serving others as Jesus said in Mark 10:45 (ESV):  "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many." 

The happiest people are too busy thinking about others that they never wonder about their own happiness (it makes them happy to see others happy!). I believe there will always be downtime as a test of our ingenuity with redeeming the time (biblically commanded), and finding out what we're made of, and this will always be a challenge of our character. Chuck Colson relates a story of a convict who refused to have a TV in his cell because he felt you could waste a lot of time watching it.


But we will be held accountable for the time allotted us at the Judgment Seat of Christ (bema), and we should be"redeeming the time," according to Paul, because "the days are evil."  Time is precious, we will never get back lost opportunities or time wasted. "An idle hand is the devil's workshop!"  As they say, carpe diem, or seize the day! The best overall use of time is to make it into something that will outlast you, or that is bigger than you! The only way to do this is to realize your potential in God's kingdom and learn to do "kingdom living." We are not wealth builders, but kingdom builders. Day by day we learn to discipline ourselves into time management and the precious use of the opportunities God grants us by grace. The worse use of time:  Regret and worry (looking back or ahead!).  They say that worry is the interest you pay on a debt you don't owe.  God can free us from regret and guilt by giving us a clean conscience and reason to go on living.  He wipes the slate clean and gives us a fresh lease on life with a new start with Christ in control as our autopilot.


How much time you think you have depends on how big your God is, or if your world is too big for your God? and how much time you believe He gives you.  God will never overwhelm you, but only gives you a yoke and burden you can manage.  Jesus said:  "My yoke is easy, My burden is light" (cf. Matt. 11:30).  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you," according to Isaiah 43:2 (ESV). We can handle whatever God can throw at us if we are willing and obedient through the power of the Holy Spirit ( Philippians 4:13; 2:13; Heb. 13:21; Col. 1:29; Isa. 26:12; Romans 15:18).  We can also handle whatever the world can dish out with the aid of God being with us through the rivers of life.

Busyness in itself is not a virtue! (This is no excuse!)   It is good to be busy, but this is not synonymous!  If you have priorities you always have time for God and the Lord's work--this is what we're living for.  When you have a purpose you have the motivation to work hard ("Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might," says Eccl. 10:11, ESV).  Work is meant to be a blessing and we demonstrate the image of God when we work; even God is at work!  Adam worked and it is not a curse; we can all find inner meaning in it:  Bro. Lawrence, a monk, wrote a book, The Practice of the Presence of God, in which he prayed all day as he washed dishes for the Lord in a 16th-century monastery.

There is a difference between being too busy and keeping busy:  Jesus was never too busy, though he kept busy and productive with His time, except when He needed R & R because He was human and got tired and exhausted, too:  He never wasted time, though!  There's a difference between being lazy and tired and needing a break from the routine with some downtime.


Rick Warren says:  The number one enemy of kindness is busyness.  How often we say, 'I am just too busy.  I don't have time to get involved.  It might mess up my schedule or agenda.  I have my priorities and pressures to think about.  I am too busy to fix a meal for my sick neighbor ... I am too busy...." Christ's opportunities may come when we are busy to see if we have time for Him and He knocks on our door.  That opportunity may never come again!  Interruptions are just reminders that we are not in control of the situation, but God is sovereign over our time and has the best intention in mind for us.

If you realize you are called to do something you want to do, you are motivated to do your best and not be slack.  A new mother soon realizes that her time is not her own!  We are all realizing our potential and no one has arrived yet, we are all "works in progress!"  But being a "work-a-holic" is not necessarily good because we are meant to enjoy our lives too and not be all work and no play. What you enjoy may be your calling in life and work can be a calling but there is more to life than work. You can work yourself sick or to a mental or emotional disorder, and even end up in a mental hospital or lose sanity--God has decreed us to get our rest as a principle in the Sabbath. We all need R & R on occasion and need to have our "fun" or whatever is fun to us. It is a blessing to know what you enjoy doing and to enjoy doing it, no matter how much time it consumes.

If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy, I've read somewhere, and I affirm this adage. It's too easy to get into the habit of putting off spiritual things (even on Sunday, of all days--the Lord's day), and thinking only of our own advantage and pleasure or interests. We don't want to become sluggards or slothful but to be hardworking believers who demonstrate the Christian work ethic and become productive citizens who give back to society--not just receiving its benefits pro bono.  God gives us the power to be productive in His kingdom, not necessarily in the world, though--which may despise us.

It is not true that you be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good unless you mean being irresponsible and slothful, but this depends upon your definitions of the terminology. We can make things happen and do God's work, which is more important than our work and should always have preeminent importance. The more dedicated you are to putting God first and prioritizing Him, the more time you will be able to redeem for Him and His work and you don't find the time, you make time.

We will be accountable for all the opportunities, time, resources, money, skills, talents, and blessings God has bestowed on us because nothing belongs to us--we are just stewards of God.  In short, we should proclaim boldly:  "I'm never too busy for the Lord or the Lord's work!" Caveat:  There is a curse on him who does the Lord's work with slackness in Jeremiah 48:10.

These verses are relevant: Whatever we do, we find to do we should do with all our might and as unto the Lord and to His glory per Scripture admonition. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Col. 3:23, ESV). "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus...." (Col. 3:17, ESV). "..."Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31, ESV). "Making the best use [redeeming] of the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Each Man For Himself

This is the survival tactic from the survival instinct of primitive man (really from the caveman era) before man was settled in a social setting and became a social being (marriage and family were the first institutions). The phrase sounds like what is shouted as the crew announces to abandon ship and the women and children have been evacuated, and now it's survival of the fittest. Look out for the old philosophy of "Look out for Number One!" 

Today hermits are rare and it would take considerable survival skill to remain one in today's modern high-tech society.  We are all interconnected and need each other--it really does take a village to raise a child in that a family cannot do it alone (Plato actually said that the state is better equipped to raise good citizens than the parents, but we believe in the sanctity of the family as having authority over the state). If you've ever seen the "preppers" on TV, you know what fending for oneself means, they must be trained and have reserves to withstand any type of disaster.  Some of these types become highly fanatical and their primary drive in life is preparing for disaster as more than a hobbyhorse--it's an obsession to them showing lack of faith in God disguised as a veneer of human wisdom. 

Is this type of philosophy biblical? The Word tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that means feeding him when he is hungry and sheltering him in our home if we can. This hardly describes a doctrine of taking care of yourself first and let the chips fall where they may. When the chips are down we must keep the faith in God that He will come through and keep on supplying our needs as He promised come what may!   We have a higher calling and are held to a higher standard than the world.  As Jesus said, "I was hungry and you gave me food...." Always remember, God is our Provider and He will see to it our legitimate needs are met.  

We are responsible to take care of ourselves, but not at the expense of being exclusive and refusing to share God's blessings with others. God blesses us and saves us so that we can be a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13).  In summation:  We are not for ourselves but for Christ; we let God be for us and we are about the Lord's business, not ours, each looking out for the interests of one another; what kind of ethics this demonstrates to others is the old "Iron Rule" of paganism whereby might made right. 

Caveat:  We are not to be so concerned about our own welfare that we have little concern for others--this is self-preservation (a natural instinct) run amuck.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Watch Your Doctrine!...

Verses to ponder and reflect on:

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching [i.e., doctrine]"  (1 Tim. 4: 13, ESV).

"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity ..." (Heb. 6:1, ESV).

The body of Christ is one no matter where you go and you can have fellowship with a believer no matter what church he attends (fellowship actually could mean two fellows in the same ship).  We truly are "one in the Spirit."  But there must be commonality and unity (not necessarily uniformity) to have fellowship and you can fellowship with someone of a different denomination or doctrinal persuasion, but never think this implies doctrine is not important and that God doesn't expect us to learn the truth and be dedicated to its dissemination.  You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand--you can agree to disagree and find common ground to fellowship on--All Christians have Jesus in common and should not get so sectarian that they don't love the brethren, regardless of affiliation.

The Bible refutes the notion that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere--the common fallacy of today's worldview. Paul exhorted Timothy to "Keep a close watch on [himself] and on the teaching [literally, doctrine].  Persist in this, for by so doing [he] will save both [himself] and [his] hearers"  (1 Tim. 4:16, ESV).  You can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is important. We can be singing kumbaya around a campfire and learn to get along because we're all Christians (members of one church should have no internal dispute--yes--but cross-town rivals might!).

Timothy was told not to neglect the gift he had--he reportedly was a church troubleshooter, and I believe this is a sort of theologian.  Mainstream denominations are highly ecumenical in that they believe in interdenominational cooperation despite differences of doctrine.  Sure, there are major doctrines we should not compromise, but we should never major on the minors and divide Christ. This was the mistake of Corinth that had become highly sectarian. There is a place for forgetting our differences and let love be the rule of the day, like when we translate Bibles and don't want to have a sectarian bias, or charitable and outreach programs that they can concur on.  But nowhere does the Bible authorize that we neglect doctrine or its value to make us grow up in the Lord.  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine ..." (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).

Ignorance is not bliss and God puts no premium on it and expects believers to responsibly study according to their abilities and become genuine students of the Word:  "... If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples" (John 8:12, ESV).  What is implied is this:  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free [Jesus called God's Word Truth and said we are sanctified by it in John 17:17]."  We are not born free as humans, but in bondage to sin and must be set free by Christ ("If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed," cf. John 8:36).

Paul exhorts Titus:  "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1, ESV). Notice that Paul says in v. 1 that the knowledge of the truth accords with godliness--there's a correlation!  It is by the acquisition of truth that we become sanctified as I quoted in John 17:17.  He also says, "... give instruction in sound doctrine ..." (Titus 1:9, ESV).   We need to know doctrine, according to Paul in Ephesians 4:14 so that we will not "be tossed to and fro ... by every wind of doctrine ...."

I don't know if there is a gift of being a theologian or if some people just have the knack for it and seem to excel in organized, systematic thinking and analysis of Bible teaching or doctrine.  But no one in the body is superfluous and unnecessary--the body needs theologians too, no matter what the gift may be.  A good theologian can identify a false doctrine a mile away and organizes his teaching and be thinking so as to be able to categorize it and disseminate it in an orderly way--let everything be done decently and in order according to 1 Cor. 14:40. Theologians have a viewpoint because they usually belong to a certain school of thought and tend to interpret things partially--remember, there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, except with God.

It has its limits:  For instance, you aren't going to convince a devoted Arminian that he can't lose his salvation--he has interpreted the whole Bible while denying that premise.  I remember that when God opened my eyes to the truth of eternal security it seemed like scales came off my eyes and the whole of Scripture was opened in meaning to me with a viewpoint (I previously had no opinions or didn't know what to believe or even who to believe).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Helping A Brother In Need

It is quite admirable to be able to notice a brother in need and be in the position to help out.  When you've done it to the least of Christ's brethren, you've done it unto Him (cf. Matt. 25:40).  The question Christ will ask at judgment is when you saw the naked did you clothe them, or the hungry did you feed them, etc. Paul said that "My God shall supply all your need..." (Philippians 4:19).  God doesn't promise to provide our felt needs or wants, just our needs.  Some need more than others, but the purpose is to do the will of God, not our will.  If you need it to do God's will, He will supply.

"Saint Theresa was going to build a convent with a sum the equivalent of twelve pence as her complete resources.  Someone said to her, 'Not even Saint Theresa can accomplish much with twelve pence.'  'True, she answered, 'but Saint Theresa and twelve pence and God can do anything.'" (anecdote quoted from William Barclay's The Letter to the Romans.)  The fact is that God has unlimited resources and we don't work for Buddha:  God has nothing against rich people or riches per se.  But when we are not rich toward God (see Luke 12:21 and the parable of the foolish tenant) it is foolish to put our trust in riches.  Our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions, and we are to be content with what we have, and not be envious of what others have.

Greed is the driving force in modern society as a rule in a materialistic age, and some people who love money never seem to have enough and aren't satisfied no matter what.  They ask a millionaire how much would make him happy:  Just a little more!  They always want a more than they have, no matter how much they have.  We are all stewards of what God has assigned us and have different degrees of responsibility and are all accountable both in this life and at Judgment Day.  We also reap what we sow and it seems like the evil get rich and prosper, but the Bible says in Psalm 17:14 that it is because their reward or portion is in this life.  I would rather go to my reward when I pass on than leave my riches behind.

Although it is true that it does no good to help some people because they are irresponsible and will spend it unwisely if you give a beggar on skid row a dollar, he will buy a bottle of wine and if you offer to take him to a restaurant to get fed, he will decline.  Helping someone in need isn't just financial, it may be of your time because everyone knows the cliche that love is spelled T-I-M-E. When absentee fathers don't spend any time with their children no wonder they grow into delinquents and live maladjusted lives searching for an identity.

Each person should decide in his own heart how much he is to give and be faithful to that, and not feel that he must give of his money--it is completely voluntary for the Christian and not to be "under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7).  The church's responsibility is to use some of the money to give to those in need, to help the poor, and make good use of their resources. "The point is this:  whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly..." (2 Cor. 9:6, ESV).  Tithing can be seen as a test of generosity, a principle of stewardship, and a sign of faith giving back to God some of His blessings to us-- but it is not a mandate for Christians--not mentioned in any epistle as imperative.          Soli Deo Gloria! 

Poor Follow-through

You can have the best of intentions, but if you don't make good on them,  they are only gestures and not worth recompense.  Sincerity is necessary, but it is not sufficient, you must practice the truth as well as know it;  this is known as orthopraxy vs. orthodoxy (right conduct and right creed).  We can all be in danger of being more empty talk and promise and less delivery of the goods. Intentions don't count without making good on them.

Some just preach or talk about what people want to hear and to please their itching ears and try to water down the truth and make it more palatable, instead of telling it like it is.  The truth can knock you out of your comfort zone, wake you up from your dogmatic slumber, and upset the applecart. Jesus was known for challenging authority and being "anti-establishment" and to invade the turf of the Pharisees so that they were jealous of His influence.

Sometimes we can tend to be all heart and not have the follow-through to apply what we feel or get convicted of--it is just sentiment.  We are to follow the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind; this means our whole person and ability, talent, time, gifts, and resources that we are stewards of and are accountable for.  Following God begins in the heart but we must graduate and go on to know the Lord and follow Him in obedience to His commands.

We must never jeopardize our testimony by not living up to our creed; we must turn it into deeds and make it our own to God's glory, for which we are saved. We tend to agree with each other in principle, but fail to carry it out in practice as a reality and testimony to others, making us look like hypocrites who don't practice what we preach.  I can't stress enough the value of going the "extra mile" and putting in the extra effort to please God to the best of our ability, and do the best job we can for the Lord ("Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not unto men," quoting Colossians 3:23).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You Too Busy For God?

Everyone sooner or later faces challenges in time management and setting priorities if you have an agenda, bucket list, or a to-do list; here's some pertinent teaching:

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might..."  (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
We always find time to do the things we want to do as a rule, but we must learn to be flexible and adjust to God's timetable and plan--things don't always go according to agenda because life is unpredictable and our autopilot may be beckoning us.  God's providence has a reason and time for every purpose under the sun.

In today's rat-race and the dog-eat-dog world, we seem to attribute business as a virtue per se, regardless of the purpose.  If you don't know why you're so busy, your life may be unmanageable and you need to make priorities.  They say that time is of the essence.  Tempis fugit, (time flies) the Latin expression goes, and when we're having fun we don't know where the time goes.  The funny thing about our life is that it is like a vapor that vanishes and is soon over.  Ernest Hemingway said, "Time is the thing we have least of;" that is true because we are just stewards of the time God gives us (all things belong ultimately to God).  The abler we are, the more God assigns to be a steward of.

The point is to be faithful in what God gives you and not to compare yourself with others--their lifestyle is none of your business and not for you to judge--he is accountable to his God.  What's the point in being busy when you don't have a purpose in living--that is just being a workaholic and being busy for its own sake.  Sometimes God wants us to slow down and just enjoy life and Him in meditation.  Life can get hectic, but if we don't watch it the devil will make us so busy we crowd God out of our lives.  We should never be too busy for the Lord's work, just as Jesus never considered an interruption an inconvenience.  Some people do have time on their hands and God is trying to teach them to redeem the time and live one day at a time:  "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us be glad and live today"  (Psalm 118:24).  There are many things we can do to the time allotted to each of us, and we all have 168 hours per week to invest in God.

Work can be done to the glory of God--there is no special status to spiritual matters that qualify them to be of more inherent worthiness to invest in.  Praying is no more "spiritual" than washing dishes to the glory of God!  Work makes us realize the image of God in us and we see God at work through us--we have many given opportunities to work as unto the Lord.  There are several things we can do to time:  invest it, as in prayer because prayer saves time and the busier we are the more we need prayer;  we can just spend time or be doing something to keep busy; we can waste time by doing nonproductive activities that don't glorify God; sometimes we can even be known to kill time because we have downtime and don't know what to do with the extra time available.

But remember, the most important pertinent admonition from Scripture is to "redeem the time because the days are evil." Find ways to bring glory to God in what you do.   Being busy is not a virtue in itself unless it is to the glory of God; however, we should distinguish between being busy and staying busy. Workaholics are not virtuous because they are busier than most people, in the sense that they always have an excuse not to do the Lord's work.   I can always find something to do and never get bored, but I am not ever too busy to drop everything and answer God's call.  Stay busy, but don't get too busy your priorities are wrong--like crowding out family matters because work becomes your identity or number one priority.

When God's work is Job One, then everything falls into place.  Our work doesn't define us, but how we do it and our attitude does.  The thing we have to beware of is being slothful, lazy, or lethargic  (one of the "seven deadly sins").  Christ promises us a more "abundant life" and as a blessing, we are given more opportunity to serve Him.  In accountability, God doesn't want the leftovers of our time, but the prominent place and everything revolving around Him and to His glory. Lost opportunities can never be retrieved, like a spoken word or spent arrow, and we are accountable for them likewise as sins of omission.  The book of Haggai shows us that as soon as the Jews put God first in building the temple, God blessed them for getting their priorities straightened out.  Soli Deo Gloria!

One Day At A Time...

By definition "time" is only a corollary of space and matter/energy and is part of God's creation; therefore God is sovereign over it, not bound by it, nor defined, or limited by it--it is irrelevant to Him!  Let's perceive reality from the divine viewpoint!  That is to say:  Put God in the equation!  You don't see the Big Picture apart from Him!

I used to like the TV show of that title in the '70s and it is a valid philosophy even for unbelievers--psychiatrists would acknowledge this too.  I'm not saying that reminiscing has no place in our lives, but where our daily focus is.  Remember the TV series "Happy Days?"  People tend to think of the olden days as the good old days, and Solomon warned us against doing this in Eccles. 7:10 saying: "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'"  God has "set eternity in the heart of man" (we have the unique ability that animals don't have to anticipate the future, but a side-effect is that we also can worry about it!) but we are not meant to live oriented only for the "here and now." "Where there is no vision, the people perish," according to Proverbs 29:18 and we must look ahead in making plans, but not in presumption or preoccupation.  ("Commit whatever you do to the LORD, and He will establish your plans.")  "There is a proper time and procedure for every purpose under heaven."  "He makes everything beautiful in its time," so it is said:  Go by God's timetable, not yours!

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).  The older we get, it seems like time is more of the essence (Ernest Hemingway said,  "Time is the thing we have the least of.").  Time goes faster and the birthdays even are a blur. Tempis fugit (time flies).   The Bible says, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25).  Our life is but a "vapor" that vanishes! Like the grass that withers!

Depression is rampant today: It is mainly caused by people living and dwelling on the past; misinterpreting the present; and anticipating the future.  But we should always remember the words of wisdom:  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet given to us, so why not live today!  We get ahead of ourselves and make plans thinking that tomorrow is guaranteed, but we are to live one day at a time and commend the future to God's care. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1).  Jesus taught us to pray to "give us this day our daily bread" for a reason.  Psalm 118:24 says:  "This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Some people do the extreme of just living for the "here and now" and "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die [quoting 1 Cor. 15:22, ESV, cf. Isaiah 22:13]."  This philosophy dates back to antiquity and Democritus who espoused us to seek "man's fulfillment in the here and now of this world."  We are to live each day to the fullest, but in light of eternity, doing God's will--which is revealed one day at a time, i.e., we don't know God's will for our whole life like a rolled-out revealed agenda.  "My times [future] is in thy hands"  (Psalm 31:15).

We trust God for the future and make our plans "but the LORD establishes [our] steps" (Prov. 16:9). Since we are given one day at a time and live it one day at a time let us heed the advice of Matthew Henry:  "Live each day as if it were your last."  If you aren't prepared to die, you are not prepared to live; for it is in the fear of death that the devil holds people captive to do his will. No one is guaranteed tomorrow!  However, seeing the spiritual dimension gives you a whole new outlook.

Providence is manifest:  "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Prov. 20:24);  "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23); "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established"  (Prov. 16:3).  God is never frustrated and we do not ever interrupt His plans according to Ephesians 1:11 which says:  "[We are being] predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will." Daniel 4:35 says:  "...none can stay his hand, or say to him, 'What doest thou?'"

God orchestrates history and "...he does whatever he pleases"  (Job 23:13).  From God's perspective there is no time element; for He is outside, not defined, nor limited by the time-space continuum which He created for us:  This means He is all-wise (pansophic) and we must trust Providence and not try to think we can predict or see the future.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and we are all geniuses at this, so we shouldn't feel guilty and regret the past as believers.

It is time to take inventory and assess our way of life:  Are we getting what we expected and what we want out of life--life is empty without God in it (enthusiasm means putting God into it).  Nature abhors a vacuum and boredom indicates a lack of purpose and fulfillment and humans are known for this propensity whereas animals aren't.   Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living."  The Latin saying carpe diem or seize the day is pertinent!  In summary:  There is no Plan B, but everything is going according to God's glory and being cognizant of Providence gives us great faith and patience in everyday events.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You a Success?

"If you haven't made a mistake, you haven't made anything!"
"If you haven't failed, you haven't tried!"

Mother Teresa of Calcutta wisely said, "We are not called to success, but to faithfulness."  She also said that  "true holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  Everyone fails at something sometimes and you haven't lived until you find out that you're human and have limitations.  King George III said that you shouldn't try so hard to do what you enjoy, but enjoy what you do.  One of my bros. tells me that if you do what you're good at, you may have the opportunity to do what you want to do.

What's a success in your book?  [Before we proceed, let me define "success":  I do not mean making a certain amount of money, or landing that dream job or getting fame or power,  but God making your way prosperous as it says in Ps. 1 for those who are godly; in other words, having God's approval, glory, and blessing in your endeavors.]   Furthermore,  John wishes that "all may go well with you" in 3 John 2--but we must "never boast, except in the Lord" because 1 Cor. 4:7 says:  "Who makes you different from anyone else?   What do you have that you didn't receive?" Think of what George Whitefield said of a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."

"I am confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (Ps. 27:13).  It's not about achieving the so-called American dream or cashing in your spiritual lottery ticket and thinking that godliness is a means of financial gain (all false doctrines), but finding fulfillment and meaning in Christ and making an impact in His kingdom, while we influence others to His glory.

Success in the eyes of the world is no sign of God's favor ("For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked," says Ps. 72:3), because the rain falls on the unjust as well as the just and for "those in this world whose reward is in this life" (Ps. 17":14) some people's "portion is in this life," it is written in the Psalms.  God blesses all people but some people in all ways and some in some, but all are blessed in some way because God is good--no one can deny that!

The more accurate questions would be:  "Are you in the will of God?"  If you are, then you are really successful, regardless of what the world thinks.  Many people give themselves a pat on the back and congratulate themselves for the success:  We deserve no accolades--God gets the glory!  (E.g., the self-made Englishman who worships his creator doesn't praise God!)   Psa. 100:4 says that "He has made us, and not we ourselves." We seem to be the product of our genes, our environment, our family and friends, and many other factors, but we are not the slave to them by the grace of God--Providence must be put into the equation.  The old debate, nature vs. nurture thinks everything can be explained.  God must be reckoned with and given the glory--Soli Deo Gloria!

Ambition is not sinful, if to the glory of God and not selfish (Jer. 45:5:  "Do you have great plans for yourself?")  Isa. 26:12 says, "All that we have accomplished, [God has] done."  The Jews were reprimanded by Amos in chapter 6 verse 13:  "You who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar [nothing] and say, "Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?"  Success is not so much a matter of self-confidence, as God-confidence.  We are only responsible for the gifts and opportunities we have.  Isa. 45:7 says that God brings prosperity.  Deut. 8:18 says that God brings the power to get wealth

If you give yourself the credit or think that it was your hard work that brought you success, it isn't the kind of success God calls us to.   "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God"  (2 Cor. 3:5).  We are merely vessels of honor that God has used:   Providence is at work:   "He who is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much."   Give God the glory for what He has wrought in you and be like Paul:  "I venture not to speak, but of what the Lord has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18).   To use a cliché, our success is more a matter of trusting, than trying and being a faithful steward of what God gives us, rather than our abilities--"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong"  (Eccl. 9:11).  Sin is usually the downfall, not ability or effort.

Many people are hard workers and never get anywhere, and others just seem to inherit or fall into prosperity by fate or destiny, but it is Providence in reality and they are giving God the credit.  The book of Eccl. says "Luck and chance happen to all.," which means that there are not explainable events that are attributed to forces other than God--but we know that there is no such thing as an accident or fortuitous event with God, but a time and purpose for everything--there are no maverick molecules!

 A note on the will of God:

We have the power and ability to thwart God's preceptive will but not the right--we are culpable for sin, which is the violation of God's revealed will.  God's decreed will is none of our business and we are not to seek it.  Evil is simply not His plan.   Now can you see why necromancy, seances, and fortune-telling are taboo or off-limits?   Soli Deo Gloria!

Belief's Correlation with Obedience

There is a direct relationship between faith and obedience; faith is manifested only in obedience--there is no such thing as disobedient faith.  Our faith is not perfect or faultless, but genuine faith is sincere and unfeigned ("The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," says 1 Tim. 1:5).   No one has perfect faith or perfect obedience and perfectionism is a false doctrine.  We never reach a point of sinless perfection  (of sins intentional, or no)t.   "...He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him"  (Heb. 5:9). 

The Holy Spirit has been given to all who obey Him (cf. Acts 5:32).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a famous saying that is now an axiom:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  We are saved through the obedience of our faith that is a gift of God. ("...He greatly helped those who by grace had believed," says Acts 18:27).

There is no such thing as a brand of Christian called "disobedient Christian," though Christians can disobey, sin, and fall short; but they have a desire and longing within to obey in their spirit.  "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I  who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ...For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being"  (Rom. 7:15-22).  In other words, we all fall short of our ideals and can't live up to our own standards--thank God for grace.

There is also no such thing as a carnal Christian having an excuse ("It's okay, pastor, I'm a carnal Christian") when caught in a sin.  He must repent and if he belongs to the Lord he will be disciplined ("For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives," says Heb. 12:6).  Christians don't get away with sin and are not happy out of fellowship with the Lord.  The exhortation to all believers is to "trust and obey"  and the song goes:  "For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

The acid test or the litmus test of the believer is his obedience and they are correlated in Heb. 3:18-19 as follows:  "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." True faith is manifested or demonstrated by obedience only.  "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams"  (1 Sam. 15:22).  Soli Deo Gloria!