Roller Coaster Faith

I’m not a big fan of roller coasters, or of theme parks in general for that matter, though I’ve been to several over the years. In high school our band went to Disney World, and of course I had to ride Space Mountain. In the middle of the ride, the cars came to a stop and the lights came on inside the mountain. There was some malfunction that they had to fix. They let us all ride a second time so we could get the full experience. Somehow the ride isn’t the same once you’ve seen that the tracks just circle around inside an undecorated dome. But I’d prefer to see where I’m going anyway.

Sometimes it feels like life is a roller coaster in the dark. We are never quite sure whether we’re headed uphill, about to drop off a cliff, or taking a sudden turn. At least as Christians we have the assurance that we’re buckled into the car and staying on God’s tracks. Eventually the ride will end safely for us no matter where it takes us in the meantime. “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16 NIV).

We’d probably all love to see where the tracks are going in the coming days, months, and years, but only God knows those details and He isn’t telling. If we could see the big drop coming, we’d probably get anxious about it or try to change the tracks. Instead, when we find ourselves heading for the valley we have to trust that God still has His hand on us. And if we could see a coming mountain, we might worry that the climb will be too arduous. Yet the Father is the one making it possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34 ESV). And Paul reminded us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6 ESV). God knows that we are weak and we can’t handle full knowledge of the future and still keep trusting Him. Today is enough trouble, and these few hours are enough to test our faith. If we can’t trust Him for our daily bread, how can we trust Him with life, family, career, and even death? If we know exactly what the future holds, why would we need faith?

I guess what makes some people love roller coasters is the adrenaline rush of being out of control, yet they know in the back of their mind that everything is completely under control. It feels dangerous and yet it isn’t. I would bet that there are some people who have ridden Space Mountain so many times that they have the track almost memorized. Would that still be as fun?

Part of the joy of being a Christian is that no matter what happens we are under the Master’s control. We can sit back and enjoy the ride with our fellow believers because we know the final destination. One day we’ll get to look back and see that all the mountains, valleys, and turns in our lives weren’t nearly so bad as we’d imagined at the time. Everything was used for a purpose and accomplished God’s will in our lives. But for now we’ll have to look ahead and face each day with faith and hope.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer. 29:11 NIV).

Holding On

I’ve been wrestling with several Scriptures lately (ESV):

• Jude 24-25- Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13- No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
• Romans 6:14- For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
• 1 John 3:9- No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Those verses, along with others, seem to present a dilemma for the believer. If these promises are true, why do we continue to struggle with sin day after day and year after year? You would think that if God can keep us from falling He would do so. But even when we pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13), victory over sin begins to sound like a pipe dream.

As I was trying to make sense of this for myself, I started reading Max Lucado’s A Gentle Thunder and, big surprise, found an answer I can grasp—literally! He talks about climbing a simulated rock wall and losing his grip. He fell just a short distance because he was harnessed in and his spotter was doing his job. After dangling a few seconds he was able to resume his climb and get to the top of the wall. What might have happened if he had fallen all the way to the ground? What if he gave up and refused to try again? Can you picture a grown man hanging there and crying to be let down?

That presents a good mental image of the consequences of sin for the believer. Yes, we lose our grip on truth and our feet slip. But we don’t go crashing to the ground, never to climb again. We may fall a few feet, but we’re not back where we started because we’re secured to the Rock of Ages. The fact is that God does keep us from falling as far or as often as we would without Him, but I think we tend to lose sight of that. We get discouraged because we aren’t completely free from all the old temptations, but we don’t stop to think where we’d be if we weren’t Christians. For myself, that picture of the alternate life is pretty ugly, which should make me even more thankful that God has brought freedom and growth into my life by His grace.

We have to be careful that we don’t think about the climbing wall as our path to salvation though. Salvation is more like the harness that we allow God to strap on while we’re still standing on the ground. Without the harness we can’t even begin to climb, but with it we are secure regardless of how far or how well we may climb. The wall itself shows our growth in obedience, and each step requires faith that we’ll be safe in His hands even if we do make a mistake.

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 27:23-24 NIV). This verse is a reminder that even when we desire to live in obedience we will stumble, but God has a grip on us and won’t let go. The next time you fall, remember Who holds your hand!

Private Faith?

I came across the following quote from Henri Nouwen in The Road to Daybreak:

“[T]he distinction between the private and the public sphere of life is a false distinction and has created many of the problems we are struggling with in our day. In the Christian life the distinction between a private life (just for me!) and a public life (for the others) does not exist. For the Christian, even the most hidden fantasies, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions are a service or a disservice to the community. I can never say, ‘What I think, feel or do in my private time is nobody else’s business.’ It is everyone’s business! The mental and spiritual health of a community depends largely on the way its members live their most personal lives as a service to their fellow human beings.”

How often do we hear “My faith is my own business”? How often do we see people who don’t regularly participate in the life of the church because they feel that they don’t need the community and aren’t needed by the community? Nouwen really stabs at the heart of the issue. And it makes sense when we remember that the church is the Body of Christ. As Paul said, “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body… The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Cor. 12:15, 21). I think we have a lot of hands and feet and eyes that are forsaking their roles because they don’t realize they are all needed and they need one another.

American culture in particular has fostered the independent mentality. Most of us have our own houses and our own transportation. We have fenced yards and separate bedrooms for each of the kids. Our goal is financial security and self-sufficiency. So why then would we want to give up our independence and become accountable to someone else for our thoughts, words, and actions? In other parts of the world, where single-room homes are shared and families are reliant upon the whole village for subsistence, it is much more obvious how one person has an impact on everyone else.

Besides independence, we have developed a consumer mentality as well. “What’s in it for me” is the question lurking in the minds of many church-goers. Is there an upcoming church event, program, fundraiser, committee opening? Why should I commit my time to something if I’m not going to get anything out of it? As we’ve said in our H2H group, the question we should be asking is “What do I have to contribute to the needs I see?”

In his book Love, Acceptance & Forgiveness, Jerry Cook gives a great example of a woman asking about their visitation program because she had a list of people to be visited. He told her, “We have what is probably one of the best visitation programs of any church in the world… and you’re it; you are the visitation committee.” He goes on to say, “Our… program has the simplest structure in the world: you see the need, you meet it” (p. 105). How much time and energy would be saved by members of the Body of Christ responding directly to a need rather than forming a committee or asking the pastor to do something? But that doesn’t often happen if my faith is my own, my time is my own, and I’m not accountable to anyone besides myself.

Part of the problem may be that church members have come to believe that ministry is the job of the pastor and the rest of us are just supporters. Jerry Cook writes, “Preparing God’s people—that’s my job, and that’s a whole different ball game from doing the ministry myself. The church needs to place its members in a healing environment of love, acceptance and forgiveness. We must bring people to wholeness in such an environment, equip them, and then release them” (p. 48).

From the warnings in Matthew 7:21-27 (“Depart from me, I never knew you”), and the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, I think many church-goers will find themselves ashamed at the final judgment to realize that they did not obey the Lord’s commands. How many times did Jesus have to tell us, “Love one another,” “Love your neighbor,” “As you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me”? We have material and spiritual blessings galore, and yet serving the Body and giving to those in need is not even on our radar.

In answer to the question “What’s in it for me,” I think there are several biblical answers and this is just a partial list:

• Correction- Galatians 6:1- “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
• Comfort- Romans 12:15- “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
• Strength- Ecclesiastes 4:12- “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
• Encouragement- 1 Thessalonians 11,14- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up… admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
• Good Harvest- Galatians 6:9- “Let us now grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
• Eternal Reward- 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
• Praise from the Father- Matthew 25:21- “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.”

I’ll close with the words of Paul, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-17).

Godly Lives

I’ve been thinking lately about godly womanhood. I don’t like the term “femininity” as that seems to be loaded with cultural bias. I’m not talking about whether women can be ordained (as my grandmother was), or what roles they should hold in the church and family. I just want to know what it means to be a woman in love with God.

With that thought in mind I read Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul, by John & Stasi Eldredge. I picked it up somewhat in protest. I had read the book jacket a few times in the past and was turned off by the book’s basic thesis. Sure enough, the first chapter frustrated me. (Have you ever yelled at a book?) They state that the three foundational desires of a woman’s heart are 1) to be romanced, 2) to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and 3) to unveil beauty (p. 8). I’m not sure I can identify with any of those “desires.” Perhaps it is just the terminology used. Romance? No thanks; but I do desire love. Adventure? Not really; though a sense of purpose is essential. Beauty? Nope; but acceptance is important.

It doesn’t help that many of the descriptions used in the book are things I haven’t experienced (or at least don’t remember from childhood) and don’t care to try. Games of “kidnapped and rescued,” playing dress up, twirling skirts, and later candlelight dinners and ballroom dancing... Not my cup of cocoa. I realize that all authors write from what they know and have experienced, and not all books will speak to me in the same way.

There were some good points in the book—that we have to find our identity and value in Christ and not from society; true beauty comes from within; and we each have a unique role to fill. Their interpretation of some of those roles was another point of frustration for me, but that’s a discussion for another day.

I was reminded of a movie we watched during Spanish class in high school. A blind man fell in love with the nurse who cared for him. After surgery enabled him to see, the first person he saw was a beautiful woman and he assumed it must be the caring nurse. (I don’t recall how they explained the difference in voices.) The whole class wondered how he knew what physical beauty was since he’d always been blind, and why did he equate physical beauty with relational caring?

It’s interesting to look at the references to beauty throughout Scripture. Many refer to God’s beauty, and many warn of the dangers of chasing physical beauty. “But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4). What is a quiet spirit? I believe it is a spirit that trusts in God in all things. When things don’t make sense, when the world is asking “why”, when the enemy tempts us to worry and fear, the quiet spirit says “God, I trust Your will and rest in Your love.” This is a spirit that is not striving to make things happen or demanding explanations. “In returning [to God] and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

This is the kind of trust exhibited by Mary when the angel told her she would bear the Messiah: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Mary was shown to be a godly woman both by her lifestyle up to this time and by her acceptance of God’s plan even when it didn’t make sense from a human viewpoint. The rest of her life would require great trust as she saw the persecution and pain that would follow Jesus even from the time of His birth.

When you look at the many women praised in Scripture, there are very few generalizations that can be made about them. Think not only of Mary but of Hannah, Esther, Ruth, Deborah, Mary Magdalene, Phoebe, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Lois and Eunice, and numerous others. They all lived very different lives and demonstrated their faith in different ways. The commonality is that they had faith in God and they trusted His plan through some difficult times. I’m not sure we can come up with any clearer definition of a godly woman. Even the description in Proverbs 31 is hard to translate into our modern times, except for verse 30: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

In a society where more than half of women are currently single, it can be dangerous to describe womanhood in terms of marriage and family. And women now hold as many different job titles as men do. So the definition of a godly woman can’t be based on what we do for a living or how we relate to people. It has to be based on the one thing that never changes—God. He has called us to believe in Him and trust Him. He calls us His beloved children and His love will never fail. Our daily life should be a response to that love, no matter what the circumstances of our life may look like.

I realize that the same holds true for men, so perhaps there is no distinction between godly womanhood and godly manhood. Every person is unique and every life of faith will look different—male or female, married or single, parent or childless. When we start prescribing roles for men and women, we run the risk of alienating large groups of people. I’m not suggesting we ignore biblical mandates. However, there are a lot of grey areas that the Bible leaves to our judgment.

I once wrote an article for the Advent Christian Witness titled “Single and Satisfied.” One reader felt that I was just griping about being pigeonholed and that it should not have been published. My point then and now is that we don’t all have the same desires or the same calling. I thank God often that the Apostle Paul was led to include 1 Corinthians 7 in Scripture. That chapter is a reminder to us that we should be more concerned about doing God’s will than we are about finding a spouse. If marriage is in God’s will for an individual, He can make it happen in His own time and way. And whether it is or isn’t in God’s plans for us, we should find our contentment and fulfillment in who God has made us to be. Culture—even Christian culture—does not define who we are. Only God has that privilege.

Therefore, as godly women and godly men, let us “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

Theology of Emotions

After our Wednesday night discussion of emotions a couple things have come to mind. One question I had was whether the philosophy of Stoicism has had an impact on the Christian view of emotions. I found the following quote: “The emotions were viewed as irrational and intemperate and as a sign of weakness, dependence, and contingency. As a result, the Stoic ideal of apatheia became the ideal and this idea was imposed upon God… It is because of a Stoic bias, not Scripture, that some say God does not care about our emotions, but only our holiness…”
(http://biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/resources/toward-a-theology-of-emotion).

It appears then that in some areas the church has bought into the idea that emotions are dangerous and are to be suppressed. This particular site goes on to say, “contrary to the Stoical tendency to view emotion as a nuisance are many biblical commands to experience particular emotions. We are instructed to hate sin, rejoice always, delight and be glad in the Lord, weep with those who weep, grieve like those who have hope, and fear God… Serving God rightly requires right emotions.”

I’ve heard from multiple sources “Don’t trust your emotions!” While I agree that emotions can be more highly charged than a situation demands, and may indeed be inappropriate, they are also indicators of what’s going on inside. “As biblical counselors we often treat emotions as if, at best, they serve as a sort of flashing light on the dashboard of our lives warning us that something has gone wrong under the hood… There’s some truth to that. Emotions certainly aren’t ‘free agents’ operating independently of our beliefs. But relegating them to the category of ‘symptom’ doesn’t quite do justice to the functions the Bible assigns to emotions”
(http://www.ccef.org/do-biblical-counselors-give-emotions-bad-name).

What then are we to do with our emotions? There are probably a lot of possibilities, and I’ll name just a few.

1) Investigate the roots of emotions. They may reveal unmet desires and expectations, in which case we need to know whether those desires are legitimate and godly or not. Godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). Ungodly anger leads to unrighteousness (Psalm 37:8). Godly grief looks forward with hope for eternity (1 Thess. 4:13). The roots of emotions may also reveal unconfessed sin, unresolved conflicts, and unhealed wounds. As those things come to light, there will probably be some steps to take to move forward.

2) Listen to your body. Our culture thrives on overwork, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, calorie overload, sugar and caffeine highs, alcohol lows, etc. It’s little wonder that we’re often emotional basket-cases. We could probably all use some time to “detox” from everything we’re doing to ourselves. Take some time to relax; eat better; sleep more; eliminate activities from the schedule; simplify. In short, take care of the body God gave you because it needs to last a lifetime.

3) Glorify God with your whole being. The Psalms are full of a wide range of emotions. It is evident that God never intended for us to ignore such a significant piece of ourselves. Jesus wept, rejoiced, and became angry. We too can respond to God emotionally in whatever way He leads. Some Christian traditions have taught that Christianity isn’t supposed to be fun, holiness requires an unemotional objectivity, or depression is just self-centeredness. I don’t see evidence for any of that in Scripture. I see Jesus enjoying a wedding reception (John 2:2). I see David dancing with reckless abandon before the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chron. 15:29). I see a despondent Elijah being sustained and encouraged by the Lord (1 Kings 19:4).

4) Encourage one another in love. One way we can glorify God is to support one another in the Body of Christ. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:15-16). Don’t pass judgment on those who see life differently, but walk alongside them as a brother or sister in Christ.

Emotions aren’t wrong in and of themselves. Acknowledge them, feel them, and explore them. Suppressing emotions only seems to lead to trouble. Telling someone to “Get over it, just move on,” communicates that they are wrong (which adds guilt) and that you know better than them (which adds shame). I don’t think any of us are qualified to judge some else’s emotions if we haven’t lived inside their head their whole life.

No matter how dark the day may seem, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).

Why Are You Still Carrying That?

The movie The Mission (1986) is a heartbreaking story of a Jesuit mission in Paraguay during the Treaty of Madrid in 1750. Mercenaries kidnapped natives to sell to plantations. Rodrigo is one of the men involved in this practice. After killing his half-brother, he becomes depressed and a priest recommends a suitable penance. Rodrigo is then seen carrying his armor and sword in a bundle as he climbs a steep waterfall, accompanying the Jesuits as they return to the mission. Some of the priests think he has carried his burden far enough and one cuts the rope, allowing the bundle to fall back down. Rather than letting it go, Rodrigo goes back to get it and continues his arduous climb. It isn’t until he reaches the top of the waterfall and one of the natives cuts the rope that Rodrigo finally feels he has been forgiven of his multitude of sins.

Do we all function this way—holding onto our penitent attitude long after God has forgiven us? I find it hard to move on when I know I’ve sinned, even though I’ve confessed and believe that I am forgiven. It’s as though I feel I have to prove my worthiness and reprove myself. Francine Rivers illustrates the feeling in Redeeming Love (a retelling of the biblical story of Hosea and his prostitute-wife Gomer): “Forgiveness was a foreign word. Grace inconceivable. Angel wanted to make up for what she had done, and she sought to do it by labor. Mama had never been forgiven, not even after a thousand Hail Marys and Our Fathers. So how could Angel be forgiven by a single word?” (211).

How often do we confess and then pick our burden back up to carry awhile longer? It seems that grace is not only inconceivable but unacceptable. Philip Yancey refers to someone who proclaimed that Bill Clinton “doesn’t deserve the grace of God.” None of us deserve grace, or it wouldn’t be grace! The question is whether or not we will accept it even though we don’t deserve it.

Max Lucado also remarks on the story of Hosea in his book 3:16 The Numbers of Hope. “God will not let you go. He has handcuffed himself to you in love. And he owns the only key. You need not win his love. You already have it. And since you can’t win it, you can’t lose it. As evidence, consider exhibit A: the stubborn love of Hosea for Gomer… God uses this story, indeed orchestrated this drama, to illustrate his steadfast love for his fickle people” (36).

In stories like The Mission and Redeeming Love, we as observers want to step in and tell the characters to let go of their burdens and accept the love and forgiveness that is offered to them. Just think how much more God wants us to let go and receive His love and forgiveness! But we persist in our penance, remembering our sin, and carrying a burden God never meant for us to carry.

We no longer live under the Old Testament sacrificial system, waiting for set times to bring our sin offerings before God. We don’t even have to abide by the Roman Catholic tradition of confessing our sins before a priest and doing whatever penance he prescribes. Instead, we have free access to the Father through the Son. We have forgiveness that was purchased by His blood two millennia ago. We are free from carrying that burden whether we realize it or not. Several authors have used the illustration of a man who picked up a hitchhiker, but the hitchhiker would not take off his heavy backpack because he didn’t want to impose on the driver’s generosity. If Jesus is carrying the sin of all believers, why are we still trying to do our part and carry our own weight?

It seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. But the feelings of guilt, shame, and unworthiness can quickly convince us we need to do more, do better, and become more deserving. Perhaps, like little children, we can learn how to be thankful instead. I doubt any parents expect their preschoolers to cook their own dinner, but they do like to hear a word of thanks now and then. And it’s even better if it is offered willingly and gratefully. In the words of the familiar chorus: Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Peace in the Storm

I’ve often enjoyed reading Max Lucado. His books are entertaining as well as inspirational. I just finished reading Come Thirsty (borrowed from the church library if you’re interested). One of the illustrations he uses is that of the Arizona Biosphere project, an experiment in creating an entirely self-contained environment. He parallels this to the protective “dome” of God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:7).

This is a nice illustration as far as it goes. But a little research into the Biosphere reveals a few other illustrations as well. One of the problems they encountered in the project was plant etiolation—due to lack of light, plants grew pale, long stems in their search for light. (Picture daffodils trying to find their way up from the bottom of a flower pot.) Lack of chlorophyll in the plants may have contributed to insufficient oxygen levels in the dome. The parallel for Christians is that we need regular exposure to the Light of the World, Jesus. The light of Scripture and the Holy Spirit exposes sin and darkness, shows us the way, and helps us to bear fruit for Christ. Without the light we lose our way, burrowing deeper into sin instead of growing up and out.

Another problem in the Biosphere was that trees didn’t grow “stress wood” to keep them strong. Only when trees are exposed to wind do their trunks strengthen to support them. Without the adversity of wind the trees grow weak and are easily broken. Likewise, we need adversity in our lives to strengthen our faith. If we face no difficulties, we don’t really need to trust God. The stronger the wind, the more we realize we need His strengthening power. God never promised peace from the storm, but He does give peace in the midst of the storm.

When the disciples encountered the storm while on the sea, they feared for their lives. But Jesus was so much at peace that he could sleep, at least until they woke Him up. It was only then that they got a glimpse of His power and glory (Matt. 8:23-27). The disciples didn’t realize it at the time, but they were in the safest place in the world—in the boat with God incarnate. Though it’s natural to wish for relief and protection from the storms, our desire should be to see God at work in the midst of the storm. (As a side note, the popular teaching of guardian angels has always puzzled me. Why should I need a guardian angel when I’ve got God Himself watching over me?!)

The Biosphere suffered a host of other problems as well, most of which point to the fact that we don’t know as much about the world as we may think. No matter how hard we try, we can’t create life and we can’t sustain it through our own efforts. Only God has successfully done that. We can’t even control our own lives in most respects. We had no say over our birth, and only God knows the number of our days (Psalm 139:16). We can’t change our height (Matt. 6:27). We didn’t even control God’s choice of us as His children (Eph. 1:4)! So why do we keep worrying about things that are out of our control? Why do we keep trying to tell God what to do? The following prayer is an excerpt from A Cry for Mercy by Henri Nouwen:

“Do I keep doubting your love and care, your mercy and grace? Do I keep wondering, in the center of my being, whether you will give me all I need if I just keep my eyes on you? Please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritations, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusion, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil. All I can do is show myself to you. Yet, I am afraid to do so. I am afraid that you will reject me. But I know—with the knowledge of faith—that you desire to give me your love. The only thing you ask of me is not to hide from you, not to run away in despair, not to act as if you were a relentless despot.”

May we learn to live in the Light, look for Him in the storms, and trust that He is in control in all things!

Work Matters

I came across the following quote from Martin Luther’s treatise To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation:

“It is pure invention [fiction] that Pope, bishops, priests, and monks are called the ‘spiritual estate’ while princes, lords, artisans, and farmers are called the ‘temporal estate.’ This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. Yet no one need be intimidated by it, and that for this reason: all Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them except that of office… We are all consecrated priests by baptism, as St. Peter says: ‘You are a royal priesthood and a priestly realm’ (1 Pet. 2:9).”

I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the priesthood of all believers. We’ve fallen into the same trap that Luther observed in the 16^th century of treating some professions as more holy or more worthy than others. The work of the church is often assumed to be the work of the pastor and staff. And yet all believers are members of the Body of Christ and we all have a special role to play through our daily life and work. Tim Keller, in his book Every Good Endeavor, points out that especially in America we make distinctions between menial labor and skilled labor, and we tie our self-perception to our financial net worth rather than our kingdom worth. Even Christian parents push theirs kids into higher education in order to get the “better” jobs. Granted, we all want to be able to pay our bills, but is there something fundamentally wrong with being an auto mechanic or a farmer? Both are essential jobs that benefit a lot of people.

We need step back and look at our motivations for work in whatever our chosen field may be. Is it a means of funding a comfortable lifestyle? Is it a way of serving a particular group of people? Is it a “necessary evil”? Or is it a calling and a ministry? Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24). And he wasn’t just talking to the church leaders, but to all the believers. Elton Trueblood stated, “It is a gross error to suppose that the Christian cause goes forward solely or chiefly on weekends. What happens on the regular weekdays may be far more important, so far as the Christian faith is concerned, than what happens on Sunday” (Your Other Vocation).

Certainly some jobs are more overtly ministerial than others, but all jobs have worth. If nothing else, you can pray for your fellow workers and model godly love and integrity even if you aren’t free to discuss your beliefs. You can pray for the recipients of whatever service or product you provide. If the product is actually harmful, you have an ethical decision to make about whether you should be involved in that business or not. In fact, we all have ethical choices to make. Should we mark up prices in order to make a greater profit, or should we keep them as low as possible in order to serve more people? Are we using our profits to help others or to line our own pockets? Is it okay to lie for the boss? Is our lifestyle a witness to or a contradiction of our beliefs?

Regardless of what work we do, we need to remember that ultimately we will be held accountable by the King of kings, not just any individual, company, or government. Even in the so-called ministerial professions, though we may report directly or indirectly to a church board, conference, or denomination, the ultimate authority is God. In Your Work Matters to God, by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, they write, “if you are a sales representative in computer software, then your job and how you do it is tied up with God’s work. If you are a naval officer on a ship, your command and how you perform it is tied up with God’s work. If you are a career homemaker, your work in the home with your husband and children and how you do it is tied up with God’s work… If I tell you that your daily work has no value to God, then I’m giving you no reason to honor Him in your work. Result: You might as well do as you please.”

In the midst of his lamentations on the vanity of work, Solomon states, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (Eccl. 2:24-25). When work seems toilsome, pointless, and dreary, we can remember that it is God who gives all good things—the ability to work, a paying job, and provision for our needs. First Corinthians 15 includes this interesting verse following the teaching on death and resurrection, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (v. 58). If we believe that our work truly does matter to God, then this verse applies to all of us. We may not see all the fruits of our labor in this lifetime, but God sees and will reward us accordingly.

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Eph. 6:5-8).