Labour and Prosperity

The Bible is packed with wisdom and encouragement all who trust God ought take to heart.  We need to look to the LORD continually to align our perspective according to His miraculous strength and good purposes.  It is easy for us to allow other people, circumstances and feelings to dictate what we do rather than the almighty God.  We check a weather report to see if we should bring along a jacket or umbrella or we decide not to mow our lawn that needs a trim due to a drizzle.  Jesus spoke about how sailors observed the sky to predict the conditions on the water.  Our call is to look beyond the natural world with eyes of faith on God, to do the work He has called us to do regardless of the weather or how profitable our efforts seem to be.

Solomon spoke about how external factors can impact us without considering God's role in this world in Ecclesiastes 11:4-6:  "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. ⁵ As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. ⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good."  We naturally do not give God enough credit.  We can allow the wind or clouds to prevent us from doing necessary work when we have no idea how God does His wonders.  We make excuses not to put in effort because of perceived obstacles when we would be best served to serve God by obedience in all seasons of life.

A farmer who will not sow on a windy day will not have a crop for food or seed, and the one who is intimidated by dark clouds and the prospects of working in the wet will see his crop rot in the field.  God knows and does what we cannot, for He makes the wind to blow and causes the bones of a child to form in the womb.  We cannot know how God will use our efforts to accomplish His purposes in fruitfulness and new life.  Paul explained how he planted, Apollos watered and God brought the increase.  God used the efforts of those who trusted and served Him to be spiritually profitable.

Solomon's conclusion is we ought to do what work we can and not be put off by potential hindrances because God knows and does what we cannot do by effort alone.  Should we cease preaching God's word or praying because people seem dull, unresponsive or agitated?  Since we do not know how God will make our labours to prosper, let us labour unto the LORD with all our might.  We can put our backs into sowing seed despite wind and to bind and gather sheaves even in gloomy weather.  These steps of faith are pleasing to our LORD and Saviour Whom we follow and emulate, for Jesus worked while it was day in His Father's business.  As long He was in the world He was the Light of the World, so may He make our light shine bright despite wind and clouds for His glory.

The LORD Our Sanctuary

Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, faults and particular sins they are bent towards.  This morning I experienced a culmination of circumstances which led to me losing my temper.  I allowed feelings of frustration over my own mistakes while baking that resulted in a seething rage.  There are at least two things I despise:  my own foolish mistakes, and wasting good ingredients.  Throwing away what could have been delicious baked goods provoked a grit your teeth, sputtering, white-hot anger that begged to be released on the world easily justified in the moment under the guise of the unexpected problems I faced.

Looking back, my angry reaction was completely unjustified.  It meant I needed to use twice the amount of ingredients and needed to make an unplanned trip to the shops where there were ingredients in abundance I could afford to purchase.  It occurred to me that anger will not be reasoned with, and it prefers cursing over blessing.  We can try to ignore the fact anger prompted cursing in our minds, but better to recognise our need to repent even if we exercised self-control not to utter them.  The need to take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ suggests they did not arise from a pure heart but one corrupted by fleshly impulses.  Better to repent of sin than pretend we are pure in ourselves.  Just yesterday I read an amazing encouragement by William Gurnall in The Christian in Complete Armour:

"A heathen could say, when a bird scared by a hawk flew into his bosom, I will not betray thee unto thy enemy, seeing thou comest for sanctuary unto me.  How much less will God yield up a soul unto its enemy when it takes sanctuary in his name, saying, 'Lord, I am hunted with such a temptation, dogged with such a lust, either thou must pardon or I am damned; mortify it, or I shall be a slave to it; take me into the bosom of thy love, for Christ's sake; castle me in the arms of thy everlasting strength, it is in thy power to save me from, or give me up into, the hands of my enemy.  I have no confidence in myself or any other; into thy hands I commit my cause, my life, and rely on thee.'  This dependence of a soul undoubtedly will awaken the almighty power of God for such an one's defense."  (Gurnall, William. The Christian in Complete Armour. Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. page 30)

How great is the need of Christians for Christ!  I have made the mistake of ignoring my own sinful thoughts or selfish attitudes like I would a passerby on the street rather than owning the anger, cursing and frustration as sin to be repented of myself.  God is gracious to reveal His righteousness and our sinfulness so we might repent and be restored to fellowship with Him and one another.  See, my problem was not that an important ingredient was omitted or wasted:  this was God's solution to reveal the problem of my sin already inside me so I might humble myself before Him so he might "take me into the bosom of His love" and "castle me in the arms of His everlasting strength."  Are not His ways and thoughts higher than ours?  Is not His almighty power greater than our sin?  We are wise to humbly seek sanctuary in our LORD Jesus Who saves.

Calling and Taking Initiative

I grew up playing Little League baseball as a kid, and my coaches stressed the importance of fundamentals at the plate, on the mound, on the base paths and in the field.  One aspect of fielding we worked on was knowing what to do should the ball be hit your way.  If a fly ball came in your direction and a catch was likely possible, we were taught to "call" the ball by shouting audibly to communicate with other fielders.  There was also a pecking order to avoid dangerous collisions or dropped balls if a ball was hit between teammates.  An outfielder had the right to "call off" an infielder as their momentum was heading in the right direction, and the center fielder had the right of way over a converging right or left fielder.

Understanding the need to take initiative to call the ball before catching it was as important as knowing when to peel off and allow a teammate to make the catch.  This was not decided in the pressure filled moments of the game but during practice under the watchful eyes of coaches.  There was no time to debate or discuss while the ball sailed through the air, and knowing these unwritten rules helped players work together to win.  When it was time to move up to a new division those old rules stayed consistent and relevant, adopted without question because that is how baseball is meant to be played.  Baseball is a team sport, and making sure the 9 players on the field and those riding the pine (on the bench) understood their roles was an important key to success.

The concept of taking initiative to call a ball and knowing when to give way because you are "called off" by another fielder who is held responsible to do so reminds me a bit of how God has established complimentary roles in the marriage relationship:  a wife is called to submit to her husband as unto the LORD, and a husband is called to love his wife as Christ sacrificially loved the church.  A center fielder can choose not to call off an outfielder or infielder, but it is a judgment call he learns to make.  Many times the ball has fallen to the turf because the one who was meant to take initiative assumed the other fielder who called the ball had it covered.  When there is any doubt and the center fielder can make the catch, it is in the best interests of the whole team for the player to take charge and make the play.

The way a follower of Jesus "takes charge" is NOT like a center fielder who shouts to communicate but by denying and humbling self before God in faith, obedience and love.  Looking to the example of Jesus is critical for all Christians as we submit to one another in love, indwelt and led by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus did not tout His authority as the Son of God but made Himself of no reputation, chose to embrace the role of a servant, was made in the likeness of men and was obedient to God unto death.  Each child of God is to respond in obedience to the call of Jesus Christ to love one another, and yielding to Him is a key to walking uprightly.  Before we experience conflict, disagreements or pressure situations it is good to know our responsibilities before Him:  to love God and serve one another according to His command.

Considering God's Work

"Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?"

Ecclesiastes 7:13

It is good for a man to consider God and His works.  God worked in creating the world and established natural laws of matter, motion, gravitation and chemical interactions.  All the sciences, the calculations of mathematicians and physicists, to be proved and functional must align with what is.  Like God does not change, the fact level foundations and plumb walls exist are a testimony to the order of the universe God has created.  When God makes something straight, no man has the power to alter it any more than we can shift the earth off its 23.5 degree axis.

The statement of the preacher is citing the opposite truth:  who can make straight what God has made crooked?  It is possible for us to stretch a coil of wire or string into a straight line by force, but no one can make straight what God has made crooked.  He has made judgments according to righteousness that lying, theft and murder are sins.  Adultery is a perversion of the marriage covenant before the LORD, a crooked thing that cannot be made straight.  Man's way is to debate what is crooked or straight, to say a thing is crooked because of oppressive tradition or a construct of a society rooted in ignorance.  People who do not fear God can protest and complain all they want, but what God has made crooked no one can make straight.

A line can be crooked in countless ways, yet there is only one straight way.  John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Messiah, to make His paths straight.  Some have said "all paths lead to God," yet God revealed Jesus to be the Way, the Truth and the Life--that faith in Jesus Christ is the narrow, straight way to the living God because there is no other way to heaven and eternal life.  The prophecy fulfilled in Christ was cited from Isaiah in Luke 3:5-6:  "Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; ⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  Wonderful, isn't it, that God is able to do what man cannot, to make crooked places straight and rough ways smooth so all can see God's salvation?

Man can use heavy machinery to grade soil in preparation for a level foundation but cannot do what only God can do, for when God makes something crooked no one can make it straight.  All men are revealed to be crooked when compared to God's righteous law and ways.  On our own we cannot straighten ourselves up to merit salvation, amend our ways to earn forgiveness, or make ourselves acceptable to God by efforts of the flesh.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  By defining what is straight God has deemed all other ways crooked, and no one can make them straight. 

Man's justifications, protests or disagreements cannot do anything to make what is crooked straight.  That's how it is based upon the unchanging God who was, is and is to come.  Instead of being smug or arrogant about this knowledge, we ought to be humbled and grateful God has made Himself known to us so we could see our crooked ways.  We could not make ourselves straight or upright by working, and by grace He worked to make the way straight for us to enter to abundant, eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.