We are putting together a new feature for one of our radio programs, Do Not Keep Silent, for 2018. We are asking that you please pray for us to hear very clearly from God as we put this new feature together. We are already receiving nominations for this project, but we are in need of more. We are looking for people from the ages of 14 years old to 24 years old. So, what is this new feature?
YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!
We have heard it said so many times that the current generation of youth and young adults today are lazy and self-centered, and some surely are.
But there are also a bunch of youth and young adults out there wanting to serve Jesus Christ with reckless abandon and speak out the name of Jesus in action and in word.
Starting as soon as January of 2018, we would like to share interviews of young people making a stand for Christ in this time and culture.
If you'd like to nominate someone for this opportunity please message us with the following:
- Their name and contact info (phone or email or Facebook account)
- Their parent(s)' contact info (phone or email will be fine). This is so we can contact the parent(s) if their child is a minor.
- Why you think they should be chosen. Please keep this to no more than 7 sentences long.
Send all this info to jason@worldviewwarriors.org or message us on the Do Not Keep Silent Facebook page.
We are looking for those young people who are living out their faith in Jesus Christ in action and in word. Thanks for any help you can give - pray for this program and nominate those youth and young adults!
You can find out more about Do Not Keep Silent on our website.
Yes, we need your help. Thank you!
~Jason DeZurik
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
Last week, I wrote about five decisions in my life that have helped shape me into who I am now. Today, I want to share five more. These five are: 6) waiting on a major change, 7) doing the Cadre, 8) joining Worldview Warriors, 9) not taking action on job and publisher situations, and 10) beginning the prayer journey.
6) Waiting on a major change. College life was easy in terms of taking my courses but very difficult in terms of figuring out what to do with it. I did not start college until 3 years out of high school because I had no clue what to major in. I joke every now and think I still have no clue what I am doing because all I know is what God has me doing now and my general core direction. I started out going into Civil Engineering and while I had little problem with the material, I was soon quickly losing interest in doing it for my career. I had also begun writing at this time and I seriously wanted to look at changing my major to Creative Writing, something University of Texas El Paso did not offer as an undergrad degree. I prayed about it and the best advice I have ever received on any similar situation was: “When you don’t know what to do, go back to the last thing you know for sure God told you to do and go do it until he gives you another word.” Very good advice.
I decided to stay with my major for another year after losing interest and that was when God opened the door for me to look at Computer Science, where I got my Bachelor’s Degree. Had I not made that decision to wait, I would have not been at UT El Paso in 2009 or 2011 when God began making other connections which I do not have the space to go into here. That extra time period is what prepared me for going into teaching, which is my current direction until God gives me another word.
7) Doing the Cadre. My #7 and #8 decisions go together, but for different reasons. The Cadre is an accredited Biblical Worldview seminar taught by the Creation Truth Foundation. Both Steve Risner and I have completed this program. I wrote about my experiences there in this post. This was not a hard decision to make to do it, but it would have a significant impact on my life. I made four trips of four days to Oklahoma City over 2014-15 for extremely intense study. There was overall little brand new I learned in this program because I was so familiar with the Creation/Evolution topic, but it came with valuable resources and there were some things I really picked up on. Going to the Cadre is what really sparked my calling into apologetics, even though I had been practicing them on an amateur level for the previous 10 years. This program took it to a whole new level with an eagerness to teach on this material at any opportunity I can. I have taught numerous workshops for groups and conferences on the material I learned at this program.
8) Joining Worldview Warriors. Yes, being here with Worldview Warriors has been a major part of my life the last four years (starting my fifth year in January). I have never missed a single Friday and it has provided a great outlet for all the stuff God keeps pouring into me. Because of my position, my relationships, and my location, I have a hard time finding people older and more mature than I who can mentor me. Jason DeZurik is one of the few men I am able to trust in that mentor-type position. And I truly mean few. Most other men in my life either are not at my level spiritually or we simply don’t have the relationship built for such a job. Being with Worldview Warriors has greatly helped me focus and tighten my writing, and even the writing of my posts has been a great tool for me to study and develop my own spiritual life. The last four years, because of both the Cadre and Worldview Warriors, have truly been invaluable.
9) Not taking action. This one has been one of the toughest decisions I have had to make and one that is still ongoing. Early last year, I wrote about “Getting Slighted.” It is what happens when you have a calling or a task to do and the people you need to empower you to do the job keep looking anywhere but your direction. My publisher for Call to Arms has disappeared in the middle of a three-book contract and I have not heard from them in over 2 years. When I attended the Colorado Christian Writers Conference this past May, no one there in the publishing industry, to my knowledge, had heard from them in a while. I do not even know if my book can still be ordered or not. I don’t know anything about it. I have been advised to drop the contract and go with someone else, but so far each time I start looking that direction, God has been telling me to stay put. This has not been an easy decision, but it still is not has hard as it has been for my job.
I am not going to go into details for the sake of privacy, but over the last two years I have had every reason to be put into a full time teaching position in the district I am in, and I have never actually been considered outside of job interviews. It has been obvious I have never been on the radar of being hired. Every educator I have spoken to from teachers to a retired district athletic director have been thoroughly confused as to why I have not been hired as a teacher. I have been told by numerous sources to get a lawyer and talk to HR. But God keeps coming back with this message: “Don’t try to force anything.” I am still struggling with this emotionally, but I have made the decision I will not take action against the advice of MANY others. I will not try to make something happen. It has been a very difficult decision to obey the Lord in this regard, but I know he has something even better planned and he will set things straight. Both Joseph and David were slighted in ways I have been and their lives turned out just fine because they waited patiently on the Lord. So will I.
10) Beginning the prayer journey. Last July I began writing about prayer and how God is trying to take me to a deeper level. This has been the most difficult thing for me to do in my life, even harder than facing the demonic as I mentioned last week. I went strong for several months and then I got tired and I flat out have struggled to get back to it since. When we started looking at our blog post statistics and saw my "Israelite War Cry" post was the top viewed post of all time (still nearly double the #2 post), I wrote a reprise on it. God told me to write a letter to myself to get back up and back in the saddle and keep going. I have struggled and struggled to do that.
I have realized I am not going to suddenly jump to the level of the prayer lives of E.M. Bounds, Hudson Taylor, Rees Howells, or George Mueller. I won’t get there in this phase of the journey. But that does not mean I stop taking walking on it. God has kept on my case and keeps reminding me to keep going and I have been fighting laziness and flab. This journey so far has been invaluable as I already know I am at a spiritual level well beyond what I was even a year ago, but I am not done with this journey. I have to keep making the decision to stay on this journey. I cannot quit. I’m finally getting back onto my feet and I believe one of the lessons God is trying to teach me here is dependence: the practical knowledge of knowing I need God every day to get me through to make it all work, and not on my own abilities.
I don’t want these last two posts to be boasts about what I have done. These are decisions in following God which have had a significant effect on my life. God is the one who is making this happen, not me. All I am doing is going along with him for the journey.
Are you in the middle of some tough decisions? Are you struggling to keep going on what you know you are supposed to do? I do pray these last two posts have been an encouragement for you. Think about what God is doing in your life. One thing I do know and I can say this from both watching others and in my own life: there is absolutely nothing more rewarding than obeying God. And no matter how hard it gets, none of us who have made that decision to follow and obey God have ever regretted it, and we never will. Next week likely could have been written a month ago, but it will work for Christmas next weekend: remembering and being thankful for what God has done for you.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
by Steve Risner
Last week we talked about whale evolution and how the fossil record shows without question that no evidence exists of any such evolution. I mentioned in the opening paragraph that whale evolution has replaced horse evolution as the “go to” for evolutionists when they wish to show that their theory has support. This was because horse evolution had been discredited and rearranged so many times, they eventually gave up on it more or less. There are two interesting things to note here: 1) whale evolution is the absolute best they've got and it's a total waste of time—there is literally nothing to show support for it if we're being open and honest about it, and 2) horse evolution is still taught in many textbooks and in many classrooms (high school and college) as evidence for evolution when many notable evolutionists have abandoned it. This is the story with a great many things in this debate. Evolution proponents teach something, sometimes prematurely, as evidence for universal common descent. Then, the “evidence” is rejected by the majority if not all evolutionists, but it's still taught for years or even decades. I was taught about Haeckel's embryo drawings, even though they were found to be fake since the mid-1800's! So there is no shortage of dishonest proceedings when it comes to evolutionary dogma being taught in schools and universities. Horse evolution is no different. Let's explore that.
First, read what a few authorities on the subject have to say. Dr. Niles Eldredge, curator at the American Museum of Natural History says concerning horse evolution, “I admit that an awful lot of that has gotten into the textbooks as though it were true. For instance, the most famous example still on exhibit downstairs (in the American Museum) is the exhibit on horse evolution prepared perhaps 50 years ago. That has been presented as literal truth in textbook after textbook. Now I think that that is lamentable...” Many have found the story of horse evolution “lamentable” but we still see it printed in textbooks like it's a fact. The level of speculation is never mentioned and that level is extremely high. And then there is Nils Heribert-Nilsson: “The family tree of the horse is beautiful and continuous only in the textbooks.” Why is it presented as evidence if it's only found in books and drawn by an artist?
The first modern version of the “family tree” of horses was developed around the 1950's, although it's been speculated about since the late-1870's. It's been heavily updated since then. The tale tells of smaller, multi-toed animals that possibly lived in forests with lots of foliage to eat, to much larger, stronger, hoofed animals that live on the plains and eat grasses. Horses display a great deal of variation (if you know what you're looking for) and this makes it difficult to categorize fossils. In fact, within vertebrates, there can be so much variation within a genus that there can be cross over with different animal groups. Like most fossil finds, remnants are rarely complete and often times are a very small portion of the total skeleton. In fact, with very little (sometimes a piece of a jaw bone and a few teeth) an entire animal will be assembled including size, how it moved, skin color, and, if they decide they want it to have hair, hair color, what it ate, how it socialized, etc. It's amazing! Let's be advised as well that the alleged ancestors have never been found near each other—meaning not on the same continent. They are only arranged together because evolutionists want them to be together. In reality, they are not at all.
One of the issues that seems rather problematic is that “earlier” horses are found in strata that also contain more “modern” horses. The first 2 “early horse” candidates (the first, Hyracotherium, was discovered by Richard Owen and named so because he believed it was a rock badger of some kind and nothing related to horses), found in the Eocene epoch—roughly 45 million years ago according to their arbitrary dates—are actually found with the third candidate for “early horses” which is said to be in the Oligocene epoch which was roughly 28 million years ago. Maybe a lot of data, but stick with me. Now, so we understand, these epochs have a range of millions of years assigned to them. The ages I've stated are the median time period. The oldest “horse” is said to be from 50 million years ago. The second is also said to be 50 million years old. Hard to accept that one evolved into the other over millions of years if they lived contemporaneously. Now, the third in the line is also, according to some, from 46 million years ago. So we went from the first to the second literally in no time and then to the third in a few million years. That's a long time to you and me, but it's a blink of an eye in the alleged deep-time scenario. And, as I stated in the opening of this paragraph, they are all found in the same rock layers. In fact, finds of the first in this lineage, Hyracotherium, have been found in rock layers allegedly 2-5 million years old! Modern horses are found in layers from nearly that same time period.
Not to beat it to death, but then we have the next two candidates being found in the same layers as the two after that. Mesohippus and Miohippus both lived about 35 million years ago (again, please keep in mind I agree with none of these dates, but the evolutionist does). Parahippus lived 20 million years ago and Merychippus supposedly lived about 15 million years ago! However, all of these have been found in similar rock layers even though they span some 20 million years. Weird, right?
One of the really cool things that evolutionists have done is rename some of these animals that are very similar (even likely the same animals with variation that can occur within a genus or even a species with different names). This helps them align them in such a way as to appear to be in a family tree, with one becoming the next, becoming the next, etc. Recall how I stated there is simply way too much variation with the vertebrates and their families or smaller groups to make such categorizing possible. But the fact I'm trying to get across here is that nearly all of these animals (if we are to believe they are all different animals) are found in rock layers with similar ages, in evolutionary time scales. None could have evolved into the other.
The tooth type of these animals as they change from leaf/foliage eaters to grass eaters has no evidence in the fossil record, either. They are either one or the other. And tooth design is very specific. It's not a simple matter to go from one type of tooth to another. They also have varying numbers of toes and ribs and are drastically different in size—going from the size of a small dog to the size of an average horse at about 1500 lbs. Keep in mind that different horses today can have different numbers of ribs AND they can have more than one toe, even! We most generally think of horses as having one toe—a hoof. This is not true of all horses. Look up “Recent Polydactyle Horses” and see what you find. It's bizarre. Dr. O.C. Marsh said, “both fore and hind feet may each have two extra digits fairly developed, and all of nearly equal size.” But there is no fossil evidence of changing ribs, changing teeth, or changing toes at all. None.
The fact that all of the alleged intermediates from “primitive” horse-like creatures to today's horse are easily questioned and nearly as easily demonstrably false but all are still taught in science texts and in universities around the globe is appalling. Less attention has been placed on the horse in recent years, but it's still out there. There is no explanation as to how any of the major differences in the alleged ancestors occurred and no explanation as to why nearly if not all of the animals in the lineage can be found in the same rock layers has been given.
Peter Hastie asks some very good questions, in my opinion: “My research has left me troubled. Why do science textbooks continue to use the horse as a prime example of evolution, when the whole schema is demonstrably false? Why do they continue to teach our kids something that is not scientific?”
How does this fit with creation? I like what Dr. Jon Sarfati has to say about this: “An important part of the biblical creation model is that different kinds of creatures were created with lots of genetic information. Natural selection can sort out this pre-existing genetic information, by eliminating creatures not suited to a particular environment. Thus many different varieties can be produced in different environments. Note that this sorting process involves a loss of information, so is irrelevant to particles-to-people evolution, which requires non-intelligent processes to add new information.”
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
Editor's note: Please enjoy this previously written post as David focuses on his pastoral ministry during this Advent season.
The first step in a comprehensive Christian social ethic is to reclaim the Bible as the basis of truth, accepting the consequences for meaning, value, and ethics. Not just any interpretation of the Bible will do either; let us return to Jesus Christ as the authoritative interpreter of the Bible. Jesus said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). This is an even more lofty pronouncement than Louis IV’s famous “I am the state.” It claims so much more. But accepting Jesus Christ as the Truth is what makes our comprehensive social ethic a Christian one. Jesus Christ provides me with an interpretive lens through which I must view everything. Accepting His interpretive lens as the ONLY authoritative interpretation of the Bible is what makes me a Christian—a follower of His way. As my beloved Hebrew professor, Dr. Gary Staats, likes to say, “Jesus is my rabbi, so I have to follow him.” It is hard for many to accept that truth is not found in an objective mathematical equation, but rather in a story of God’s dealings with His people since the dawn of creation. The Hebrew Scriptures are an account of how God has dealt with humanity since the beginning; they reveal what kind of being God is and a lot about what kind of beings humans are. God chose different men to record His own interpretation of the events that surrounded His people. Out of all of the vast number of possible explanations for why certain events happened, God spoke through the prophets how He saw things. This is what we call divine revelation, and accepting it is vital to any thinking titled Christian. If you do not believe that God spoke to these men, you will not be able to accept God’s interpretation of history. You will be adrift in the prevailing winds of contemporary philosophy. Beyond accepting the Hebrew Scriptures, to be Christian we must also accept Jesus’ claim that everything in Scripture points to and centers upon Him. On the road to Emmaus after Jesus was risen from the dead, he appeared to some disciples and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. This revelation of Jesus as central to Scripture became “the apostles’ teaching” and accepting it as true and authoritative is necessary to call oneself Christian. This Christ-centered interpretation became the New Testament. Therefore, Christians are those who accept not only God’s interpretation of history in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), but also God’s divine revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ as documented in the New Testament. “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Any other basis for a social ethic cannot rightly be called Christian; it must take some other name if it is going to be honest. Coherency begins with honesty. If you disagree with these basic tenets that is understandable, but acceptance of these tenets is essential to naming your philosophy “Christian.” Please understand that the contributions that you make in to this comprehensive Christian social ethic will be accepted only on the basis that you conform to these primary tenets of divine revelation. “For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Jesus Christ cannot be added to some other framework of philosophical understanding as liberal Christians try to do. They try to add Christ to a framework of humanistic rationalism, which simply cannot work. Either Christ is the cornerstone or He is the stumbling block, but he is never a building block on some other foundation (1 Peter 2:7). Where did the Christian left come from and why do they try to add Christ to a thoroughly non-Christian base? Where do they derive their inspiration and authority since they obviously reject the primary tenets of revelation? That is for next week, constant reader. Blessings! As always, I invite your questions and comments.This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
by Aaron Felty
I grew up in a single parent home where my mom was a registered democrat. I believed from my early years that the democrats were for the little or poor guy and the republicans were for the wealthy. I went to church every week to attend an AWANA program and church services. From my earliest years, I never remember anyone connecting faith and politics. That does not mean it did not happen, I just do not remember. In full disclosure, my mom and I both are now conservatives.
However, there is no place in Scripture that links saving faith to politics. I believe it is folly on both sides to claim that one particular political party completely represents Christian faith. What I do know is that Christians on both sides of the political spectrum do a disservice to Christ by the way we treat one another. Jesus said in John 13:34-35 that we would be known by our love for one another. To quote The Princess Bride, “I do not think this word (love) means what [we] think it means.” Whether you are a liberal Christian who believes in abortion, same sex marriage, and greater involvement of the government in our lives, or you are a conservative Christian who believes abortion is wrong, marriage is between a man and a woman for life, and the government should be less involved, the way we treat one another is of primary importance.
I believe we fall into the trap of folly because we have lost the ability to love one another even when we disagree. Perhaps we have never had that ability. So the world outside of faith, which we are trying to win for Jesus Christ, watches us bicker over supporting Trump, Roy Moore, Al Franken, the tax plan, the Affordable Care Act, same sex marriage, and so on and says a resounding, “NO THANK YOU!” They are saying, “If these supposed followers of Jesus, who are always talking about God’s love and Jesus’ life, cannot demonstrate love for one another, why would I want to associate with them?” God is love and we cannot claim to love God and hate our siblings (1 John 4:20). We often get hung up in foolish (not discerning, unwise, or not using good sense or judgment) arguments and treat one another as though our political positions will cause us to go to heaven or hell.
The only way to heaven is through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Bible says the requirement to get into heaven is to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). There is no room for political posturing and ideology. There is no statement here about the age of the earth, our views about same sex marriage, the size of government, immigration policy, and war. Please do not get me wrong, I believe the Bible is clear about those things too, but they are not salvation issues. It seems to be a lack of good sense to argue so fiercely over things that are not salvation issues. I also know that a mature faith is one that allows Scripture to inform ones politics, not the other way around; yes, there is a place for a discussion about what the Bible teaches, but too often we argue from opinion. That’s a topic for another day, so please know that the political conversations are important, but not as a test of faith in Christ Jesus. A political position may be based on a lack of faith or ignorance of God’s word, or it may not. We can only know that with a good relationship.
When Jesus got ahold of me some 24 years ago, I certainly had some “messed up” beliefs as I would call them now. Was it the arguments of seasoned Christians that swayed those beliefs? Was it political ideology or the current cultural norms communicated through the media? No! It was spending time with the King of Kings, reading His Word, prayer, and worship that began to challenge my worldview. It did not happen all at once. It took, and is still taking, many years to rearrange my thoughts, beliefs, and standards around Scripture rather than politics or culture.
Let me be crystal clear: our faith should inform our political ideology, but we must not confuse political ideology with faith. It is a certain immovable obstacle for the unbelieving world. I believe this is self-evident, but if you do not believe me, try to convert someone to Christ using political positions.
“But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared in and out of season to give a reason for the hope we have but it must be done with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). The key in this verse is to set apart Christ as Lord. Let Him lead you. Do what He would do, say what He would say, and treat people as He treated people. We do not have to convince people that their political ideology is wrong; what we have to do is love people where they are and let God do the work of changing hearts and ideology.
The question is, “What is love?” The Bible gives a thorough definition of love and it could be life-changing to others if we applied this to every interaction with people of a different political ideology. Perhaps if we followed this approach, we would find that, to take a recent cultural phrase, love actually wins! Not the misused phrase of those who think God affirms same sex marriage but the Biblical definition found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. Let’s look at this and apply it to our often misplaced perspective on faith and politics.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
What if we demonstrated patience to those with whom we disagree? What if our responses were kind? What if we operated with humility and asked good questions? What if we did not respond angrily? What if we focused on the truth of Scripture? What if we protected those with whom we disagree? What if we trusted that God is in control and can handle differing political ideologies, even if they are mutually exclusive, because He knows where people are in the journey? What if we had hope for people with whom we disagree? The answer according to this passage is: love wins! Re-read that passage above and put your name in where the word love is or is implied, and consider your interactions with people of a differing political perspective. Would the passage be true in those cases?
You might say, “But Aaron, how do we respond when people are so clearly wrong?” My answer is, “Love!” You and I do not have to prove anything to anyone. We can present what we believe the Bible teaches, but more importantly we have to love one another. I am a young earth, pro-life, traditional marriage supporter who believes we cannot close our borders to immigrants, our government and country need to be more charitable to those in the greatest need, and money should not be the highest order of business all based on what I read and understand from Scripture at this point. No government is in power apart from God’s allowance (Romans 13:1-2) so we would do well to pray for and find ways to create unity not create division.
bWith Christmas fast approaching, we would do well to remember that the government is upon Christ’s shoulders and of the increase of His Kingdom there will be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7). I fear that our futile arguments about political ideology work against the faith that God intends to unleash on the earth. Our task is to love people, present a Biblical worldview, and get out of God’s way. Let’s follow the way of 1 Corinthians 13 this upcoming year.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
After last week’s post about what the Bible says about money, writing on what the Bible says about work seems like a natural follow up. Many people have a particular job simply for the money and not necessarily because we have a passion for that type of work. But is that the attitude we should have? What does the Bible say?
God created work in the Garden of Eden, even before mankind fell into sin. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” One of Adam’s purposes was to work in taking care of the garden. But without sin in the world, that work would have been completely enjoyable! However, after sin, work got significantly worse. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it.’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’” (Genesis 3:17-19)
Because of sin, work is not always a fun thing for us humans, although we were created to do work - God’s work. God didn’t create us to sit around and be lazy all day (more on that next week), but to work at what He has called us to do, to accomplish His purposes. That doesn’t mean we’re all called to full-time vocational ministry, but whatever we are doing in life we should do in a way that glorifies God.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3)
We know that when we work hard, we will profit from it in some way. “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (Proverbs 12:11). “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).
We should set an example to those around us through working hard, doing our tasks well, and working with integrity in all that we do. Titus 2:7-8 says, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
One of the most important things to remember about work is that we will reap what we sow. If you sow good things such as working well, you will reap good things; if you sow bad things such as doing as little as you can and with a bad attitude, you will reap bad things such as punishment or no longer having that job. Galatians 6:7-10 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Ephesians 4:28 encourages us to work to get what we need, rather than through stealing or other dishonest methods: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” Work makes us productive members of society, helping those around us.
Finally, we are commanded to do what God instructs us to do, whatever kind of work that might be. James 2:14-26 tells us that without works (doing what God instructs us), our faith is dead. James 1:22 says that we should not just listen to God’s Word but do what it says.
The Bible tells us that work is a good thing, created by God and for mankind to do to fulfill God’s purposes. We work to serve and glorify God and to help those around us, so that in all things we might honor the God who created us. I encourage you to make that your attitude as you go into this work week.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
by Logan Ames
My family was blessed with an absolutely amazing dog when I was growing up. “T.J.” was an English springer spaniel who rarely disobeyed us and was always excited to see us. We loved him like a human being and almost always took him with us when we went on trips. One such trip was to a vast wilderness area in northern Pennsylvania known as the Allegheny National Forest. My dad had been to a hunting camp there as a kid and the area is also known for its elk population, so we longed to see the area and hopefully come across some wildlife. While we were on a hike with T.J., he took off following a scent from some other animal (probably a deer or elk), and the next thing we knew was that he was gone. He stopped listening to us as he followed the scent and took off running, deep into the forest. Suddenly, we all feared the worst, that we would never see him again and some bigger animal would get to him. We did what we could do, which included a foot search and yelling his name for about an hour straight. Despite our efforts, we all knew that we had no control over this situation and were completely dependent on God to watch over T.J. and bring him back to us. If God didn’t come through, all hope would’ve been lost.
I’m happy to say that God did bring T.J. back to us. He eventually came running back to our shouting voices like it was never in doubt. Still, that ordeal was one of my earliest recollections of being in a situation where I knew even my father, who always seemingly had everything under control, was fully dependent on God. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed how seldom I, like many other Christians, am comfortable depending on God. It’s like we know how to talk about what it means to have faith, but don’t ask us to actually depend on God with no contingency plan.
After looking at the faith of Moses’ parents over the past two weeks (here and here), we now look at the faith of their son. Moses’ very birth and life had already been works of the Lord that no one could deny, but as he got older he had to learn full dependence on the Lord for himself. Certainly, he was able to reason that if God could create the whole universe out of nothing, he could be trusted above all else (Hebrews 11:3). But that reasoning didn’t come right away for Moses. He first learns of God’s call on his life through the “burning bush” encounter in Exodus 3. He was told that God was going to use him to lead his people, the Israelites, out of captivity in Egypt. Moses had been raised in Egypt and had been very close to Pharaoh and his family, so he understandably has a lot of questions, followed by a lot of excuses and complaints (Exodus 3-4). The Lord answers every single one, and Moses, now out of stall options, returns to Egypt.
A seemingly shocking incident takes place while Moses is on his way and almost ends the whole thing before it even gets started. Exodus 4:24-25 tells us that the Lord is about ready to kill Moses until his wife pulls out a knife and immediately circumcises their son. This might seem harsh coming from a loving God, but we have to understand that circumcision was the specific act that God required of all Israelite males to demonstrate their faith and trust in him. For Moses to either be uncircumcised himself or allow one of his children to go forward uncircumcised was a sin of omission. It was indicative of the guilty party not taking the commands of God seriously. And while God had big plans for Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, we must see this story as a reminder that our calling is never bigger than obeying God’s commands.
God will not accept disobedience, and as important as Moses was to the big story of God’s plan for his people, their rescue from captivity would’ve gone on without him if he didn’t choose to obey God. Moses might have thought the particular command regarding circumcision was of no real consequence so God wouldn’t really care. But God taught him that no sin can be ignored just because we don’t see the point. God was getting ready to deal with the sins of Pharaoh and all of Egypt, so how could he ignore Moses’ sins? It would be out of God’s character to do so. And this may have been the turning point for Moses. After that encounter, he meets with his brother Aaron and they go straight to Pharaoh and ask him to let their people go as the Lord commanded. No matter how insane of an idea that seemed to be, Moses had learned that God was in complete control and he wasn’t about to disobey his commands again.
Hebrews 11:24-28 lists several examples of faith from the Exodus story for which Moses was commended. First is his willingness to align himself with the captive Israelites, his true native people, when he could’ve continued to be known as Pharaoh’s grandson and received all the benefits that came with it. We are reminded that this decision meant that he would suffer with them and understood that “disgrace for the sake of Christ was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (v. 26). His faith in his eternal prize allowed him to willingly give up the pleasures of sin in Egypt. Secondly, he and the Israelites left Egypt when God presented the opportunity after a series of devastating plagues rained down on the Egyptians, even though he likely knew that Pharaoh and his vast army would pursue them. Verse 27 tells us he was able to do this because he “saw him who was invisible." Pharaoh had all the worldly power, but Moses knew that it didn’t compare to the power of God who was fighting their battle for them. And thirdly, we’re told that Moses faithfully kept the Passover and the application of blood.
Considering where Moses came from when he began his journey of faith by nearly getting killed for not obeying the seemingly odd command of circumcision, the application of the blood during Passover might be the best example of his faith. In the midst of the craziness of the plagues and all the back-and-forth between Moses and Aaron, God, and Pharaoh, Moses receives what seems like absolutely ridiculous instructions. To this day, Israelites still commemorate Passover as their re-birth as a nation, but think about what it was like to be the first one to hear about the idea. In Exodus 12:1-11, Moses is given all the specific instructions regarding the Passover lamb and how it should be chosen, prepared, and eaten. That may or may not have been weird. But right in the middle of it, he is told they have to take some of the blood from the lamb and wipe it on their doorframes of their houses. Um… huh? Someone with a normal background may have been alarmed, but not Moses. He has already learned his lesson. So, from here on out, all instructions from the Lord, no matter how silly or insane they sound, will be followed without fail. Circumcise everyone? No problem, Lord. Play in the lamb’s blood and wipe it on our beloved homes? You got it! Because Moses and the people didn’t mess around and followed all of those weird instructions, they were spared during the final plague. Moses’ faith and willingness to depend fully on the Lord, even when it didn’t make sense and there was no contingency plan, led to the rescue of an entire nation from oppressive captivity. If you’ve been fighting the same battle for years and still can’t overcome what enslaves you, I encourage you to stop depending on your own strength. Trust God FULLY. He will never fail you!
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
