Work Smarter, Not Harder!

 "...redeeming the time, because the days are evil" Ephesians 5:16

I recently read an article entitled "15 Scientifically Proven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Just More", which contains advice on how to be more productive at work. Much of the advice is counter-intuitive, with suggestions such as "watch YouTube", or "take a nap"(!) (actually, the "siesta" (nap after lunch) is common in Mediterranean and southern European countries, and if you're like me you may find this time of day very tempting to do such a thing). The overarching idea is that people are "fresher" from little intermittent breaks, and are more productive than people who plug away straight through the day. I have to say I tend to agree with this approach (although a two hour nap may not be so productive!). 

As Christians we also need to "work smarter, not just more". What do I mean by this?

The broken world around us presents us with a crush of human need. You name it: poverty, homelessness, mental illness, depression, substance abuse, physical illness, spiritual need, the list goes on. As Christians we should be concerned with all of these, but at times it's all so overwhelming we end up doing nothing and protecting our poor, pitiful selves. This is where we need to "work smarter, not harder". The bible calls it "redeeming the time". But what did Paul mean by this?

The word redeem means to rescue from loss. Some bible translations translate this "make the most of the time." Therefore we need to "work smarter, not harder". Easier said than done, right?

I believe the key to working "smarter, not harder" lies in the very next verse in Paul's letter to the Ephesians: "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is". (Ephesians 5:17)

The will of God. For many it's an elusive concept, yet it is the key and guide to all our Christian work. Nothing should be undertaken that is not birthed by a burden placed in the believer's spirit by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise absolutely no action should be taken. This will no doubt confuse some and make some angry that nothing is being done, but this is (or should be) the great difference between worldly and Christian charity. Christian charity should be carried out in the will of God in such a way that, not only does the need get met unusually effectively, but that God alone gets the glory and people actually witness God in action.

So the essential question becomes, how does one find the will of God? There is no formula (thank God), but what I believe to be three essentials:

1) Regular reading and meditating of God's holy word, the bible. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews puts it this way: "Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby. But solid food belongs to those who are mature, for those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14)

In other words, the baby Christian (or "carnal" Christian, see 1 Corinthians 3:1-2) basically doesn't know right from wrong, much less the will of God, because he or she is unfamiliar with God's word. We need the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), or God's word, not only to cut through unseen powers of darkness, but to light the way for God's will to be discovered. 

2) Prayer! Simple, right? During our quiet moments before God, he speaks his "still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12), revealing his will. It is imperative, however, that we learn to discern God's voice (dropped sweetly in our spirit by intuition) from the thoughts (sometimes seemingly good) flashing across our mind. The former is from God (see 1 Corinthians 2:10-11), the latter is often from the enemy of our souls, trying to distract us, or even counterfeit the voice of the Almighty (2 Corinthians 11:14). All the more reason to know God's word to help discern which is which. 

3) Finally, we should be free of unconfessed sin, because sin will cloud our prayer life (see Psalm 66:18). 

Therefore brothers and sisters, let us work smarter, not harder: redeeming the time and understanding what God's will is, so that we can meet this broken worlds pressing needs and glorify God in the process.

A Firm Foundation Pt. 1

"But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith..." Jude 20

I like to run barefoot. If you're like most people you probably just winced, hearing "run" and "barefoot" in the same sentence. But running (and doing as much as possible) barefoot has skyrocketed in popularity in the new millennium, as many have discovered that the big cushy shoes on our feet may contribute to, rather than prevent injury. Cushy sneakers allow us to run/walk any old way, jarring our body all the way up the spine as we indiscriminately let our feet jolt the ground with our heel first.

I could go on about the various health detriments of athletic shoes (such as being incubators for various fungi, encouraging bad posture, etc.), but I will digress, as it is not the purpose of this devotional. (I have a couple "barefoot" Christian friends who call it "the lesser gospel" - if you are interested in delving further into the benefits of going barefoot, here is an excellent book by a devout Christian: The Barefoot Book)

If, however, for the sake of argument, you wanted to start running barefoot, you would think that slowly "tapering" to less and less shoe would make sense, but this is not the case. The most effective way is to begin barefoot, because your weak, sensitive feet will be your best teachers to not go too hard and fast too early, thus preventing injury. For the experienced runner this will mean sacrificing most of your weekly miles for something new: building on a new foundation from which you will become stronger, starting from the bottom of your feet up.

In my Christian walk, which has been around seventeen years now, I seem to be becoming more and more what would today be called "fundamentalist". Webster's 1828 dictionary defines the noun 'fundamental" as "A leading or primary principle, rule, law or article, which serves as the ground work of a system; essential part; as the fundamentals of the Christian faith". So a "fundamentalist" is really only someone who adheres to the basics, or foundations, of the faith.

As you are no doubt aware, for quite some time in today's society "fundamentalist" has been a negative term, generally meaning someone who is overly-religious and close-minded.  This view particularly seems to be directed at people who believe the events in that most foundational of books of the bible, Genesis (literally "beginning") to be real, and not metaphorical events.

In the beginning of my walk I didn't see what the big deal was whether you believed in the theory of evolution or in creation. But, through hard-fought scripture searching and "open-mindedness" (see Romans 12:22), now I see how foundational the first chapters of the book of Genesis are. The events in Genesis lay the groundwork for everything to follow: the creation of the earth/universe, the creation of man and woman, and the fall from that perfect creation, requiring God's intervention in the form of that most wonderful second "Adam", Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Without a "creationist" worldview, the entire salvation story falls apart, and there really is no reason for Jesus to die on the cross. For example, if to be a disciple of Jesus Christ it is essential to "put off our old man (i.e., sinful nature) which is corrupt" (Ephesians 4:22), how can we do this if a sinful nature is only a concept? Indeed, in most of our modern churches you'd be hard pressed to find a preacher who truly believes humans even have a sinful nature. And if we accept Christ only for the forgiveness of past sins, where did those sins originate? Where is room for morality and sin in the evolutionary story?

One only needs to look at the world today to see that a pervasive evolutionary worldview leads to an "anything goes" mentality. Christians who believe in the theory of evolution (and I was one of them) really haven't given enough thought to the spiritual implications of an evolutionary worldview. (There are also glaring scientific problems with the theory of evolution, which I won't go into here, but coincidentally the author of The Barefoot Book also has a book debunking the "science" behind evolution called Sometimes Deceived.)

So, to reiterate, "fundamentalism" really isn't about being close-minded, but about adhering to the basics of the faith. Those of us classified as "fundamentalists" will never be thought of as open-minded by the world, but a mind renewed by the Spirit of God will be always be open to the things of God, and by extension the truth (see John 16:13). May we never be afraid to re-assess our beliefs, even if it means starting from scratch, so our feet can be placed on a firm foundation.

Are You Being Pressed?

 "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair" 2 Corinthians 4:8

The Apostle Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth is a source for me of great encouragement when I fell overwhelmed by the opposition of a world (and sometimes professing Christians) hostile to the gospel. In this passage of scripture "hard-pressed" is often translated "troubled", but the literal Greek meaning is to be pressed like grapes. Do you feel pressed lately? Like the world and its evils are coming at you from all directions?

Jesus promised that "he that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water"  John 7:38  How is this possible, when the spiritual attack on us is so strong we don't have room to breathe? Let us look to the Old Testament which is full of symbology to give us revelation and encourage us in our Christian walk.

"Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank." Numbers 20:11  (Now Moses was only supposed to speak to the rock, but that's another story.) The point is that water miraculously came from one of the most unlikely places, a rock . There is nothing in the world tighter and more "hard-pressed" than a rock. Yet here was living-giving fluid coming from it, just by (what was supposed to be) a word of faith. 

Now if you are familiar with the bible you will know that the rock symbolizes Christ: "...for they (the Israelites) drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:4   Water is symbolic of spiritual life. Therefore it is Christ within us from which spiritual life will flow! 

Now why does Jesus say this life will flow out of our bellies? Some bible versions translate "belly" as "innermost being", but the literal translation is "belly", and I believe there is significance: just as our earthly mothers gave us physically life through our bellies, so Jesus causes spiritual life to flow out of our "bellies" (or, innermost beings). 

How is this accomplished practically in our lives? By simply believing on Jesus. You see, there is a reason why the King James translators chose the word "on" rather than "in" in this particular passage. The Greek word "eis" means "into", rather than the passive "in" (Gk: en). If we compare scripture we see even the demons believe "in" Jesus (see James 2:19). But to believe on, or into Jesus means we believe all the bible says about him concerning us, such as our old "man" being crucified with him (Romans 6:6), and the fact that he lives in us (Colossians 1:27). If we will stand upon these truths daily rather than what the feelings emanating from the corrupt nature (Ephesians 4:22) tell us, then God's torrent of living water will be unleashed from us in the tightest of spaces, defeating any spiritual enemy in our path.

Are You Being Shaken?

 

“‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens’. This phrase , ‘Yet once more’, indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:26b-29

There is a shaking going on in our world. Can you feel it?

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is referencing a prophecy from the prophet Haggai (Haggai 2:6), which is referring to the “consummation” of history and God’s final rule being established on earth. Until that time, God is “shaking” the earth like a sieve, until only those things which cannot be shaken remain.

As (I hope) a sincere Christian, I can feel this “shaking” going on in my life on an ever increasing level. The Holy Spirit speaks to me, and to His people, that we need to get rid of things in our life that do not lead us or others to God. The bible warns us to “make the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16), and the days are certainly evil. Anyone who does not see this is spiritually blind.

Does this mean we don’t have any fun and that we can’t enjoy God’s creation? Of course not, that is one of the lies of the devil. But it does mean we need to closely heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, who gently speaks to us to lead us away from things (even apparently “good” things) that are not of Him. Things we may be led to stay away from may appear foolish to others, even to other Christians, but ultimately it is the Lord’s opinion that counts, and we can depend on His Spirit indwelling us to stay strong and without fear in the face of misunderstanding and even ridicule.

Are you allowing God to shake you?

Struggling With Sin

Do you struggle with sin? Congratulations, you are a sincere Christian!

I’ve observed (as undoubtedly some of you have) that many professing to be Christians seem to be completely unconcerned about whether they’re living a holy life or not, and indeed seem at a loss if you mention you’re “struggling with sin”. Either the person is a) the second coming of Christ, or, more likely, b) does not regularly read the bible and is unfamiliar with what God regards as sin, or c) reads the bible but puts their own interpretation on it and/or is not really interested in obedience. The self-centered gospel of today seems to be: “Christ died for Me (capital M), and it doesn’t make any difference how I live, because God is such a God of love”. 

Several years ago in my own walk I was tired of being a fraud. I had been a Christian for almost 10 years*, and I had a couple particular “besetting sins” I could not overcome (see Hebrews 12:1). I thought: “If God demands a holy life from us (and He does: see 1 Peter 1:15 and Hebrews 12:14, for starters), surely He would provide a way for us to achieve it!”

It was then I received a random package of CDs in the mail from an obscure ministry in the Midwest, asking me whether I was interested in “overcoming sin in my life”**.  I tell you friends, God’s timing is always perfect! It was then the teaching of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 6 began to become real to me, and not just theology I’d read one hundred times: “... our old man is (was) crucified with him (Christ), that the body of sin (i.e., our sinful nature) might be destroyed (i.e., put out of business), that henceforth we should not (i.e., don’t have to) serve sin” (Romans 6:6). My sins flowed from my sinful nature, which had been dealt with at the cross of Christ! Hallelujah!

Paul goes on to say in Romans 6: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). You see, what God has done is given us a choice. Before we accepted Christ and asked the Holy Spirit to dwell in us we really didn’t have a choice. We were sinners by default, through our forefather's choice (see Romans 5:12). This also confuses the world and many who profess Christ. They don’t see the world and themselves as inherently wicked (despite the headlines), and is the reason why the gospel isn’t truly being preached in many of our churches. If we are not naturally wicked, then why did Jesus come? What is there to be saved from?

Am I a sinless Christian today? Of course not, no one is or ever will be. But I do know where my power to overcome sin lies, through faith in what Christ did at the cross of Calvary (see Romans 6:11)

So friends, let us “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1), because “without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14)

* Although I value it, I do not count my upbringing in a Christian church and the time after that up until receiving Christ as "being Christian” (see John 3:3)
** The name of the ministry is "Worldwide Victorious Life Bible Tapes" - email me at tarbell8@gmail.com if you are interested

Birdsong

Are you up when the first light of dawn is appearing? Me neither. But if you are, you are familiar with the amazing symphony of birds songs filling the air. It's quite amazing the way they complement each other, and it's a beautiful way our heavenly Creator has arranged to start the day.

One recent rare occasion when I was up at this time, I was wondering why they do this, and a reason came to me. (I've since read that scientists believe it's males attracting mates, but I like my reason better and I'm sticking with it.) The reason that came to me is that, at some point they started doing it, and they've being doing it for so long that they associate it with the sun rising. And being creatures of instinct and survival, they now figure that if they don't do it the sun won't come up!

This got me thinking about our prayer lives. Are we praying for things (like revival*) as if our prayers are absolutely necessary for it to come to pass? For some reason, in God's divine ordering of things, they are! It goes with the free will thing. Just as man's love for God cannot satisfy His (God's) heart without a free will (choice) engaged, so God's [good] purposes for man cannot be accomplished without man's active cooperation.

I will give you an example. A couple years ago my friend was in a coma and dying from surgery complications. I had a distinct, heavy feeling in my spirit that he was going to die. There wasn't any rest in my spirit like it was his time to depart, just heaviness and despair. Now, should I have just sat there and said "it's all good!"? (A phrase I hate incidentally - it is NOT "all good"). No! I prayed fervently that my friend would live. And he miraculously did.

Now do I believe that my prayers alone saved this man? No. But the fact is I really don't know, maybe they did!

Let us commit (or re-commit) ourselves to fervent prayer, even rising as early as the birds in the morning, and pray His will be done. If we don't do it, who will?

* one definition of revival is "a spiritual reawakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation"

No Looking Back

 

 

As I was running during my lunch break (yes, I try) around a beautiful pond near where I work, a carved wooden sign jumped out at me (not literally) to my left which read “one way – no exit”. Immediately, for some reason, this made me think of what those of us who have “signed up” for following Jesus knew what we were getting into.

You may have watched or read the biography of a famous rock star: almost invariably for those who had the greatest success there was no “Plan B”. They threw themselves into their commitment and never looked back.

The bible contains many instances of the consequences for having a “Plan B” for following God wholeheartedly:: the Israelites (a symbol of the individual Christian) longing to go back to Egypt (i.e., sin) after their miraculous deliverance; Lot's wife looking back to Sodom (sin) while it was being destroyed, and turning to a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26), and Jesus Christ himself and His example, who said “he who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Is there something holding you back from following God wholeheartedly? Often it is the “fear of man” (i.e., looking foolish). Well, the Bible has positive things to say about being foolish! (see 1 Corinthians 1:27). The solution to these fears, is to put ourselves aside, and let Christ live through us (Ephesians 4:22-24). Because our old corrupt nature will always fear, but God has no fear! “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). With God’s righteousness covering us, we are “bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).