God doesn't like it when people are slothful and lazy. This seems strange to me at first. After all, nothing we do here in this life that isn't for the kingdom of God will have any eternal meaning. I could have three college degrees and run a Fortune 500 company but once the day of judgment comes, that won't matter. It won't matter how many dollars an hour I made in my summer job, or what kind of house I bought. None of these things will persist when the present universe is burned and the New Heaven and New Earth are formed.
But despite that, God doesn't like slothfulness. A lazy lifestyle isn't pleasing to God. Of course, if you're physically or mentally disabled and not capable of working, that's one thing. But if you're physically able to work somewhere and instead you sit in a single room all day surfing the same three websites, there's something going on there that doesn't honor God.
In Genesis 1:28, God presents to Adam what theologians call the cultural mandate. This command tells Adam, and by extension us, to take the raw resources of the world and make something out of it. In other words, do work. Laziness does not carry out the cultural mandate, and it goes against God's command to subdue and have dominion over the world.
God could have chosen to make wounds miraculously heal, food to pop into existence on tables, and houses to rise out of the ground by themselves. But instead God chooses to work through people - doctors, farmers, builders, and so on. The institution of work was created even before the institution of marriage (Eve had not yet been formed). I could even go so far as to say that work is a form of ministry in itself. Instead of being a distinctly spiritual ministry, it is a practical and physical ministry, tending to the non-spiritual needs of those around us. When we are lazy and slothful, we work against God by failing to provide this kind of ministry to others.
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Lately, I've been dealing with the notion of significance. Secretly, I want to be notable. I want to be a sort of minor celebrity. I've made ways of publicizing some of the things I do as hobbies, with the hopes that others would see it. I wanted to share what I was doing with others, because things are more enjoyable when done with others.
One of my favorite games is Minecraft. There are several people on YouTube who are popular for making Minecraft let's plays, where they record themselves playing the game. Some of them play games like it full time, and earn a living off of it. It occurred to me that I might like to do something like that. I wanted to be known by others, for others to watch my videos. I want to be significant in their eyes.
People have told me I'm already significant because of how God sees me. And of course I believed them. But in the eyes of the world I am still not noteworthy, and that's what I wanted to be. Yet after almost three years of either running a blog or making videos, my fanbase is virtually non-existent.
A brother in Christ recently unexpectedly gave me a reality check in this regard. He reminded me that the things of this world will one day pass away, but the kingdom of God remains forever. All the significance that will ever matter, I already have that. Why? Because I am in right standing with God.
In a way, I've always been significant, even if it wasn't obvious to me or those around me. Before I was born God knew me, and God loved me. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. For God the Father to send Jesus, the Son, the second member of the Trinity, someone he was in perfect love and perfect communion with, screams of how important I, along with the rest of humanity, am to God.
My significance is intrinsic to me, because I get it from God. I'm not just significant enough that Jesus died for me, it's also the case that daily God renews and empowers me through the Holy Spirit. When I compare the two things, it's actually kind of humorous. You have 500,000 fans on YouTube? 2 million followers on Twitter? That's nice. But do you have the Creator of the universe pouring out his love on you and daily helping you to serve him? Do you have him blessing you? Do you have a spot reserved in eternity? If you don't, I invite you right now to accept that love and blessing.
Fans will come and go. Fame ends when you die. Legends pass. Eternal standing with God lasts forever, and it incomprehensibly more valuable than any kind of success you might get in this world. And that is something I need to internalize.
But despite that, God doesn't like slothfulness. A lazy lifestyle isn't pleasing to God. Of course, if you're physically or mentally disabled and not capable of working, that's one thing. But if you're physically able to work somewhere and instead you sit in a single room all day surfing the same three websites, there's something going on there that doesn't honor God.
In Genesis 1:28, God presents to Adam what theologians call the cultural mandate. This command tells Adam, and by extension us, to take the raw resources of the world and make something out of it. In other words, do work. Laziness does not carry out the cultural mandate, and it goes against God's command to subdue and have dominion over the world.
God could have chosen to make wounds miraculously heal, food to pop into existence on tables, and houses to rise out of the ground by themselves. But instead God chooses to work through people - doctors, farmers, builders, and so on. The institution of work was created even before the institution of marriage (Eve had not yet been formed). I could even go so far as to say that work is a form of ministry in itself. Instead of being a distinctly spiritual ministry, it is a practical and physical ministry, tending to the non-spiritual needs of those around us. When we are lazy and slothful, we work against God by failing to provide this kind of ministry to others.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lately, I've been dealing with the notion of significance. Secretly, I want to be notable. I want to be a sort of minor celebrity. I've made ways of publicizing some of the things I do as hobbies, with the hopes that others would see it. I wanted to share what I was doing with others, because things are more enjoyable when done with others.
One of my favorite games is Minecraft. There are several people on YouTube who are popular for making Minecraft let's plays, where they record themselves playing the game. Some of them play games like it full time, and earn a living off of it. It occurred to me that I might like to do something like that. I wanted to be known by others, for others to watch my videos. I want to be significant in their eyes.
People have told me I'm already significant because of how God sees me. And of course I believed them. But in the eyes of the world I am still not noteworthy, and that's what I wanted to be. Yet after almost three years of either running a blog or making videos, my fanbase is virtually non-existent.
A brother in Christ recently unexpectedly gave me a reality check in this regard. He reminded me that the things of this world will one day pass away, but the kingdom of God remains forever. All the significance that will ever matter, I already have that. Why? Because I am in right standing with God.
In a way, I've always been significant, even if it wasn't obvious to me or those around me. Before I was born God knew me, and God loved me. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. For God the Father to send Jesus, the Son, the second member of the Trinity, someone he was in perfect love and perfect communion with, screams of how important I, along with the rest of humanity, am to God.
My significance is intrinsic to me, because I get it from God. I'm not just significant enough that Jesus died for me, it's also the case that daily God renews and empowers me through the Holy Spirit. When I compare the two things, it's actually kind of humorous. You have 500,000 fans on YouTube? 2 million followers on Twitter? That's nice. But do you have the Creator of the universe pouring out his love on you and daily helping you to serve him? Do you have him blessing you? Do you have a spot reserved in eternity? If you don't, I invite you right now to accept that love and blessing.
Fans will come and go. Fame ends when you die. Legends pass. Eternal standing with God lasts forever, and it incomprehensibly more valuable than any kind of success you might get in this world. And that is something I need to internalize.