What’s Your Spiritual Work Ethic?
“Are you finished?”
“Yup.”
“Did you give it your best effort?”
“Yup.”
“Ok, so if I check your work I’m going to be really impressed with the quality of it?”
“Yup.”
Have you had a conversation like this with one of your children when you’ve asked them to do a job for you? What was your experience when you checked on their work? Was it exceptional, or was it done to a standard that was not quite up to the excellence to which you were exhorting them?
My father taught me an old adage, “If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing to the best of your ability.”
I heard that over and over again when I was a teenager. I’m pretty sure it’s because my standard for work excellence was not that of my father, and he was attempting to encourage me to raise my standards.
Really what dad was saying was, “C’mon son, you can do better than that. You have the ability to do better work than that. You have more effort that you can give me. I want to ensure that you work wholeheartedly, not half-heartedly. If you don’t learn to work wholeheartedly you will end up living a life of mediocrity.”
I thank God I had a dad that regularly kicked my butt (figuratively), and told me that I can do better work than what I just did. He wouldn’t let me take the easy way out. He held me accountable to doing work to the best of my ability.
A high character value in our family was work ethic. My father instilled in me the value of a good work ethic, and I attempted to instill the same thing in our sons. I believe that a strong work ethic is a Godly character quality.
Scripture exhorts us to pursue Godliness and spiritual discipline. We are exhorted in whatever we do, to work at it with all our hearts like we’re working for the Lord, not for men. God tells us He is looking for men whose hearts are wholly His – not “half” His – “wholly” His.
I remember when I played competitive team sports, whether it be football, track or wrestling, my coaches would always challenge my effort to ensure I was giving my best;
“Really, is that the best you’ve got?! C’mon, I want more! I want more effort! I don’t think you are giving me your best!”
There was no way that I could become the best I could be if I did not have a coach who pushed me beyond what I thought was my best to discover that I, indeed, had more to offer. Beyond what I thought was possible, was a capability, a strength, an ability, an effort that my coach saw, but at the time I did not see.
I had to learn to trust the perspective of my coach, and my dad to believe that there was more I could give. That what I thought was my best, was not my best. I had more to give…
I believe the Lord treats us similarly. I believe He looks upon my weak effort at times and says,
“Really, is that the best you are going to give me?”
Sure, He loves me. Sure, He delights in me. But that doesn’t mean He does not hold me to a high standard and pushes me to give and accomplish more.
Men, God treats us like men. He sees what you are capable of. He sees the effort that you can give. He sees the strength that He has woven into your will, your heart and your being. He sees the lack of effort you are giving Him at times and exhorts you to give Him more.
All He wants is all you’ve got.
So, whatever you are in the midst of; whatever He has put into your hands; whatever may be a struggle for you right now – your work, your marriage, your parenting, your finances, your personal time with God – I encourage you to ask yourself:
“What is my spiritual work ethic? Am I giving God my best effort?
He deserves our best.
Isaiah 43:22
“Yet you have not called upon me O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me O Israel.”
Colossians 3:23, 24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Deuteronomy 6:5
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
2 Timothy 2:15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth.”
The Walking Dead
Before we knew what was happening, we were in it. They were everywhere.
We rounded the corner, traffic began to slow down, and then it ground to a halt. As I scanned the road ahead of us looking for any clue as to the cause of the stoppage, the reality of our situation began to dawn on me.
What looked like small groups of poorly dressed pedestrians on the sidewalk turned into large groups of scruffy people stepping into traffic. And then like the rising waters of an unforeseen tsunami the people flowed in amongst the vehicles completely enveloping more and more motorists who were unfortunately right here, right now.
We were definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It then all became very clear. I now understood who these ragged hordes were. Hundreds of men, women, children, young and old slowly limped past our vehicle all uttering the same woeful cry, “Brains!”
They were the walking dead.
Anne and I on a beautiful summer’s day, on the way to celebrate our anniversary with the top down in the jeep, now found ourselves in the midst of Vancouver’s Zombie Walk. They were everywhere. All different kinds of people, even whole families with kids in strollers, were all decked out with torn and dirty clothes, deathly looking makeup and blood. Lots of blood. I had never seen a spectacle like this before.
What bothered me was the fact that there was no police presence for traffic control. Somebody could get hurt here. I phoned 911 and asked for the police. I informed the officer that Denman St. was at a standstill due to the fact that hundreds of zombies were wondering amongst traffic.
“Real Zombies?” he asked incredulously.
“No, the Zombie Walk is on.” I clarified.
Have you noticed the fixation our culture seems to have with zombies? Movies, TV shows, books, and, as in Vancouver, Zombie Walks that take place all over the world as some kind of a unique celebration of sorts. A few years ago our youngest son was showing great interest in reading a book I was unfamiliar with. When I checked it out I discovered it was entitled, “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse”.
I don’t get it.
Sure, I enjoyed the movie I Am Legend, but zombies just seem to be everywhere in pop culture. I haven’t watched the TV shows, or read any books. I haven’t gotten caught up in the infatuation with the walking dead – I haven’t understood what all the fuss was about. However, I saw things in a different light recently when I heard a message that included this statement,
“Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive.”
The speaker went on to use Zombies as a metaphor for the human race. Without Christ we are the walking dead, humans infected with a deadly virus called “sin” that robs us of true life. We experience a type of life that is not real life. It is not the life for which we were created. We are the living dead looking for true life.
The antidote for the virus that robs us of life is the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ transfused into our hearts through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit heals us from the ravages of sin. We are born again out of death into life. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of life.
The walking dead are made alive by the death and resurrection of Christ. The blood of Christ cleanses us from sin.
Zombies: such were you and I before we experienced the life of Christ.
The virus known as sin had infected us so that we were the walking dead, devoid of the life of God. Jesus paid the price to set us free from sin to make us alive in Him. The law of sin and death constrained mankind to a living death. The blood of Christ sets us free from the law of sin and death.
What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What makes the walking dead come alive? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Colossians 2:13, 14
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Ephesians 2:4, 5
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 1:7, 8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Hebrews 9:14
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
The Rules Don’t Apply To Me
We walked slowly down the path from the dining hall toward the main lodge where the classroom was located. Surrounded by 19 acres of beautiful west coast temperate rain forest, this former kids camp was a beautiful location for a Bible School.
I was chatting with one of our instructors while strolling back from a great meal. He was one of my favourite teachers. He was wise, he was extremely knowledgeable, he was personable, he was a great communicator and I knew he cared about me. I was a passionate young man eager to learn all I could about God’s Word and its application to my life and that to which God was calling me.
I was hanging on his every word. His perspective on the Kingdom of God I found to be exhilarating. I wanted to be the greatest follower of Jesus I could be. I wanted to be great in the Kingdom of God.
And that was a bit of a problem because I didn’t quite understand what it meant to be a servant. I didn’t quite get the fact that I was meant to be spent for the benefit of others. I was caught up in the triumphalism of the Kingdom. I would later learn that the door to my future in Jesus was in the shape of a coffin as He beckoned me to come and die.
This day I was caught up in the glory and the grandeur of God and His plan for us. At least I was until my teacher dropped the bomb…
“Dave, is that your desk in the alcove by the classroom?”
“Yes, I put it up there to set up a special place for me to really focus on my studies.”
“Don’t the other students share desks down in the library?”
“Yes, but I had access to my own desk from home so I put it up there to make my own unique space.”
And then came the bomb…
“Dave, the mindset that led you to put your desk there is that which led David to sin with Bathsheba.”
After I took a few seconds to recover from the explosion of his words I asked him to explain. He helped me to see how David thought he was above the rules. He stayed home at the time when “kings went to war”. When he should have been out with the men fighting for Israel he stayed home with the women – and that’s when he spied out Bathsheba. He was king, he could do what he wanted.
David thought the rules didn’t apply to him, and that’s what I was doing. Sure, it’s innocuous enough, my desk set up in a cute little alcove surrounded with motivational posters and quotes on the wall. When the other students would leave the classroom to go into the lodge they would all parade past my desk set up and see what an awesome space I had created for myself. All of them had to study in the library with shared desks. But not me – I was special.
And that’s just it: I thought I was special. The rules didn’t apply to me. I was above the rules. And it’s that kind of thinking that, if left unrepented of, leads to all manner of sin.
It’s amazing to think the “big ugly” sins we think we would never be capable of committing begin with a subtle mindset that the rules don’t apply to me. My bible school instructor’s confrontation was a loving rebuke to help me address a natural tendency I had to push the rules, to think I was special.
So, acting on his exhortation, I moved my desk downstairs to the library. I didn’t put up any of my personalized motivational posters. I made my desk available to all the students. Since that time I have been on a journey to beat back the belief that somehow I’m above the rules.
Do you think the rules don’t apply to you? Ask the Lord to help you see where you think you’re above the rules, then deal with it. That mindset is the root of much sin.
1 Samuel 11:1-4
“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.”
Galatians 5:9
“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
Philippians 2:3, 4
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Secret Agent Man
The crowd was waiting in highly charged anticipation for the arrival of the special guest. Scores of people were expecting something special – someone special. They hadn’t had a visitor like this before. His appearance had been promoted for quite some time prior to the date of his coming.
They had many guest presenters before, but never like this. When he arrived the lights were dimmed and the music began to play. The theme song to Mission Impossible was the catalyst to supercharge the atmosphere with excitement. They could barely contain themselves.
He slowly made his way through the crowd in a black suit, dark sunglasses, black leather gloves and a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He definitely had an air of mystery about him. The crowd went crazy when he was introduced. So, who was he really? Or more accurately, what was he?
He was a Secret Agent.
It was Missions Week at Kelowna Christian School. The crowd was a classroom of grade 1 and grade 2 students. My sons were two of those students. And who was the guest speaker? Well, that guest speaker was me.
I was the Secret Agent.
Let me explain…
When the school administration announced that Missions Week was coming up I inquired what exactly that meant. I was informed that missionaries would be coming to the school to speak to the students about missions. The school wanted to expose the students to the world of international missions and create the opportunity for the kids to catch an interest in and passion for missions.
I was told Missions Week can often be the time when some students begin to feel called to “full-time ministry”.
Great, I don’t have a problem with that. However, it’s important we understand that we are all called to full-time ministry. Full-time ministry is not a unique call given to a select few super Christians. Jesus didn’t call anyone to give Him part of their life. He has called each of us to give Him our whole life.
We’re all called to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God – the Government of God. God’s rule extends into all aspects of society. Locally or globally we are representatives of God’s rule and reign: God’s way of living. God’s Government is meant to be lived out by all of God’s people in every area of our culture and society: education, business, justice/law, arts/culture, health/wellness, media, the charitable sector, government, etc.
Our mission is to facilitate God’s Kingdom coming and God’s will being done in us and through us in everything we do. It’s how we are called to do life. I wanted to somehow help the students understand this truth.
So, believing as an entrepreneur I was called into full-time marketplace ministry, I asked the school principal if I could speak at Missions Week. I wanted the students to understand about marketplace ministry. I wanted them to know that we are all called to be full-time ministers of the Kingdom.
Enter the idea of a Secret Agent. I decided to introduce myself as a Secret Agent as a metaphor for the truth I wanted to convey. I believe we are all “secret agents” of sorts. You see, a secret agent is on a covert mission. In order to participate in the covert mission they need a “cover” of sorts to enable them to blend in to society and fulfill their mission.
You and I are on a mission from God. We are on a mission to see God’s Kingdom come and His will be done in us and through us in everything we do. This is why we work, this is why we go to work. If you go to work just to ‘make money’ you are missing the point.
We work to see God’s kingdom come and His will done in us and through us. The work we do is our cover. We are ‘disguised’ as teachers, business people, mechanics, lawyers, gardeners, painters, programmers and myriad other occupations. Our ‘cover’ enables us to engage in our mission.
Your work is your cover for your real mission: an ambassador of God’s Kingdom.
You are a Secret Agent.
Colossians 2:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Matthew 16:24
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”