Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.”
Recently reading through Ecclesiastes, I ran across an idea that was repeated a couple times: That which is done for God will last; that which is done for self will pass away.
On my own admission, I am so often too black and white when it comes to life situations, decisions or opinions. It’s just the way I am. Truth is truth and a lie is a lie. Don’t pretend like a lie can be true, and don’t try to convince me that the truth is wrong. In the midst of this “A, not B” mentality, I am confronted with this thought: Do we lie to ourselves that what we are doing in disobedience to God is okay when our motivations are selfish in nature?
I wonder if we convince ourselves that something we do in sin or in fleshly intentions actually helps us in the long run to “keep our sanity” or “let us take a break from the craziness of life”. When we take a look at what God says in His Letter to us, we have to be honest and realize that those things which we do in sin to keep us from the moments of insanity, chaos and disruption are actually keeping us from becoming more like Christ. I Peter 4:12-13 reads, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” God allows us to face the problems of life to draw us closer to Him and to give us joy after we have passed through the fire. It is what we decide to do when we face the problems of life that determines if we will be joyful or regretful for our actions under pressure in light of the presence of Christ. Consider the opposing examples of the prophet Jonah and the Ten Boom sisters for evidence of the effectiveness of obedience to God.
The prophet Jonah (in the Old Testament of the Bible) was given the call to go to Nineveh to share a message from God. Yet like a good banana sundae, he split and went in the complete opposite direction. Jonah acted in his flesh because he couldn’t handle the thought of those sinners receiving mercy and it was too much for him. God gave Jonah a challenge to ultimately bless him, but Jonah played the fool and gave into his selfish decision. God made him pay the humbling price of being swallowed by a larger than life fish and he eventually did deliver the message to Nineveh, yet when
we think of Jonah, he isn’t known as the obedient guy who did what God asked; he’s known as the guy who got swallowed by a fish – that is his legacy brought upon by the decision of the flesh.
On the other hand, take the inspiring story of Cornelia and Betsie Ten Boom; two sisters who went through Nazi concentration camps for hiding Jews in Holland. In The Hiding Place, I am astounded at the ability of Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom to draw closer and closer to God while their situations in the Ravensbrück concentration camp get worse and worse. At one point, they had to give thanks to God for the fleas which inhabited the cots of their barracks. The fleas allowed the women to have secret Bible studies because the guards chose to deliberately avoid their barracks because of the risk of getting the aforementioned fleas. If Corrie or Betsie had given into the temptation to quit walking in faith in God’s will, they would not have been able to do the Bible study ministry. They viewed the time during their internment as a ministry to help share God’s love wherever they were, so instead of
folding to bitterness or hatred, they became stronger and brighter lights to the women they were around. Today, they are known for their obedience to God and for loving others in the midst of evil – this is their legacy brought about by faith.
Obeying God in the pain of life isn’t easy, however it is seen by Him.
In both cases we’ve briefly surveyed, they could have easily slid into a decision for the flesh or chosen much harder – a decision for the faith. Ecclesiastes reminds us though: “God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” When we are given choices to obey or to disobey, we need to know that God sees our decision whether we acknowledge it or not. The poet C.T. Studd wrote a piece entitled: “Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past.” I exhort you with this stanza from the poem to take into account and examine what life you choose to live:
“Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
Living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
When faced with the problems of this world, will we decide to make the decision for faith in the ultimate sovereignty of Jesus over our lives, or will we look back in regret at the decisions which we have made to lead the life of crumbling control over our foolish little minds? Only what’s done for Christ will last. Are your decisions going to last?
I’ve had to look at why I’m doing this missionary thing and wonder what my motivations are. Am I doing this because I want to be a traveler with an excuse to travel under the name of “the Gospel” and “Matthew 28:19”? After prayer, I’m not. Do I want to do this because I want to make a human difference in the lives of mankind for the purpose of worldly good? No. I’m not in the Peace Corps for a reason. I want to be a missionary because I believe it is what God has called me to be and He doesn’t want me wasting my time doing something else.
I have a newly minted degree in Recreation. I cannot pursue this career path here in the States and pretend that I am a missionary to my coworkers and constituents while living at home. God has called to remove me from this life here to be focused about His purposes elsewhere. He may use this career path for His good, however I must be Heavenly minded and Christ centered in whatever ministry He calls me to. There is a difference between being a Christian in the public eye of a workplace and being a Christian in a ministry solely purposed behind making sure people know Jesus loves them and wants to heal them from their sins, pains and guilt. In my current job, I have to be careful about what I say, what I do and how I present myself. It isn’t a Christian organization; it is a government program. I can’t hide behind a job and filter my beliefs anymore; I need to share the love of Jesus openly through a ministry. Funding will come.
Jeremiah understood my frustration. “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9). I have tried working in the public sector and keeping my voice to the minimum. But God has put His Word in my heart like a fire to be spoken openly with those who need to hear it. Sports will get me the ears so that God’s Word can go forth, but it won’t be here in Colorado right now. This is why I must be a missionary. God has called me, given me His Word and has set me to be a prophet to the nations like so many other faith-led saints before me who have faithfully spoken forth the truth of the complete, inerrant Word of God.