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Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Being a cowboy meant knowing how to work, how to prepare to work, and how to do the actual work.”
                    –Bobby Cavazos  (The Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert)

       “Let us not allow slackness to spoil our work and let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work for God.”
                    –Romans 12:11(Phillips)
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(First, I need to fix a mistake I made in Monday’s “Echo.”  Call it old age, a senior moment, blatant disregard, or just an oversight, there was an issue that changed the meaning of what was being written.  I wrote, “Let me remind you here that we are speaking of perfectionism.”  It should have said, “Let me remind you here that we are NOT speaking of perfectionism.”  However, there is a lesson here.  What I wrote was not perfect, I left out a word.  That did not mean that my thoughts were wrong, or that my motive was wrong, or that my heart was impure.  See, even in my mistake we see how we can be pure in heart and yet at times fail in our daily lives.)
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In every culture there is a need for wealth of some kind.  Money, they say, makes the world go round, it is not love.  Wealth, then oftentimes, becomes an obsession with so many. The meaning of wealth is the total value of all assets, minus the debts.  Today’s proverb is a wonderful way to look at proper wealth.  We read from Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (NKJV)  I need to ask now, what makes one rich, what is richness?  Sometimes we equate wealth and money with being rich.  Look at the Living Bible paraphrase of this verse and we see a closer meaning.  “The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth.  All our work adds nothing to it.”  Much of this verse depends on what we mean by wealth.
     Proverbs 10:4, says that the “hands of the diligent bring wealth,” but here we read that it comes from the Lord.  Which is correct?  I would have to say, both.  We, in our daily life, work together with the Lord.  Bob Beasley sheds light on this, “It is the combination of our diligence and God’s blessing.  The slothful person seeks wealth without diligence.  The practical atheist seeks wealth through his own diligence.  But God distributes wealth as He sees fit.”  
     No matter how hard a man works, and that is needed, industry is needed by man; he cannot expect wealth without honest work.  However, we also need to realize that God is the true source of wealth.  We work diligently as we are supposed to, but ultimately the results are God’s.  If we practice proper stewardship, are diligent in our work habits and ethics, we will find that wealth can be a blessing, not a curse.  But then true wealth–is it really money?  Dan Dick reminds us that, “A good relationship with God is the path to true wealth, and it is a richness that nothing can destroy.”
     Wealth–money or life fulfillment?  Fortune or satisfaction?  Success in life?  Ah, but then what is success–more money?  I have often used the quotation by the “Wizard” of basketball, John Wooden, “Success is peace of mind which is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”  It goes back to your purpose in life and whether you are serving the Lord to the best of your ability.  J. Vernon McGee states, “There are those who live in pleasure and think they are living it up.  But as they get closer to the end, they find life unbearable.”  Riches now often means perdition later.  McGee continues, “The contemporary Christian by his indifference to moral and doctrinal wrong, and by his laxness in his way of living, is missing a great deal that God has for him.”  Have you noticed that it goes back to true worship and proper stewardship?
     John Trapp, the 17th-century theologian speaks of the three “vultures” in regard to wealth.  There is the care of getting, the fear in keeping, and the grief in losing.  Those who depend upon monetary wealth may spend it all if they come down with a life-threatening sickness.  His wealth gone, along with his health, and all that is left is the grave and in that he loses it all.  Let me say in closing, that wealth is not money to the Christian.  We are rich in whatever way the Lord blesses us, and that is so in many ways.  John Piper warns us that “Life is wasted when we do not live for the glory of God.”  I figure I’ve done a good job not becoming a millionaire, but I have riches abundant in the Lord.  A large bank account, what will happen?  One of the vultures will come for it, and at the end of life what do I have.  Do I stick a dollar bill in my pocket as a tip for the mortician?  
     Remember the story of Gehazi, the servant of Elijah.  In his desire for wealth, his greed and dishonesty, the leprosy of Naaman came upon him.  Now, what good was his wealth, when his health was gone? (2 Kings 5:27).  Read again today’s proverb from the CEV,  “When the Lord blesses you with riches, you have nothing to regret.”  No regrets.  Let Him give you what is needed for you to work in His kingdom.  Enjoy His blessings, don’t whine and murmur that you don’t have enough.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Concern yourself not with the consequences, just remember that if you fail to stand for what is right, there will be worse consequences suffered by not only yourself, but many others. A man cannot go to his grave with anything so significant on his conscience. You will one day stand before God.”

                    –B.N. Rundell  (The Covenant)

          “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.  For if you do these things, you will never fall.”
                    –2 Peter 1:10 (NIV)
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                    “…so you must work out your own salvation with fear and trembling–(that is, keep on carrying out to the ultimate point of completion your salvation with reverence and awe, by finishing the race you’ve begun so that you will not dishonor God or disgrace the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord).”
                              –Philippians 2:12(Harbuck)

     Work out, don’t stop halfway!  “No Christian should be satisfied with anything less than the total benefits of the gospel.” (Barclay)  We know that God is at work in each of us and therefore it is up to us to cooperate with Him.  William Barclay writes, “The Christian must give continual evidence in his daily life that he is indeed working out his own salvation; day by day it must be more fully accomplished.”  Today we should not be the same as yesterday.  But remember, as in life growth sometimes comes in spurts and at other times it seems so very slow.  In either case, “This Christian life must be a continual progress, for it is a journey towards God.” (Barclay)
     Last week we saw that one way to work out our salvation was to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus.  We saw that sometimes that cross is heavy, sometimes it is hard to pick up, but pick it up we must.  This morning I want to draw our attention to another way that we work out our salvation.

               “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
                              –2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

I like the way the Living Bible expresses this verse, “Work hard so God can say to you, ‘Well done’…”  As an educator of nearly forty years I know the value of testing.  There is quite a bit of controversy today regarding that issue, but no matter what a student must be tested in one manner or another.  Grades are given and approval is given after the testing.  Then, and only then, if we qualified we received the grade, the prize.  A teacher is expected to do their utmost to help the student (i.e., the Holy Spirit) however, the student must take the test.  The student then is expected to qualify by taking and coming through the test.  All do not do the same–Peter was not John, Mark was not Paul–and unfortunately some fail (Judas, Demas).  
     A student is expected “to put out every effort as one who has stood the test.” (Barclay)  To falter and fall is not an option, however, some do turn back; they turn in their test only partially completed.  Paul tells us in Ephesians that after we have done all to stand, and after done all to continue to stand.  Stand the test, give it all diligence, be tested and approved and as you stand firm in the tests of life you will then be fit for service, you will be working out your own salvation.  Barclay says this, “Be tested that you might be a fit weapon for the work of Christ, and therefore a workman who had no need to be ashamed.”  I had never really thought of the idea that we, in our everyday lives, are a weapon against the forces of evil.  As the Marines train a “few good men” so the Holy Spirit trains the disciples of Christ to face the enemy and show forth the light and truth of God.
     One more thought, the KJV renders the word the NKJV uses for “diligent” as “study.”  This has often caused some confusion.  Taken literally that means we need to actually study to be approved.  That is an old term, and diligent fits much better, however, I will say we do need to “study.”  Study God’s Word, study life, study the situation we find ourselves in, then…work through them.  The term in the Greek is “spoudasou” which means “to give diligence,” “to try hard,” “to endeavor,” “to be eager.”  Vine says it means “to hasten to do; to exert oneself.”  Think of that.  How much do we exert ourselves in the development of who we are in Christ?  I am not speaking of salvation, but after we are saved we should be working and striving and zealous in our being to be more and more like Christ, so that we can pass the test–any test–that may come our way.  Bernard Rossier puts it this way, “we should be doing one’s best, taking the responsibility seriously.”  A Christian life is picking up the cross, not tip-toeing through the tulips, and now we see that it is serious business to prepare ourselves for this life and for eternity.