Devotional Thoughts from the Fathers

Starting today, I will be posting daily the thoughts of the church fathers on my blog. I will begin with Bernard of Clairvaux. He lived from 1090-1153. His most famous work is entitled On Loving God. The following excerpt is taken that work.

Why we should love God and the measure of that love

You want me to tell you why God is to be loved and how much. I answer, the reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of love due to Him is immeasurable love. Is this plain? Doubtless, to a thoughtful man; but I am debtor to the unwise also. A word to the wise is sufficient; but I must consider simple folk too. Therefore I set myself joyfully to explain more in detail what is meant above.

We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable. When one asks, Why should I love God? he may mean, What is lovely in God? or What shall I gain by loving God? In either case, the same sufficient cause of love exists, namely, God Himself.

And first, of His title to our love. Could any title be greater than this, that He gave Himself for us unworthy wretches? And being God, what better gift could He offer than Himself? Hence, if one seeks for God’s claim upon our love here is the chiefest: Because He first loved us (I John 4.19).

Ought He not to be loved in return, when we think who loved, whom He loved, and how much He loved? For who is He that loved? The same of whom every spirit testifies: ‘Thou art my God: my goods are nothing unto Thee’ (Ps. 16.2, Vulg.). And is not His love that wonderful charity which ‘seeketh not her own’? (I Cor.13.5). But for whom was such unutterable love made manifest? The apostle tells us: ‘When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son’ (Rom. 5.10). So it was God who loved us, loved us freely, and loved us while yet we were enemies. And how great was this love of His? St. John answers: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3.16). St. Paul adds: ‘He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all’ (Rom. 8.32); and the son says of Himself, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15.13).

This is the claim which God the holy, the supreme, the omnipotent, has upon men, defiled and base and weak. Some one may urge that this is true of mankind, but not of angels. True, since for angels it was not needful. He who succored men in their time of need, preserved angels from such need; and even as His love for sinful men wrought wondrously in them so that they should not remain sinful, so that same love which in equal measure He poured out upon angels kept them altogether free from sin.

Work, death, and taxes are the only three certainties in life...oh yeah and God

Alright, last time we evaluated the mandate of work from God himself. We were able to determine that the concept of labor issues forth from the essence of God. Also, God was kind enough to give us a clear word about work. He tells us to subdue the earth and have dominion over the creation. It is obvious, at least to me, that that ain't gonna happen if I sit on my couch and play playstation all day.

Ok, so work comes from God. As I said before, this should revolutionize our attitude, but if this isn't enough incentive for you, I have more. There are at least to passages in Scripture that touch on our attitude toward work. Why do I feel like it is necessary to explain this? Well, some people might say something like this: "Fine, work is from God. I get it. I will work, but I don't have to like it." There is a problem here though. If you hate your job or work, then are you going to be concerned with putting maximum effort into it? Probably not. You might be asking yourself, why does it matter whether or not I desire to give my best? I'm glad you asked. Let us look to the Scripture.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24

That passage alone should be enough, but here another one just in case it isn't.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Think about those two passages for a minute. To be honest, it blows my mind. If we work with all our effort, we not only please God the Father. We also please the Lord Christ. Two parts of the Trinity are pleased by our labor. And, to top it off, we know that when the Son is glorified, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. If this is true, then it seems to me that the Holy Spirit would also be pleased by our work. Folks, the triune God of the universe finds joy in our labor if we do it as unto Him.

Both passages should be put into context. In the first one, Paul is delineating what it means to put on the new self. He tells us that we need to keep our minds on "things that are above." He writes in the hinge verses of this chapter, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Colossians 3:9-10) From this point on in the third chapter of Colossians, Paul illustrates how the new self should effect our lives. It changes our desires from evil to the fruit of the Spirit. It changes us from selfish to selfless persons, which is reflected in our marriages and our parenting. More relevant to our discussion, it revolutionizes the way we see work. Why? Because it is a part of our renewal into the image of our creator. Wow, that is some heavy stuff. As new selves, we will desire more and more this renewal, and our attitude toward work is just one way to affect that renewal. It is simply another way in which the new self manifests itself. It is the overflow from the renewal taking place in us.

In the second verse, Paul is discussing Christian liberty. He is questioning the merits of certain activities. In typical Pauline fashion, he is exhorting us to put others first and to show humility. While this verse doesn't directly speak to the issue of work, Paul is kind enough to add a short phrase on the end of his exhortation. When he writes, "or whatever you do," he means exactly that. This verse is one of those verses that can be applied in almost any situation. So, why not work? Based on this verse, it is not wrong to say that when you work hard you glorify God. I appreciate Paul's honesty at the beginning of the next chapter in 1 Corinthians, which is a sort of capping off of chapter ten. He says, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

Why do you think that Paul ends with this statement? I think I know. It is because Christ did the ultimate work, and He did it joyfully. Listen to the words of Paul.

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. " - Philippians 2:4-11

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

If Christ could see his work with joyfulness and as glorifying to the Father, then it is simply not too much to ask us to do the same.

I Just Want to Bang on the Drum All Day (Part 1)

Ok, here it is. The much anticipated series opener on work. Ok, so maybe it isn't actually very anticipated, but hopefully it will be insightful and helpful.

Work. To many, it is a four-letter word placed right alongside of other four-letter words like...well I better not say. Anyway, you get the point. For most folks, work is the part of the day we just try to get through. It is the going home and being with family and unwinding that we look forward to, that we anticipate. We simply want to get it over with already. Why is it that we hate work so much? I will admit to you that it is not wrong (even in the least) to desire a return to home and our families. That is without doubt a good thing. But, our attitude toward work should not be one of absolute dread, and I fear that in most cases it is. Well, what does God have to say to us about this attitude? What is the biblical witness with regard to work?

I think that the Bible has several things to say about work. First, work is from God. It was mandated in the beginning. Second, it is to be done as to the Lord. Third, there is much satisfaction and joy in work done with the right motive. If we make God's pleasure the motive of our work, then we will see new fulfillment of that part of our lives that will flow out into other parts of it. Fourth, God, through his Holy Spirit, uses work to sanctify us.

So, there are at least four things the Bible tells us about work. I will work through each of these in separate posts. This first post will deal with the biblical mandate for work from God himself. The second post will explain what it means to do work as to the Lord. The third post will attempt to show how work motivated properly will bring satisfaction and sanctification.

Alright, it is clear to me that the Bible tells us that work is from God. It flows from his essence. It is a part of who he is. Where do I see this in Scripture? Let's start in the beginning.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." - Genesis 1:1-2

Right off the bat, we see work taking place. God is working to create the heavens and earth. He created and that took work. This is not to say that it was difficult for God, but nonetheless, it took work. If he had never worked, we would not exist. The question then is how did God respond to his work? Over and over, we hear the refrain "and God saw that it was good." God was pleased with his work. It gave him pleasure. He found joy and satisfaction in it. So, we see that work flows from the being of God himself, but what about man? Why should we enjoy work? Is there a precedence set for us?

Well, yes. Even if God had never given us an explicit reason to work, we should be willing to follow his example, which was set in creation. But, in his kindness, God made it very clear. Again, let us look to our beginning.

"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" - Genesis 1:28

You see, God gave us a mandate, a calling of sorts after he created us. He did not create us to waste our days in leisure (which is not a bad thing if done in moderation). He desired that we subdue the earth. The word subdue means to conquer or to bring under cultivation. Now, where I'm from to cultivate the land is hard work. I just think about plowing fields in 100 degree weather and shudder. But, I don't think it would have been difficult for us to have subdued the land before the Fall. Why? Because part of the curse of sin is the difficulty of labor.

"cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." - Genesis 3:17b-19

So, we fell and work became difficult. Does that mean that God no longer desires for us to work? No, absolutely not. Why? Because it returns or moves the fallen creation back toward the pre-Fall state. God uses our work to redeem the earth. As Christians, we should desire for a return to Eden. While we realize that it won't fully occur until Christ returns, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be working toward that goal.

You see, work isn't just important because it is a means to end. It is so much more than providing for family, which is, of course, a great thing. It is carrying out the mandate God gave us in the beginning. It is subduing the earth. It is an expression of the dominion God has given us over his creation. No matter your profession (assuming that it isn't illegal or something like that), you are carrying out God's mandate to us at creation. You and I are responsible for building culture and subduing the earth. Let's take me for example, I am a teacher. As a teacher, I aide in the building of culture by teaching children and enabling them to have the tools with which they can affect creation. My wife, as a nurse, helps carry God's mandate by caring for the sick and pushing them toward recovery so that they can return to society and be a useful part of it. A construction worker builds so that I might have a shelter over my head or a place to shop for clothes or gas or food. A secretary keeps the office in order so that his or her boss will be able to more efficiently affect his or her part of society. You get the point.

This should greatly effect the way in which we look at work. What an awesome calling and a sobering responsibility we have. God has told us to subdue the earth. So, when we do it, we are obeying the call of the Almighty. We are cherishing his command and his creation.