A friend of mine lost his job yesterday.
Like most things, what happened was not rooted in a single action, but a development. Small circumstances that build into an ultimatum, where a man has to make a decision that will come with a consequence.
This letter is about what it means to separate ourselves from the world. I can say that after thirty-one years of work, I am aware that nothing comes easy, and everything we fight for, comes at a cost to others, or ourselves. There is no right or wrong, only our perception based on our knowledge of good and evil. There is no victory that is real, as every victory has built its foundation on creating loss. For mankind continues to rely on its own judgement, and this because we are bound by our preconceptions, and limited by our personal knowledge. Solution? Separate the worldliness from the holiness of God in our day.
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Matthew 6:24
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.
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In terms that we can relate to, it is better to devote our heart and mind into serving the will of God by being loving in our day. That may include being forgiving, showing mercy, being thankful, having compassion, or bearing holiness through our denial of our own will. And in the work world, the more responsibility and authority you have, the harder it becomes to do these things. We have a term: 'The corporate machine has no conscience'. That term identifies how difficult it is to honor God, when you are paid to protect and honor the workings of profit and development. As believers then, how much harder is it to put God first in a work day.
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1 Corinthians 15:58
58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
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Nothing in this world should be relied upon. That is a good summary that is reliable. Just think of Job, who had everything stripped from him. The reason was to see if he would still be thankful to God, to fear the Lord and love Him the same. Our existence is meaningless, and so any worldly value we create during it, distracts us from what is really important, putting the Father first. Yes, we are in a day and time when a man has to work in order to maintain himself. But beyond that, is it not worldly ambition that drives him to define his worth? Yes. When we try to define ourselves by our worldly acts, we are no longer putting God first.
Returning now to the consequences we create. While we strive for gain, whether it be wealth, or survival, whether it be identity or authority, whatever is our ambition, it is selfish. And we know from Christ Jesus, without setting ourselves aside, we cannot serve holiness. Yet man has a way of trying to find a balance between the two masters. We have a tendency to convince ourselves that what we are doing is good: good for ourselves, or for the greater good in general. But this is all a lie, for there are none that are good, not one. And with all lies comes consequence, either for ourselves, or for others, or for both.
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Matthew 5:43-48
43
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor i and hate your enemy.’
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But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
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that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
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If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
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And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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I shared this from Matthew 5 for a reason. The wisdom herein, explains what it means to put God first, even when it is not what the world describes. Firstly, none are perfect here, but those who deny themselves because they are confident that holiness/perfection can come through them. Perfection has perfect understanding, love does not choose sides, love is actually what brings peace. When we put God first in the present moment, what comes through us is born of selfless service. It is not recognized in the ways the world recognizes. The worldly preconceptions and perceptions we carry forward are the reason we have enemies, division, and create cost in all we do. But if we set that all aside to have what is righteous come through us, our conscience is clear, because we know what has been done is perfect.
My friend lost his job. He will find another. Tomorrow someone else will fill his position. He will also grow in knowledge, build consequences, and come to a circumstance where he will create cost; either for himself or others, or both. The ways of the world are set. What we have to do is choose to put God first, and then with a clear conscience, serve righteousness, no matter the consequences. Because in the end, our integrity should not be based on what we do in the world, but what we bring into the world that honors God.
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