If I were to interview some of those seven thousand men who did not bow their knees to Baal, and ask them to describe instances where they refused to bow, I would probably hear some wonderful stories of heroic faith in the face of oppression and persecution. They might tell of times when a way of escape was opened. They might tell of sufferings they endured. No doubt there would be testimonies of God’s faithfulness and examples of how specific scriptures fortified and bolstered their faith in times of desperate need. I bet there would also be confessions of temptation and wavering – when competing desires between survival and obedience, the acceptance of man and the honoring of God, were at war. There may have been, from the perspective of these men some very “close calls” where it seemed they had barely escaped, or almost succumbed.

Yet God testifies that each of them was being kept ultimately by God Himself. He kept them, and He kept them for Himself – according to His gracious choice.

Thank God that I am kept by God, for God, and through His gracious choice. As I strive against sin, as I strive to see more of the glory of Christ, as I avail myself of all the means of grace, I can rest assured that my progress and my success are assured not by my taking hold of means (as necessary as means are) but rather because I have been laid hold of by Christ. I can strive with all my might because God is the God of my strength. I can endure weakness because God often preserves my faith through weakness. In all respects I am kept by God, for God, and by His grace.

Amen!

O Poor Pharisee, stuck in your old ways of performing righteousness – making much of your displays of prayer and fasting. You think such efforts will make you acceptable to God. You have drunk your old religion of law for so long that Jesus’ words are impossible for you to understand. Your legalistic ways offer no categories for this new wine of gospel grace. You question why Jesus’ followers don’t act like other religious people? The Lord’s answer comes back in riddles, stories, and parables you cannot understand by your categories of duty and performance.

Understanding this new wine – the gospel of grace – requires a new heart, one that delights in mercy, not one that boasts in self-righteousness. The gospel of grace cannot be ascertained from a mindset of works. It is perplexing, unworkable and paradoxical to such an approach to religion. Even the fundamental practices of religion such as prayer are altogether different, and fasting is turned inside out and upside down. All things are made new. Prayer changes, they are not coins of merit tossed, as it were, onto scales of self-righteousness – rather they become responses of joy in the presence of the Bridegroom – or equally poignant cries of longing for His return. The paradox of the new gospel heart is that it is full only when it is emptied and it trusts solely in the faithfulness of God to fill it. Old wineskins try to preserve meager quantities of religious effort, which quickly run dry.

O my soul, do you not see the sin of the Pharisee in your own heart? Do you not see how often you make the fruit of God’s grace into your own meager attempts to gain God’s approval? Spit out that old wine! Throw away that useless garment! Yes pray, and fast – but not as a pitiful performance to be seen by man, or to make yourself feel like your duty has been done – but only to see and rejoice in more of the Bridegroom’s glory.

O God you have taught me that prayer and fasting are not self completing actions – they have another end beyond themselves, a goal they strain toward. They seek out the presence of Christ. Jesus, make me pray – make me fast such that I might have more of you. More joy in your Word, more anticipation of your return, more desire for heaven and the eternal rewards that will come from your own hand.

Sustain the means of grace in my soul, in Jesus’s name I pray, amen.

Index
1. Agrarian Language
2. The Nature of Business
3. Hiring Employees
4. Competition
5. Dealing with Conflict
6. Financial Stress
7. Marketing and Sales
8. Value of Words
9. Sharpening Your Focus
10. Persuasion
11. Managing Client Relationships
12. Making a Profit
13. Gaining a Good Reputation
14. Selling Your Labor
15. Enjoying the Benefits of Your Business
16. Spreading Out Invoices
17. Being Generous

I enjoy reading. I especially love books that unleash my imagination and inspire ideas. The puritan Richard Baxter once wrote: “It is not the reading of many books which is necessary to make one wise, but the well-reading of a few, could they be sure to have the best.” Books like Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith make my list of the few best business books that should be read often, and read well. But I reviewed that book in a previous newsletter. This month I’m reaching way back. While the books being reviewed in this newsletter are certainly available at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, you won’t find them in the business section. You’ll have to head over to the religion aisle for these – they are the book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.

The first chapter of Ecclesiastes states that “there is nothing new under the sun.” I read business and marketing books for new ideas and perspectives, but while new ways of looking at business realities can be helpful, the realities themselves are always the same. This fundamental truth is reinforced for me when I discover great business wisdom contained in these ancient books. The insights in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes top anything I’ve ever read off the business best seller lists.

A qualification in consideration of agrarian language
I hesitate to proceed directly to the insights I’ve gleaned from these two books of Solomon without first recognizing that their wisdom is written in the business language of their time, that is, the business of agriculture. For example, certain principles related to how one should treat employees or serve clients might use oxen or cattle in place of the helper or helped. Such equations can easily be misconstrued and sound offensive to our non-agrarian ears. I certainly don’t want my employees to imagine that I think of them as oxen!

But if we can get beyond the imagery we’ll find an awesome depth of insight in these old books. Below I’ve listed passages that have been particularly helpful. I’ve provided a bit of categorization, some modern business interpolation and my personal commentary about how they have helped me in business.

Understanding the nature of business

‘Bad, bad,’ says the buyer, but when he goes his way, then he boasts. Proverbs 20:14

Business is essentially transaction. It is the exchange of one kind of value for another. Businesses have products or services that customers want or need. Customers have value (money) that businesses want and need. The key to a good business transaction is that both parties benefit. The buyer gets something they could not get on their own, or at least something of greater value than if they produced it themselves, and the seller converts their expertise into profit. In this way skill, expertise, efficiency and hard work translate into mutual benefit for both buyer and seller. Such business transactions, in their pure form, are wonderfully designed for the benefit of society. (This philosophical estimation of the nature of the business transaction was clarified for me by Wayne Grudem in his book Business for the Glory of God.)

There is, however, a natural tension as the balance of benefit in such exchanges works itself out. This tension is most observable during the act of negotiation. At the conclusion of a successful negotiation both parties agree on the value of the transaction (defects not withstanding). Tensions in negotiation occur as each party naturally seeks to maximize their own benefit. Proverbs 20:14 describes this dynamic, “‘Bad, bad,’ says the buyer, but when he goes his way, then he boasts.” This proverb highlights that in negotiations, distortions and misrepresentations of value often take place. I don’t believe this verse gives buyers or sellers license to make misrepresentations! Rather, it simply observes that negotiation is commonly attended by some degree of distortion. Nevertheless, negotiation is fundamentally a good thing that benefits both parties. This bit of wisdom helps me to be patient as I allow negotiations to complete themselves. It also helps me to avoid the mistake of undervaluing my own time and services in the face of the distortions that sometimes occurs during negotiation.

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean; but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4

I started Newfangled out of my basement. I was the business guy, the designer, the HTML coder, the bookkeeper and the janitor. As the company grew I had to employ others. This was a hard transition and very frustrating at times. I liked being a “doer” and I did not like dealing with employee problems. But in the end, while it may be messier, and more complicated to employ others, it is necessary for profitability. At a certain point I had to make a strategic decision about my goals. Being a one man shop was very clean, but hard to make a profit. Hiring others is less clean, but ultimately established a greater potential for profitability.

I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. Ecclesiastes 4:4

Competition can be a very healthy thing. Seeing someone doing something better than me does not have to make me envious, but it should provoke me to improve. Sharpening skills and improving products is a good thing. Who wouldn’t want a car with better gas mileage, or a computer with a faster processor and larger hard drive? Competition forces improvements that benefit everybody. Understanding that the “jealousy” I feel when I see someone do something better does not have to be “bad jealousy,” instead it frees me to admire a competitor’s business success and be spurred on to improve my own. I’ve been encouraged not to fear competition but value its influence on my business.

Dealing with stress and difficulty

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

If you are going to be in business, you will have difficulty! A common source of business conflict comes when one party feels that they have not received the value for which they negotiated. This is especially common (as Harry Beckwith points out in Selling the Invisible) in service industries. How can one definitely measure the value of a service? Evaluating products can be easier. If it won’t turn on it fails to meet the conditions of the exchange. But how does one determine whether a brochure has been designed well? If the logo is printed upside down it is clearly flawed. But usually, if there is dissatisfaction with design, the reasons are more subjective. The same design can be loved by one client and hated by another. Sometimes, when design is submitted to a group for evaluation, some people love it while others might not “think it’s not there yet.” Has the exchange been met? The designer has delivered their time on the project (which is ultimately what they are selling), but the client is not satisfied. Such conflicts, though hopefully rare, are inevitable and we need to be prepared for them.

Design, as a subjective service, is particularly prone to such disagreements. Because a designer is selling their time as a skilled artisan they may feel like they’ve met their obligation, but the buyer is looking for a finished product to their liking. When the buyer is not satisfied, there is an imbalance in the exchange. Anyone who has sold design services knows that such instances are inevitable. While solutions are not always easy, they do always involve further communication and negotiation. If you realize that engaging in business, especially the design business, will have such tensions and conflicts, you can be prepared for them. The best solutions are not found in the fine print regarding kill-fees and rounds of design (though wise to include in your contracts), rather they are found by having a calm spirit when working through problems when they do occur. The best defense I’ve found against escalation in such conflicts is to always avoid harsh words that stir up anger, and instead seek gentle answers that can assuage the conflict while searching for an agreeable solution for both parties. Not only will gentle answers work better when dealing with conflict, but when successful they will add to your credibility, integrity, trust and reputation with the client. A history of such practice will positively effect your reputation within the business community. For the designer, or any seller of services, a good reputation can be worth much more than gold.

A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on. Proverbs 16:26

Financial stress is another common difficulty in business. I’ve yet to meet a business man or woman who has not endured at least one significant season of financial stress. I know I’ve had my fair share. Proverbs 16:26 provides a helpful piece of wisdom for such times… work hard to get out of it! But realize the times of financial stress can be the perfect time to evaluate and improve all aspects of your business. Hunger urges us on. If I am hungry I desperately want to fix whatever problems are contributing to my hunger. In this way, while never pleasant, financial stress can have a powerful cleansing, priority-setting, and focus-refining effect on your business. Hunger can become something of an ally, if you let it work on you. So, (I say to myself) if you’re having financial trouble, stop complaining and get to work!

Marketing and business development

He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Ecclesiastes 11:4

Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good. Ecclesiastes 11:6

At a certain point marketing is no fun. I really enjoy certain aspects of marketing. I like strategizing, conceptualizing, planning, creating, refining, etc. But at some point I have to get out there and start sowing. For me this means getting on the phone and making contact with small to mid-sized advertising agencies and design firms to introduce our services. I enjoy this for about 30 minutes and then my brain starts to retreat. After one full day of “sowing” I can’t even tell if I’m speaking correctly; I’m on auto pilot. I know I can’t make marketing calls all day every day, so I do it in seasons. Usually for a couple weeks, two or three times a year. But when those times draw near I am incredibly good at finding ANY reason not to do it. It’s amazing how the wind kicks up and the clouds move in. Any excuse not to make calls right now seems compelling. At such times one negative response following ten positive ones can make me want to stop. It’s hard. To help me in these times when I’m inclined to stop (or not even start!) I’ve written these two verses from Ecclesiastes on a piece of paper near my phone, and I read them when I get tired or faint-hearted about making more calls. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty of marketing it’s plain hard work, and I simply need perseverance.

If I stick to it and I do not get distracted in the morning or discouraged in the afternoon, sooner or later my efforts pay off. Making just one more call in the afternoon on a day that hasn’t been very fruitful might lead to a receptive design firm with a current project to bid on. Don’t let the clouds deter you. Keep plugging away. Who knows what you may find

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Proverbs 18:20

When it comes to service marketing sales are always preceded by establishing trust. The buyer has to assure themselves that they will get the value they expect; that you will deliver the goods. There is only so much you can “show” to establish a level of trust needed to incubate a sale.

Trust is, in large measure, a relational commodity. The subjective and intuitive elements of establishing trust can’t be quantified by showing the client more and more pictures of past work. The buyer does need to see the product, but more importantly they need to trust the person or business behind the service to ensure they will get what they are being shown. Establishing trust is a personal dynamic. The raw material of this dynamic is words. These words include written words, referrals, recommendations, and the words that come out of your mouth when you are on the phone or giving a capabilities presentation. When it comes to marketing the quality and character of your words can’t be underestimated. The best six-color fold out brochure will be tossed aside if it’s not followed-up with a positive interaction with a personal representative from your company. Marketing has a lot to do with your words, so pay close attention to them!

If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. Ecclesiastes 10:10

The best books on marketing will tell you the same thing – specialize in some way and focus your message. That’s what positioning is all about right? In ten years of marketing Newfangled I can quantitatively measure the difference in my efforts from the first half to the second. In the first half I tried to market “website design and development services.” Our services were limited to websites, but that was not nearly focused enough. By sharpening my axe and honing our marketing position to “fortifying advertising agencies and design firms to confidently, comfortably, and profitably provide web development services to their clients” I was able to begin effectively marketing our services. Sharpening my axe was essential. With a sharper axe I successfully marketed with significantly less effort. Having found a relatively sharp position I still continue to refine my focus. Based on my experience up to this point, it’s my opinion that there is no such a thing as an axe that is too sharp. There is always room to further refine a marketing position.

The wise in heart will be called understanding, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Proverbs 16:21

Marketing is about finding opportunities, selling is turning opportunities into sales. One of the most helpful distinctions I learned in running my small company was the distinction between marketing and sales. I used to group them into the same category. But marketing and sales are very different. I keep the difference straight by thinking of marketing as the stuff I do to make my phone ring with an opportunity and sales as the thing that happens once my phone has rung. As stated before, marketing is about sharpening your axe (refining your position) and persistently sowing your message (finding opportunities). Sales is about establishing trust and persuading a prospective client that your services are best suited for their needs.

Therefore the art of sales is the art of persuasion, and persuasion is the ability to provide good, understandable, and reasonable answers to the questions a prospect has about your service. There is a strong tendency in marketing and sales to play off the consumer’s fears. The idea is to make them afraid of what might happen if they don’t buy your product or service. This can be as subtle as identifying deficiencies in the competition or as overt as blasting spam email to scare people into buying software to protect their computer from the threat of viruses. We think the stronger the words, the more powerful the persuasion. This is why there is so much hyperbole in advertising. But I take my sales and marketing cues from Proverbs 16:21. I believe sweetness of speech is more persuasive then bold overstatement.

Now by sweet speech I don’t mean fluffy words you’d use to describe puppy dogs and decorative pillows, but rather words that are sweet like good fruit. Sweet words are words that go down easy because they are true and honest. They are words that directly answer questions and provide additional information so a person can make a qualified decision. They are words that don’t go beyond what is actual and real, and that answer honestly even when the answer reveals a limitation about the product or service. Such words are rare, but when we hear them they taste sweet. I know when I have to buy a product or service, I’m much more likely to buy from a sales representative who I believe has honestly answered all my questions – even if all the answers weren’t exactly what I wanted – than from a salesman who I think is just telling me what I want to hear.

Sweet, persuasive, honest speech has wonderful long term benefits. For example, being honest with yourself and your prospect as to whether or not your services really are best suited for their need will force you to improve your marketing and sales! When they are not best suited you may either need to refine the focus of your marketing to get better, more qualified opportunities, or you may need to improve your services to meet your client’s needs. Either way an honest evaluation of how your services will meet your client’s need will force you to evaluate and improve. Additionally, keeping focused on what you do best will make you sharper and more skilled in your area of expertise. The sharper you get the better and more persuasive you will become. It’s an upward spiral.

Honesty in working through the sales process also helps avoid conflicts that result when, for the sake of closing a sale, you invite inappropriate work by over selling your services and capabilities.

Managing your client base

Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field, and there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens. Proverbs 27:23-27

Since refining Newfangled’s focus five years ago we’ve been blessed with almost 100% client retention. Up until very recently the only clients that left us were ones that, sadly, went out of business. Unfortunately though, we have recently lost two others. This has reminded me of Proverbs 27:23-27 which is about paying attention to the condition of my flocks (a.k.a. my clients). In both recent cases where we lost a customer it was because our original client contact had left and someone new came in and wanted to handle their website differently. This proverb suggests two actions to prepare for such occurrences. One is to pay close attention to the condition of your client relationships (so you won’t be caught off guard) and the other is to expect some degree of turnover and be prepared for it.

While both losses came from a change in client personnel I might have been able to avert one of them. If I had known about the change over I might have been able to re-demonstrate the benefits of our content management system. It’s quite possible that how our content management system works was never passed on to the incoming person. Their decision may have been made without knowing what they already had in terms of control over their website. Because I was unaware of this change – because I did not know the condition of my flocks – I never got this opportunity.

The other case however, demonstrates that some clients will leave, and even if you see it coming you won’t be able to do anything about it. The second client we lost was because an IT department head decided that he wanted to redo the website himself. In this case it was a technical decision that the marketing person had no control over and so there was really nothing we could have done to prevent it. As it says in this proverb, “riches are not forever… when the grass disappears, the new growth is seen.” Change is inevitable and clients – no matter how good your service or product may be – will sometimes come and go. This means that I have to always be marketing. When the grass on the hills my company grazes becomes sparse I need to be looking out for new growth opportunities. And since I have four little maidens and one young squire at home that need sustenance, I should always pay attention to my clients and look for the new growth.

The goal of making money

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1

It is often said that the only reason for being in business is to make money. Making money is a primary and necessary component of being in business. Evaluating your balance sheet often is helpful not only to make sure you’re making money, but also to detect potential problems in the business itself. However, I would suggest that making money, while important, is not the only reason for being in business. Hypothetically, suppose you wanted to sell your business. One aspect in determining its value is called “good will.” Good will represents the value your business has in terms of its reputation, renown, and existing satisfied client base. The better the estimation of the good will your company has, the more it would be worth. Now it’s true that you can’t exactly take your good will to the bank and cash it, but I would suggest that if you’re in business for the long haul your good will is ultimately more important than the bottom line of your balance sheet in a given month. A good name for your business and the favor of your clients is both a long term asset, and a thing to be desired in-and-of itself. If you don’t get a warm satisfaction in doing a good job for your clients, and making them glad that they did business with you, you probably shouldn’t be in the business you’re in.

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

There is always a temptation to “get rich quick.” The impulse is universal, which is probably why there are currently dozens of get rich quick offers jammed into your email’s spam folder. The dot com bubble burst of 2000 was due to extremely over inflated technology stocks. They were inflated because prior to the burst any company with a dot com in their name was receiving venture capital and was being quickly pushed to an initial public offering. Before 2000 I was constantly asked whether Newfangled was looking for investors or capitalization. At that point I never understood what my company could possibly produce that would be so valuable that it could pay off such investors. I remember reading Internet Week and Fast Company and wondering how in the world small companies just like mine were getting so much money. Well, as it turns out, most if not all of those companies are long gone, and happily we’re still plugging away. One of the things that typified those internet start-ups was the abundance of buzz words. Bo Peabody of Village Ventures recounts in his recent book Lucky or Smart that his original business plan for Tripod was liked because “it mentioned the Internet several hundred times.” Business plans were filled with acronyms and technology language. Investors were blinded with buzz and stocks soared like rockets, and crashed just as quickly (though Bo was smart enough about his luck that he cashed out before it all came crashing down). There is a time and a place for investment, even risky high gain venture capital, but it’s not for the small service business. But guess what, while the tech stocks climb and crash good ole’ fashioned hard work is always profitable. I’ll leave the rocketeering to others, give me an honest dollar for a good days work – it’s much more dependable.

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18

Satisfaction in one’s work is among the greatest attainments in life. It’s too bad that so many of us waste years seeking more money, more success, and more awards rather than enjoying the work and the rewards we’ve already received from our labor. I often have to make a concerted effort to pause and enjoy all the benefits I’ve gained from my toiling in business. Gladness is not automatic; I have to be empowered with the capacity to enjoy my work. This empowering comes through the means of intentionally enjoying the fruit of my labor. How fitting to celebrate a new piece of business by taking my wife out to dinner!

Dealing with money

Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. Ecclesiastes 11:2

Here’s a practical piece of advice! Read a good book on managing finances and you’ll find this nugget restated in words about managing cash flows and keeping a reserve of savings. One way to apply this to a design business it to try to avoid the 50% down, 50% on completion rule. While this is a standard practice it would better to divide up projects into thirds, fourths, or even more portions. Getting 50% upfront is nice, but waiting six months or longer for the other 50% can be excruciating. Spreading out progress invoices can cushion your cash flow and also keep you from depending on just a few big clients or projects, which is in itself a risky thing to do.

The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25

I’ve been emboldened by this verse to be very free with my knowledge and expertise. I admit that there is a fine line between being generous and being foolish, and I don’t doubt that I’ve crossed that line more than once. But when it comes down to it, when I’m debating in my mind whether to share information or hold it close, I usually share it. Our March 2004 newsletter recounts the business decision I made to give away free user licenses to our content management system to every one of our clients. Additionally, we decided that we would write newsletters like this one detailing our ideas and strategies concerning everything from our process of grayscreen prototyping to our content and search engine optimization strategy. We also give away our book Client vs. Developer Wars via PDF. Why give away so much research and development and hard earned industry knowledge? Well if all the ancient wisdom from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes has benefited me in my business I figure that Proverbs 11:25, “The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered,” is dependable too.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Ecclesiastes 12:12

And so with that I will end this exceptionally long newsletter. If you’ve made it this far, I thank you for your endurance. There is just so much wisdom in these two books that I just couldn’t stop writing. In fact I could write more but I must confess that I am weary and as it is I am just barely getting this out on deadline. Besides, how much better if you dive into these ancient treasures yourself. I can recommend a few other good business books, but none as rich as Proverb and Ecclesiastes.

Paul endured all things, and he was enduring suffering in prison as he wrote 2 Timothy. Paul deliberately chose paths of difficulty and hardship; he was well-content with suffering because by them the chosen could obtain salvation. Certainly, Paul understood the nature of God’s sovereignty, his unconditional election, and the unchangeable state of God-wrought regeneration in the hearts of His chosen ones. So why wouldn’t Paul say something more like “I relax and rest knowing that the chosen will inevitably end up in eternal glory with Christ?” How is it that the chosen may obtain salvation in such a way that Paul’s enduring hardship had something to do with it? How is it, that Paul’s ability, willingness, and endurance were encouraged, helped and motivated by his view that its effects would result in the salvation of the chosen?

Clearly, Paul’s understanding of election is quite different from my notions of it, and the implications I bring to it with my 21st century mind. That God’s pre-determination of all things does not remove true requirements and conditions put upon those who are pre-determined is thoroughly biblical. Perhaps Paul’s previous short illustration of athletes that only win if they compete according to the rules, a few verses before this one, explains something of this spiritual dynamic. Runners must run to win. Not only that, but they must train, practice, push themselves, and suffer pain to win a race. If a runner knew with certainty, by direct revelation from God, that he would be the winner of the race, he could not, based on that knowledge, stop training or allow himself to get out of shape before the race. He would still have to run, train, work out, and compete according to the rules.

God has set rules that govern our salvation and our entrance into it (such as “through much tribulation,” in Acts 14:22). Paul knew that his suffering was part of the race set before him. His suffering was designed into the rules of the game such that by them he would “fill up what was lacking with regard to Christ’s afflictions,” Col 1:24.

Therefore even though Paul knew better than anyone that God would invariably glorify every single one that he had chosen, with out a single exception, and that He would do it by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone; he also knew that the way this would be played out would be, in part, through Paul’s own endurance of suffering. Paul was not passive, but entirely active, earnest, and resolute in all his spiritual activity; in order that all God that had pre-determined, would take place. Not just that the ultimate outcome would take place – but that the outcome would take place and that it would take place according to the “rules,” or according to the means that God had ordained and determined. These means (of grace) are by no means static, automatic or mechanical. They include and depend upon real action, effort and use of them on my part. Paul knew very well that, all that he was, and all that he did, was by grace and through grace, to the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:13).

I have been pondering this subject – the non-mechanical use of the means of grace – for some time now. I have become convinced that in my life, the degree to which I understand this doctrine, and practice my religion accordingly, I live by a vigorous and engaged involvement with God. Conversely, the more I fall back into a sense of automation or passivity – or in other words, the more that I view my spiritual/eternal condition as detached from how I live today, the more I become discouraged, despondent and fatigued.

Despondency, or self-pity, is a mortal enemy of mine. I hate it, but my flesh likes the taste of its bitter fruit. When I suffer, for example with chronic back pain, I can choose to either live according to the flesh and eat self-pity to my destruction (forgive me Lord for how often I eat it), or I can remind myself that as I endure all things (including an aching back), that I do so somehow not just for my sake but also for the sake of the chosen. Somehow in God’s rules, he can take my endurance of pain and put it to work so that not only will I enter salvation through perseverance, but that his people also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it, eternal glory. My suffering – and more importantly my enduring with faith really matters! It is part of God’s pre-determined rules for my race and that somehow by running it with endurance I will receive a reward, and the saints may also enter eternal glory. Such a view of the non-mechanical means of grace – governed completely and sovereignty by God – yet that genuinely require my choices and actions – invigorates, motivates and enables my endurance. They really matter. They really are effective. They go to work in me and have an effect on others – according to God’s rules and God’s grace. This kind of living puts a knife in the heart of self-pity. Living this way can turn weakness into communion with God, instead of a pity-party.

O Lord, please have mercy on me and forgive my sin. Too often I forget that your grace is sufficient for me. O, that my flesh actually likes the tastes of self pity’s bitter fruit is a horrible reality. Strengthen my hands for battle against this enemy and cause me use all the means you’ve ordained – especially that I would delight myself with the sweet fruit of communion with you. Remind me Lord, every day, that my afflictions are ordained – they are rules set by you for me to endure and that how endure them matters. Thank you that you require me to engage my will to run, and more importantly that you give me the strength, by your grace, to run. Praise you Lord Jesus. Amen.

Psalms 112:1

When I think of the blessedness of fearing the Lord I think of Jesus’ words in Mark 9 after he warns that it is better to remove a hand or an eye, if it causes us to stumble, than to enter hell with two hands, or two eyes. He concludes His warning with an analogy of salty fire. Ultimately, for those who do not flee from sin, they will encounter the unquenchable fires of hell. Such thoughts are, and should be, maximally disturbing to us. They should produce a deep dread and fear of hell – and of Him who puts people there. Ultimately, the fires of hell are an awful, dreadful, horrifying thing to contemplate. However, they can also bring a blessing. Jesus equates the fires of hell with salt. He says everyone, in a sense, will be “salted with the fires of hell.” For those who end up in hell, such salting will be an unimaginably and excruciatingly eternal reality. But for those who are turned away from sin by such thoughts, the salt is good, and it is good that we should have such salt in us. He warns that if this salt becomes un-salty that it would be no use to us. This salt, the salty fires of hell, are good for us – they can actually produce a blessing that makes us happy; abundantly happy, as this verse concludes.

I think the connection between how fearing God to the end that we are happy in Him and delight greatly in Him is seen in how Jesus is speaks of the salty fires of hell as a means of preserving us, and thus keeping us out of hell. In other words, as I have a genuine – salty – and lively sense of the horror of hell in me (by contemplating it) I will be highly motivated not to go there. I will thereby avoid, by any means, the stumbling sins that would lead me there. Jesus knows that we do not like to think about terrible things like the fires of hell, yet He knows that having such salty fear within us is good. Therefore, He gives grotesque illustrations of chopping off limbs, unquenchable fire, and worms that never die. Such realities ought to disturb us, create dread and fear in us, and motivate us to flee from sin into the arms of our savior.

When this salt does its intended job and we flee to God, we find Him to be a powerful, unstoppable savior that keeps us from hell and brings us into His eternal kingdom. To the degree that our fear is active, lively, real, and salty, our feelings of delight in God will be all the more active, real, and lively.

“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands.” Happy is he who has a salty fear of God, he will “greatly delight.” He will be exceedingly pleased, extremely delighted, take rich pleasure in, highly favor, and be sorely pleased in God. Could one reason why we fail to experience the depth of joy and delight in God come from the lack of effective salt in our lives? Have we passed too quickly over those inspired scriptures that warn and threaten of hell? Do we desalinate the salt God ordained to preserve us by improperly understanding such blessed doctrines as eternal security and truths such as “once saved always saved?” Do we too quickly say to ourselves that such scriptures as Mark 9:42-50, Romans 11:17-22, Galatians 6:7-8, 2nd Thessalonians 1:5-10, and Hebrews 2:1-3, 10:26-31 do not apply to us because we’re saved? Or does God want to keep and preserve His eternally saved saints, of whom He will not lose a single one, through, and by the means of such salty and fearful warnings?

John Owen in “The Mortification of Sin” gives directions for how to practically kill sin in our lives. One of his encouragements is this…

“Keep alive upon thy heart these or the like considerations of its [sin’s] guilt, danger, and evil; be much in the meditation of these things; cause they heart to dwell and abide upon them; these considerations; let them not go off or wander until they begin to have a powerful influence upon thy soul – until they make it to tremble. ”

Such a genuine fear of God, such effective use of good salt for our soul, will cause trembling. But it will be happy, delightful, trembling. Trembling that produces humility before the Lord. Trembling that the Lord looks upon with infinite grace, mercy, and love. When we are thus humbled, God draws near to us, and we can draw near to Him. So in the end our souls forget their dread as they are swallowed up in a happy view of Christ.

O Lord keep and preserve me, save me from sin. Keep my soul alive and desperate for you. Don’t let me ignore the reality of hell – in as much as my thoughts of it send me running to you. Lord let me have salt in myself that I will all the more delight and take great pleasure in “all that you are for me in Jesus.” In His name I ask. Amen.

Psalms 111:2

God’s works reveal God to us. As we seek out, inquire of, investigate, and carefully study God’s works we will come to rejoice in the glory of God. Such study can never be merely academic. Rather, it is like the investigation of an archeologist who is compelled and captivated by solving an ancient mystery. It is like Indiana Jones risking all to lay hold of a golden treasure. Careful inquiry into the works of God is a doorway to beholding the awesome glory and beautiful wonders of God Himself. God’s works exist for this very reason, to make known His power, His righteousness, His grace, His compassion, His holiness, His justice and His truth. As we examine His works we come to discover Him, and O what an overwhelming delight, to discover the living God!

The range of God’s works is astounding. Everything that exists is a result of God working. He displays Himself both in small works, like providing food for those who needed to it, to great works like establishing and removing nations, and redeeming mankind on the cross. If my eyes are open, I can observe God’s works all around me every day, for the heavens continually declare His works (Psalm 19:1). Therefore I can study God’s wonders by observing both ordinary things, and by contemplating great things. Ordinary things, like how my wife’s chickens move me to feed them by their persistent pecking at the basement window. When I consider such a small thing, viewing it as a work of God, God reveals to me how much more He is inclined to feed me, especially as I peck at His window persistently declaring my hunger for Him. And great things – like how the glorious day of Lord will be a day of unprecedented violence, as the armies of the Lord overrun the wicked thus displaying His soul-shattering, heart-stopping works of justice.

Splendid and majestic are His works; Holy and awesome is His name.

Father, open my eyes to your works. Cause me to delight in studying them because as I examine them carefully, I see you more clearly. Let my mind inform my heart of all your wonders and let my heart rejoice and praise your name forever. Amen.

John own writes this sentence in the context of waiting on God to restore peace to us, after we’ve repented of a particular sin. His advice is that we do not jump too quickly from confession to restoration. Yes it is blessedly true that we have been fully forgiven even from the time of Christ’s death on the cross. Yet God is the one with whom we are seeking peace, when we turn from our hostile activity of sinning, and so is God who must bestow it. Forgiveness and restoration are ours by possession; they have, in fact, been given to us in their entirety through Christ’s death, once for all. Yet its application, such that we are fully healed and relationally restored to God happens incrementally. God is faithful and dependable. We need not fear his rejection, but we must wait for Him to touch us, and move by his Holy Spirit, thus bring us deep and experiential peace. We must use all the means God has ordained – repentance, confession, restitution, and repudiation, among others, yet God is the one who will decide when it is best for us to obtain what we seek by them, in this case, peace with God.

I think this principle is the same with regard to all of the means of grace God has ordained. Whether it be prayer, the Word, spiritual gifts, or simply general health. We must use the proper means of attaining these things, but the results are never mechanical or automatic, yet it is assured. God will bestow the blessings of grace upon us at the time, and in the manner that He, by his perfect wisdom, knows will be best for us. Normally, God is quick, sometimes instantaneous in bestowing blessings when we use means of obtaining blessing. He is so consistent and dependable in this, that it is no wonder that we sometimes begin to think of means, and bestowing, as automatically connected. Yet the bestowing of Grace always remains God’s prerogative, and sometimes, if only to remind us of this, he will withhold, or delay his blessing, even as we avail ourselves of proper means. He does this lovingly, carefully, and wisely, as a gentle shepherd and doctor to our souls. He does this for our good, our benefit, and our greater blessing. He does this for his own glory, and for his glory to be known by us most fully, which is, of course, our greatest good.

Consequently, I must be active in using and availing myself of every established and ordained means of grace by which I may lay hold of that which I need (and I need God). I must rise early. I must open my eyes to the Word. I must ask God for help. I must pray and praise and worship. I must seek diligently, desperately and vigorously. I must confess my sin in my weakness. I must look to Jesus. Because of God’s promises he will bless these means, but it is his prerogative as to how and when. It is for me to use the means; it is for God to bless them.

Thank you, Lord, for your complete and total faithfulness. Thank you for giving me life and breath and strength that I might use the means you’ve ordained. Please help me to continue to use them. Grant me steadfastness and perseverance and endurance in using all available means. Make me patient and humble, and happy to trust you for the blessing I desire and the grace I need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.