In Ecclesiastes, Solomon bemoans the futility of man’s attempts to “make progress”” during his days under the sun. Whatever “progress” I may attain in my life, for my generation, will eventually be undone. A new discovery or significant contribution will be forgotten over time or replaced by a newer one. That’s not to say that God does not intend for mankind to make progress. Quite the opposite, He has commanded us to progress–to subdue the earth and multiply in it.

Therefore the pursuit of progress is wired into the species. But God has ordained, by virtue of short life, physical boundaries, limited opportunities, and general decay, that my contribution to His overall plan be almost completely obscured.

God governs progress in the world. Individuals cannot see God’s work under the sun. I find comfort in the hidden joys God works into my futile days. He encourages me to seek joy, goodness and contentment in all His benevolent gifts. Enjoying simple pleasures keeps me from striving and being vexed in futile pursuits of progress and striving for meaning. This truth has a counterintuitive effect on my soul because rather than inclining me toward hopelessness in my pursuits, instead it preserves a good and healthy work ethic. I can focus on simply doing good work without trying to figure out how the unique edges that give shape to the tiny puzzle piece of my life fit in with the whole. God knows what He is doing under the sun, but I do not, and will not see it while I toil here.

But Ecclesiastes is limited in scope to my days and my toil under the sun. It starts with the cradle and ends with the grave. There is just enough mention of eternity to keep me sober and conscious that God will bring His righteous judgment to bear on all that I do.

Ecclesiastes is indeed an excellent tonic against my worldly ambitions, arrogance, and presumptuous independence. But the perspective of Ecclesiastes is incomplete with regard to God’s ultimate purposes. There may be nothing new under the sun, but God has brought about something new under heaven. The new covenant in Christ’s blood makes all things new. The mystery of Christ crucified was and is hidden from eyes that merely consider earthly things. The redeemed life has a new shape–it’s no longer a short segment defined by beginning and end points. The redeemed soul has a starting point in the first birth, but due to rebirth in Christ, it has no end point at the grave. No, the shape of new life is a ray, a line with a starting point, inclined upward toward Christ with no end point. It continues toward eternity.

So what of the pursuit of progress, ambition, and striving in the new life? To strive, press, strain and push for progress and attainment under the sun leads primarily to futility and vexation. To strive, press, strain and push forward for progress in faith for growth in heavenly riches, for deeper communion with God is not futile at all–rather I am exhorted to it and enticed by the promise of eternal rewards. Here is where God intends for the ambitious impulse within me to find free expression. Run as to win, fight not without aim, strive Christward and progress in faith! To press hard on the earth from cradle to grave is mostly futile and often vexing. To press hard on the upward trajectory along the unending ray which moves forward toward eternity with no endpoint is right and good and glorifying to God.

Run my soul–but not as though the world depended on it. Run because the soul it intended to run to Christ for the progress of faith, the joy of the soul, and the glory of God. Amen.

“For we are the temple of the living God…”
2 Corinthians 6:16

Such incredible care was taken in the preparation, ordination and consecration of Aaron, his sons, and the altar for their use in the sacrificial ministry. These processes included washing procedures, proper clothes, the acceptable characteristics of the animals used, and how each of the animal’s inner parts were to be offered. These procedures and processes had to be followed perfectly when ministering in the tent of meeting. Once consecrated, the altar was most holy. Anything used in connection with the altar, whatever touched the altar, was holy and consecrated for use only on the altar. Consecrated holy things must not be used in common ways. They must be handled with reverence and care. The knife used to cut apart the ram must not be used to prepare a meal. The knife of the altar may only be used at the altar. Treating holy things as common or despising the procedures given for the altar were met with swift judgment without mercy–as Aaron’s sons discovered.

That was then. But what now–what of myself under the new and better covenant which has now been established through the superior sacrifice of Christ Himself, made once for all by His own blood? By Christ’s blood I have been made holy. Just as the implements of the altar were, I have been set apart for Christ alone–no longer given for common use. So by what process, by which procedures am I to keep myself for use only at the altar of Christ, and not defile myself by common use?

For Aaron it was clear what he was to do, and not to do. Implements used in the sacrifices were left with the altar. He did not tuck the sacrificial knife into his belt and pull it out later to cut into a roast. I, however, have no physical altar to respect. Rather, by the Holy Spirit my whole heart, even my entire body has been made the altar, and the offering includes every facet of my life–not just my religious activities. Yet maintaining holiness, separateness, and devotion to the Lord is no less necessary now than it was then. Respecting the holiness of God and upholding the sanctification of His possessions (in this case myself) is no less sobering then it was for Aaron. However, a new way of being holy, being separate, and being devoted is required.

For example, if I attempt to be holy by trying to define which things may be handled and which things may not, or which things may be eaten and which things may not, or which activities may be participated in and which may not I will surely miss the way of holiness in Christ. No doubt pursuing holiness does often include such decisions and restrictions but it does not consist in them. A massive change takes place in the new covenant. The Holy Spirit changed me from sinner to set apart one (saint). But this does not mean that I have suddenly become segregated from a list of common things. Rather, by this inward change, all outward things changed too. Not only have I been made new, but all things, to me, have been made new as well. What I once may have considered common–eating and drinking, working, hanging out with friends, reading, entertainment–all these things have been made new to me in Christ. In all things I am engaged in spiritual, holy work as unto the Lord. When I am with friends, I am an emissary, an ambassador of Christ. When I eat, I am delighting in God’s good care. When I sleep, I rest in Christ. There is nothing common for the Christian. All is made holy and I am called to glorify Christ in all. I must rid myself of illusionary distinctions and false dichotomies. There is no activity under the sun that has not been appointed for me as a holy activity, a ministry at the altar, an offering made out from the overflowing grace of God.

Lord, forgive me when I consider my days mundane. There is no day, no activity, no toil, and no task exempt from the spiritual service of worship you’ve called me to in Christ. All are ordained by your hand and I am bound to honor you in and delight myself in all things for your sake. Help me to be holy, to treat all things with reverence and awe because all things are made by your hand and exist for your great glory. Amen.

I’m an American – home of the free, land of liberty, fight for your rights – American. And I was born a New England Yankee – live free or die, don’t tread on me, toss the tea overboard – Yankee. I grew up in Connecticut and settled in Rhode Island where Roger Williams established the state on the foundation of religious freedom. Today, on top of the Rhode Island state house stands the “independent man.” He grips his spear shining in golden splendor, as he exalts the virtues of freedom and independence. He reminds all Rhode Islanders that our forebears fought and died for freedom. We Americans love our independence. Every 4th of July we celebrate how we won it through revolution. Throughout our history America has stood tall and fought for the superior virtue of freedom and independence at home and throughout the world – and we continue to fight for it to this day.

I love independence because I am an American. The word itself sounds good to my ears. It evokes the marching melodies of whistle, fife and drum. This paper, however, is a document of personal repentance regarding independence and its close cousin, self-reliance. While raw pride is a condition common to all men, in my life the roots of pride grew into the tree-trunk of arrogance, and its braches bear the fruit of independent self-reliance. More precisely, this fruit is most often in the form of ambitious invention and vain innovation.

Repenting of ambitious invention and vain innovation is tricky, which is one reason I am writing this out. It’s tricky because while sinful pride is easy to find, and arrogance is equally easily discovered, improper independence, ambitious invention and vain innovation are more easily camouflaged. It’s also tricky because while pride and arrogance must always to be fought and killed, there are proper, righteous and God-honoring ways to be independent, inventive and innovative.

I am American and because I am by nature, culture and personal appetite more arrogant and self-reliant than most, my ability to divide between self-ambition and godly aspiration is compromised. My sensibilities and inclinations are permissive toward pride and I tend to regard my love of independence in the most favorable light. Therefore I have set out to trace some of these edges in writing, and I publish them both to repentant publicly and so that my brothers and sisters in Christ may help me wage war against pride. While the fruit of pride may often be camouflaged to me, others may see it more clearly.

If independence, invention and innovation are unlike raw pride and arrogance in that they are not inherently sinful, it is helpful to differentiate exactly how they can be properly pursued. As for independence, I think it is normal and right for governments to defend and protect their territorial sovereignty and self-determination. I believe that our American form of government is a very good form of government, and many of its foundations rest on God designed principals for the establishment of justice, law, peace, security, and the common good. However, the values of freedom, liberty, and independence that may underlay government are not fitting for the individual pursuit of Christian faith. The same principals that can make for a God-honoring form of government can also become destructive if imbibed as personal virtues.

The New Testament uses the most non-independent language when it describes my relationship to the Lord. The softest of such language describes me as a servant of Christ. Being called a servant doesn’t jibe real well with my Yankee ideals. If I have trouble being called a servant, I have even more trouble being called a bondservant, that is, a slave. Nor do I like the label “prisoner of the Lord.” Yet that is what the Bible says that I am. Christ is Master and I am His slave – a blessed slave, to righteousness, having been freed from the dominion of sin – yet a true slave. I must live a life of obedience to my master’s pleasure. If I disobey I will receive His stern, yet always loving, hand of discipline to correct me. I have been bought with a price; I am not my own. This is not the kind of autonomy and independence that my American sensibilities are comfortable with.

When I was called to Christ I came to Him packaged and molded by my culture. It is not easy to divide between my inherited cultural values and the new ones which are being cultivated in me by Christ. For example, my culture has taught me to value freedom and independence through years of public school, and Saturday morning School House Rock cartoons. These fun cartoons depict the shooting of British soldiers set to catchy jingles. My revolutionary spirit is bolstered when I see evil King George, who had the gaul to tax our cup of tea. My inclination to resist dominion is reinforced when I see him – in cartoon form – laughing at us colonists from his throne in England. It makes me want to grab my musket, grab my gun, and report to General Washington. Through such influences I have been trained to abhor the mention of the words “subjugation,” “submission”, or “slavery,” – they are noxious to my freedom loving sensibilities.

But with regard to God, subjugation, submission and slavery are among the highest of spiritual virtues. Under the gospel, independence and freedom are given new names – pride and arrogance. As an American Christian I can be severely blind to how my love for independence might rot my relationship to God.

As an American, becoming conformed to the image of Christ will involve considerable repentance with regard to my love for personal independence. God must go to work on me to kill my notions of human preeminence and personal freedom. My soul must be rid of self-reliance and give way to humble, Christ-oriented faith. This is hard, and involves much putting to death of things that have always seemed good and right, but which, in relationship to God, are terribly evil. For example, when I was in high school I memorized a portion of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on self-reliance which begins, “Who so would be a man, must be a non-conformist….” As a high school student I went so far as to call his essay my own personal bible. What seemed so noble, so right, and so good to me then now reeks of the stench of human pride and arrogance. These words reveled in the glory of man, obscuring the glory of God. It was the foolishness of a young man which boasted in arrogance and promoted the glory of self. But God, in mercy, reached down to save an arrogant one like me. I thought well of myself and called God names. I had no fear of God. I had no respect for my creator, rather I boasted in self-reliance. Praise the Lord of mercy for His grace that chose to die for such a sinful, boastful race!

God, in His inscrutable mercy, reaches down and plucks sinners like me from our self-driven race toward eternal destruction. His bewildering mercy displays the riches of His glorious grace. God ordained and established the very moment my salvation. Though His sovereign choice and effectual calling, a proud sinner bent his knees at irresistible grace. Transforming grace fell upon a happy recipient in an instant. Yet God has worked much more slowly to bring this rebel into conformity to Christ. For example, when Christ called me, I still had a high regard for Emerson and disdained the very notion, even the very word “conformity.” This distain continued for years after I was saved. My old self died with Christ, but it seems that it will take a lifetime for rigor mortis to finally set in on the corpse of my flesh. Slowly though, old polluted values like self-love and self-reliance start to stink like they should. Likewise, it takes time as my new sense of smell develops, so that the heavenly, pleasing aroma of the superior glory of God becomes far more desirable than the old smells of personal freedom. Slowly, God reveals more of my pride, kills it, and replaces it will soul satisfying trust in Christ.

The forms of pride are many and varied. Independence is one form I inherited from my culture. Self-reliance is another form, and this one I ate eagerly and cultivated even more than my culture might, because I loved it. More refined forms of pride in my life include ambitious invention and vain innovation, forms I have only recently begun to recognize.

My cultural inclinations and natural appetites cause me to stumble again and again. Identifying the sinful roots and poisonous fruit of pride, as it weaves itself into independence, self-reliance, innovation, and invention is increasingly harder for me to discern. It is easy and right to vilify sinful pride as an abstract. It can’t be redeemed it must be killed. Not much subtlety is needed – pride bad, kill pride. However, as pride infiltrates my life it gets trickier. Independence and self-reliance are well concealed targets. But putting them to death is hard because they are not always enemies and they can in some cases be redeemed for proper use. For example, as already mentioned, independence can be good is relationship to government. Self-reliance can be good in the sense that it is good for a young man to be trained up so that in due time he becomes confident enough to leave his father and mother to form a family of his own. This growth into a man who can rely on himself rather then his parents, making a living wage to support himself, is one of the objectives of his parenting throughout his life.

Now ambitious invention and vain innovation are seriously moving targets. That’s because raw pride takes every advantage it can as it tries to permeate my character and establish a foothold. When pride finds areas like invention and innovation that are potentially good and have the possibility of glorifying God, it can more easily mimic and corrupt them. There are truly good and God-glorifying ways to pursue innovation and invention, which are redeemable characteristics. Innovation has some very proper and good use – especially in commerce where such inventiveness can result in cures for illness, work for the idle, and food for the poor. Discernment of the effects of pride in invention and innovation is very difficult for me. Here is where I am torn. I am reluctant to call pride in its sinful forms by any friendly names. Pride and its fellows are my mortal enemies and I hate how they intercept my view of the glory of God and diminish my enjoyment of God’s goodness. Because pride kills in all of its sinful forms, I must concern myself with killing it wherever I discover its influence. Yet it would not be right to indiscriminately kill every impulse to inventiveness or innovation (or independence). God forbid – He gives creativity to His creatures for the express purpose of glorying Himself and blessing mankind. Therefore I must seek God’s grace daily, and I must use every means of grace to improve my understanding of God’s wisdom in His Word concerning ambitious invention and vain innovation.

I have found the book of Ecclesiastes particularly useful in learning to discern between ambitious invention and godly invention, vain innovation and godly innovation. I have observed in myself, that innovation and ingenuity have their roots in pride when they desire to create something that hasn’t been thought of before, or when it seeks to abandon something that has existed for a very long time in favor of a new idea or what I think is a better idea. The notion of creating and improving always sounds good to my American ears. And they can be, but they can also be full of deadly pride. God wants me to be humble. He wants me to see Him as the purpose behind all things. And Ecclesiastes is a wonderful book that can be used to humble prideful ambition, converting it into its proper form – godly aspiration. Ecclesiastes does this first by reminding me that there is nothing new under the sun.

That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Innovators like me hate that statement. The book goes on to reinforce the futility of work and ambition for all will die and whatever gains we might make will be eaten up or obscured over time. I will not be remembered.

For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! Ecclesiastes 2:16

Solomon also tells me that there are some things that God has intentionally bent that cannot be straightened, and to try to straighten these will result only in failure and fatigue – it is a grasping after wind. What God has bent, man cannot straighten. Likewise there are some things I might desire to know that cannot be discovered.

Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? Ecclesiastes 7:13

…and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover. Ecclesiastes 8:17

I do not believe that this means God never wants us to pursue improvements. Subduing the earth is a fundamental part of fulfilling God’s will for mankind to the glory and praise of God. However, if such improvements are pursued arrogantly – as though I can unbend something God has bent, or that I can create, invent, or discover something new as though God has not already thought of everything that can be created, invented, or discovered – I commit a grievous evil against God and in the process my own soul becomes vexed.

This is another example of how hard it can be to divide between my American influences and truly Christian values. Americans value ingenuity. We are ambitious to improve upon the way all things work. We’ve “invented” electricity, assembly lines, telephones, and computers in our pursuit of innovation. I remember one episode of “This Old House” where they were demonstrating a new gutter attachment for a leaf blower. Amazing! Leaf blowers themselves are an amazing example of how thoroughly Americans are inclined to find ways to move stuff faster and more efficiently. And now to conceive of a gutter attachment – brilliant! I don’t think such ingenuity and invention is bad, quite the opposite in fact. However, the impulses to invent better mousetraps coupled with rigorous independence can easily result in a worldly ambition that supplants what might otherwise be good and godly aspiration. Selfish ambition is a grievous evil full of vanity and futility. But godly aspiration founded upon the humility of accepting my existence as a dependent creature can lead to a proper fear of God, one fruit of which is a God glorifying satisfaction and joy in all allotted work – even when one’s work is to be an innovator.

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

The idea of doing something truly new through innovation and ingenuity is a notion devoid of God – for there is nothing new to God. He is already complete and perfect. I can never improve upon God. And all the innovation of the world will never allow me to live apart from God – not that I would ever want to. He is the source and power that sustains life moment by moment. My cultural value for independence, freedom, ingenuity, and invention are not impressive to God. I have no life independent from Him. I find true freedom only in becoming a slave to His righteousness. Anything new I might discover, invent, or improve was always known to God from the beginning. Nothing has even been discovered that had not be intentionally concealed by God it in the first place.

My discovery of anything should always lead me to delight in the glory of the God that concealed it. Never should I exalt myself as an inventor – rather I should give praise to God as a revealer. God invents and may sometimes grant me the grace to discover – praise be to God! This kind of innovation can be a tremendously God glorifying and soul satisfying activity, and its effects are a bonus, which like gutter attachments, are granted for the blessing of mankind. In contrast, arrogant compulsion to un-bend the intentionally bent, or discover things that God has not permitted, or act as though we discovered something new leads only to futility, judgment, and despair.

Now I must make specific confession. For in as much as I inherited American values for independence and self-reliance, I have also inherited a love of innovation. Such loves need to be killed in their sinful forms and renewed in their God glorifying intents. God has done a measure of work in my life, which is necessarily ongoing, with regard to independence and self-reliance. Only recently has He revealed the sinful character of my ambitious desire for innovation and improvement. And this paper is part of my repentance, nailing this form of pride to the cross – and to remind me of its dangers in the future.

I must speak with great caution in this regard. I have to be very careful to speak only of my own sin, and not to excuse myself or seek to lessen blame in view of cultural influences. I must be especially careful because some of the specific fruits of this sin in my life were lived out corporately. In as much as I make personal confession of sin for things I did as part of a group, I might also infer that the group committed the same sins. I have no desire to make such accusations. Only God knows the heart. The same actions taken by different people can flow from entirely different motives. It is possible that while I participated in certain group decisions that the decisions themselves were good, that the motives of others who agreed were pure, and that only in my own sinful, self-reliant, and ambitious heart did I sin against the rule and sovereignty of God.

Nevertheless, I must confess that it was in regard to how I helped lead and guide our church that I am guilty of prideful ambition and independence. God has brought me to a place, over the past three years, of repentance and acknowledgement that the struggles, failures, and ultimate disbandment of our church were the result of the firm but loving discipline of our heavenly Father. I have suffered loss. I have been humbled. And God has been good to call me to repentance. I now reject my love for independence and autonomy with regard to the church. I think that in part, my extreme independence, and regrettable arrogance, often kept our churches isolated from the influence of the greater Christian community, to its detriment. Because I was independent and arrogant I despised other churches, spoke against what I perceived as their fatal flaws and actively resisted outside influence.

I confess that I thought of myself as part of a group of innovators whose ingenious methods and improved ways of doing church could “fix” the church at large. I hear echoes of my own words criticizing “the church” for its infirmities, rejecting out of hand, much of what my Sovereign God has done with His church throughout the centuries. I despised, thought little of, and easily disregarded the methods and wisdom of the “traditional church” in favor of new schemes. Before I continue I feel I must qualify these statements. Many, even most of the values I embraced in my church, and those that as a leader I promoted in the church were, in fact, very good, biblical, and right. I still hold almost all of them today. I value my past experience deeply and have great affection for those by whom I was taught, and with whom I later ministered.

But even though most of what I experienced was good, yet there was, on my part, a subtext running along much of these right and good values and biblical principles. In the same way that innovation can be very good, yet if ambitious invention underlies it, the efforts become dishonoring to God. Trying to hold biblical principles from an arrogant and independent spirit is simply pride hiding its true nature by mimicking something good. The prideful subtext in my heart was the attitude that we had somehow figured out how to do church right, while others churches were lost in their weaker church practices.

We had some ideas that were categorized in my mind as “radical discoveries.” And that’s where pride grabbed hold. I feel no need to itemize which ideas were of this ilk – because it’s the thought I had discovered some radical wisdom that was the folly. For God says, “And what do you have that you have not received? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7. I will never have an inventive thought about the church that God was not always aware of. If God were to happen to reveal some “new” way to pursue church or ministry, such an idea would not be new to God. If I find some clue in the scriptures that brings my thinking and practice into a new light, it came from the light that God Himself put into the Bible from the beginning. God is never amazed at my “discoveries.” They are never news to Him.

I must reiterate that what was wrong in our church was not in the church so much as is it was in my heart. The fact that I was only one of a group of elders responsible for our church does not minimize my guilt. I credit any influence or inclination in our church toward independence and self-reliance to my own fault. I fault myself because I know how much my soul loved independence and ambition. I really wanted to be a part of a revolution in church planting. I wanted to un-bend things that either God has intentionally bent, or were never truly bent in the first place – they only seemed bent from my distorted perspective.

Finally, I must again qualify my use of repentant language because not every desire to improve the church and how it operates is bad. Quite the opposite, we are all commanded to exhort one another daily. And what is exhorting if not a plea to improve and do better? Innovation in ministry that accords with humility and Christ exalting intentions is truly virtuous and pleases the Lord. Church leaders should always strive for improvement and look for new ways to be a blessing to the body. The church should strive to find new ways of proclaiming and ministering the gospel. We should pour ourselves out in entrepreneurial efforts to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel. But all things should be done humbly, trusting in God who will not let us see the whole work of God under the sun. Therefore I should be filled with godly aspirations, while always fighting against selfish ambition. Discerning between the two is not easy for me, and it requires much cross-centered introspection, mutual accountability and personal vigilance in prayer.

To you, O God, and you alone be glory throughout the earth both now and forever. Amen.

Even as God cursed man in righteous judgment, His was mercy mingled with His verdict. Humanity was judged and cursed because of their failure to obey God’s command. Adam and Eve were ejected from the garden where they had enjoyed fruit that grew from plants and trees that God Himself had planted. The curse took away their abundant provision and forced them to pound dirt and tangle with thorns, through sweat and hard toil, for food. And the curse remains to this very day. Difficult toil and frequent hardships are common occurrences.

The curse is justly deserved. How is it then – how can I account for blessings such as rich soil, profitable work, and pleasant circumstances that often fall upon me? Thorns are common, but so are rich banquets. Thorns are due to my own sin, the ground is cursed because of me; so what causes it to produce good crops? It is all because of God’s mercy. God’s mercy is profoundly poured out upon fallen and sinful man. Our work has been cursed. As a result hard toil often results only in thorns. When I get thorns I am receiving justice. I deserve nothing better than thorns for my toil. Yet so often the ground yields fruitful harvests. Even in His cursing, God’s mercy stands forth.

Living under the curse means that all thorns are well deserved. I cannot justly complain when my toil yields no fruit, or when I am pricked. How much more culpable I become when I add bitterness toward God’s righteous judgment when I experience trials. What’s worse is my guilt if I fail to give profound thanks for the many undeserved blessings God grants in spite of the curse.

If the cursed life contains so much of God’s mercy, how much more is God’s mercy and goodness manifest in the cross! That I often have plates full of good food during my days under the sun is a profound mercy. That He would grant me forgiveness through the death of His own Son is amazing grace indeed. Not only this, but through the cross, God reverses the ultimate effect of the curse’s thorns. He conscripts them as particular means of blessing for my good! God’s blessing of redemption does not just remove the end result of the curse – death, but it also changes the effect of each occasion of hardship. Trials turn to gold. Toil, in the Lord, becomes blessed. Thorns turn my heart to Lord and produce humility which leads me into deeper experiences of His grace. How incomprehensible and vast is the mercy of God! For my sin I at least deserve the enduring effects of the curse; toil and thorns are gentle in view of what I deserve for my sins. But God’s redemption is so thorough that it will not leave even the prick of a thorn unconverted. The common and simple rewards that so frequently correspond to hard work are great demonstrations of God’s mercy. How much more is justification from sin?

Not even painful trials can hurt me for God uses even trials two bless and improve my life. If thorns lose their prick and toil becomes blessed in the Lord, what curse remains toward those who so richly deserve it? None, for my Lord became a curse for me, as He hung on the tree. Now, even as I dwell on the cursed ground of the earth, God turns even thorns and thistles into helpful prods and loving pricks’ that direct my steps toward Christ. The mercy of God triumphs over judgment, to the glory of God and the eternal joy of His people.

Thank you Jesus, for becoming a curse for me so that the curse I deserve is lifted and its effects no longer harm, but help me. Therefore, Lord, use every trial to draw me, and every blessing to remind me of your abundant grace and impossible mercy. Amen.

I live, now, on Crawford Dairy Road. The place lives up to its name. There are fields on either side of my house and tall dear corn growing across the road. Crawford Dairy rolls and gently bends past a farm house and then slips behind the tall North Carolina pines that frame our skyline. In the evening the lightning bugs launch themselves by the hundreds to dance the night away. I am captivated. Yet, as I sit on my porch soaking in this a pastoral place, I consider that the same idyllic scene has been played out for hundreds, even thousands of years. The snapshot is indeed beautiful. Yet as I think about the corn, I remember that it grows there by the sweat of a farmer’s brow. He tills, he sews, he waits, he harvests. Next year he’ll do it again, and the next year, and the next, until he comes to the end of his days. Then his sons will serve of the land as he did and his father did and his father’s father before him. The dance of the lightning bugs flickering above the corn is also futile. For they launch, dance, mate, and die, only for their offspring to do it again.

The book of Ecclesiastes is all about futility. The cycles of life under the sun, when viewed from its generational perspective are called futile, a “striving after the wind.” And so it has been ordained by God that we are all to be subjected to the futility of inevitable corruption and endless toil. This is our allotted portion and so we groan in chorus with all creation. But we are not left without hope.

The wisdom of Ecclesiastes is limited in its range. It does not extend its field of view beyond that which is observable on the earth. It does not consider anything beyond what will happen beyond the grave, except in a faint acknowledgment that something awaits – but we know not what. In this limited context our greatest good in the midst of toil is to enjoy pleasures and partake gladly in what prosperity may result from our work. Ecclesiastes is good medicine. It is an elixir against having too much ambition. But in the end it is merely a suppressant, keeping us from insanity. Toil and reward kindly distract us as we live out the length of our appointed days. Hope for enjoyments is good, but there is a much greater hope.

If our lives only contend with what each toilsome day brings, we groan and eventually, we die. To live for appetites that are never satisfied is a grievous evil, and O, how many of us in groan under our oppressive appetites. For the creation was subjected to futility and so it groans, waiting to be freed from its slavery to corruption.

But above the earth, and beyond Solomon’s wisdom, is heaven. While the site of heaven is obscured to us as we dwell beneath the clouds, there is one who has been sent from there to redeem a people. And though He has returned again to heaven, leaving His adopted people on a subjugated earth, yet He left us with a great gift – the Spirit of adoption. For the creation will be freed from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The Spirit of adoption bridges the gulf between our earthly days of toil and our eternal inheritance. When eternity breaks into history all common wisdom is displaced. No longer are our lives measured by a number of days under the sun. No longer is joy attached only to earthly blessings. No longer does the oppression of the unrighteous trouble the just. No longer is work merely distraction. The measuring rod of life is no longer a segment with a definite starting point at birth and a definite end point at the grave. Rather it becomes a ray. It has a firm starting point but an infinite length. Along the ray is a point marking death, but that point is no futile end, but rather a glorious transition from sweat to sweet.

And yet, while we sojourn, we groan. Our earthly bodies are still subjected to corruption and we indeed waste away. We toil for our food and yet our stomachs are never satisfied. But even in our groaning we hope. We hope because we have received this blessed Spirit of adoption, and through Him we wait eagerly for our redemption. We have this Spirit of adoption as present and precious possession in the midst of our earthly toil. It is fully ours and we experience its wonderful effects. As our bodies waste away, inwardly we are renewed day by day. While our skin and bones submit to the laws of decay, our spirits are very much alive in righteousness.

And one day, one blessed day, our spiritual adoption will consummate in full adoption as sons. We will inherit our glorified bodies which will never again be ruled by futility. Such is the glory of this inheritance that all creation eagerly waits for its revelation. What a day!

O Lord, grant me perseverance to wait eagerly – in weakness groaning for your revelation in glory. 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.

Listen up my soul. Take note and try to remember this important observation from 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. Souls that dwell in the bodies of busy people like you need to grasp this principle.

Paul is writing to the Corinthians with regard to marriage and singleness. He is comparing and contrasting the concerns (worries, cares, anxieties) of the single individual with the married. Both have cares. The single person has cares and concerns but they are fewer than those of the married person. Therefore they can assign themselves to the Lord’s service more fully – with fewer competing allotments of time. The married person, however, has more demands upon his time therefore his concerns are divided. As a result, they cannot assign as large a portion of their time to the Lord’s service as a single person can. This being the case Paul, of course, urges those who have the gift of singleness to embrace it. But, in verse 35 he says that he is not writing this to put a constraint on them but rather he writes for (in order to, for the purpose of – to secure) undistracted devotion to the Lord.

This passage can be confusing but I think there is a powerful truth here that can be tremendously freeing not just for the single person – but for the married, so that they will be undistractedly devoted to the Lord – even though they are divided.

In verse 32 Paul states that he wants the Corinthians to be free from concern. He uses the Greek word “merimnao” which means concern, worry, care, or anxiety. In comparing the condition of the single person to the married, in verse 32, he says he wants them both to be amerimnao or without concern. However, he then goes on to say that both the single and the married have merimnao – concerns, but that the single person’s concerns are limited so that they can focus more directly on pleasing the Lord. The married person is concerned about more things than the single person. The married person’s time is thereby inevitably allotted to multiple concerns. In fact in verse 34 Paul assigns an adjective to the married person – he is merizo which means divided, allotted, apportioned, or assigned. Even though Paul started off saying he does not want us to be concerned (divided), he confirms that we are all concerned, in some sense – either to the Lord, or to the Lord and other things for the sake of our spouses and families.

Unfortunately, the NIV misses what I think is an important change in Greek word in verse 35 which brings to light how we can be divided in one sense yet undistracted in our devotion to the Lord. In the NIV verse 35 concludes that Paul again does not want them to be undivided; even though he just finished using the very word “divided” as an adjective describing the married person in verse 34. It leaves me with the sense that it should read… “I do not want you married people who are ‘allotted/divided’ to be allotted/divided.” This is confusing making me unsure how to live. Should I be divided or undivided? It creates a frustrating tension about whether or not the things that inevitably divide my time are good or bad. For example, one of the required allotments my time as a married man is to provide for my family. This requires a significant allotment of time, a significant division of my concerns.

But in fact Paul does not use the same Greek word in verse 35 as he does in verse 34. He picks another word, aperispastos – undistracted. Here is what I take this to mean. It is possible that “divided ones” can be undistracted. Being divided and being distracted is not the same thing! I can be an allotted one – a married man who has multiple allotments that divide up portions of my time, and yet not necessarily be distracted in my devotion to the Lord. It is necessary that I be divided – it is what I am as a married man, the condition is assigned to me from God, this label is applied to me by God, my various tasks and toil are God’s will for my life. Yet, no matter how divided my concerns become, I do not ever have to be distracted in my devotion to God. Praise God that the things that truly divide my time and require my complete attention (like working to provide for my family) do not have to distract my devotion to the Lord.

What’s more, Paul says that he is writing these things in order that my devotion to the Lord may be undistracted. He calls me a divided one, in order that I may be undistracted. I believe Paul is encouraging me by telling me that even though I must carve out chunks of time and focus my attention on them – divided tasks such as working, caring for a sick family member, cleaning, and paying bills – that in such divisions (and they truly are divisions) I need not ever be distracted in my devotion to the Lord. Having this knowledge actually goes to work in me to establish and secure my undistracted devotion to the Lord.

One other observation from 1 Corinthians 7:35 fortifies this principle. The change of Greek word from merizo (divided) to aperispastos (undistracted) is illustrated by the only other use of the word “distracted” in the New Testament. It is found in Luke 10:40 and describes how Martha was distracted by many things. This is a perfect example of how facing the reality of divided concerns can cause the kind of concern (anxiety, worry) that Paul does not want us to have. But it does not have to be that way. In one sense Martha was right that there were things that needed to get done. The dishes weren’t going to do themselves! Yet I do not think that it was the fact that Martha occupied herself with such things that brought about her rebuke, but rather her attitude toward her toil. In this illustration Martha plays the part of the married person and Mary the single. Someone had to prepare the food and this task fell upon Martha. Someone has to provide for the family and this task usually falls upon the husband. The division is inevitable. The husband is divided! But being divided by the will of God need not result in distraction. Martha was distracted and divided and thus was reproved. We can be divided and undistracted and this will result in being commended.

I believe that keeping Paul’s words in mind as I go about my allotted tasks – my apportioned time, divided concerns – knowing that even in doing my divided assignments I can be securing for myself an undistracted devotion to the Lord. This insight from the Word of God can help me enjoy all things (even toil) to the praise and glory of God.

O my soul, if you feel a complaint rising up in your spirit when you find yourself occupied in a required division of your time and attention, fight. Remember that to be divided need not be to be distracted! Remember that even in the divided task, if you honor God in your heart, you can be securing for yourself an undistracted devotion to your Lord. So be content in all your toil as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Be glorified O Lord in this divided one. In Jesus name, Amen.

“…and when He went ashore He saw a great multitude.”

Mark 6:31-34

The disciples had just returned from their circuit preaching and were reporting to Jesus. They were tired from their journeys and yet there was so much activity around them that they didn’t even have time to grab a bite to eat. Jesus recognized that it was time for rest, the disciples truly needed rest. Yet as they landed on the shore, hoping to get away by themselves for a time, they were met by the needy multitudes. Their well deserved and needed rest was withheld. Yet Jesus was not irritated, He and the disciples picked up again with their teaching and serving the crowds with compassion.

It seems to me that God gives each one of us a measure of common grace by which we are enabled to live our daily lives. Of course such grace is still entirely God dependant grace, for only in Him do we live, and breathe and have our being. Yet all of us have, in various degrees, a certain amount of daily strength to accomplish our work. If we rest, eat, and exercise properly we may have more strength than if we are sickly and weak. Nevertheless, we have a certain amount of personal strength to live. This kind of grace typically goes unnoticed and unacknowledged as grace.

But when we are brought to the end of our strength through weariness, God’s powerful grace becomes evident. Jesus knew the disciples needed rest, their personal strength was sapped. Yet God withheld their needed rest and instead gave them even more work. Jesus’ response was a beautiful example of faith, love, and confidence in God’s grace to meet every need.

When Paul seeks to point out the effect of God’s grace in his life he quickly recounts his trials, struggles, and weaknesses. He describes how he was brought to the utter brink, and how in those moments God’s grace was faithfully provided to help him during his most desperate hours. Paul identifies his weakest moments as the most grace filled moments and so he boasts in weakness because it brings attention to God’s strength.

So then my soul, what do you do what God withholds your rest, when you feel like you are at the end of your strength? Do you lie down before your flesh, grumble, complain, become irritated, and indulge in self pity? Will you deny God’s calling for you to serve with compassionate love because you don’t feel you have the strength to do it? Or will your heart rise in anticipation that now, in weakness, you might experience God’s grace more keenly? Will you rejoice because the working of God’s power will be more evident to you now your weakness? Perhaps God may glorify His grace through a miracle, for it was in such a time of dependence on God’s strength that the miracle of feeding the 5000 took place!

Don’t be downcast when you are tired, if God grants it, take your rest; but if He substitutes rest with more work, delight yourself in the occasion to depend God more deeply and be prepared to be blessed by seeing His strength made perfect in your weakness. Therefore be well content when overloaded, do not grumble. Look to the Lord and humbly receive His power.