Feb. 19, 2004

[Kidan]

Quote[/b] ]Arise, shine . . .
—Isaiah 60:1

Quote[/b] ]When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us—He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue—a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.

Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery—washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet" ( John 13:14 ). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become "the temple of the Holy Spirit"

 

[Kidan]

Verse in Context

Quote[/b] ] Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you, The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; They will go up with acceptance on My altar, And I shall glorify My glorious house. Who are these who fly like a cloud And like the doves to their lattices?

--Isaiah 60:1-8

Drudgery. I despise drudgery. I despise busy work.
Having worked in various fast food places and Walmart prior to graduation (and even post-graduation ) I understand drudgery and busy work. There were many times, I was given a task, not because it truly needed doing, but just to keep my hands busy.

Why did I hate it so?

Because it was boring and tedious. Yet the scriptures tells us that everything we do, we should do as unto the Lord. Even when cleaning the bathroom, you should clean it, as if you're cleaning it for God.

And we should give praise for the opportunity to do the drudge work. Jesus taught us to be servant leaders, as such, we should never run from hard, boring, tedious drudge work. Just because we are the adopted heirs alongside Christ, does not mean that we are immune from work. If Christ took the time to wash His disciple's feet, if Christ took the time, to help some people catch fish, if Christ took the time to do drudge work (and I'm sure he did some, especially as a carpenter's son) who are we to say that we are too good for drudgery? Who are we to say that we should not do the hard, boring, tedious tasks?

The thing is, we should work hard, at EVERYTHING we do, whether that be studying or cleaning, it doesn't matter. All tasks we are given, we should do as if God Himself told us to do it. Likewise, for every task we are given we should praise God that we have the chance to give glory to Him, through the good job we do.

 

[amorphus88]

Quote[/b] ]There is no point in waiting for God to help us?He will not.

Hrm. Discounting God is never wise - God is an integral part of everything we do. Rejecting the unrealistic notion of deus ex machina is one thing, but wording it as rejecting the will of God is much different.