Obedience is to humility as disobedience is to arrogance.
An obedient servant of the Lord not only understands their priorities but performs them with a focused intent born of true wisdom (fyi – there’s a big difference between simply knowing God’s commands and doing them).
True faith is always proven by obedience.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
– James 2:14-18
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
– James 1:22
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
– James 4:13-17
So, what happens when a person doesn’t want to obey God? Other than it being a sin, what kind of behavior accompanies a guilty conscience when a person decides to knowingly break God’s commands? This is when we witness something incredible – a magician emerges! The art of so-called “misdirection” has been mastered by many a Christian (this is hardly exclusive to unbelievers). As I researched the art of magic, I learned that the best magicians prefer “direction” over “misdirection” in their performances, where averting attention away from their trickery (which risks arousing suspicion) is replaced by attracting attention towards something else. Practically speaking, it’s often most effective if you go boldly into deception with full conviction.
The best defense against being discovered as a sinner is often a solid offense. Commitment to the trick makes all the difference in the world. I wrote a book on the motivation that underpins such behavior titled, Covert Arrogance: Hiding Out In Plain Sight. I recommend you set aside a few hours to read it.
This morning, as I prayed to God about what I should write for this week’s blog, an old topic I had written on came to mind (see Hiding Behind False Nobility). Now, you may have just noticed that the word “hiding” has appeared twice in this blog already. I suppose if you read a book on how to become a magician, that same word would be quite popular. A magician’s success depends on hiding the truth. Same goes for those living in sin, at least as far as fellow humans are concerned (God is never duped).
Let’s consider an example now, using a priority we know is established in Holy Scripture.
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
– 1 Timothy 5:8
What does this mean for a guy like me? Well, just because I’m a pastor doesn’t mean I can abandon my responsibilities to my family. If my congregation is unwilling or unable to provide a salary that sufficiently supports me here in Massachusetts (which, by default, includes my entire household), then what should I do without hesitation? Get a job. Period. No questions asked. That’s what Paul did, and he was an apostle!
I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.
– Acts 20:33-34
In humility, Paul submitted to God-given priorities in his life. He didn’t try to shirk his responsibilities for personal reasons; rather, he accepted his lot in life, respected God’s commands, and took care of business, which pleased the Lord (ref: Luke 19:11-27). Paul wasn’t “hiding” behind some noble cause like ministering to others. Instead, he humbly discerned what was necessary in the moment, regardless of the personal cost (ref: Philippians 4:11-13), and committed to his faith because that was the right thing to do.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
– Hebrews 11:6
Paul knew the very best route was to glorify God in his body while here on Earth. God knows he would’ve preferred to be at home in Heaven (Philippians 1:21-26). Had Paul chosen the “magician’s” route, directing focus towards the nobility of being an apostle while not tending to his base priorities, he would’ve been living in sin.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
– Romans 12:1-2
Now, to be fair, finances are hardly the only area in life where we see Christian “magicians” performing as masters of their “craft”, but they are a solid indicator of one’s willingness to obey God’s commands. Consider the person who lives a comfortable life, proclaiming the blessings of God, and yet fails to support the local church as a member (forcing the pastor to work against the basic principles found in 1 Corinthians 9 and 1 Timothy 5:17-18), or the person who refuses to join a local church so they effectively avoid having to support one at all (How’s that for “sleight of hand?”)! What about a woman who invests in her children more than her own husband (applauded by others for being such a wonderful mom), yet severs the divinely ordained submission of authority in the family (Ephesians 5:22-24), and then blames her husband for the inevitable plague of dysfunction as if guiltless (Proverbs 21:9)? Or what about the general case where a person enjoys God-given liberties but makes another person stumble (Romans 14:13-23)? The list goes on and on…
God’s Word states that a person is blessed when they obey the Lord (Luke 11:28). A magician’s craftiness has no place in the spiritual life.
Working hard to care for your family while sustaining an active ministry, committing to and appropriately supporting a local church, investing in a spouse as a top priority for the sake of the family, and abstaining from a God-given liberty for the sake of others are all ways in which obedience leads to abundant blessings. God says so.
A right thing must be done in a right way. Redirecting attention towards something noble and away from a sin for the sake of hiding unrighteousness introduces a deeper complex of sins (Galatians 6:7). The world is full of magicians, my friend – there’s no reason we ought to be counted among them!
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
– Proverbs 21:3
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
– Proverbs 15:8-9
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins