I have often envied the birds of the air that Solomon mentions. They neither sow nor reap, but God feeds them. We toil daily. Always looking for the next big thing while the birds sit on a tree branch and try to do their business on our heads when we walk under. Many people think this goes back to the “curse” of the garden when God warned that we would have to toil. Which to some degree it probably does, but I would contend the curse is the result of our discontentment more than God’s punishment. It is a natural outcome for the desires we gained that day.

You see, the manna did not appear on Saturdays, the day of rest. People were expected to pick up enough for 2 days on Friday and were warned not to try horde any more than that. The completion of the lesson. Like Keanu Reeves says in the matrix, we all hate the thought that we aren’t in control of our own lives. Jesus warns us that we cannot add a single hour to our lives. So much for being in control eh? Back to the manna. Or should I say, back to life. We people of faith need to demonstrate it. By the grace of God we go here and there, not our own power. When we gather the manna God lays before us it really does us no good at all to pick up more than we need, not when God is the source. Only lack of faith causes us to worry and worry causes us to work unnecessarily. Not the fulfilling kind of work, that is mentioned in Ecclesiastes, but futile toil. In Exodus 16:20 the Bible says that if the Israelites gathered more than they needed by the next morning it “was full of maggots and began to smell”. That’s what happens to our work too, when we work to hard, push too far, it rots.

Sure we should be contentious and not lazy. Sure if you work very hard you may end up with a lot of money. However, in God’s eyes some piles of money just look like maggot infested piles of waste. So don’t be too quick to judge success by the size of someone’s bank account. Perhaps one of the most dire warnings in the whole Bible comes from Luke 16:15: “What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” Instead, pick up what God gives you and be pleased with enough. If you have more than enough, be generous. That’s something that only the few on the narrow road will really ever understand.

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Matthew 5:46-47

When Jesus compliments Nathanael he mentions that in him there is no “guile”. Some newer versions will translate this as deceit, but guile is the perfect word, and coming from Jesus an important lesson. Guile: To disguise or conceal. In this context the ability to hide one’s own motives and schemes would be guile, but Jesus praises Nathanael for lacking this. Ironically, and perhaps purposely, mentioning that he is in the line of Jacob (Israelite) who we know was very shrewd and full of guile. Irony, or not, Jesus is not known for sarcasm, when he says “in him there is no guile” he means it as a compliment. Jesus goes on to appear to Nathanael after he returns from the dead. This is a good guy.

So assuming that guile is a bad thing, and considering Matthew 5, now listen to this terrible advice: “You are an important person, and you will not have time for everyone who wants to spend time with you. Don’t feel guilty for avoiding people.” Now while there is some wisdom in this, “avoiding people” is thoroughly anti-Christ. In fact, this Xtian elite person notoriously shows up wherever the spotlight is shining and spends so much time chasing it that he doesn’t finish many of the “great ideas” that he gets so much attention for. I know, because the spotlight shined on me once upon a time, and this person showed up. It is guile, and it is anti-Christ.

When I was in college I played lacrosse, the best sport on the planet. One day of my senior year, I was proclaimed MVP and given the game ball. The only time that season that it had been awarded. I’m sure this had something to do with me usually being a mediocre (at best) player. However, what an important lesson! Suddenly I was surrounded with people and it lasted for quite some time. They were following the spotlight. Similarly, when we announced we would be going overseas to serve any way we could for some period of time, suddenly we’re surrounded with people, and the pretentious advice that flowed was exhausting. Within a few short months we discovered who “the few” sincere people were. Our pastor spoke a few weeks ago about how the Bible is clear that most people won’t get it, hence the “narrow road”. If you read Matthew 7 read slowly and consider what it’s saying.

So this terrible advice and these deceived people disciple their “sons of hell” (Matthew 23:15) and the pattern continues. A few years back we met a neat young couple from a very large church we used to attend. Had them over for my famous elk steaks and we had a good time sitting on the porch and talking about this or that. As it got late we moved back to the dining room for some desert. Then came the pitch… Quixtar (pronounced Quickstar), “like a big family”, “all our friends are entrepreneurs”, “you can get rich.” Human beings become dollar signs. If it isn’t political, or promotional capital, it is financial capital. That is the sin, and people full of guile are good at this stuff.

Human beings become just another “iron in their fire.” Another chance to succeed, it’s Biblical after all. Ecclesiastes 11:6 encourages us to have lots of irons in the fire. In fact I highly recommend it. Sowing seeds, building things, inanimate objects, earn a living after all. Or perhaps, let’s look at Matthew 13:8, of course chasing the spotlight makes sense, the spotlight is on the fertile soil. If by fertile soil Jesus meant the place where most people will notice you, if he meant the place that will make you more of a celebrity, then sure. However, if he meant the people who will most likely become “like Christ” then perhaps not. In fact God despises what the world loves which says a lot about spotlights (Luke 16:15).

I’ve seen some good people fall for this lie. Even missionaries are fooled into believing that 5000 Facebook friends, and carefully planning who they rub shoulders with, in some distorted way is God’s favor, but “don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?” (James 4:4) Of course it seems like we’re talking about something other than the world, these people go to church! However, when the church works like the world then friendship with the church means friendship with the world. Don’t be deceived, churches in the last days are not successful unless they work like the world (2 Tim 4:3).

Guile is not God’s blessing. Guile is deceit, and building anything on a lie is like a house built on sand. Jesus’ teachings run as contrary to religious leaders today as it did 2000 years ago, perhaps more so. In fact, one of the few times Jesus teaches us to do anything “sketchy” (Luke 16, the Shrewd Manager) He makes His point very clear at the end: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” It could be assumed that the manager had only stolen from his master, but the fact that his master commended him, and the context, makes it seem much more likely that this man bought their debts down for them. In other words throw your money around. It’s a difficult thing for evil people to be generous except as a veil.

So put many irons in the fire, but be careful that your livelihood does not rely on those “irons” being human beings. Exploit things, but not people. It is not Christ-like. Jesus’ disciples had very little to offer Him, which is the example He wanted us to walk away with. This warning is especially strong for “professional ministers”. It is a conflict of interest, you can’t serve the world and God.

William Provine, the Cornell University Professor that declared that if God existed then life would be boring, had it wrong. What is boring is living a cowardly existence where our first priority is job security. As believers in The Living God how can we live like that and be faithful? Taking chances for good reasons is a sign of faith.

Sure, an atheist can say and do such things. For them #1 is themselves. However, even Mr. Provine clearly demonstrated passion for his own misguided convictions. So how much more of an insult when a believer throws up their hands and surrenders to a life of insignificance?

Please don’t let a few stumbles cause you to sit out. There are infinite possible accomplisments in any given day. Be passionate, be willing to care. If you’re like me and suffer from the stress of caring that’s not a sign to quit, it’s a sign that you may have neglected something else that you also should care about.

Didn’t Jesus warn us that life was tough sometimes? If it seems like the world hates you it may be because you are doing something right! I prefer the road less travelled, the road of passion. I choose to be one of the people that care.