Do you find the Christian life to be easy or hard (or both)?
Jesus said that the way that leads to life is “hard” and the way that leads to destruction is “easy” (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet He also instructed us to “Take my yoke upon you . . . and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
How can a yoke, which by definition is hard, also be easy? And how can a burden, which by definition is heavy, also be light? A paradox, for sure, as we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
Certainly we can affirm that God expects us to work hard for His kingdom, and that such work will be hard work. We were “created in Christ Jesus for good works . . . that we should walk in them.” And we have been instructed to “do good to everyone” (Galatians 6:10).
Doing good works for our neighbor can be hard, and Scripture acknowledges this. Here are two passages that refer to acts of kindness with language reminiscent of an Old Testament sacrifice.
Passage #1
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).
Doing good and sharing with others is described as a sacrifice. You give up something in order to benefit another. This may be painful to you, resulting in financial and/or emotional loss. Or maybe you give up use of your time. Yet you also benefit, because “such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Doing the will of God brings you much joy and contentment, and knowing that He rejoices over your generosity is a reward in and of itself. Furthermore, God has promised to reward you abundantly in heaven for such demonstrations of love. In light of these temporal and eternal blessings, did the giver really lose anything?
Passage #2
“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).
The Philippians sent Paul money to support him while he was in prison in Rome. Notice how this display of unselfish giving is portrayed not only as a sacrifice, but also as “a fragrant offering . . . acceptable and pleasing to God.”
To describe an act of kindness as a sacrifice to God adds much to our understanding of the meaning of “good works.” Doing good should be far more than a horizontal event. It is not merely the giving and receiving of love between human beings. This is also a vertical event. To give something of value to my neighbor is to offer a sacrifice to God. To feed my enemy is to worship my Lord. To return good for evil is to send a sweet aroma to heaven. And God accepts these gifts and is pleased with them because He is pleased with us for giving them, provided we do them with a heart of love that is tuned to sing His grace.
The Hardest Thing about Good Works
Here is one of the most startling verses in the Bible: “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).
Does this verse mean what I think it means? Does Paul really mean that I can give away everything I own, and yet receive no benefit (such as the rewards God has promised) because this act of apparent kindness was not done out of love?
At first glance, this truth can be alarming, taking the wind from our sails and causing us to doubt what we do.
But the more we reflect on it, the more it makes sense. In the Old Testament, an animal sacrifice, if not offered with a heart of faith and repentance, became a meaningless ritual, turning an outward act of obedient worship into an ungodly activity. This happened repeatedly in Isaiah’s day. Listen to God’s rebuke of His people:
“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me.” (Isaiah 1:11-13)
Likewise, we must offer our sacrifices of service with a heart of love and compassion, for God is seeking “true worshipers . . . those who worship him . . . in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). May it be so.
Questions to Stimulate Your Response to the Comments Above:
- What can you do to cultivate the proper heart attitude when serving others?
- Who do you know in the household of faith who would benefit from an intentional act of kindness? What can you do this week to “do good” to this person as an intentional act of worship?
- Same question as #2 above, except replace “Who do you know in the household of faith” with “What outsider do you know . . .”
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