Unnatural

 Shall we do the unnatural? Of course we shall. We are called to be unnatural, although not in the perverse sense.

We are called to be unnatural. Unnaturally good, unnaturally kind, unnaturally selfless. For what reward is there for the one who does all things according to what they wish and how they feel? Doesn't everyone do the same?

To the extent that we deny ourselves - not for the sake of future indulgence or for the sake of some worldly gain like respect or wealth or public standing, but for the sake of being like Christ - to that extent we have given our life for Christ and the Gospel and to that extent and far beyond, does God see and reward.

Do not disqualify your reward by grumbling against your sacrifice. "Why must I do this?" "What is this torture?" "This is rubbish!". Those are the words of a slave. The same work is done, but in the spirit of unwillingness. There is no reward. For that work, there are only wages. And wages are given according to the quality and quantity of work. Do we dare to day we produce perfect work? 

No, do not grumble. Fix your eye on Christ who went before us and remind yourself why you choose to do this. It is because of Christ. You may not understand why it's important. You may not know how long you can last in the work. But for each step you take towards Christ, because you seek to be like him, you are seen and rewarded, not for the completion of the task or the quality of your work, but for your desire to be like him. This is the reward for the child, for the friend.

For what need does God have of you? Does he need you to do his work? Can he not wave his hand and complete it? When he sent moses to Isreal with his laws, did he not give man a chance to be the one to complete his work? Yet he knew it wouldn't work. Who completed the work? Not man. God. Christ. He completed it himself. If he completes the greatest work himself, does he lack the power or the ability to complete the small works? No, the work is left to us to do, not because he is too busy to do it, but because he wants to reward us. And because he is more than capable of doing it, the quantity and the quality of the work was never the main point. Those only point towards our commitment to honour him, they have little value in themselves - who can do a better job than if God did it himself?

So, be clear in your mind and be firm in your heart. Don't seek to do all the work. Seek to do what you can while keeping your heart towards God. Pushing yourself beyond may just be pride.

This is not to say that we should not struggle. There is a struggle for life, and it is clear that in that struggle, doing less is sometimes not an option. But remember that God does not merely have his eye on the works you do for him. He has his eye on you. I have not tested this and I have no answer for those who suffer, but my God's character is such that he will not sit idle when we turn to him in our suffering.

Why is there suffering if this is true? Can I truly say with a straight face that anyone who suffers has not turned to him? no, I cannot. I am puzzled. I have heard of people who suffer greatly and yet have joy and peace with God. I have read of people who walk into suffering because of joy and peace with God. These are not a problem; they have found their answer. What of those who suffer and cry out and God seems not to have responded?

Israel cried out for decades in Egypt before God sent Moses. so it is not without precedent. All israel regularly suffered draught, famine, oppression for years before judges turn up. Is there not a single faithful in isreal? Yet we only hear of God providing for two widows, and in both cases it appears that they recieved from God in order to feed His prophet. Is it consistent with what we see in the world today? Yes! How then do we square this with the God of compassion, who, because he sees the crowd as sheep without a shepherd, spends a full day preaching and healing to the point of exhaustion?

The temporal argument is strong, but I'm not sure if it is emotionally satisfying - There is great suffering in this life and it is a reflection of the brokeness of this life. This suffering reflects a deep spiritual truth that we are lost and we need God. It is meant to drive us to Christ. In eternity, all of this is repaid and healed. Is it logical? Yes! Is it emotionally satisfying? I do not know. It also leaves open the question of those who have not heard of Christ. We know that they are judged based on what they do know of God. Yet Scripture also tells us that none can stand in judgement except they know trust in Christ.

So, faith. Faith - not blind faith. Blind faith asks no questions. Faith says that we are shown enough to draw a conclusion about God's character and to face the remaining questions and doubts using that conclusion. We do not have all the answers, but we do have a working picture of God presented to us in the bible. Do we trust that the God we know - the God who is willing to die for us and who loves us - knows what he is doing and has a reason for this state of things? Or do we say that we refuse to trust him and believe him because we cannot make sense of some parts of this world? Both are choices we are allowed to make, and God ultimately will honour that choice - not because we deserve that honour, but because God has chosen to respect us.