Tag: human worth

Work, Love, and Dignity (Proverbs 27:1-27)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Farm Women at Work, by Georges Seurat (1859-1891)

Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
    an outsider, and not your own lips.

Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?

Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
    but an enemy multiplies kisses.

One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

Like a bird that flees its nest
    is anyone who flees from home.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
    and the pleasantness of a friend
    springs from their heartfelt advice.

Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
    and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—
    better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
    then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

The prudent see danger and take refuge,
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
    it will be taken as a curse.

A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping
    of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
restraining her is like restraining the wind
    or grasping oil with the hand.

As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,
    and whoever protects their master will be honored.

As water reflects the face,
    so one’s life reflects the heart.

Death and Destruction are never satisfied,
    and neither are human eyes.

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but people are tested by their praise.

Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
    grinding them like grain with a pestle,
    you will not remove their folly from them.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
    give careful attention to your herds;
for riches do not endure forever,
    and a crown is not secure for all generations.
When the hay is removed and new growth appears
    and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
the lambs will provide you with clothing,
    and the goats with the price of a field.
You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
    and to nourish your female servants. (New International Version)

Hard Work

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15, NIV)

Work itself is not a result of humanity’s fall. Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were tasked to work and take care of the Garden of Eden. Therefore, work is inherently good. Yet, hard labor is certainly a result of the fall.

What we humans ought to have done through our created nature, now because of the fall into sin and disobedience, we have to work with focused deliberate intention. And even then, we often don’t perform our work as we would like.

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19, NIV)

This is why wise persons throughout the ages have given priority to hard work, and branded laziness as detrimental to our human welfare.

Much of our labor is menial and mundane, no matter what the work is. Yet, through vision and persistence, the fruit of our labor eventually breaks through. It is important for us to keep our nose to the grindstone, namely, because this is what it takes to produce, and to keep ourselves out of trouble!

Like a shepherd who cares for the sheep, we are to be present, pay attention, do whatever it takes to help the sheep flourish, and hang in there through the thick and thin of the job.

Diligence and consistency are vital to our hard work. The temptation of get-rich-quick schemes and other supposedly easy paths to success and wealth sometimes rear their heads to lure us away from our daily chores.

Well-kept sheep will produce wool and milk for several years. Riches and achievements and accolades, however, do not necessarily last for long.

Affectionate Love

Hard work and relationships nurtured by affectionate love are meant to go hand-in-hand. In other words, ideally, the duty and diligence of our daily tasks, and the consistency of establishing relational well-being with others, is well-balanced and works seamlessly together.

Loving another entails both encouragement and correction, heartfelt words as well as open words of rebuke. That is, we continually think of what another needs, and what is best for the community as a whole.

Our love must entail what is good for the one being loved, for the one doing the loving, and for the whole community to which both belong. Love leaves angry speeches and jealous motives behind and doesn’t utilize them, because they are tools of hate and hurt.

Gracious Dignity

Everyone is responsible to extend basic human kindness to one another, without exception. We are to listen to and honor our parents and elders; practice self-control and patience with all; and use gentle words in every communication.

Poise under pressure, and motivation to do what is right and good helps to lift the worth and dignity of others. We extend this to people for no other reason than that it is another human being who is in front of us; this is a person in God’s image.

God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27, NIV)

All persons have inherent worth as image-bearers of God. The wise person amongst us knows this and continually applies it in all their words and actions toward others.

Wise people also understand the value of hard work, and the intrinsic worth of work itself. Furthermore, they discern that love is to be the motivation and animating principle in doing work and working with others.

The bottom line of all the proverbial wise saying in today’s lesson is that we are to help and encourage others through both our words and our working actions. Our individual lives are to benefit the whole community, so that we are a blessing to others, as well as to receive blessings from those around us.

In engaging a healthy rhythm of giving and receiving, we reverse the curse, and enable the world to return to Eden.

Almighty God, we pray that You will bless all of our various labor and work in the world. Help us to pray fervently, diligently work hard, and give liberally. In all that we do, enable us to do it with all the love You provide. Amen.

You Have Inherent Worth (Genesis 2:4b-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Elohim Creating Adam, by William Blake, 1795

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no vegetation of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (New Revised Standard Version)

The word “Genesis” comes from the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and means “origin.” The first book of the Bible does indeed have to do with origins. And in the early chapters, Genesis addresses the origins of the earth and all it’s life and systems, including humans.

Genesis 1 is a poetic account of those origins. Genesis 2-3 provide a complementary narrative account of creation and the beginning of the world. These three chapters together affirm the inherent goodness of all creation, as well as how complex it all truly is.

God is the Creator of the earth and humanity. The original man, Adam, is a name transliterated from the Hebrew adamah, which means ‘ground’ or ‘dirt/dust.’ This relationship between Adam and the literal dirt of the planet is the basis for humanity’s special relationship with the land and taking good care of it as a proper steward of the earth. In the beginning, working the actual ground was set up as a blessing.

We are living creatures, having been given breath (Hebrew nephesh). Along with all the living breathing animals on this earth, we share a basic creaturehood and are thus connected with each other. In addition, only people are formed in God’s likeness and enjoy a special relationship with the Lord in being God’s image-bearers. (Genesis 1:27)

God created you and me as good. The Lord has made provision for us to glorify God, and to be successful in doing the Lord’s will. People who are ineffective in living out their spiritual lives are persons who do not know the truth about themselves. 

Both truth and error are powerful. If people are misguided about who they are, then they become like empty wells with no water to draw from. Many of our problems, failures, and shortcomings are largely due to a misunderstanding of our basic personhood. 

A profound result of this misunderstanding is a lack of self-worth. Whenever we are in error about who we really are, we have automatically limited ourselves to what we can do in our lives. Comparing ourselves to others is not helpful; nor is trying to simply gin-up good feelings about ourselves. 

God Creates Adam and Eve, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872)

Only by accepting who we truly and really are, can we actually be helped, and discover human fulfillment in this life. Let us consider that it is vitally important what the Holy Scriptures say about us; and also equally significant to respond in faith to the recognition of our great worth on this earth.

An important bedrock truth we must understand is that people been created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:16-17). We can only begin to understand ourselves if we begin with creation. Since God is a Person of infinite perfection and goodness, to be created in God’s image means we are persons of great potential and value.

To be a person means that we are self-conscious and can make decisions. We also have inherent rights to know, to be heard, to feel, to have an opinion, to be honored, to develop potential, to assume responsibility, and to enjoy life and all creation. In other words, God treats us as persons; therefore, we may not treat ourselves any less than that.

People were created to know God, to understand spiritual truth, and to perform spiritual functions. 

Because we are created by God, we are sacred individuals. We commit a profound shortcoming when we do not develop our potential and live as though life and fulfillment were graciously given by God for our good. 

Accepting erroneous thoughts about ourselves (and we all have) leads us to misinterpret our circumstances, relationships and opportunities. Without even realizing it, we bring confusion and failure into many, if not all, areas of our life.

One of the clearest evidences that we may not know, accept, and practice the biblical truth of our self-worth, is seen in our response to Holy Scripture. Too often we observe altruistic people and say, “I can’t be like that!” Or we read scriptural promises and commands and say, “I can’t do that!” Living with that kind of unbelief and error in our lives results in discouragement and/or criticism of others who seem to be successful in their spiritual lives.

Here is the truth about you:

You are loved by God (John 15:9; 17:23). This means that God recognizes us as persons, gives us our rightful place in the divine life, and will do right by us. God has our back. Therefore, let us accept this truth.

You are called to live in fellowship with God (1 Corinthians 1:9). No greater honor could be bestowed on us than the invitation to interact with the Living God. As we do, the door is open, so that God can minister to us and lead us into the knowledge and practice of the divine will.

You have been given divine revelation (Hebrews 1:1-3). Having the Bible available to us (in our own language!) is one of the greatest possessions we could ever receive. There is nothing more powerful than the truth about God and divine desires for our daily life. Therefore, let us pay attention to divine revelation and obey it, since God has so graciously given it to us.

You are the object of divine redemption (Romans 5:8-9). The great evidence of our human worth is the reality that Jesus Christ has secured our redemption from guilt, shame to himself. Jesus, the Son of God, loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20)

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The actual physical temple of the Old Testament was filled with the glory of God. Today, through Christ’s redeeming love on the cross, every believer in Jesus is God’s temple. Therefore, God wants to work in us and through us for the Lord’s glory and honor.

The conclusion to the matter is that the way to know our true self-worth is to accept what Holy Scripture says about us; and then respond by faith and love to its loving and redeeming message. 

According to the book of Genesis, you are no accident. You are a person of infinite worth to God. So live into this wonderful truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

Divine Affirmation (Isaiah 44:1-5)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The Lord says,

“Listen now, Israel, my servant,
    my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob.
I am the Lord who created you;
    from the time you were born, I have helped you.
Do not be afraid; you are my servant,
    my chosen people whom I love.

“I will give water to the thirsty land
    and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children
    and my blessing on your descendants.
They will thrive like well-watered grass,
    like willows by streams of running water.

“One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’
    They will come to join the people of Israel.
They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms
    and call themselves one of God’s people.” (Good News Translation)

Who do you believe you are, at the very core of your being?

Your very essence, the person you are deep down inside, is worthy of divine blessing and belonging. You are loved by God.

In a world of abject hate and injustice, there remains within the soul the majesty of people created in the image and likeness of God. There is still hope for us, that is, if we will receive water in our thirst and be bathed in the reality of who we are. And I take a decidedly Christian perspective on that identity.

I am a firm believer in making daily affirmations of truth based upon what God has done for us in Christ. The Christian doctrine of justification means that God has justified us and made us right, along with all creation through the cross of Jesus. This is more than a doctrine to believe, but it is also a reality to be lived into each and every day.

I know it doesn’t always feel like we belong or that we are blessed. Many of our adverse situations may cause us to wonder about whether God accepts us, or not.

As we go through life, there are those who don’t like the way we do things, or are upset about our views on particular subjects, or think that we ought to be doing something we aren’t doing. In such times, my initial reaction might be to justify myself – to defend my words or my silence, my actions or inactions, and my work. 

I am not yet what I will be someday, but I am not what I used to be either.

These sorts of encounters can easily leave us feeling insecure, like a vulnerable teenager trying to look cool in the middle of his awkwardness. I even once had a person complain to me that on a particular Sunday my shoes were not shined well enough. For a person like me who is borderline obsessive-compulsive, that was not an easy mental slough-off; I really wanted to beat myself up over the lack of shiny shoes!

The truth of the Christian life is that I have no need to justify myself. Why? Because God has already justified me in Christ. 

The following are some regular affirmations we can tell ourselves for truth and righteousness to awaken within our souls:

  1. I thankfully acknowledge and accept who I am in my unchangeable physical appearance which God has uniquely designed for me, so that the Lord can bring a special view to others through my life. (Psalm 139:13-18; 2 Corinthians 10:12, 12:9-10)
  2. I thankfully acknowledge and accept that I am unconditionally loved and treasured by God, who wanted a relationship with me, and to whom I belong. (Romans 8:31-32, 38-39; John 6:44, 17:23)
  3. I thankfully acknowledge that I am unconditionally accepted as a worthy person to God, because of Jesus Christ, in whom I trust for all things. (Ephesians 1:16; Romans 4:6-8; Isaiah 61:10)
  4. I thankfully acknowledge that I am a secure person because God cares about me and asks me to trust divine leadership and goodness. (Romans 8:28; Matthew 6:25-33; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 37:3-7, 23)
  5. I thankfully acknowledge that I am in a process of growth. My sinful nature is part of my personality, but it is not who I am. I consider myself dead to the sinful nature and alive and responsive to God. I am not yet what I will be someday, but I am not what I used to be either. I accept my struggles with guilt and shame as opportunities to depend more on God and Christ’s justification for me. (1 Peter 2:1-3; Romans 6:11; 2 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:16)
  6. I thankfully acknowledge and accept that I am a competent person who is adequate to fulfill God’s will successfully each day. My strength is supplied by God’s Holy Spirit, who works through me to make an important and eternal impact on others with the love of God and the message of Christ. (Philippians 2:13, 4:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:20)

We are loved, accepted, and cared for by God. And we have important lives to live. Therefore, we need not threatened or devastated by the way some people treat us. 

Others do not determine our self-worth. We might be pained when others let us down, but it is not the end of the world. We can continue to act responsibly toward them without demanding that they understand us, accept us, or respect us.

Many if not most people try to find acceptance and significance through family, peers, faith communities, achievements, appearance, work, etc. Yet, none of those sources can satisfy or fulfill our basic personal needs. This is why there are so many people who feel resentment, anxiety, guilt, or a vague sense of emptiness and even despair.

Yet when a person trusts God and exhibits faith in Christ, as the true source of justification in order to satisfy basic needs, that person can learn to regard themself in their new identity with Christ: 

  • Their faith can be trained to believe in and focus on a new self-concept, even in circumstances when they feel the pain of rejection. 
  • They can rebound from disappointment and develop resilience. 
  • They can forgive others and continue to serve others without dependence upon positive feedback from another.

To be justified by Christ means that we can live in the security of being a child of God without depending on others to do for us what God has already done through Jesus. Learning to live in this way takes daily affirmations of faith and truth.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be forever. Our faith and hope is not in vain, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. Amen.

Luke 17:1-4 – A Person Is a Person, No Matter How Small

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Horton Hears a Who

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So, watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” (NIV)

“A person’s a person no matter how small” said Horton the elephant to all the people that were completely unconcerned for the residents of Whoville living on a clover. The people were uninterested because the Who’s were invisible to them. Dr. Seuss chose to make Horton an elephant, a large creature able to hear with big ears and be attentive to the small.

Largeness can only come through becoming small.

“Little ones,” people who no one sees or notices, matter to Jesus, and so they ought to matter to us, too. Invisible people need to become visible to us. They need to become visible to us because Jesus sees them – they are not invisible to him. Jesus often mingled with little people – children, women who had no rights, social misfits like lepers, the chronically ill, religious outsiders, tax collectors, and prostitutes. Our world is filled with similar people – angry adolescents, unwanted babies, forgotten old people, the mentally ill, moral failures, immigrants and refugees, and, if we have eyes to see and big ears to hear, lots of underprivileged people who reside on the dark underbelly of society. They are around us, even if they are invisible to us.

Jesus envisioned a community that sees, honors, and protects little people. Truth be told, we are all little people before God, and he notices us. And, so, we are to become humble enough to see the little people around us. The only way to become great in the kingdom of God is to descend, not ascend, into greatness. The chief enemy of any community is a desire to be prominent, to be the Big Cheese – it is called “pride” and it will separate us from God if we hold onto it.  Which is why we must do all we can to radically cut it out of our lives.

This is a big deal to Jesus. So, here’s the deal: We are not to welcome people because they are great, wise, rich, powerful, good-looking, and look like you and me – we are to welcome others because they are noticed by Jesus. Like Horton the elephant,

Christ the Lord hears the cry from the place of smallness and is determined to do something about it.

The proud person who seeks prominence is always looking for greener pastures and impressing others. The proud connect with people who will help advance them up the ladder of success. Through that process of advancement, the proud do not care who they step on along the way. The Christ follower, however, is to be different. Christians are to give small, insignificant people of society the time of day, treat them as important, and advocate for their needs.

It was the Apostle Peter, a guy who learned the hard way about paying attention to those different from himself, who quoted the Old Testament in saying, “love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:9) That is, basic love for another prevents them from committing the sins they would have if they were unloved. If we do not love, it would be better for us to be killed in a tragic millstone death. Jesus does not want people acting like leeches, just sucking the life out of others to get what they want.

So, what do we do about it? How shall we then live? A person’s a person no matter how small. We need humility. We need to lower our sights and our bodies to see little people. We cannot truly see a two-year-old toddler unless we lower ourselves to view them as equal and important.

The way to see another requires slowing down, observing, and stooping or sitting to look them in the eye and give them the dignity of attention they deserve.

The danger of reading a post like this is the thought that all this stuff is really for someone else. After all, I don’t want to hurt anyone or see anybody deprived, so maybe the experts and professionals ought to handle it all. Yet, the fact remains that we do no one any good when we neglect getting on the floor. When we assume blessing for ourselves without the intent of giving it to others, we have come under the judgment of Christ. Perhaps we fear forgiveness – either accepting an apology from another or offering one to someone we have wronged. Out of sight, out of mind, is the approach of the one who causes others to stumble and make them fall.

Christ’s admonition is to watch ourselves, to be vigilant of both overt and covert sins against the unseen and forgotten among us. The pyramid below concerning racism is just one example of many other forms of causing others to stumble and fall:

white supremacy pyramid

Even though I write this warning, dear friends, I am confident of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation, deliverance, and liberation for all persons. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped others and continue to help them. Continue to show this same diligence so that what you hope for may be fully realized; and, imitate those who through faith and patience are doing good work. May the Lord be with you.

For those deprived of their human needs and their human rights: Just God, may they may be given the dignity by others which you confer on all his people.

For all who are forgotten and unseen, especially the poor, the sick, and the aged: All-seeing God, may you move us to love them as the image of Christ.

For all who are lonely or afraid, for teenagers on the street, the elderly in nursing homes, prisoners with no one to visit them, and all whom the world has forgotten: Lord Christ, may you lead us to them.

For those who suffer mental illness or disorder: Attentive God, may we cherish the gifts you have given them, and in their lives hear the voice of your love.

For each human life: Creator God, may we value every person as you do. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.