Job CCXIII

Had it not been targeted at Job, Zophar’s soliloquy could readily pass for a sermon on the fate of the wicked, and how any pleasure, prominence, wealth, or influence they might have is only temporary and fleeting. While they are ascendant, while the things of this life are plentiful and there is no storm cloud in sight, their haughtiness grows, mounting up to the heavens. They’re on top of the world, the wind in their sails, and in their eyes there is nothing that could stop them or slow them down. They conclude that excess equals God’s favor, though they know their lives do not mirror what Scripture clearly states they should. Yet their end is inevitable, and they will perish forever like their own refuse if they continue down the path of wickedness.

Whether it’s a trick of the mind or a trick of the devil depends on the individual in question, but either way, they convince themselves that superficial commitment, situational devotion, and feigned worship are sufficient to access the storehouses of heaven itself and be drowned in material things. The only thing they really have to worry about is not getting crushed by all the blessings. That, and not missing the Sunday service where they get to beat a tambourine out of tempo, and testify to the goodness of the Lord because now their driveway looks like a used-car lot, even though it’s only them and the wife who are licensed drivers. I have things, therefore I must be doing something right. I have possessions, therefore God must be overlooking my hypocrisy, duplicity, and lack of reverence.  

More people have failed the tests of prosperity than have ever failed the tests of hardship. Wealth is as much of a test to determine where your true heart and affections lie as trials and setbacks are. If we rejoice and show gratitude when the Lord giveth, but grow bitter and disillusioned when He takes away, it says much regarding how we view God, and what we believe the core of a relationship with Him ought to be.

Either we believe God’s purpose is to sanctify, purify, and perfect us however He sees fit, or we believe His purpose is to placate and give us all the stuff we want just to keep us quiet, like a toddler who starts whining, screaming, and crying the instant his pacifier is out of reach.

Toddlers don’t go to war; mature, fully grown adults do. If ever you walk into a congregation, you’ll know which is which immediately. Are they praying for power, boldness, courage, and strength to endure, or are they trying to call money down from heaven and claiming riches beyond their wildest dreams? Are they focused on the growth of their faith, their spiritual man, and their commitment to Christ, or on the flesh and the ease and comfort thereof?

If the flesh is your priority, you will inevitably sacrifice anything in service of that ideal. You’re saying if I deny Jesus, I get to keep all my toys? You’re saying if I deny Jesus, I’ll never see the inside of a prison cell or suffer the loss of anything? Pinkie promise? If yes, then you’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll just repent later or cross my fingers behind my back when I do.

Conversely, if your priority is obedience to the will of God, then nothing the world can offer or threaten you with will be enough of an incentive for you to turn your back on Him. Take it all, take me away, do as you will, but I will never deny Jesus. An easy enough declaration to make when no one’s knocking on your door, searching your house for Bibles or other religious paraphernalia, waiting in the parking lot at church to see who shows up, or when something as benign as a prayer meeting is deemed a crime worthy of a prison sentence. We can tell ourselves it will never happen here, but the Bible says it will. Whether your gut or your heart, they are untrustworthy. The Word of God, however, is true from generation to generation. What God has foretold will come to pass. It is an absolute certainty.

When such practices begin to roll out, however, when the words of Jesus regarding the world hating us for His name’s sake, persecuting us, and killing us as though we were the greatest threat to civilized society, you will see the difference between those who spoke words they never meant, and those who are fully committed to Jesus even when it costs them everything to do so.

You’ll know soon enough who’s playing at being a follower of Christ and who is an authentic follower of Christ when there is pressure and an explicit cost to doing so. Until then, words are easy to come by, especially with a sympathetic audience. Getting on a soapbox and pontificating endlessly about how we would lead the charge against the darkness if it threatened the light is a proven lie since the darkness has not only threatened the light but is making headway, and most calling themselves Christians today pretend not to see it, excuse it, or justify it by pointing to the changing times and the changing culture.

Man will always find a way to excuse faithlessness, cowardice, indecisiveness, or selfishness when he places his wants, needs, interests, and comforts above obedience and commitment to God. It’s a coping mechanism, and one that works temporarily, but eventually we will all stand before the God who judges justly, and our jumbled, self-serving excuses just won’t do.

One’s dedication and commitment cannot be half-hearted, situational, or superficial when called upon to suffer loss, privation, physical or psychological torture, and still remain steadfast, unbroken, and resolute to the last.

This isn’t some hypothetical pabulum or theoretical rumination. It’s a truth that has been proven throughout the history of mankind time and again. Wherever persecutors rose up to persecute the household of faith, those whose commitment was steadfast weathered the storms no matter how turbulent they got, while those who were there for reasons other than being lifelong bondservants of Christ either faded away or became the persecutors of those they once called brother and sister.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.