Selfishness as a Declaration of Autonomy

In continuing to examine my own heart, I find that not only is laziness rooted in selfishness, but selfishness seems deeply rooted in the vice nourishing soil of autonomy. The word Autonomy comes from two Greek words: autos meaning, self; and nomos meaning, law. The autonomous person is a person whose will and  independence are not governed by any particular outside body or force. Autonomy then is the characteristic of being self-governed, or being a law unto ones self. When a person declares autonomy, they are declaring independence from any recognized authority. If we narrow the viewing lens and zoom in a bit, we can see that in many everyday ways, we can, in fact, be quite autonomous. I have no outside authority restricting my choice of restaurant for lunch, or whether I drink coffee or tea on my way to work. However, I do have an authority that says I can't drive 80 mph on the expressway during my commute. I am under the obligation to recognize the authority of the United States government and its officials with regard to the laws that Federal and State governments pass. However, at least in my state of Kentucky, I have no restrictions on the size of my soda container. So with regard to soda sizes, I am still autonomous.

    When we declare autonomy from God, either explicitly as the professing atheist would, or implicitly, lazily, unthinkingly as many Christians do, myself included, we are seeking, or acting as if we had, emancipation from God. Both neglect and outright contempt for the commands and precepts of God are rebellion against him. My selfishness must be seen in connection to its autonomous roots. The prophet Samuel said to Saul, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” God will remove the arrogant king who rebels against him, and he will cast you down as well. The king of Assyria boasted in his slaughter of Israelites and other nations who were under the judgment of God. 

The Assyrian king was merely a tool in the hands of God (Isa. 10:5-6). But the king in his arrogance declared himself autonomous; he said, “By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding” (Isa. 10:13a).  The Assyrian King boasted himself as the sole arbiter of wrath, motivated merely by his own lust for blood and power. God pronounces a curse upon him and declares, “When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. See, God will continue his rule over you whether you recognize it or not, and he will bring punishment to bear for arrogance and autonomy. Crucial to the very definition of a Christian is the fact that we have turned from our rebellion against God, and have run to him as the rightful King, and only hope for our salvation from his just wrath on rebellion.

The Morning

The secret blue that paints the sky.
The human heart cannot ask why
The crisp wind blows, or what birds sing.
Who knows the promise sunlight brings?
The Lord.
Hallelujah,

Hallelujah for the morning.

Thoughts on Laziness

Proverbs 24:30-34

I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,

and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 6:6-11

Go to the ant, O sluggard;

consider her ways, and be wise.

Without having any chief,

officer, or ruler,

she prepares her bread pin summer

and gathers her food in harvest.

How long will you lie there, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

It is so easy to utter those words to my self, “Just a little rest.” “I’ll only sit for a minute, then I’ll get to work.” What a Lie. History has shown me that it is a lie. Rest is rarely for a few minutes unless there is a supervisor telling you that your break is over. Yet look at the ant. There is no one with a collared shirt, no one with a badge or a clipboard coming to tell her that her break is over. 

No Overseer or Ruler

I remember working for UPS while I was in college. We worked 3^rd shift, so from about 10:30 pm or so until 3:00am; though from night to night the start and end times changed slightly as we were reliant on the arrival of trucks and planes to do our jobs. We worked typically 3-5 hours when not in the peak holiday times. But sometimes those 4 hours felt rough, especially mid way through the semester when your exhaustion from going to class during the mid day hours, and then going to work when your body wants to be sleeping begins to catch up with you. So, you can imagine how welcome a break was when you got one. Now, these were mandatory breaks to comply with union labor laws, but boy we wanted them. The break, however was for only ten minutes, long enough to refill your water, use the bathroom or, in the case of many, fall stone dead asleep. I know I can't speak for every unioned package handler in UPS, but for myself and those I knew, if we had been allowed to, we would have definitely rested for far longer. It was the presence of a supervisor, calling us back with the grating reminder that we still had many trucks or airplane containers to unload, that recalled us from our reprise. Left alone, we might just have stayed and slept, or purchased another bag of chips from the vending machine.

The ant though, has no supervisor; she has no overseer or ruler. Yet, they scurry about and get their work done. I’ve never spoken to an ant, but I don’t imagine that ants take breaks like we do. If they do, I’m sure they are prompt and tidy breaks, with not a second of lingering. All kidding aside, the ant is not concerned with its self; it is not worried about what it gets out of the deal.

Paul explains in 1 Corinthians, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” Can I underline that? I am not to seek my own good! Yet my own good is my underlying concern. Furthermore I am to positively seek the good of my neighbors! I am commanded by Scripture to shut my mind to my own concerns for personal good, like tiredness and frustration and then to shed my torchlight and gaze upon the good of my neighbors. Furthermore, as a husband, this absolutely, singularly and totally must begin with my wife. She is the chief of all my earthly delights, and the primary instrument of God's mercy to me. I’m to be fueled by her good, growth, prosperity and protection as an underlying assumption for my actions, not my own. Disgustingly, such an idea is utterly backwards from what I am by nature, and furthermore, what our culture tells us that we should be. Praise God for the Justification and sanctification found in union with Christ! May I seek it earnestly!

We are to do good by ourselves first, right? Wrong wrong wrong! It is wrong to believe that I am to seek my good first, then the good of others. But I believe it is even more wrong to believe the Scriptures and do opposite. At least the unbeliever is being consistent. I have more light, I know what I should do, and I believe the Bible to be true and wholly without error when it tells me what I should do. Yet, I do not do it. James 2: 20 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” What a shameful thing when those who know the truth do not walk in it. 

Go to the ant sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.