We live in this amazing age of ease and convenience that has come about largely due to the application of the teachings of Jesus to human endeavor. How did the industrial revolution begin? The “Protestant Reformation” put the Bible into the hands of the masses and let them learn that stuff like “indulgences” and “priests” and “penance” and “popes” and even “religion” itself aren’t things instituted by God, but rather things imposed by men.
You see, men had learned that the best way to milk your fellow man for all he’s worth is to keep him ignorant of the Creator’s guide book. The precious book that reveals our Creator’s secrets to any man, woman, or child that will open their heart to it and learn from it. As created beings, we have an innate longing to understand our existence. Throughout history men have abused their power and wealth in order to sustain a lifestyle of pleasure, comfort and ease. The “Protestant Reformation” revealed the Biblical teaching that, “If you do not work, you do not eat.” and “let every man work with his hands that thing which is good” and “the workman is worthy of his hire”, and so on.
We also learned from Jesus that, the Creator came as a man to account for the sins (selfishness) and the iniquities (unfairness) of all who would trust Him. We no longer needed to submit to all those funky man-made religious systems that were designed to keep the hard working masses, which they referred to as, “peasants” and such in “their place” so the bums at the top could party away. Our Creator and His book taught us that we have been “created equal” and that “kindness” and “cooperation” can bring people together in peaceful coexistence and allow us to work together for the common good. We learned how to put natural resources to work by inventing “machines” to help us become even more productive. We learned that fairness meant paying men wages and giving them freedom to live their lives now they wish.
Our Creator has given us an incredible amount of freedom which poured out of the teachings of “peasant carpenter”. But Biblical freedom is a function of mutual self accountability and grateful dependency on our Creator. Why does the Creator give us all this freedom? Is it out of His love for us? Without doubt, but also to give us the opportunity to express ourselves and help us understand who we are.
So, what do we do with it? Express our gratitude and appreciation for all that we’ve been given by our Creator? Or will we like spoiled children demand more and more and then throw all of His goodness back up in His face? “Don’t give me no stinkin vegetables, I want sodium and cholesterol and all the trimmings!”
“Hey, we’ve even devised our own system of exploiting the Creator’s world without any concern for giving Him any recognition or thanks for making everything we enjoy possible. “We’ll pride ourselves in our “intellectual integrity” and “resourcefulness and ingenuity” and label it, “science”. Yup, we’re God’s spoiled kid’s alright. Modern science teaches us to take everything that the Creator gives us and defiantly declare that He doesn’t even exist!” What a cruel and ugly reality!
What is a “kid” anyway? An immature goat? The comparison to goats in the Biblical context is by no means complimentary or cute. If you know what I mean… If you don’t, the Creator wants to teach you. His book is easy enough to get a hold of and study for most of us.
Wayne Hollyoak