God made us for hard work

There is a lazy strain in all of us. I think we shy away from encouraging others to work hard because we're always afraid that it will sound like we're exhorting to "works-based-righteousness." Some Christians are so concerned that we will obey in this mindset that they see "works" under every rock and leaf. I think it's more so that we wait until we feel a certain way before we think it's right to obey. I'm afraid we're too sensitive to buffer our laziness with the excuse that "just working harder" will encourage someone to obey out of "duty" and not "grace".. As though duty and grace are really separate, 'cause they're not. Too much theology-speak these days tries to divide those.

James calls the law the perfect law of liberty. Obedience makes for freedom.

And so, instead of the simple message that we need to exert ourselves in greater diligence we get lost trying to step-toe around what we really need to hear.

Teaching children for instance.. As a man with five children I know how hard it is to teach them something sometimes. Instead of doing the harder thing, the more loving thing of giving each child the attention they need I am tempted to a herd mentality. I am tempted to a zone-defense reactionism instead of being a more pro-active father. For example, I might think that my son will learn how to memorize Scripture or learn to sing if he just comes along for the ride as I teach all my children as a group. But no, nothing can replace the individual attention that each child needs. Group devotions are wonderful but not as a replacement for personal interaction with a child.

I need to work harder. I think we all need to work harder. Sometimes the answer is more simple than we want it to be.

And as we do this from being clothed in God's grace ourselves, we will discover that our exertion is duty, love, and yes, grace to us and to the child.