Genesis 2:15

“The LORD God took the man… in order to have him work…”

          A minister once told the congregation an illustration of how doing God’s work is like a young ox bearing the yoke with a strong, mature bull to plough the farm: “Unless the two keep in line with each other, the younger ox would be choked by the yoke because the burden would then become too heavy for the ox if it turns away to the left and right from, if it lags behind, and if it attempts to overtake the strong bull; the primary strength and the sense of direction come from the strong bull, as the growing ox keeps in line and is subsequently trained.”

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens… Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.”

Jesus – [Matthew 11:28-30]

          “Place my yoke on you…” with child-like faith [Matt 11:25]. Jesus never forces that yoke of his on anyone [John 6:66]; you – “… all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens…” – are to place his yoke on yourselves willingly, i.e. to pursue him and his will, by choice.

          If you choose to carry the yoke of and with the Messiah, you must remember that it is indeed “…my yoke… my burden…”, not anyone else’s [John 5:19], and God really will do whatever he wants [John 3:8]! Certainly, “…my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light”, but not so unless and until you personally know God and keep yourself in line with his way!

          When you continually keep his instructions, you eventually will know how to bear his yoke, perhaps like a companion, sharing not only his faith but also his suffering [John 15:14; Phil 1:29]. God might be silent at times, but he is never far; he is always helping and guiding you who are not just his servant but his child and friend [John 14:18; 15:15; 16:13].

          You might even be tempted to abandon that yoke of his altogether, only to be enslaved by the yoke of the world [2 Corinth 6:1, 14]. Yet, his call and instruction, along with his promise for us, is to abandon the yoke of the world, “Come to me… place my yoke on you… learn from me… (be) gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls…”.

          From him alone we receive for our souls his unique rest that the world is not able to give [John 14:27].

“The LORD God took the man… in order to have him work…”

          Stop being lazy. And stop complaining even if you think your work was or is too hard. Stop being arrogant, too, if you consider that you had been or are working very hard. Keep on working; just don’t work outside of God’s will.

Seek wisdom, plan wisely;
work and rest accordingly.

And remember: Find joy in life.

“Much will be required from everyone to whom much has been given. But even more will be demanded from the one to whom much has been entrusted.”

Jesus – [Gospel of Luke 12:48]

To expound: All Creation has been entrusted to the one, unique Son of God [Matt 28:18], who labours even more – i.e. is still working, as always [John 5:17], having travailed up to the Cross, resurrected from death, and seated on the Most High [1Cor 15:3-8; Heb 12:2]. Definitely, everyone has been given even God’s own Son and Spirit; this is infinitely much! What an amazing grace!

“… T’was grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fear relieved…”

          By such grace, God worked so that everyone is saved from sin [Eph 2:8], much is therefore required as everyone is called toward total submission to God’s will – toward the faith in his unique Son [Matt 7:21, 16:24; John 6:29,39-40].

          Now, faith without work is dead [James 2:20-26]. And work is certainly not one that merely earns individual merits or profits. Instead, holiness in (i.e. setting apart for God) every aspect of life [1Pet 1:15] is all the more important; it results only from the work that is rooted in love, faith and hope [1Cor 13:13; 1Thes 1:1-3], done and taught by God, in and through our lives [Matt 28:19; John 14:12, 16:13; 1John 4:19].

          Good or bad, a deed is a work done, and a result follows every deed, while life goes on and on until it ends [Eccles 12:13-14]: I can either continually let God change my life as I offer it for his best, or settle for the lesser and let it rot to damnation!

“Am I my brother’s guardian?”

          First and foremost, “… let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming nearer” [Hebrew 10:24].

          Next: “… if a person is caught doing something wrong,” Galatians 6 records, “… those of you who are spiritual should restore that person gently. Watch out for yourself so that you are not tempted as well…” because whatever a person does, it will influence and affect others.

          Complementarily, verses like 1Corinthians 5:9—12 and 2John 7—11 point out stark contrasts.

          Jesus has set the example to carry our burdens, even to death on a cross, bidding us to follow his example of serving. “… Practise carrying each other’s burdens.” Paul continued in Galatians 6, “In this way you will fulfill the law of the Messiah.”

          And that law of love does not portray one’s comparing with, much less to say assuming superiority over, another: “… For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is only fooling himself. Each person must examine his own actions…” [Gal 6:3—4] since each person is accountable before God for his/her own deeds.

          Finally: “… For everyone must carry his own load” [Gal 6:5], there is a place deep in each of our heart where only God is able fill, a place that is none of a guardian’s business: As exemplified in John 21:20—23, “If it is my will for him to remain until I come back, how does that concern you? You must keep following me!”

‘Instead, Cain told his brother Abel… When they were outside in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.’

          Cain was reminded to do what was appropriate [Gen 4:7], and he killed his brother. Adam, too, was told to not eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; he ate it afterwards, though [Genesis 3]. When “… Cain told his brother Abel…”, the latter couldn’t know the former’s inner motive, could he? Cain knew that God warned, and he rebelled against that knowledge, due to an inappropriate spirit, the mere self-willed spirit, by which he conceded that his action was right while he was in fact killing his own brother.

“Sin has not to do with morality or immorality, it has to do with my claim to my right to myself, a deliberate and emphatic independence of God…”

Chambers, Oswald: Our Portrait in Genesis. Marshall Morgan and Scott, 1958; 2002

          An appropriate motive should end up (albeit possibly through a moment of trials) in good actions, and good actions do not always guarantee that they stem from proper motives [Phil 1:15-18]. This guides me back to the foundation of continually getting myself appropriately related to God, who has given us his Son by whose name we must be saved [Acts 4:12]. “For by such grace you have been saved through faith… it is a gift…,” and if you really are grateful for the Giver of this gift, then make your relationship right with him, “… For we are God’s masterpiece, created… to perform good actions…” [Eph 2:8-10].

          So firstly we know that the call toward repentance is parellel to the call toward faith in Jesus’ name [Mark 1:15]; then, such faith must always be followed by actions, or else it’s as good as dead [James 2:26].

“… However, you must take dominion over it.”

          Everyone faces trials and tempations; all mankind failed at some points, but we’re not left without hope. “Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned” [Heb 4:15]; this one is our perfect example; he is to be honoured and lifted up [John 12:32].

(i)      In him, by his grace, we have authority over the evil ones; “I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning. Look! I have given you the authority…” [Luke 10:18-19].

(ii)      And in him, by his grace, too, “… faith is the victory that overcomes the world…” [1John 5:4]; it is the victory that overcomes the lures of those people who advocate living a worldly life away from God.

(iii)     Notwithstanding, there’s one still I need to take dominion over: myself. “Now those who belong to the Messiah have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires” [Gal 5:24]. My being convinced, of what God-designed human identity is, is vital.

“You will never understand who you are until you understand who God is.”

– Billy Graham

          If I face a sin from the devil, the world, or my flesh, I believe this is how I must understand and carry out the instruction“…take dominion over it…”:

“… Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I…” – indeed, no one but I, my heart, my soul, my mind, my strength – “… keep pursuing the goal…” – the goal of knowing the Messiah, of remembering his Crucifixion (recalling his suffering and death), of receiving from his Spirit the power of his Resurrection, of obeying his commandments, of producing fruit; all by his grace – “… to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus” [Phil 3].

“… However, you must take dominion over it.”

          “He…”, that is, the offspring of Eve as a whole [Net Bible Commentaries], “… will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel” [Gen 3:15]. That was how God cursed the serpent – in such a way that there will be mutual, on-going struggles and strikes between mankind and their enemies led by Satan. If the serpent is symbolic of the devil and his evil spirits, then the Messiah, who has committed no sin, is the unique representative of  – and the only refuge for – Eve’s offprings (i.e. all mankind), because he (and only he) has said and fulfilled what he has said, “I have overcome the world…” [John 16:33]; he died; he rose from the dead; he has overcome even the grave; he lives forever!

          In every difficulty, I must first be tutored by the Spirit of the Messiah through his words [Rom 10:17] so that my faith is strengthened and kept appropriate. Next, whatever clear instructions he has given me I immediately put into practice, now as always, and out of a sudden I see a possible break-through, which shall surely come to pass if I continually counter any fear and believe in my heart the Word of God. Then, I will preach through what I practise – as a witness and a form of exhortation to the people around me – especially to those who are presently trapped in similar circumstances as I was, remembering that, to them, the Messiah must become more important, but I must become less important [John 3:30].

“God does not give us an overcoming life; he gives us life as we overcome.”

– Oswald Chambers

“… if you do not do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near…, turning toward you…”

       All of us know that God exists, but sometimes doubts just hit in certain situation, questioning: ”Where is God?” And such doubts are altogether inappropriate!

       This shall be my response: “I have learnt…” from what Jesus has accomplished up to the Cross and beyond – not from my confidence in my own deeds – “… to be content in whatever situation I am in” [Phil 4:11]. The factor/cause is the Resurrection; my response to that factor/cause is to believe – in the Risen Lord; and the effect of such response is the Holy Spirit living in me. Then, God always directs me to where he will root me deeper in himself.

       “I can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens me…” [Phil 4:13] and, despite all the things I do, as a result the situation may not instantly turn out well; it is sometimes very paradoxical, but I am content. “… Nevertheless, it was kind of you to share my troubles” [v. 14]; even though I have resolved to not make myself an unnecessary burden to anyone, reflecting on my past and present, I really thank God for the brothers and sisters who has or had cared for, shared with and enriched my life.

       Indeed, facing various trials, “… if you do not do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near…” and “… anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin” [James 4:17], and “… if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God… in faith… and it will be given to him” [James 1:5--7].

       Living continually in the Messiah, in spite of the trials, I eventually realise what is not-meant-to-be-hidden: the ever-loving, ever-faithful, ever-hope-assuring Presence of the Most High.

 “If you do what is appropriate, you’ll be accepted, won’t you?”

       Sometimes I think this way: “I have done what is appropriate, but still I don’t feel my efforts appreciated.” That, I believe, is an inappropriate thinking; such mindset often causes me to be “… upset and depressed…” [Gen 4:5]. With that mental attitude comes the exclaimation, “Now, what have I done wrong to deserve this?”

 “Even your heart, if it is not entirely immersed in the Spirit, will deceive you.”

– Smith Wigglesworth

       I must not deceive myself; what is most appropriate for all of us is to seek God first concerning his kingdom and his righteousness [Matt 6:33].

       After that, concerning relationships among different people, in all matters I should apply what Paul through Roman 12:14 – 21 had exhorted us to do, as classical author Oswald Chamber also wrote in view of the Sermon On The Mount, “In this world never look for justice, but never cease to give it”.

       In short, this is the utmost important: “The Lord our God is one Lord… love the Lord your God… love your neighbour as yourself…” [Mark 12:29-30]. It is written, “This is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son…” [John 3:16], and setting himself as a standard example God’s unique Son said, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” [John 13:34].

       I had often sought desperately to be loved by others, but God’s commandment for us is to love others (as he has first loved us); being loved remains a gift and highest-privilege for us, and incessant insistences upon my individual wants/desires are often inappropriate inclinations to initiate with; I shall now begin by surrendering my will to the Sovereign Lord, listening to and obeying his clear instructions, shall I not?

‘… the LORD God called out to the man, asking him, “Where are you?”’

          Adam found no refuge more peaceful than to hide himself from the LORD, still being afraid, still giving in to the serpent near him. The spirit within that serpent gets near us sinners today, tempting us, and trying to fill us with terror; but let’s understand the Spirit of the Messiah:

          “… he came to convince and humble them, not to amaze and terrify them. He came not immediately from heaven in their view as afterwards on Mount Sinai, but he came in the garden, as one that was still willing to be familiar with them. He came walking, not riding upon the wings of the wind, but walking deliberately, as one slow to anger. He came in the cool of the day, not in the night, when all fears are doubly fearful; nor did he come suddenly upon them, but they heard his voice at some distance, giving them notice of his coming; and probably it was a still small voice, like that in which he came to enquire after Elijah. And they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God – A sad change! Before they had sinned, if they heard the voice of the Lord God coming towards them, they would have run to meet him, but now God was become a terror to them, and then no marvel they were become a terror to themselves.”

– John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes On The Whole Bible

          The point is: Adam and Eve knew God called, still they hid. Now, do we even know the voice of the Messiah today – and pursue him, by faith? He has made it clear that we are not to be afraid, “… I’ll never turn away the one who comes to me” [John 6:37].

“… The LORD looked favourably upon Abel and his offering, but he did not look favourably upon Cain and his offering.”

          Amongst the many sermon-records about God’s interacting with mankind, within one of them Smith Wigglesworth quoted 2 Pet. 1:16—17, and preached this way: “Sometimes people wonder how and why it is that the Holy Spirit is always expressing Himself in words. It cannot be otherwise. You couldn’t understand it otherwise. You cannot understand God by shakings, and yet shakings may be in perfect order sometimes. There isn’t any manifestation of the body – shakings, rollings, jumpings, and all kinds of things that are allowed – that is a manifestation of God. Only the utterances are manifestations of God. The others may be so mixed with the flesh and the Spirit that it would take a great deal of divine intuition and divine revelation to discriminate between the Spirit and flesh. But you can always tell when the Spirit moves and brings forth utterances. These utterances, not wavings of hands and shakings of body, magnify God.”

          Utterances, along with elements like prophecies, visions and dreams, can through divine interpretations be understood by and build up people. Nonetheless, there are also odd yet not uncommon phenomena, even those of a person being convulsed or physically weakened and so on, seemingly in an involuntary manner, while and/or after receiving prayers or the laying on of hands. There are still many other cases. All these are either Spirit-sustained, or self-induced, or devil-triggered.

          Whatever happens, God’s expressions must be differentiated from human responses, by divine guidance. Our attention must be fixed on Christ, on his clear instructions, on Christ-likeness and nothing else, no matter what exotic experience(s) one (or two or more) individual(s) may have had [John 3:30], because all – not just one or two – of us are called by God to grow deep, to mature, and, ultimately, to be Christ-like [1John 3:2-3]. Does God look favourably upon the manner we offer our lives (i.e. the way we live) for him?