Economy of Conviction
By Jim Huskins
McDowell County
Ten years ago I raised an organic, market garden and operated a roadside stand. The hours were long, the work was hard, and the return was inadequate. One woman acted insulted and told me that she would never pay a dollar for one tomato. It was an Abe Lincoln heirloom with flawless skin, picked ripe that morning. It weighed well over a pound. I had sliced one like it for lunch. I pitied her because she had obviously never experienced tomato perfection.
I thought of her recently as I craved a tomato sandwich. I bought the best heirloom available from a local market. It was commercially grown with all the poisons and none of the homegrown flavor. Average size, underripe, and misshapen. I paid $2.50 plus tax for the privilege of a disappointing sandwich.
During the decade since my market garden, more than just the price of vegetables has changed. Inflation and economic stagnation leave ordinary people struggling to survive. Millions of able-bodied Americans refuse to hold any job. The politicians who are supposed to represent us and the organizations that are supposed to inform us are owned by the rich and powerful. Worst of all, an astounding portion of our population has chosen to live in rebellion against God.
My tale of two tomatoes has a point. We pay the price when we perceive the intersection of value and need. The Bible proclaims that Godliness has value, but Godly lives can only be bought through personal denial. Galatians 5:19-21 puts it this way, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Our Father paid an unimaginable price so that we can inherit His kingdom. Jesus told us to bring people into that kingdom and teach them to live according to His instructions. Our Commission is clear, but I wonder if we still see value in the work. Why are we waiting quietly on the sidelines while Godly behaviors and institutions are trashed? Why have we chosen “peace and unity” when we should be proclaiming Godly holiness? Where is righteous outrage when it is desperately needed?
Saving faith is not about comfort, entertainment, good health, and prosperity. Following Christ involves taking up an execution stake and living as He lived. “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (I John 2:6) In a world that rejects everything Godly, the price of discipleship is high.
Evil is widespread and well organized. What can one person do? Despair is a seductive temptation. Jesus was tempted just as we are. During His wilderness trial, He turned to the Book of Deuteronomy. Perhaps we should do the same.
Deuteronomy 28 is one of the most significant chapters in Scripture. It presents God’s agenda by detailing the blessings which accrue to obedience and the curses which follow disobedience.“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”
The curses which accompany disobedience chill the marrow. “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.” Obedience comes at a high price. The cost of disobedience is even higher. God punishes rebellious nations. Our society promotes fornication, adultery, homosexuality, materialism, the murder of unborn babies, and more. How much longer will He tolerate these abominations?
The Book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell address. He summarizes both Israel’s history and God’s instructions for living. Then he charges God’s people to lead Godly lives. Beginning in 30:15 he says, “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply…. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish…. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.”
Our culture is in such sad shape because God’s people have refused to choose life. The reward for sin is death. We have stood with our hands in our pockets while the influencers of our age have insisted that sin must be celebrated. Our ancient adversary spent years poisoning the hearts of believers with the notion that “grace” makes obedience unnecessary. Our words say that we are committed to Christ’s kingdom, but our actions insist that we are not willing to pay the price. God is still holy. He still demands that we lead holy lives. “Cheap grace” theology is so popular because many want the value of “salvation” without the cost of forsaking sin.
What happened to Babylon and Egypt and ancient Israel? Why are the splendor that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome reduced to rumors whispered by dusty documents and crumbling artifacts? History is the record of God’s judgment. How long can America endure in flagrant rebellion?
Ancient wisdom insists that we get what we pay for. By refusing to stand against the evil which assaults us at every hand, Christians are buying a culture that Holy God cannot tolerate. Perhaps it is not too late for us to stand in holiness and reclaim the moral high ground. The cost will be severe, but the alternative is unthinkable.
Obedient Heart Fellowship meets each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. 828-460-7913
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Jim & Beverly Huskins are members of Obedient Heart Fellowship in McDowell County. Beginning July 2, 2022 Obedient Heart Fellowship will meet at 10:00 Each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. Call 828-460-7913 for info.
You can read more good Christian news from Jim HERE.
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