Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. ~ Genesis 2:15
Our ability to reflect God’s love and goodness is tied directly to how we live and what we do. God’s promise to us is that we were created with purpose.
Ephesians 2:8-9 is one of the most critical passages in the Bible, in my opinion, and often referred to during Sunday morning sermons. It’s one of the more simpler ways we learn that Christ’s gift of salvation to us is just that — it’s a gift. It’s His grace alone that saves us, “not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, we can never, ever, ever make right with God on our own. We are sinners, culpable in all that is wrong with this world, and that happens just through being born.
A dad quickly learns (if he doesn’t already know) that sin is inherent in each one of his children from the beginning, not a learned trait as other world religions dictate. As a new parent, I remember the first time my child stood before me and lied, and it hit me, this wasn’t something anybody taught her. It was in her from the beginning. How did she know that to try and stay out of trouble she should misconstrue the truth? There’s no one who ever taught her that. Prior to that day, she did not know what a lie was, but she certainly knew how to do it.
I’ve watched (and waited) as each of my children eventually stood before me, twisting the truth into something else. They cannot avoid it, and neither can any of your children. At our house, it usually has happened around the ages of two or three, yet by then you’ve probably already watched them fight with another sibling, try to take a toy away from another baby or have some kind of temper tantrum for not getting their way.
It’s easy to suggest that fighting, stealing or throwing a fit can be a learned behavior, but lying requires a critical-thinking skill where each child must, for at least a moment, contemplate the worth of telling the truth versus making up a lie, and in that moment, they believe that lying will free them from a punishment they know is waiting.
Where fighting, stealing and having a fit can be an emotional outburst, lying is always calculated, and in that moment, sin has taken its place, not to say that the other issues aren’t also the result of sin. The truth of it is that we are sinners from the start. It’s not something we learned or picked up, although our learned behavior helps us exploit the sin behavior each of us has.
So it’s only through Jesus that we are saved and because of this, the only way to reconnect with God is through Christ. Believe in Christ, and He will through His grace and goodness protect you from the death that assuredly awaits all sinners. Choose anything other than Christ and death leads to eternal punishment, more painful than any reality we can imagine.
Often, pastors stop here when preaching Ephesians, but Paul doesn’t. He continues to say in verse 10 “for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). In short, we have purpose!
Before any of us was born, before God in His infinite wisdom created us, He gave each one of us purpose, and it is only when we work toward His purpose for ourselves that we can truly be holy and really follow the Lord.
But what does this purpose look like in boys?
God makes it clear in Genesis that men were created for work. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” I’ve often joked with my wife when looking at this passage that a garden prior to sin couldn’t have been too difficult to care for, but the point is that Adam isn’t on a vacation, he must manage the garden no matter how easy or difficult (remember, the thorn and weeds come after the fall). Adam also is tasked with naming the animals as they appear before him, perhaps another softball of a job, but it’s work no less.
The Bible is full of great work examples. Much of Exodus is a lesson book in how a man can be given a skill by the Lord and use it for the Lord’s glory and enjoyment. Moses is given step by step instructions for how the tent that will be the Lord’s traveling temple in the desert as well as every item used for worship and sacrifice are to be built and created.
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship” (Exodus 31:2-3). Bezalel isn’t the only one blessed with such skills. “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you” (Exodus 31:6).
Lately, at my wife’s request, I’ve started working with my boys in the garage. We began with a simple bench for inside the house, recently finished a toddler bed for my daughter and after that built a bare but beautiful 8-foot kitchen table. I’m not a craftsman, and I must say that it’s been as difficult for me to figure out what a Kreg jig is and how to use it as it has been for my boys.
But the point is that my boys are learning beside me, and while I may never carve out something as fancy or important as the Ark of the Covenant, I certainly can help my boys learn how to use a set of tools for their own benefit, and maybe even God’s.
So what are they learning? They’re learning that busy hands with purpose create discipline, and with boys, the earlier we teach them to be disciplined the better. I don’t know about you, but boys just seemed destined to be lazy if they’re not given a task. I know few that will go off on their own to do something with purpose and if they do it’s not long before whatever they’re doing devolves into mischief.
In today’s world, with everything moving at the speed of light and right at your fingertips, discipline is a must. Too many boys (and dads) are wasting their times with their phones, their apps, their video games, and little of this glorifies the Lord. Work provides income, provides food. Done right and it will benefit others.
They’re also gaining a sense of accomplishment. I worked with my dad while growing up a bit but not as much as I would have liked now that I look back on it. I’m not sure it’s because he never asked or because I was never interested. But I fondly remember building a live rabbit trap with him when I was about five and a wood bench press when I was about 12.
I still remember that glorious morning, the backyard covered in snow and there inside our trap was a rabbit, which we later let go. I built that trap with my dad and it worked! And how could I not remember building that bench press every time I sat down to lift weights. Boys who learn success from their own hard work will gain a deeper understanding of how to find it as an adult and will be less likely to give up when the going gets tough.
Finally, when we teach our boys to work, and that work is done in the name of the Lord, it can and should bring a sense of purpose, and that leads to holiness. Think about what brings you a sense of purpose, and I’d almost put money on it (“almost” because I don’t gamble) that it requires some type of effort, something we could describe as work. This is what the Lord created us for, and we can only bring our boys here if we teach them to work. Paul says in Colossians that “it is the Lord Christ whom you serve” and so “whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Paul also goes so far as to say the man who doesn’t work, shouldn’t eat.
“If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Tell your boy he won’t get lunch until he picks up and eventually he’ll pick up. Hunger will drive him to it.
Perhaps with a bit of pride (and probably justified pride at that), Paul is very clear to the Thessalonians that none can argue he took advantage of them while sharing the Gospel, for he worked for his keep and ate no bread without paying for it.
The Bible is clear what happens when men don’t work, and it’s not good. “Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks” (Ecclesiastes 10:18 NKJV). The house falls apart around you. No one wants to live like that. Not me, not my boys and not you either.
Today’s piece was taken from Christopher’s book “Raising Sons.” It is a companion piece to his other book “Raising Daughters.” While written to dads, these books make a great family read, complete with Bible readings, study questions and prayerful reflection. From now until Father’s Day, both are available at a discount price by clicking here.
