No Work, No Food: An Observation of Scriptural Nourishment

If I can state one specific idea of human life that is believed to be essential to living, it would be the notion that if I truly want to do good for myself, I must work for it. I’ve heard numerous times that in order to advance in life, I need to work hard, and it seems to be true. In order for most people to advance at their jobs, relationships, hobbies, sports, and anything else in life for that matter, they must work. Students slave over term papers and study continuously for higher grades, parents struggle to raise good, productive children in the world, and it’s even apparent in recreation how important it is to work hard. It seems that we have found the ancient secret to success: work hard and prosper.

But if this is true, why is it not taken into account for Christian faith? It seem that many Christians will claim their faith but will not take defining steps toward a dedicated following of Christ. Maybe it’s because of verses such as Ephesians 2:8. Many feel that since works do not save, there is no reason to labor for faith. I must admit that I somewhat believed this at one point in my life. I felt that since I am already saved, I don’t need to work for my faith; it is given by God, and I cannot earn it, so why exert so much effort?

This is a misleading notion when it comes to scriptural nourishment. Earlier in my life, I did follow Jesus, but I didn’t follow the best that I could. I didn’t read his Word often or pray much. I somehow abandoned the idea of “no work, no food” and was tremendously weak in my faith while not knowing it at the time. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul speaks of this idea of working. The rule Paul gives those in the church is that a man must work or not eat. This is where the social thought of working for gain springs into play. The problem is that there is an implausible chasm between the idea that is applied to most peoples’ lives and what Paul actually means. It’s not for gain that we work, for Christ has gained all for his followers; it’s for nourishment.

This idea of “no work, no food” is on a spiritual plain. We all must understand that God’s hand is stretched out, reaching for us to take hold where he will support our lives to the fullest. Imagine setting at a dinner table. You take the food and place it into your mouth, chew it, and ultimately swallow it. No one stands behind you holding your jaws open forcing the food into your mouth regardless if you want it or not. God’s Word works in the same regards. It is there for our nourishment and benefit, but we must make the step to take it. Otherwise, we are idle at the table waiting for the food to casually float to our mouths and abruptly shove itself in. This is force feeding, and Christ doesn’t force himself on to us. Consider the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14:15. As the feast is prepared, many guests were “invited.” The man doesn’t send out a search party for specific detainees and take them into custody. In the same sense, God reveals himself to us, giving us the power and opportunity to turn to him. We are not forced.

Simply waiting for the food to nourish our bodies as it sets on the plate is as if waiting for God to inspire us without us wanting the inspiration. This is sheer idleness. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul’s main focus is on idleness of the spirit. He’s not concerned for the physical but the spiritual actions of his Christian brethren. This should call for a self-evaluation of every Christian. The Lord desires for us to work and live in him. If we do not, we are idle in our faith which leads to unfruitfulness. How can anyone notice our joy and the love of Christ through our idleness?

Not only does it keep us from spreading Christ greatness to the world, this idleness weakens us in devastating ways. In some aspects, it is like a learned skill. The more we use the skill, the better we become with it. The less used, the weaker it turns out to be. If we concentrate on our faith and nourish it with prayer, reading the scripture, and life application, we will not be weakened but strengthened in Christ’s grace. If we neglect God’s tools for spiritual betterment, we will become brittle, frail Christians not living to our fullest.