Burnt Toast
is what we have to show for ourselves when we make our own bread and forget we put some of it in the toaster.
“By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.””
Genesis 3:19 NASB2020
Whenever you and I go out into the world, it doesn’t take long for us to wear ourselves out by working to make a living. Regardless of what stage of life you’re in, the truth is that you’re doing something so that maybe tomorrow will be a little easier to manage.
As kids we go to school to learn how to process the things of our world. We learn math so we can understand how our world works, how to pay for things, and how to build architectural marvels. We learn to read so that maybe we can learn from the past. We learn about science so that our tangible world makes a little more sense.
As adults we go to college to get jobs that we think we would enjoy. Some of us end up doing jobs just for the sake of making ends meet. Truly, all of us are just trying to make ends meet. Food isn’t going to just appear into our hands without us doing anything to procure it.
Our entire world is based on our want for tomorrow to somehow be better, yet tomorrow is always full of the same troubles and insecurity.
“There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? For to a person who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is futility and striving after wind.”
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 NASB2020
You may be starting to notice something curious about this whole “work” thing that we all find ourselves doing: you can’t escape it.
No matter how hard you try, at some point in your life you’ll have to work for something. Even if you’re simply maintaining riches that have been passed down to you, you are still working to ensure that you’re going to be able to survive.
Whenever we think about our relationships with God, I think a lot of times we base how He sees us on how good we are at following His rules and doing all of the right things. We schedule prayer. We schedule quiet time to read our Bibles. We go to church every week, multiple times a week. Yet no matter what we do, most of us end up sad or worn out at some point—if I can say it, burnt out on our faith. But, as we can clearly see in scripture, we are made righteous not by our church attendance, Bible studies, or prayer life, but by Jesus Christ.
A sad reality of our American church culture today is so many people walking around wearing the yoke of doing stuff for God. We should all aim to live lives that please Him, but so often we lose sight of the reason that we are able to be a blessing to anyone: Jesus.
When you go out of your way to love your neighbor, you are acting out of a love that can only come from Christ. We can’t possibly love a neighbor the way we love ourselves, really; but because even the smallest light pierces the darkness, our own feeble attempts to lead a righteous life can still do some good with God’s help.
My hope for you today is this:
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.”
Romans 13:10 NASB2020
The hope in that verse is not found in ourselves, it is found in Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Law, and He is love. Rest today knowing that because of Him you have been given a chance to eat from the bread of life—a meal that doesn’t depend on you tending your garden. He also has some water that pairs with it pretty well, if you’re willing to ask Him.