He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8, NKJV

 

If someone showed you how to get what you wanted, would you do it? Most of us would immediately say that we would, especially if it was something we truly desired, but would we really do it? For example, working hard is the key to wealth and prosperity, but most do not want to work hard enough or smart enough to accomplish their dreams. The top is lonely in most professions not because the people at the top are necessarily wanting to keep the fruits of success all to themselves, but because most people are not willing to really and truly do what it takes to become the best.

 

We see the professional golfer and might envy his success, but do we envy the thousands upon thousands of practice swings and putts that he or she must put into their profession? We envy the millionaire (or is it now the billionaire?) but would we be willing to give up everything, often including our family and other close relationships, to attain such wealth? We admire the famous musicians and artists, but do we see the sacrifice of time and effort that went into their reaching that fame?

 

If we were honest, the vast majority of us would never trade the things that most of those whom society views as truly successful have to do to get that way. We wouldn't want to trade every second of our time to become super-rich because most of us would like to be that wealthy in the first place just so that we wouldn't have to work if we didn't feel like it. Few of us have the near obsessive drive that the professional athletes often possess - there are simply other areas of life that we would like to enjoy. And, when it comes down to it, many of these highly successful people have given up close relationships in order to pursue that success. I remember my wife telling me over thirty years ago that she had something that one world-famous talk show hosts stated she did not have - a happy marriage!

 

The point is that life is a series of tradeoffs and even negotiations with our time and relationships, and most people are completely unwilling to give up a well-rounded life for fame or fortune. And, when it comes down to such a trade, they shouldn't be willing to do so.

 

However, there is one area of life that every single person will wish that they had done what they could to achieve, and that is heaven! Everyone eventually runs out of time, and everyone eventually will have to answer to their Maker for the decisions they have made. Since that is the case, it behooves us to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that we will be with God someday. At this point many will scoff and say that they are going on "the grace plan" so there isn't anything they have to do. To such people, I would say don't fool yourself! I, too, am intending to go on that so-called "grace plan" but we must understand that God's offer of grace. though extended to all, does come with definite and well-defined responsibilities. You don't believe that? Then why did God create Hell? Further, why did the Son of God say the following:

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Matthew 7:21, NKJV

and

But why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say? ...the one who hears My words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.  Luke 6:46 & 49, NKJV

 

The point of all this is that we do indeed have to walk in obedience with God's instruction, but the good news is that we do not have to give up everything else that is worthwhile in life. We can still enjoy satisfying work and fun activities. We can still maintain pleasant relationships with our family and friends. As a matter of fact, living in obedience to God's commandments actually enhance all of the things in life that are rightful for us to enjoy. And while it may seem hard to be faithful to God at times, faithful living is actually much easier than is unfaithfulness. And God has shown us what we need to do: We simply need to live right before Him in areas such as justice and mercy and our everyday "walk" before Him.

 

He has, indeed, shown us what is expected. The only question is, are we willing to do it?

What has happened to all your joy?

Galatians 4:15, NIV (1978)

 

A gentleman by the name of John Christensen realized that there was a problem in the workplace that is common to all men. It seems like we all fall into a rut at times when our work is a sheer drudgery, so much so that we hate to even go to work, we hate every minute of our workday, and then we count those minutes until the clock tells us we can go home. Of course, such an attitude not only affects us, it also spills over to everyone around us. It makes for angry co-workers, angry bosses, and angry customers. So, what can we do?

 

This was the very problem that John Christensen set out to solve. He found the solution in, of all places, the Pike Place Fish Market! For those of you who aren't familiar with this particular business, Pike Place is a huge outdoor and indoor mall area in Seattle, Washington that sells everything from food to flowers. It's main claims to fame are the Starbuck's original coffee shop and the Pike Place Fish Market. As most of you might suspect, Seattle is famous for its fresh seafood and its many fish markets. However, there is one fish market that stands out from the crowd, and that is the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market.

 

But why does it stand out and why is it "world-famous"?  

 

This is the very thing that John Christensen set out to find out, and what he discovered led to an entirely new (though actually as old as business itself) method of doing business. He noticed one day that the people who worked in this fish market were not at all like most folks whose work is both repetitive and physically demanding. Instead of merely "slogging" through their workday, these men actually seemed to be having fun. They would literally throw fish across the shop to one another with phrases like, "One fish flying off to Boston", and "Five crabs flying off to Paris". The phrase would be repeated in chorus by the other workers (and often customers) and the atmosphere was, in a word, fun! He noticed that when these men were not actually involved in a specific task that their eyes were scanning the crowd seeking someone who looked like they were in need of help. He also noticed that their interactions with these customers seemed absolutely sincere as they sought to help the customer get what they wanted, instead of selling them something that they might not need.

 

From all this, John came up with a four-step solution to the typical workplace malaise. Here in a nutshell are these four items:

 

First: Choose your attitude! Most people do not have the luxury of choosing their "dream job" and as a result are often less than enthusiastic about their work. As mentioned before, attitude is contagious and has a way of impacting everybody around you. In other words, if you come to work mad, then you are going to influence everyone around you to become angry as well. If you are bored and sleepwalking through your work, don't be surprised if those you work with reflect that pitiful state of mind. The obvious question is how can we get excited about work that we do not particularly enjoy?

 

That's where the second step comes in: Have fun! The people at Pike Place Fish Market had a job that many would consider dull, repetitive and hard. These men made it fun. They began to literally throw the fish to one another to get it from point A to point B. It was not done in a chaotic or unsanitary manner, however. It was done in a thoughtful and highly coordinated manner that was not only fun for the workers but also entertaining to their customers. Sometimes they would even throw the fish to a particularly adventurous customer!

 

This is where the third step of their philosophy comes in: Make their day! People who are coming to a fish market are typically just looking to shop in a way that I once heard an economics professor describe as the "bank robbery method". You're in, you're out, and no one gets hurt! Shopping for fish is usually just as monotonous as working at a fish market, but not at Pike Place. As previously mentioned, the Pike Place Fish Market is world famous. And it is interesting to note that this did not happen by accident. When the store was just another fish market that had nothing that would cause one to think it was any different from the hundreds of other fish places in this port city, the owner and workers set out to change that. They literally set out to make their place world famous and that is exactly what happened. They did so by not only providing a fun work environment for the workers but intentionally set out to make the customer's day by providing a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. 

 

And this brings us to the fourth step: Be present! By that, the workers meant that they were not on their cell phones or goofing off when their job did not demand their immediate attention. Instead, when not involved in a specific task, they began to scan the crowd to see who might be in need of help. They also looked for people who might not actually be buying something that day, but they sought to converse with everyone around them. They would cheerfully interact with them, from friendly greetings to polite questions that would make the people feel valued, respected and important. These were not people who "sleepwalked" through their day; rather, they were people who were full of zest, joy, and compassion.

 

When John Christensen got finished analyzing the Pike Place Fish Market, he realized that he had hit upon something that would be useful to every type of business. He made a series of training videos on his discovery, co-authored a book, "Fish!" and went around the nation sharing his findings with interested businesses that were seeking to become "World-Famous" in their own rights.

 

Now, here is the question for us: Would such a method make a difference in our lives? Not just in your business, but in even more important things such as with your family and with the Lord's church? You see, each one of us struggles in our own relationships, in our own situations, and in just about every aspect of our own lives. We may have lost touch with our family. We may have lost that righteous fervor within the church. We may think we are stuck in dead-end jobs that we have to go to in order to pay our bills, but that deep down we literally hate. Maybe it's your school, perhaps it's with your friends - it really doesn't matter what the specific area is, as long as that area is important to you.

 

The cold, hard fact is that we may not be able to choose our specific situation, but we can choose our attitude! We can then stop waiting for those around us to change and change ourselves by beginning to have fun again, by looking to help make other's day, and by being present to the point that we actually become aware of the needs of others. 

 

If you, like Paul, have been wondering what has happened to your joy, then do something about it. I think that this four-step method that John Christenson came across has the potential to help us all. After all, when you really think about it, it has its roots in one of the most basic and important Scriptural principles found in all of God's word. It goes like this:

 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24, NIV (1978) 

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24, NKJV

 

His name was Mark Moudy, and he was without a doubt one of the friendliest men I have ever known. He was a first cousin to my wife, and one of the first times I met him was at our wedding reception. When we left for our honeymoon, someone had put a bunch of mixed nuts into my bride's luggage. As it turned out, of course, it was Mark. He was a practical joker from the time he had been a small boy, and he later revealed that he had actually thought about adding a piece of wedding cake and a cup of punch to go along with the nuts. In retrospect, he was wise to stop with the nuts.

 

Before we moved to Happy, I would see Mark from time to time at family gatherings. He was a big man who I'm sure could have been intimidating if he had desired, but Mark was not at all interested in intimidating people - he just seemed to want to be friends and make everyone around him laugh.

 

And he was good at making people laugh. Once, when he was in high school, he thought it would be funny to scare a teacher by hiding in a locker in the classroom. His plan was to jump out and say, "present" when she called his name for role, but the teacher was way ahead of him. Knowing where he was, she proceeded to call role and, if my memory of Mark's telling of this tale serves me right, latched the door to the locker prior to calling his name. Knowing he was caught, Mark just remained in the locker, answering, "present" from within his recent confinement. 

 

I suppose everyone has a "Mark" anecdote that they enjoy telling and retelling. Many involved the fact that he had only four fingers on one hand (from an unfortunate farm accident) and involved his interactions with small children who just couldn't resist the delicious horror of going up and viewing his injury from close range. One little fellow, Gage Waldo (aged four at the time) was so concerned for this big bear of a man who treated him so kindly, would often pray at home for Mark to grow back that missing finger. Just about every week, Gage would come up to Mark after the worship service to view Mark's hand just to see if God had miraculously healed that finger. One of these times, Mark impulsively held up his good hand and cheerfully wiggled all five fingers. He realized too late what he had done for he had to interrupt Gage's jubilant celebration with a sad shake of his head and a holding up of his bad hand to show him that it was still missing that finger.

 

At other times, Mark would warn the little guys who had just glimpsed his four-fingered hand of the dangers of picking their noses.

 

He sold Herba-Life for a while and would proudly wear a button that read, "Ask me how I lost 60 pounds". He would go to various Herba-Life conventions and tell everyone he was from Happy, Texas. When the inevitable question came as to where in this world Happy was, Mark would tell them it was located about half-way between Arney and Wayside. That was a big help since both were located well off of any highway, and had populations of about five and twenty people, respectively. It would have been way too easy to tell them it was about 35 miles south of a city everyone had heard of, namely, Amarillo, Texas.

 

More than anything, Mark loved people. He was fiercely devoted to his family and, as some of his children would say, maybe a bit overly protective. While you know this had to be a burden in the eyes of his kids when they were still at home, all came to realize that his protective nature was just an extension of his great love for them. He was equally protective of the church, where he spent over twenty years of his life serving as one of our elders. When healthy, Mark was at the church building every time the doors were open, be it Sunday morning, Sunday night, or at Wednesday night prayer meeting. He led singing, taught in the Bible classes, and would even fill in at preaching if needed. Whenever Mark got up to speak, he nearly always had a smile on his face, and got you to laughing if he could, for he wanted everyone to feel comfortable. Then he would bring the Good News to them, unashamedly and without reservation.

 

A few years ago, Mark was diagnosed with cancer. I'm sure he must have had his private moments of despair when alone or with family, but in public you would have never known he was even sick. He hesitated to tell people too much about the things he was going through and the pain he was experiencing, because he was simply not the kind of man who let on about his difficulties. Up until just a few weeks before he passed, he was at the worship if his health would permit it. It took him a lot to get into that building, and a lot of discomfort to sit in those uncomfortable pews while he was there, but he didn't let on. He didn't like people to focus on his ailment, but he was still most appreciative for their concern. 

 

He spent his last few weeks, mostly in his chair or bed, receiving family and friends and trying to make them feel at home and appreciated for their kindness in coming to visit him. He was not a perfect man (the only perfect One who ever lived was crucified) but he was about as close to perfect in the friend category as a man could possibly be. As the Bible instructed, he loved people deeply from the heart, and you felt that love just about every time you were in his presence. 

 

He has gone on to his reward now, and he has a left a giant hole in this world that will be hard to fill. We can all try, however, to do our part. It will begin with the instruction we read at the beginning of this article: We can prove ourselves to be friendly, and we can stick closer than a brother when we see others who are experiencing things that they really don't need to handle on their own. We will all miss Mark, those of us who knew him, but just the memory of his mischievous smile and obvious love for life will always have the ability to bring a smile to our own faces as we now must go through the rest of our lives without the companionship of this man who was such a dear friend to so many. He truly is a man who will be greatly missed, but never forgotten, and I think we are all better people for having known our friend, Mark Moudy,

Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight if the LORD more than all who were before him. It came about,

as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,

that he married Jezebel... and went to serve Baal and worship him.

I Kings 16:30-31, NASB

 

Did you catch that? Ahab thought sin was a trivial thing!

 

I think there are a lot of people today who do the same, and perhaps you are in agreement. Do you ever get tired of some old fashioned person going on and on about how sexual immorality is wrong? After all, people today will argue that God just wants us to be happy and that "love is love is love" so it doesn't matter who you sleep with, just as long as you are in love with them. Isn't God all about love anyway? And how about this: Does it become wearisome to you to hear someone stuck in the middle ages talk about how abortion is wrong? Don't they know about the importance of a woman doing whatever she thinks best with her own body? Never mind the fact that there is another "body" involved - a person should have the right to choose, shouldn't they?

 

Didn't God give Adam and Eve the right to choose whether or not to eat of the forbidden fruit? What about that?

 

The questions could go on and on, but you get the point. People have so trivialized the things that God defines as sin to the extent that they will even implicate Him in their sin. They will say things like, "Well, God made me this way" or "The Devil made me do it" and that will be that. And in their pitiful little minds the issue is settled. Sin is no longer sin. Case closed!

 

Or is it? When we read of Adam and Eve we find that God did in fact give them the freedom to choose. On this point, no one can argue. However, what people fail to do is to read on to the conclusion. God did give Adam and Eve a freedom of choice, but not the freedom from punishment should they make the wrong choice. So, when the two ate of the forbidden fruit contrary to God's commandment, they died spiritually. This spiritual death required that they be separated from God, and that separation meant that they had to be removed from the Paradise that God had made for them to be with Him. And though it is true that they did not suffer physical death that day, the spiritual death was a far worse punishment for it meant an end to a relationship with God. This is not to imply that they could not repent of their sin at a later time, and have their spiritual lives along with their relationship with God restored, but it did absolutely mean that as long as they were unrepentant and in a state of trivializing sin, they remained separated from God.

 

And in this state, a person loses even their right to ask God for His assistance through prayer. This right could be restored, but again, as long as they trivialized sin to the point where it was no longer sin in their own minds, they remained apart from God and His Divine help.

 

Now, look at the passage above that involves King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel. It would be hard to find another couple so completely devoid of conscience, but this is what always happens when people trivialize sin to the point that they no longer pay attention to God's commandments. Ahab was eventually killed, and Jezebel was literally eaten by dogs. And the nation of people that they ruled and that followed their evil lead would eventually come to a bitter end themselves.

 

How about today? We have got to the point where people actually call evil good, and good evil. They will say that it is right to engage in activity that God has defined as sexually immoral, and that it is bigotry to call such conduct wrong. Further, they will support a woman's "right" to kill their unborn babies and will even vote for those who promise to keep this vile form of modern-day human sacrifice legal. 

 

And in their minds they are justified in doing so. They have so trivialized God's sacred commandments that they are no longer sacred or commanded in their eyes. After all, isn't God's grace sufficient to cover all thins?

 

The answer to that question must be qualified, for the One who through His grace is willing to forgive has placed some terms of His own upon that forgiveness, For example, in verse four of Jude's letter to the church's, God inspires Jude to warn about those who would pervert God's grace and turn it into a license to sin. He defines such people as "ungodly" meaning they neither are acting according to God's commandments, nor are they recognizing God's right to forbid certain types of behavior in the first place. The ironic thing is that such people do not believe in any commandments they do not agree with, but they do believe in grace.

 

So, what's the lesson? The lesson is that God has defined very clearly what sin is. Our duty is to love, revere, and respect Him enough to pay attention to His directives and then to comply with them. Anything else would be a trivializing of sin. And, history shows, such an attitude has always resulted in disaster.

 

When we become so jaded to the commandments of God, we need to catch ourselves before it is too late. It is true that we still have freedom of choice in all things. The caveat is that we do not have the right to make the wrong decision without having to eventually pay the penalty for such error. The solution? Consider the words of Jesus:

 

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:15, ESV

 

The solution, then, is to love God and Christ enough to obey Them.