A Christians Report Card-- I still pass if I get a C (don't I?)

What does God really think of us when we take the attitude that we've done what he's said we have to do, so then we just 'sit on it' and live our lives and do our thing, waiting for the next age when we may be more ambitious? We get involved in discussions-- arguments in many cases-- on this board and others about points that matter little compared to many others, and I sometimes wonder if we (certainly including I) do that to feel as if we're making some kind of contribution to the truth, when in reality we are substituting this for the time we should be involved in programs and missions.

In school, in my long gone days, and sometimes at home as well, as a usually good and smart kid, there were times I decided to give up any extra effort and just "get by" with a C or with a sloppy job mowing the yard or straightening up my room. It was either being lazy or wanting to read or work on what I wanted, instead of what I was assigned. My teachers and parents always 'jumped on me' (I thought) too much for simply doing the same as so many kids. "I passed, didn't I?" I would say. But teachers would lecture, "...you know you're capable of better work than that, and I want you to make more of an effort next time." It was hard for me to understand why they would get upset with me when I passed; after all, they just have a job to do and they did it, and I'm just supposed to get good enough marks to keep advancing from one grade to the next. As for parents, they said I ought to 'take more pride' in the place I lived and keeping it neat and orderly, than just being content with everything being "as good as anybody else's."

And then there was the related issue of trying to wrangle out of trouble with that same attitude of doing what was required, and sometimes trying to use technicalities. For example, I have an older sister and 2 younger brothers, and we had grandparents who for years stayed with us while both parents worked. When my sister was 13 and I was 11, we were given charge of the house and the 2 younger brothers, with my sister bearing the primary responsibility. We were to clean up (the house and ourselves) and see that we all got supper of some kind. But when my sister got to be 14 and 15, she began running out on me and going around with her friends. The parents found out one day that she left at 4 o'clock and didn't come back till after 7, when our dad got off work. They told her the next day she is not to go anywhere until we get the 2 younger guys fed. So the next day at 4 (almost 2 hours early) she put 4 frozen pot pies in the oven and said she has 'made supper' for everyone, so then she went out and got in a car with some of her buds. I don't really remember any more about that particular incident, but apparently after that and being grounded she attended to her duties better, at least most of the time. But then, as high school things-- band, drama, et al-- began taking more of her time, I began shirking and leaving the 2 brothers on their own too much and telling the parents, "Hey, ya'll said it was [sister]'s main responsibility." Ready and willing we were not, in spite of being able.

So when God looks at us as from the viewpoint of parent or teacher, what does he think about us? Most Christians (IMHO) are the lousy attitude type ... "I accepted Jesus and I go to church, at least every once in a while; I keep my language cleaner than most people I know, and I try to be fair and honest when I can-- isn't that enough in this world that's always trying to take advantage of me?"

On one hand, God's standard is perfection. On the other, none of us come anywhere close to that, so why try? Why make more effort when we already know we've failed the standard? Teachers and parents-- maybe they don't have a 'standard of perfection,' but it's true that the higher the capability of the individual, the higher the achievement they expect. God must be the same, for he has transferred his perfection standard and given us another way to achieve it. And he has no obligation to treat all individuals exactly the same, as he did not treat all nations the same in the days before the gospel of his Son. Israel knew the law and had agreed to worship Him only, so when they broke that covenant he dealt harshly with them by allowing them to be conquered by pagan nations, in spite of those pagan nations being more evil and idolatrous. In the age of grace, then, does he deal harshly with Christians who know his Word, but often "cop out" and think of lame excuses-- "I'm only human," "I'm as good as anybody else," "I work too many hours to be a goody-two-shoes when I'm off," ... going to even worse excuses, such as "That's why I needed his grace in the first place, so he'll forgive me now, too, won't he?"

I wouldn't be writing this post if I didn't think this is an issue that I have been ignoring, maybe for years. 25-30 years ago, I was in a fairly small church (avg. about 140 for Sunday Bible Study), being a teacher-- sometimes regular, sometimes fill-in-- associate director, singing in the choir, serving on committees, taking part in a nursing home extension service, and filling the church pulpit when needed; 8 times, if I remember right. Now, in a much larger church, I do almost nothing except attend. My own small class does not want me to fill in as a teacher-- I think it is the directors, a married couple, who insist on that, for after the only time they heard me teach, I have not been asked again, rather our class goes in with another or there is an outsider who fills in. So I take the attitude that if they don't want me, then there's reason for me not teaching. And being a big church there are a lot of talented singers and musicians, and many who can go on mission trips-- something I have never done-- and handle the seminars and other programs, I can feel inadequate. So I do wonder if I have stayed in the wrong church too long, indeed if I ever should have been involved there. So I am going to be reevaluating this.

As to what it really gains us to strive to be the best we can be in the eyes of God, just doing so should be enough. We may consider the parable of the talents and think in terms of rewards, and there may be rewards for those who used what God gave them profitably. But we can't ignore the one who hid his one talent so that it gained nothing. That's like in school if a challenged student turns a test paper back in, having done nothing with it. If the student had at least tried-- as the man with one talent should have at least lent it out and gained a little interest-- there might be a passing grade. But no effort at all means an F.

Sometimes I wonder-- is the man who buried his one talent like a Christian who says he doesn't care about having riches in heaven (as Jesus did refer to), as long as he doesn't go to the other place? Hoping to be let in with a C- average, he is afraid any defaulted loan will put him down to the D for Damnation. So he doesn't even let it be known he has anything entrusted to him. So, hidden and buried, It can't be lost. But can he? That ought to be motivation to make the grades we're capable of.