Doesn’t the Bible say…?

SUMMER DEVOTIONAL SERIES

“God helps those who help themselves.”

If we were all together, I would ask for a show of hands about today’s topic. Is ‘God helps those who help themselves’ in the Bible?

This familiar quote, that parents and teachers like to use liberally with unmotivated teenagers is, in fact, NOT anywhere in the Bible. It has been used in fables and stories and likely originated in ancient Greece.

Don’t feel bad if you thought it was; a lot of people do. It is one of those statements that has a ring of truth to it. It is often delivered by well-meaning people encouraging someone to get up, get motivated, stop wallowing in self-pity, and so on. The truth that we might be feeling in this statement comes from the Biblical truth that God does not delight in laziness.

Proverbs has several verses about laziness. Take, for example, Proverbs 26:13-15 from The Message:

Loafers say, “It’s dangerous out there!
Tigers are prowling the streets!”
and then pull the covers back over their heads.

Just as a door turns on its hinges,
so a lazybones turns back over in bed.

A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie,
but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.

Paul also addressed laziness in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-13. He explains that he and his companions worked hard while visiting the Thessalonian church so that they would not be a burden to anyone. Paul was responding to some believers who had quit their jobs and, like doomsday prophets, were sitting around waiting for the second coming of Christ. There is a difference between rest and laziness. Rest provides balance to our lives that allows us to recharge so we can do the work the Lord has called us to.

That’s the truth from this statement. There is also a more subtle danger: believing that the harder you work, the better you are and the more you help yourself, the more favour or blessing you will have from God.

The Christian message is not that God helps those who help themselves. It is the opposite. It is this: God helps those who recognize that they can’t help themselves. Try as we might, we are incapable of providing ourselves with the kind of help we actually need.

Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

We come to relationship with God through His unmerited grace, not because of any effort, ability, intelligence, or act of service on our part. As we accept this indescribable gift from the Lord our hearts should overflow with a desire to serve others with love, kindness, and dedication without laziness or reluctance.

I think a better focus than this ancient motto is to recognize the gifts you’ve been given by a good Father and serve from the overflow of your heart. And don’t be too hard on those lazy teenagers… after all most of us were one once!

Be blessed,
P. Erin

WATER BAPTISM: Get baptized on 5th Sunday, August 29th!

Summer YouVersion Reading Plan: The Messiah