Why Bother?

We have all been there before. We sit down after a long day of work to watch television, and, six hours later, we glance at the clock and wonder, “why did I bother watching TV for that long?” Perhaps we choose to browse the internet before dinner. Fast forward three hours and dinner is cold. Again, we wonder, “why did I bother sitting at the computer for that long?” Maybe we decide to be more productive and do some yardwork. After hours of raking leaves, pulling weeds, and trimming tree limbs, we bask in what we have accomplished. A week later, however, we see that everything we did was undone by nature. As with the previous two situations, we wonder, “why did I bother doing all that work just for it to go back to be the same way it was before?”
           
            These are all neutral examples, but what if we apply the same attitude to a situation that is far more serious? It seems that modern Christians are tempted to adopt the “why bother” attitude concerning the Lord and His work. Consider these statements: “I stopped mentioning religion to my family years ago since they’ll never listen anyway” and “the church will never grow with all these false teachers around.” Maybe some truth undergirds these statements. Yet, regardless of their truth value, Christians are more likely to give up on the work altogether and let others do it for them. Such should never be.
 
            Interestingly, this is not a new problem. Malachi, the fifth-century B.C. prophet, spoke to people who took the “why bother” attitude to the Lord’s work. They asked, “where is the God of justice” and said, “it is useless to serve God” (Malachi 2:17; 3:14). Why would they feel this strongly? Because, like us, their circumstances were troubling. Hostile foreigners surrounded and ruled over the Jews. Judah was in disarray due to the wars fought there. And, worst of all, the people likely felt that God’s promises had gone unfulfilled. No wonder they had these feelings. No wonder they did the bare minimum to survive (Malachi 1:7-8, 13). And no wonder Malachi was commissioned to rebuke them (Malachi 1:1).
 
            Brethren, when we adopt the “why bother” attitude to the Lord’s work, we run the same risks these people did. We will no longer give our best to God, but will merely give Him our leftovers. The Lord deserves better. We cannot allow our temporary discouragements to hinder our race for eternal reward. We must be persistent in reaching the lost. We must be consistent in our conduct and our worship. And, above all, we must do all things wholeheartedly for the Lord. He will not forget our labors, but what if we have nothing to show Him (Hebrews 6:10-12)?