The False Economy of Godliness (Proverbs 14:4)
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Proverbs 14:4
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
Let’s look at this verse today through a practical lens and then a more spiritual lens.
First, practically, what is this verse saying?
It’s saying ‘no oxen = no mess’ – ‘Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean’. But with that also comes no work, and thus no fruit. This verse should serve to encourage the farmer: ‘Hey, don’t run from or avoid the mess of an ox. Sure, you could save yourself a lot of work and expense by not having them, but that’s a false economy, because what you lose in mess you also lose in progress and fruit.’
Now, most of us aren’t farmers, but we do have something in common with this verse: we all have our own mess to deal with. It’s not a barn full of hay and manure, but the messy parts of our lives. The mess of sin. And sometimes, that mess makes us wonder if following Jesus is worth the effort.
You see, often in the Christian life, I think we are comparable to the kind of ox we see in Proverbs 14:4. We are messy. We are sinful. We make so many mistakes. And I think sometimes we question our pursuit of godliness in following Jesus, wondering, ‘Is it even worth it?’ ‘Why pursue and desire to be more holy when ultimately I’ll fail and fall short?’
In response to those lies, sometimes it seems easier to just sit back and do nothing. And in a sense it is! The manger is certainly clean. But no fruit is showing.
Here’s the lie I feel like we sometimes believe: “If I can’t follow Jesus perfectly, why even try?” That’s what I call the false economy of godliness. A clean manger might seem like less work, but it also means no fruit. And the same goes for our walk with Christ.
And are you sinful? Are you imperfect? Yes and yes. But why shy away from pursuing the Lord and His character because of it?
There’s no gain to living a monastic lifestyle, cut off from everyone in the name of pursuing holiness. There’s also no gain to not pursuing holiness because you know you’ll mess up, fall, and fail.
For me, every time I reflect on this verse, I’m encouraged in my bout with sin and with pride, because sometimes it is really easy and even more appealing to stop treading and just stop trying – to sit on your hands and give up because holiness and godliness don't seem possible.
Maybe that’s relatable to you.
I feel like it’s like trying to keep a room spotless while living in it – you’re always going to track in some dirt. But rather than pretending the mess isn’t there, or just refusing to enter your room ever again in the name of keeping it clean, we need to learn to embrace it and bring it to Jesus.
Sometimes I think, and granted this is my opinion, we get so focused on our mess and our sin struggles that we fail to see the possible fruit that could come forth with and from it.
We hide it from God, we pretend it doesn’t exist, we run from it, all while He desires us to confront it and bring that mess to Him.
It’s actually kind of funny to me because at this point all farmers know that manure is actually of great value as it helps to produce more crops, and I think it’s no different with Jesus.
Now I’m not saying more sin or more mess is better, but what I am saying is that the more mess is brought and given into the hands of the right farmer, the Savior of the world, the more fruit can be borne. The more our mess can become a masterpiece.
We’re all a mess, yes. But the beauty is, in Christ, we’re God’s mess.
Jesus isn’t afraid of your mess. He wants it because He died for it.
So don’t try to avoid the mess that is yourself and your sin. Continue to show up day after day to the Carpenter of hearts, the Lord Jesus, who desires to save and sanctify you. To make you godly. To make you holy.
The question I want to leave you with is:
Will you trust God enough to bring your mess to Him today? And what’s holding you back?
Let’s pray over these thoughts today.
