If you’re bad at your job, becoming a Christian won’t change that. This is true if you are a car mechanic, heart surgeon or businessman. When some people find themselves drowning in debt or unable to keep their business afloat, they turn to the Lord. They hope that getting right with Him will make everything else right in the world.

The church needs to be careful not to encourage this type of mistaken belief. It leads to disappointment, disillusionment and disaffection with the Lord. Getting right with God is about mending our relationship with Him and the people in our world. It is not about turning us into people who are competent at our jobs. We have trade schools, apprenticeship programs and universities to teaches how to do our work. God is not some genie in a magic bottle that we can ask to grant us three wishes.

People read the history of Israel and wonder why they continually turned away from the Lord and to false gods. The answer in its simplest form is found in the Israelites inability to be good farmers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. For 400 years as slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were shepherds. As they wandered in the desert, they wondered as shepherds. They were great shepherds, and as was customary at that point in human culture and spirituality, they credited much of their success to their God. Now, they have taken part of the land of Canaan, and they have settled down, planted crops, vineyards and orchards. If they had driven everyone out of the land, they would’ve had no one to compare their crops with; but they did not. Their harvest, when compared with the people who had been farming for centuries were very poor. Their neighbors told them it was because they were worshiping the wrong god. The Baals and the Ashtoreths were gods and goddess of fertility and harvest. The Israelites wanted good crops so they switch gods. Followers of he false gods had festivals and rituals involving sexual activity and prostitutes. Immorality played on their desires and became compulsive. The Scripture says they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. Even if they had not refused, it would have not been easy; sin (willful disobedience) is very enslaving.

Their sinful practices, and their co-mingling with the tribes around them made them weak as a nation. They became prey for their enemies. Time after time, God sent judges to save them out of the hands of their enemies, but when the judges died they returned to their pagan worship and sinful practices.

Human nature does not change, unless it is changed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We see repeated today the same behaviors as the Israelites. Young men and women who were raised in the church enter the world of business, entertainment and finance. Often they are unprepared for the way enterprise works within the world. They get the idea that to get ahead they have to worship what the world worships, and they bow down at the false idols of long hours, immoral compromises and shady business practices. Sometimes afterwards, in desperation they will return to the God of their youth; all too often they get in so deep they cannot find there way out again.

If they had been obedient, the Lord would have led the Israelites into prosperity. They would have learned to farm, and would have recognized their prosperity was result of knowledge, hard work and the blessings of God. God does not magically make us good at our jobs, but he does spiritually prepare us for the hard work and discipline that will allow us to excel at whatever we attempt. A righteous relationship with Christ is not a substitute for knowing how to farm, but it will sustain us while we learn how to farm.

The church has the gospel. The gospel is life-changing and is a treasure beyond measure. Our message must be clear, Christ is the way to righteousness, not the shortcut to earthly riches.