Robbing Peter to pay Paul

Don’t misunderstand my article last week, I was not saying it is a sin for preachers to take compensation from a church.  All I am saying is that 1 Corinthians 9:14 cannot be used to defend the practice of paying a regular ongoing salary.

Taking a salary as a minister is a choice, as is deciding not to take a salary. Each person must decide for themselves which way of living will be of most benefit to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the people whom they seek to serve.  

Maybe the command was not primarily for the one preaching the gospel, but for those who were receiving the benefit from the teacher. That is, the command is for the hearers. Certainly generosity plays a significant part in this equation. A local congregation was indeed expected to provide for someone, particulary a visitor, doing the teaching. If the one doing the teaching and preaching turned down gifts, that was fine, as Paul the Apostle did. 

There were times when the Apostle Paul experienced extenuating circumstances beyond his control where, due to the likely dire nature of the situation at hand, he was forced to accept support from local Christians, who for the most part in that time and age were impoverished people.  One could call such support “wages”. This was clearly not his normal operating procedure and he considered this support to be akin to “robbery”. Strong words, and words we rarely ever hear in the discussion of compensation for the preaching ministry.  

Paul was clear about his feelings on the matter when He said, “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service”.   Notice what he says in 2 Corinthians 11:7-9...

(7) Have I committed an offense in abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? (8) I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. (9) And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 

Some argue that Paul used the word “robbery” here because it was the Corinthians responsibility, not the Macedonian's responsibility to support him. Not the case at all. 

Paul's strong general teachings against collecting money from the church simply does not support this view. Also, some argue that 1 Corinthians chapter 9 is referring only to a special isolated case or a special set of circumstances where Paul took extra care not to offend the Corinthian church due to alleged unique problems that were going on with this church, that if not for these problems, Paul would have gladly collected money from them. They claim that this was his normal way of operating. Not so. Paul's teachings on the subject of collecting money from churches demonstrate the exact opposite and he provides an excellent example for all churches to follow.

All in all, Paul expounded and lived what we could call, “the better way”. We know from other Scriptures that Paul was not lazy as are so many so-called “pastors” today. 

He was not a nosy busybody poking around in everyone's personal business, meddling in things that were none of his concern. Within his God-given calling, the Apostle Paul was not like so many modern day ministers who operate outside of their scope of pastoral authority, which is supposed to be to care for the flock by watching, warning and preaching the truth from the Bible – not creating or promoting man–made doctrines and commands, especially so when such “commands” are directly beneficial. 

Even a brief perusal of the New Testament Epistles shows that Paul worked hard to support himself, to be generous and have something to share with others, not to take from others as is so common today. It is also clear that he only accepted sporadic financial or material help from the brethren when he was in serious need or where his work in preaching the Gospel truly required some extra help. 

Paul exemplified poise and balance in the area of receiving money or material assistance as a Christian minister. Paul was a rare man of God in his own time and such committed men are even rarer in modern times.

So although there is a power or right to accept a sporadic or regular income from the Gospel, the good minister, the most faithful and trustworthy among us will simply not use this right unless there is a dire need and only after they have exhausted every other means of support at their disposal.  

In our day and age we see men “going into the ministry” as a church career with a regular income and retirement in mind.  Well this might be very normal as far as the modern church is concerned, but this is far from normal for a good minister according to what the Bible teaches, a minister who wants to present Christ in the best light and not hinder the Gospel. 

So instead of isolating verses such as 1Corinthians 9:14 out of context, as if this were some kind of mandatory “command” for preachers to receive an income from the church, Christians need to read the whole passage in context. If they have “eyes to see and ears to hear” they will hopefully understand that this is not the case at all, but rather that those who preach the Gospel have a right of support under certain special conditions or extenuating circumstances, and that to abstain is the better way so as not to hinder the Gospel. 

We have the heart of God on the matter - Jesus speaking through His Word and basically saying that He loves us and will not allow those who preach the Gospel to starve, which could be a hinderance to the precious Gospel. Through the example and inspired words of Paul, we are admonished to forgo compensation for preaching the Gospel.  Love can see this view. Greed cannot. This is one of the reasons it is so important for Christians to approach the Bible from the right perspective or they risk deceiving themselves.

By no means did Paul approve of collecting an income from the church, let alone a regular ongoing income. Paul was no hired hand and would not compromise the Gospel to appease the wishes and desires of those who might have paid him “wages”. He did not settle-in to a community, expecting a comfortable income from church members. In times where he may not have been able to find work for his hands (he was a tent maker by trade) or where various urgencies may have come up and his traveling schedule may not have permitted him to work, etc., he accepted help yet obviously would have done so very reluctantly.

Again, I am not saying that churches should not financially help a genuine minister in times of genuine need. I am arguing against incomes, regular salaries, retirement schemes, etc., based on the teachings of Scripture and Paul's excellent example. 

What Does the Bible Really Say About Salaries for Preachers?

Has God really commanded that preachers be paid a regular on-going salary for serving congregations of His Church? 

Well this is what most preachers will tell you that the Bible teaches, basing their defense on passages in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. The question that should be considered is this... has God commissioned that gospel-preachers receive financial and material support from a church family? Is that support to be an ongoing package of compensation and benefits or occasional gifts only when and if necessary?  

To begin debating this touchy subject, I would suggest reviewing what may well be the most misquoted of all Bible verses on this subject, at 1 Corinthians 9:14. It says...

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 

Paul does appear to be saying that God has commanded that certain people should get paid to preach the gospel.  Most Christians believe this verse is a command to the church to provide a regular ongoing income for an evangelist – the preaching minister. 

However, is that what the passage is really saying?  I would suggest it is not.  Lets consider the entire context and you can then decide for yourself after examining the evidence.  

First, the phrase “those who preach the gospel” does not automatically refer to a pastor, evangelist or preacher. Yet it is not unusual, in fact, it is incredibly commonplace for preachers to quote this verse as if it applies exclusively to them. 

They claim that this verse is God's express command that not only empowers them, but entitles them to collect a regular income from church members, construed as mandatory, therefore church doctrine. The argument includes verse 13 which says...

Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?

On the surface these passages may sound like a compelling command, but is this really what the Apostle Paul is referring to? 

Actually... 1 Corinthians 9 cannot be used by preachers to defend the practice of receiving a salary. These passages are talking about traveling missionaries and other leaders who have left their home and jobs to teach and support other Christians in other towns. Since they will typically only be in a city or town for a few weeks or months, they are dependent upon the hospitality of local people in that city or town. 

Ideally, even these spiritual leaders should have “mobile professions” if possible, so like Paul, they do not have to depend on the financial aid of other people, especially when it was known that most 1st century Christian communities were poor to impoverished.

Paul does not say anything that would allude to a doctrinal command that “resident preachers” are to receive support or that the church is commanded to give such support in the form of regular compensation. 

We cannot ignore the critical cultural, historical, and biblical background material that must be considered to properly understand, interpret, and apply Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 9:14 that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel. We need to understand the role of hospitality in the Hebrew and Roman culture and economy, we need to understand the law in Deuteronomy about borrowing a neighbors oxen, we need to understand the the role and purpose of traveling preachers, and above all, we need to properly understand the full scope of the gospel.

Considering the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 9, it gives us insight into Paul’s true feeling and concern for preaching, as he was doing, of the gospel.   Paul is expounding that it would be lawful [justified] for him, and he would certainly be deserving, to accept a living from the gospel as some others were doing at the time.  But, he did not avail himself of that right or exert pressure to that end, because to do so would actually hinder the gospel.

The clincher in Paul’s reasoning comes from preceding verses 11-12, which say...

11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?  But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.  

Many will quote verse 11 and sometimes include the first half of verse 12 to try and support receiving a regular income from the church, while completely omitting the second half of verse 12 which states: “...we did not use this right.’ On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”

You cannot ignore part of verse 12 to support the position that Paul is saying preachers are entitled to compensation.  Not surprisingly, verses 15-18 are almost never mentioned. These verses offer even more proof of Paul's strong stand against using this basic right to pressure for any level of financial support.  Here’s what he says...

15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 

Paul's view culminates in verse 18:

18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

To be clear, in the second half of chapter 9, Paul puts the compensation issue from the first half of the chapter in context, focusing on evangelists/preachers having to endure all things in complete submission to the gospel, not accommodating one’s personal right to reap material benefits and make a living from the gospel.

In the context, Paul says that although it was “his right” to receive financial help from the Corinthians believers, he turned it down so as not to hinder the gospel (vs12). The responsibility is on the hearer to offer support in the form of generous gifts rather than on the teacher to demand it or even expect it.  

Paul went further, in word and deed, setting himself as an example, to clearly demonstrate that he believed one’s personal right to compensation for preaching the gospel ends where the gospel of Christ begins.  Specifically, Paul explained in the second half of the chapter that exercising rights to compensation would not only “hinder” the gospel, but also be a financial “burden” on the church.

So examining Paul’s words and actions on this issue in full context, it seems obvious that Paul wanted no part of anything that could be viewed as personal gain, including the exercising of his personal rights that could possibly harm the gospel message and be a financial burden on the church. 

And for those who point to 1 Corinthians 9:14 and say, “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel,” the word “commanded” is also translated, “directed” in most prominent translations. Not to mention that if the Lord did in fact command such ones to e compensated, then the man He personally ordained as an Apostle and minister of the gospel – Paul – decided to make the Lord’s command just an option?   It couldn’t be sensibly argued that this is the case. Paul would never “add to or subtract” from the Lord’s commands.

The bottom line is this: If a preacher quotes 1 Corinthians 9:14 as a way to justify that the people he ministers to should pay his salary, he is using 1 Corinthians 9:14 in exactly the opposite way that Paul was using it.  Paul writes 1 Corinthians 9:14 in the context of explaining why he does not take money from the people he serves. The Apostle Paul chose to pass on his right or power to accept [exert pressure] a regular financial living from the gospel so as not to hinder the gospel. This view is simply not taught today in most Christian circles. 

Not to be missed, verse 18 also shows that Paul infers that those who collects money as a preaching minister as being those who CHARGE for the gospel. 

Think back to a time when your preacher or congregation leadership offered a fair and balanced discussion on the entire chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians?  Can’t remember? Probably because its never happen, and you have only heard the passages sited which support the view that its a congregations commanded duty to pay a preacher.

Preaching has become a lucrative profession for many who have the skills to perform in this role.  Many are either poorly qualified, falling prey to greed or quickly ensnared by the dependence that comes from “secular-like” compensation packages, that ultimately strain church finances and focus more on the “man’s needs” than the gospel.

Does paying a preacher really impeed the gospel?  Some would argue that without a preacher the gospel will suffer in a local community.  Who will preach and teach?  Others would say that the resources used to compensate a preacher would be better spent in outward evangelism which would increase the spreading of the Word.  Its pretty hard to make an argument that would discredit the use of financial resources more completely in preaching the gospel (Acts1:8).  After all, every Christian is to be preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the gospel knows no boundaries... to the ends of the earth we are to go.  

Sadly, most of us don’t do that at all or not very well, because we have abdicated that Biblical command (Matthew 28:19-20) to a paid preacher.  Christians have made it evangelism by proxy.

Next time... So if salaried compensation is not commanded for a preacher, what should we do to help them?

Thoughts on a Fractured Society & Culture

A world view is a set of presuppositions and beliefs that someone uses to interpret and form opinions about his humanity, purpose in life, duties in the world, responsibilities to family, interpretation of truth, social issues, and so on.  A Christian should view all these things, and more, guided by the light that is provided by the Bible.

The Bible has much to say about the nature of man, the world, purpose, truth, morality, etc., and so does the world. More often than not, the secular world view is in conflict with the biblical world view.  For example: Where the world asserts that man evolved, the Bible says he was created and ultimately responsible to God.  Where the world says that morals are relative, the Bible says they are absolute.  Where the world says that there is no need of salvation and redemption, the Bible clearly states that all people are in need of deliverance from their sin.  The contrast is obvious and profound.  Both cannot be true.

The secular world exalts man to the apex of evolutionary development, the sovereign over all he dominates, though only another animal.  God is relegated to the belief systems of the uneducated and superstitious.  Such opposing views will clash.

The fruit of the secular world view can be seen all around us.  As we observe society, it is evident that not all is well.  Television has degenerated into a bordello of violence, soft-pornography, anti-family sit-coms, commercials that appeal to immediate gratification, and senseless children's cartoons that are full of violence, occultism, and disobedience to parents.  It often portrays religious people as insecure, ignorant, inflexible and bigoted.

The News is extremely biased and when covering areas where religious and secular morals collide, it uniformly presents information with loaded words.  Instead of "pro-life" we hear "anti-abortion rights."  Instead of "conservative" it is "right wing fundamentalist."  Other words are used such as "Bible thumpers," "censorship," "intolerance," "bigoted," and worse.  God fearing people, Christians, are thought to be weak minded, easily duped and confused.

"According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the average TV watcher sees 14,000 references to sex and the average child "watches 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence by the end of elementary school."  Not my grandchildren, they see none of it.

Illegitimacy is on the rise . In 1970 babies born out of wedlock were 10% of all births.  By 1991, it was 30%, by 2012, the latest analyzed data, nearly 41%.  Rape is increasing as is violent crime, venereal disease, drug usage, and prison populations.  States are moving towards legalization of certain drugs in pursuit of tax revenue windfalls.  At what cost to the population?

In many American schools the New Age and the Occult are being promoted through subtle programs and “open-minded” textbooks.  Some programs have students being taught that they alone are the ones who should decide if drug use is good or bad.  Many school textbooks teach anti-family values, promote homosexuality, teach moral relativism, encourage sexual conduct, and, of course, promote evolution as a fact. In addition, they condemn the notion of a Christian God even being mentioned. Consider the following examples:

1) "When 10-year old Raymond Raines bowed his head and silently said grace over lunch in a St. Louis public school cafeteria, he was placed in detention for a week and told that he must eat in a room by himself if he continued to pray."

2) "When 30 Texas high school students gathered to pray at the flagpole before school one morning, the principal politely told them not only to leave, but to pray out of sight."

3) "In Illinois, a high school principal sent police to break up a similar prayer group.  Two students were arrested."

Obviously, America (and the world) is in desperate need of the life changing gospel of Jesus.

Is the gospel is progressing in America?  No doubt its being preached and taught by faithful adherents to Christianity.  Depending on the source of statistics, there are more Christians in the world now than ever before.  That is true, since much of the developing world has responded to the gospel.   In the 1700's less than 20% of the American population went to church, it peaked in the last century and has falled to not much more than 37% who say they attend church with some regularity.  Not much change in 300 plus years. 

More people have heard the gospel than ever before, and Bibles are produced en masse and being sent to nations all over the world with unprecedented reception.  The Gospel is preached on Television and Radio. Millions are coming to Christ in third world countries and a new Christian awakening is working its way through Russia and Africa with China becoming the new Christian frontier.  But not much in America, or Europe.

Nevertheless, the Christian community has a great deal of work left to accomplish.  To fully carry out the mandate of winning the world for Christ, Christians must adopt a biblical world view in all aspects of life and present to the world, biblical perspectives on every niche of our existence.  This includes everything: education, medicine, the arts, politics, science, contemporary issues, ethics, and more.

To God be the glory, and tell someone how Christ has changed your life!

What Goes Around, Comes Around... Karma, Right?

"What goes around comes around" or "as you sow, so shall you reap" is the basic understanding of how karma, the law of cause and effect, works. The word karma literally means "activity." Karma can be divided up into a few simple categories -- good, bad, individual and collective. Depending on one's actions, one will reap the fruits of those actions. The fruits may be sweet or sour, depending on the nature of the actions performed. Fruits can also be reaped in a collective manner if a group of people together perform a certain activity or activities.

Everything we say and do determines what's going to happen to us in the future. Whether we act honestly, dishonestly, help or hurt others, it all gets recorded and manifests as a karmic reaction either in this life or a future life. All karmic records are carried with the soul into the next life and body.

Karma is a popular concept these days. It finds it origins in eastern mystical religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, and are an essential part of how adherents of those eastern religions live their lives.  Dictionary defines karma as “the totality of a person’s actions in any one of the successive stages of that person’s existence, as for determining the fate of the next stage.”  So, one has to accept that karma is the cornerstone of the concept of reincarnation.

In other words, how you behave in this incarnation determines your state of life in the next incarnation. People who believe in karma won’t do certain things in this life because they fear they will have to pay for them in the life to come; by the same token, they do certain things in this life thinking they will be rewarded for them in their next incarnation.  After all who wants to comeback as a cockroach?

Many Christians think the Bible teaches karma, but it doesn’t. However, the belief in karma is basically a distortion of a biblical principle that we see taught throughout Scripture: What you do comes back to you. In other words, you reap in this life what you sow in this life.  And it teaches that what you do comes back to you in terms of your prospects for eternal life. In other words, you reap in eternity what you sow in this life.  

Life here and now, until the day you die or Christ returns, is about choices, actions and the ensuing CONSEQUENCES of what we do in this life.

Here’s what the Bible says with regard to our life... Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Galatians 6:7

Does that sound like karma?  One could certainly argue that it does, that “reaping what you sow” could have repetitive long-running consequences. However, the Bible teaches that you live and die once, and after that comes “your” judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There are no successive incarnations as one journeys toward Nirvana [no such thing or condition] you have one life to live, and we all must make the most of it.

If you do right you will be paid for doing right; if you do wrong you will be paid for doing wrong.  Simply stated as “consequences” are the wages we receive for the crops we sow and harvest. This is a rule to live by—a principle to build our lives on. If we believe this principle, and live accordingly, then our lives will reflect the results.

So, what is the difference between karma and what Scripture teaches? The Bible teaches that what we do in this life comes back to you in this life. There is no future reincarnated life. There is no carry-forward, no future manipulation or cascading consequences piled on us from previous mistakes and bad choices as the faulty concept of karma would suggest.

If you do right, you will be paid for doing right; if you do wrong, you will be paid for doing wrong. If we believe this principle, and live accordingly, then our lives will reflect the results. In Colossians 3, Paul highlights three areas where we can see this principle at work in our lives. 

First,  What you do, comes back to you in your personal life.  Paul the Apostle speaks to this point in the context of ones immediate family.  Here’s what he says in Colossians 3:18–21... Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Paul begins this passage by saying something that has become quite controversial in recent years: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Today, Paul’s words are politically incorrect. The truth is, they were politically incorrect in his day as well, but for a completely different reason. In Paul’s day women were considered possessions. They were, quite frankly, expendable. When a man died, his inheritance went to his son, not his wife.  A man could have as many wives as he wished, but a woman could have only one husband. A man could divorce his wife for any reason at all, but a woman could not initiate a divorce from her husband. Women weren’t allowed to hold political office or pursue a career. They were, in pagan Roman society, second-class citizens. A slave could be given his freedom and eventually become a Roman citizen with full rights of citizenship, but a woman could not.

Then, along came Christianity, and the role and status of women in society changed. Christianity offered a radical view of humanity.  Christianity’s influence made a positive difference for women in the first century. 

That said... Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands, but goes on to admonish men when he says, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” He then tells children to “obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” And to fathers he says, “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”

In other words, our relationships should be defined by two things: 1) We should act with integrity toward others; and 2) We should treat others with respect. Failure to do this results in sour relationships, because what you do comes back to you. A wife who sows strife with her husband reaps a rocky marriage. A husband who is harsh and unloving toward his wife finds himself in a desperately unhappy situation. Children who disobey their parents become unhappy, and fathers who embitter their children eventually discover that their children don’t want to be around them.

The way you treat others impacts the relationships you have with them. If your relationship is defined by love and encouragement, it will prosper. If it is defined by anger and disapproval, it will fall apart at the seams.

The second point Paul made... What you do comes back to you in your work life. Here’s what he says in Colossians 3:22–24...  Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

If you take out the word slave and insert the word employee, you will discover all you need to know about being a good employee in today’s complex and competitive economy: Do your job well even when no one is watching.

Paul isn’t saying, “Work hard to impress your boss.” He’s saying, “Work hard, even when your boss isn’t looking.” Verse 24 tells us who is watching our actions and attitudes in the workplace... Christ.

On the other side of the coin, Paul issues a challenge to masters (or employers) in Colossians 4:1 when he says... Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Whether you are a “master” or a “slave,” your approach to your job should be characterized by two things: 1) Do your job with integrity regardless of who is watching; and 2) Treat the people who work with you, for you, or above you with the respect they deserve.

Read how Paul summarizes the proper work ethic in verse 23: “Work with all your heart, as [if] working for the Lord.” Even if your boss doesn’t have the sense to give you the reward you deserve, God does and will in due time.

Paul’s final point... What you do comes back to you in your spiritual life.  Colossians 3:25 says... Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.  You cannot sin and get away with it. There will be a day of reckoning. Some may say, “Wait a minute. What about forgiveness? What about grace? What about mercy?”

When we ask God for forgiveness, he forgives us—without fail. The Bible is clear on that matter (1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 32:2). But don’t mistake escaping the penalty of sin with escaping the results of sin. That’s those PESKY CONSEQUENCES none of us want to own up to. Sin brings about its own punishment, and the results of sin cannot be avoided.

For example, if you cheat on your income tax, God will forgive you when you come to him in repentance. However, you’ll still have to deal with the IRS. If you cheat on your spouse, God will forgive you for breaking his law, but you still have to deal with the effect your infidelity has on your marriage. If you neglect your children and abdicate your responsibility as a parent, God will forgive you, but you still have to deal with the damage your actions have caused.

This is not God’s way of getting even; it’s simply the way the world works. Your actions have consequences. If you do right, you will be paid for doing right. If you do wrong, you will be paid for doing wrong. What you do comes back to you, what goes around, comes around... like the proverbial boomerang!

Depending on how you live and the choices you typically make for your life and relationships, you may consider this principle a promise, or you may consider it a threat. 

If your life is devoted to doing good, you can rest assured in God’s promise to reward you with an inheritance. On the other hand, if you are [willfully] doing things that could come back to haunt you, then change your attitude. Stop doing what you’re doing. 

Today, you can begin to make things right. What you do will come back to you; so today, if you begin to do right, God can begin to bless you. Don’t let fear hold you back. 

Instead of thinking of this principle as a threat, see it for what God intends it to be: a promise of a good life on earth and an even better life to come. God wants to fill your life with good things. Make it possible for him to do that. Make a commitment to do good in every area of your life.