During my time away, I have hung out in the gospel of John. I am coming to love John more with each day. He captures Jesus in ways that the other writers of the gospels does not. He constantly quotes Jesus as saying "I tell you the truth..." Over and over again, we see Jesus wanting people to know the truth. He wasn't making it up along the way. Jesus brought truth to the day and the people.
One of the verses that I have jumped over many times is John 5:17. It reads, "Jesus said to them,'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too, am working.'" Jesus was talking to the Jews who were persecuting him for healing on the Sabbath.
I guess I have never thought of God as busy or at work. I seem to think of God just hanging out, looking over the heavenly banister, watching the chaos from afar. I never thought of God working. Sure, He probably doesn't work like we do, but He does enter into each day with purpose, plans, and maybe even a priority list(just my idea here). However we may see it, Jesus tells us that the Father is always at work and that He too is working.
So with that said, work must be an ok thing. Our own work, our labor is then a point of contact with God, not a distancing from Him. So many times we compartmentalize God right out of our work. We believe He has a place in our spiritual journey, maybe even our emotional health, but surely not in our daily mundane work. But quite contrary to this, God actually is at work 24/7. Thus He longs to enter our daily life as a point of connection.
Imagine for just a moment, God with you while you meet with a client. God with you in the classroom. God with you while you wash dishes and fold the last of a hundred pairs of socks. God with you as you work on the car, as you serve the irate customer. Imagine...God at work, entering and laboring next to you, with you, pulling the load along side you. Can you see the purpose God gives your work when He is laboring with you?
All of a sudden there is nothing mundane in our days. The simplest of tasks seem to open to greater opportunities to serve. Before you know it, we are experiencing connection to God as much in our 40+ hours a week job as we do during a church service, or prayer. Here we continue to live in the center of Him. More importantly, He moves into our days and out into the world through us. Our attention is drawn to God and His world.
At this point, we no longer are just making a living, we are the missionaries in the world He has always wanted. Purpose ceases to revolve around the dollar but around God's greater purpose of loving people; those we work with, those we serve, our bosses, employees, peers, customers, clients, patients, anyone we lock eyes with. Our eyes open to the sacredness of God in every person we meet. As we serve we enter into holy moments.
Now this is all much easier to write about than to do. Jesus' full time job lead Him straight to a cross. I will not sit here behind this keyboard and pretend this is easy. Far from it. It wasn't for Jesus and it certainly isn't easy for us. However, we have a promise from the one who always tells the truth. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20.
Our job isn't our careers. Our job is to use the careers God gave us to be His ambassadors to the world. God is at work. Our Savior is at work. We are at work.
Papa, thank you for our jobs which you do use to supply our needs. However, may we begin to change our perspective to see that our main career is to go out and love the world to you. May we turn our attention to You, listening and looking for You. We love you Papa. Thanks for all you continue to do to bring us closer to You with each day.
No comments:
Post a Comment