Monday, July 28, 2014
Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
SUMMER JOBS
Do you have a summer job? Or do you know someone who does? A summer job can be a high priority for many young people. Those of us who are older can probably recall a variety of summer jobs which provided at least a little income to help with school expenses and put spending money in our pockets. Usually, though, they are not the most exciting or glamorous jobs. Tedious canning factory shifts and 12-hour overnight work in muddy pea fields were just a couple of ways I spent several summers. Even if you are settled in the career of your choice, the work is not always enjoyable or fulfilling in itself.
But, as followers of Christ, we can look at work differently than the world around us. There is more to it than meets the eye. Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23). Whether it is serving food at McDonalds or directing dozens of employees from an executive office, our work has great value and is worth doing because we are serving the Lord Himself. We are not working to earn the paycheck of salvation, but rather because salvation has already been earned for us by the Savior. He fulfilled the law which we continually break. He sacrificed Himself on the cross to earn peace between sinners and the holy God. Our service to Him flows from grateful faith in the heart.
When we eagerly take up whatever work the Lord places before us in our lives, and faithfully use the talents He has given us to do the job well, it's an expression of love toward Him who first loved us. When we see our work as a way of helping others and reflecting Jesus' love, rather than just a means to pay our bills, our work is worth doing, for it is then a fruit of faith.
In Matthew 7:15-29, Jesus instructs us on the importance of basing our work and entire lives on Him, for then what we do and build will last long after the summer has been forgotten.
