Friday, September 1, 2017
John 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
THE GIFT OF WORK, AND THE CHRISTIAN'S NUMBER ONE WORK
Clearly, Jesus is not here talking chiefly about one's vocation or job, but of the work of bringing to others the good news of salvation through faith in His redeeming work. Notice how Jesus includes His disciples ("we") in this saving work. As He would tell them after He died and rose, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." Just as we also "have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," we too have been sent to speak His peace to others.
This Labor Day weekend is a good time to remember that in the workplace the Holy Spirit often gives us opportunities to share the Savior with others. Sometimes this happens simply because our jobs put us in a position to befriend others. Sometimes this happens when the way we work reflects our faith and raises questions. Here's an example:
No one liked working the "return desk" at the large retail store where a certain Christian young woman worked. The people came in unhappy and even rude and seemed to blame the employee to whom they were returning the defective item for their difficulty. But this young woman handled returns with a cheery disposition and never seemed to "lose her cool." People went away feeling better about their situation. The woman's immediate superior asked what her secret was. She told him that her parents had taught her to treat people with kindness. The man in charge said he'd been taught the same thing but that there seemed to be something more involved with this young woman. She replied, “I try to treat each person as though they were Jesus.” Plainly, this kind of encounter can lead to further discussion of Christ and the Christian faith.
That God chooses to use us believers in Christ to bring his saving truth to others is a wonderful and priceless privilege. That opportunities to do this often occur in connection with some other work or job should lead us to pray each day (on the way to work?) that the Holy Spirit would keep us alert to such opportunities and enable us to thoughtfully and thankfully use them.
Work is a gift of God through which He gives us a variety of other blessings as well. One of these may well be an opportunity to speak the good news of Jesus the Savior to hearts in need.
