Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He lavishes His grace and mercy upon us day by day. Jessica and Tom came home for the long weekend. Sunita and Andy returned back to their home in Washington, DC yesterday after spending their vacation in the state of Oregon. Praise the Lord for this Monday. It is celebrated as the Labor Day in the USA. Praise the Lord for the work the Lord has called us to do on earth with our time and talent.
I did read some time ago that during the middle of the 1800’s there was a popular set of rules for the office that showed up in one form or another across the nation.
1. Office employees will daily sweep the floors, dust the furniture and showcases. Each day they must fill lamps, clean chimneys, & turn wicks
2. Windows must be washed once a week.
3. Each clerk will bring in a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.
4. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle your nibs to your individual taste.
5. This office will open at 7:00 am and close at 9:00 p.m. daily, except on Sunday, on which day it will remain closed. Each employee is expected to spend Sunday attending church and contributing liberally to the cause of the Lord.
6. Men employees will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes, or 2 evenings a week if they go regularly to church.
7. After an employee has spent 13 hours of labor in the office, he should spend the rest of his time reading the Bible any other good books while contemplating the glories and building up of the kingdom.
8. Every employee should lay aside, from each pay, a goodly sum of his earning, so that he will not become a burden upon the charity of his betters.
9. The employee who has performed his labors faithfully and without fault for a period of 5 years in my service, and who had been thrifty and attentive to his religious duties, is looked upon by his fellowmen as a substantial and law-abiding citizen, will be given an increase of 5 cents per day in his pay providing a just return in profits from the business permits it.
Martin Luther spoke of the "priesthood of all believers", a theological concept that points to the fact that ministry is not just the work of the pastor. Luther reminded the laity (non-clergy) to be "little Christs" to each other. According to Luther, God’s people are to pray for each other. "They are to listen to their sisters’ and brothers’ confessions of sin and cries of distress. They are to speak God’s cheering word of forgiveness and consolation. They are to be agents of God’s overflowing goodness by ministering to the poor and oppressed". In Matthew 5:13-20, we who are Christians are defined as being salt of the earth, light to the world, and a lamp placed on a lamp stand.
First of all, Christians are to be the salt of the earth. We don’t know which aspect of salt Jesus was referring to in this analogy, but think about all the uses of salt. Salt preserves; salt flavors; salt cleanses; salt has value. Salt was even used in the Old Testament covenants made with God. Salt has been so important in the history of the world that it was sometimes used as money. In our dealings with those around us (even in the workplace), we must show compassion, respond to people in need, and be like "little Christs" to one another. Our "saltiness", our "acts of faith" will minister to others. Whether we work in face-to-face customer contact or in data processing behind a desk all day, there are opportunities to do the best job we can, with the best attitude we can, with the greatest amount of integrity we can. When an opportunity arises to be a good listener, to forgive as God forgives, to show compassion as Jesus showed compassion, we can act as the salt we are, listening, forgiving, and showing compassion, as we are able. As Christians we should be preserving, flavoring, cleansing, valuable additions to the world around us, no matter whom we come in contact with.
Christians are to be the light of the world. That is, we are to be the light that points to Jesus, the Light of the world. Light illuminates; light helps us see what’s really there; light allows us to see our way. If we Christians were living as light to the world, we would be illuminating the way for people who are in darkness. We would be telling people how following Jesus has illuminated our lives. We would be sharing our faith because this news is too good to keep to ourselves. The church’s service in the world is carried out through our hands and feet. When we tell someone about Jesus, the Light of the World, we shine a light on their path that could bring them hope, joy, and peace. We are to be little lights that point people to Jesus, the Light of the World.
Christians are lamps, not hidden under a "bushel", but on the lamp stand for all to see. Just as a lamp on a lampstand brings light to the whole house, we are told to let our light shine "so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven". Everything we do, we do to the glory of God. It goes beyond our own ability or reputation. What we do reflects on our heavenly Father. The way we carry out our jobs can give glory to God or cause God pain. Our faith can not be removed from our daily work. We cannot compartmentalize our faith into Sunday behaviors and Monday behaviors. The different roles in our life cannot be dissected apart and parceled into this arena or that. Our work is, in a sense, a prayer to God. Hopefully, our work is meaningful and helps to accomplish God’s mission.
Brother Lawrence, a French monk who lived from 1611 to 1691, might be considered to have archaic ideas, with very little to say to today’s working people. However, he had some great insights into our theme of ministry in daily life. Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God, pg. 81) wrote: "It is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a straw from the earth for the love of God. People seek for methods of learning to love God. They hope to arrive at it by I know not how many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use of all the labors of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to do it generously and simply."
May God’s glory shine through you as we seek to minister to all those who we see daily so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9RJMOP9Tw
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