Brown's Daily Word 10-23-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Rick Warren in his book "The Purpose Driven Life", makes a note that one day every one will stand before the Lord God Almighty. He will ask two questions to every one: What have you done with my Son Jesus Christ and What have you done with the talents, treasures, and time I had entrusted to you. Praise the Lord for we can serve Him on earth now by being engaged in the tasks that He has given us. We are called as co-workers with Christ. We are His ambassadors on earth.
I recently read that including commuting time, the average American works about 50 hours a week. What studies actually show is that the percentage of people working longer hours has grown significantly over the past 10 years but at the same time those working fewer hours has grown at the same rate. This tells us a lot about what is going on in society right now including the fact that most of us who work are spending most of our waking hours working at our jobs. We are a working society. In order for us to really begin to enjoy our jobs we need to realize that our work matters to God. Sometimes we convince ourselves that all God is interested in is the spiritual and moral side of our life, whether we are saying our prayers and avoiding sin. But God is interested in every dimension, in every aspect of our life including our work. In fact, the Bible goes to great lengths to show us that God understands what it means to work. God is presented as a working God from the very beginning. In the creation history of Genesis 2 we read, "By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Perhaps the greatest compliment God made to us was sending us a Savior who knew what it meant to work with his hands. Jesus was a carpenter who knew the constant demands of labor. Perhaps Henry Van Dyke expressed it well in his poem, "The Toiling of Felix", when he wrote: This is the gospel of labor, ring it, ye bells of the kirk! The Lord of love came down from above, to live with the men who work. This is the rose that He planted, here in thorn-crust soil: Heaven’s blest with perfect rest, but the blessing of earth is toil. Our work does matter to God and he understands the pressures we often face.Then if we really want to enjoy our work and feel content with it, we must keep our priorities straight. Dr. Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, was a worldwide evangelist and missionary. He spent much of his life founding orphanages in Korea, rescuing children from death and starvation. He told of an incident that occurred one Christmas Eve when he was in Stockholm, traveling with the Korean Children’s Choir. He made a call home and talked to all the members of his family, wishing them a Merry Christmas. Finally, the youngest child got the phone. "Oh Daddy", she said. "I wish I was an orphan so I could be with you on Christmas Eve." The Apostle Paul was a tent maker. He spent many hours every day making tents in order to make money to meet his daily needs. If we were to somehow transport ourselves back to the first century and walk into Paul’s workshop and ask him, "Paul, what do you do?", what do you think he would say? "I’m a tent maker. I spend 40 or 50 hours a week making tents. On the side, I do a little preaching and some small-group work." No, I don’t really think this is the way it was. The majority of Paul’s time was spent making tents but somehow I think he would say something like, "I’ve been called by God to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. Incidentally, I make tents and I spend a good part of my day doing that." When we get down to it, our vocation as Christians is sharing Jesus with others. Studies indicate that the number one need in a job is not the money or the prestige; it is the need to feel that what we are doing is worthwhile and will make a difference. When we re-focus ourselves to see that our vocation is sharing Christ through whatever we do then how can we not make a difference in someone’s life? Once there lived a very religious man who lived in Glasgow, Scotland. He taught Sunday School, preached in outdoor meetings, and served the church in many other ways. He was a baker by trade. One day on a train he was confronted by a zealous lady passenger who asked him if he was a Christian. When he replied in the affirmative, she asked him what work he did for the Master. "I bake", he said. "Ah, I did not ask you about your trade, but what service do you give to him who redeemed you?" "Madam, I bake." She was a bit put off but persisted. "I mean how are you seeking to glorify Christ and spread his gospel?" Again his only reply was, "I bake." Another man, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote many beautiful pieces of music. At the top of every one he wrote the words, "To the glory of God." This should be our prayer as we go about our daily work---To The Glory of God! One day a young priest complained to Mother Theresa about all the demands being put upon him and how it was taking away from his ability to serve the poor, which was his life’s passion. She responded, "Your vocation is not to serve the poor. Y our vocation is to love Jesus." It is written: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3.
In Christ,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dca0P7w9ZQ