We Must Work
Do you ever have some days where you wonder what the point is...and each day runs into the next with no purpose...you're tired all the time without doing much?
Or do you have days that you are so busy, busy, busy...yet you're not sure what you accomplished...but you're definitely exhausted at the end of the day?
Have you ever longed for a place in the middle, that is neither haphazard "busy-ness", nor apathy since it seems that both of these extremes lead to feelings and realities that weigh us down.
Jesus' solution to this quandary is WORK!
WHAT?
Yes, work! Not just any work...work with a purpose...a higher purpose...His purpose!
In John 9:4, Jesus said, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day."
Basically, Jesus is saying we need to be energetically at work for God in every opportunity we get.
Paul confirms this in Philippians 2:12-13: "Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent, and sensitive before God."
Have you every "worked" for God in the way God wants us to work for Him?
What happens?
It's a miracle and a mystery...you get more energy.
That's right! You get MORE energy!
When you "work" for God, it is not an energy of guilt, pride, or haphazard movement...that kind of work makes us tired.
But when you work for God, it is about intentional living, working the works of God wherever you are, right where you are, being open to do what would please God in the moment.
Believe it or not, that kind of work tends to be fun. Sometimes it can be rest. It can even be creative!
Do you know the definition of "work"? It's this:
activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
Let's break it down: ACTIVE. EFFORT. TO ACHIEVE. A PURPOSE.
What is God's purpose in your life?
John 10:10 answers that question: "I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly."
So what if our daily "work" was really about living abundantly with active effort to achieve God's will in our lives.
This kind of work sounds fun. Who says that "work" has to be drudgery?
Philippians 2:13 (MSG) even says we need to redouble our efforts in this kind of living: "When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience....keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is
God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure."
Remember, when the work has purpose, our movement is being driven from a higher power, and the blessing that comes is more energy, because "that energy is
God's energy, an energy deep within!"
Jesus says we must work as long as it is day!
So go to work today...energetic and energized!
