work for God

DSC07673 publish

This is an area in life that has challenged me often…not the doing of work but wondering if what I am doing is the work I am supposed to be doing. Is this the right place, the right type of business, how is what I am doing contributing to the lives of others…I have tried to control things more than I should and as a result I have made poor choices. The messages and the beliefs of so many people about career and work seems so far away from honoring God but I do not know enough about their entire lives to make that assumption…maybe they have it figured out better than I do.

In the end I have held many positions at a few different places and after many years of internal debate I have come back to the verse below. I have narrowed my focus to one thing…work is not about me or what I see in them it is about what God needs me to be doing to help spread the Good News of the Gospel! I trust in Him and wherever I am I strive to make a difference in the lives of those around me.

“Whatever you do,work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Colossians 3:23-24

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at a rest area honoring the expedition of Lewis and Clark in South Dakota)

As we have continued serving this week we have been exploring several themes and bible verses related to our work. Today I find myself thinking about Luke 10 verse 2 in my original MT post that states…

“He told them, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

When an individual works to help another that is good and both the giver and the receiver feel good about things. When more than one person gets involved in helping others the increase in value is exponential. The world can be a difficult place and many people have to get involved in serving others in order for long term or sustainable change to occur. This is not to say that one to one ministry is not good it is good and often needed but in order to move from charity which is good and helpful for the short term to justice which is investing in long term change many “workers” are needed.

I know we have made a difference in the lives of many people both directly and indirectly and I hope and pray that we can bring this momentum back to our home city and find a way to invest in long term help for people in our community…after all that is exactly what our Heavenly Father has asked us to do.

Peace.