YOUR “JOB” FOR KINGDOMS CAUSE
My apologies for continuing to speak and write about the life of Nehemiah. Some people make a “lasting impression”on our lives and that’s who Nehemiah has been for me. Talking to a friend yesterday I mentioned to him about reading Nehemiah for the retreat quiz and he had a “boat load” to say about him. This friend was simply fascinated by the management skills of Nehemiah who exemplified some of the finest qualities of a modern-day CEO. Nehemiah, he said, knew how to divide a huge building project into manageable units. My friend went on and on with his description of Nehemiah. There was no end to our conversation about the life and witness of Nehemiah.
There is something that I said during the first of the month worship on July 1st about Nehemiah as someone who was not a priest or Levite, but someone who held a secular job and used his position and influence, as the cup bearer for the king, for kingdom’s purposes. He took some time to pray; scholars say about 4 months before he approached the king with the plan. This thought has been on my mind ever since I discovered it while researching for the sermon. How can we use our positions, situations, and jobs for the purpose of God’s kingdom? I am not talking about going from desk to desk to speak to people about God. Are there ways we can witness and sometimes use our skills for God’s kingdom?
The Bible is replete with examples of people who stood in the gap for the cause of the kingdom. Queen Esther is another fine example of an ordinary teenager who rose to the position of a queen and helped with thwarting the evil schemes of Haman. When you come to the New Testament, Lydia, the seller of purple in Philippi, who used her business and gifts to extend God’s kingdom. She probably opened her home for the church to have their weekly meetings. She must have extended her hospitality to the neighbors in her community to become a part of the fellowship. I don’t think this model has stopped with the New Testament, instead, it has shown up in different places. This is also the idea for the missional church model. In the missional model, the places where we live, work, and leisure become a place to bear witness to God. We don’t necessarily bring our neighbors to church but take God to the places where we spend the entire week.
Except for me, many of you hold secular jobs. Some of you leave home early to get to trains and buses to get to work while others with your coffee in hand work from home. The work you do is God’s gift to you and the Apostle Paul mentions that we must do everything “as unto the Lord.” There will be times when you will be strategically placed and be given the opportunity to use your position to influence for the kingdom’s cause. When that happens do not shy away instead pray that God will use you for His name’s sake.
In the meantime, the first thing is to recognize your work as God’s purpose on the earth. Many of us live compartmentalized lives as if what we do at work as secular and what we do in church as sacred instead see your work as God’s purpose on the earth. The work that you do diligently and sincerely can bear witness to the God whom you worship. There is a lot we can say but let me stop here and leave you to figure out ways that you can be a part of God’s kingdom.
It is my prayer that as you journey through the month of July that you will pray about it and have God show you opportunities to bear witness to His name. A time will come when the positions you hold will be called to be used for God’s kingdoms purposes.
Be the witness
