Reflections on Worker's Day

Most of us have a 'love-hate' relationship with our work and places of employment. Many people that I speak to, long to be doing something else and they find themselves trapped in a work situation because it 'pays the bills.' There are a small percentage of people who earn a living doing what they simply love, and you can usually tell who these people are.

As we celebrate National Workers Day on the 1st of May, I invite us to remember a few things and then to offer a simple prayer:

1. God also worked. "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 2:2-4 

2. Work doesn't need to be a punishment. We can glorify God and serve God's purposes through our places of work.

3. There are millions of people who would love to work but can't find a job. Think about what this does to their self-esteem and dignity.

4. Give thanks for the ability to carry out your work. For healthy bodies and minds. 

5. Not all workers are treated well. Many are abused and paid poorly. Ask yourself: "How can I set a different example?" If you employ people, ask how you can treat them with greater dignity and respect. 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of being able to work. Sometimes we struggle to see the blessing in what we do, but we ask you to give us insight into each situation. Help us to serve you and others in our places of employment and also in our homes. We pray for those who are desperately seeking work - may they would not lose heart. May we also learn to see each of our colleagues as you would see them and to love them appropriately. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

God is able

There is a beautiful verse in 2 Corinthians 9 that speaks of God's abundance and grace towards each of us. The more we read these words, the more they remind us of God's generous nature and love.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." (KJV)

I usually like to use the New International Version or even the New Living Translation when quoting the Scriptures in this blog, but there is something unique in the way the KJV speaks of how God is able to make 'all grace abound toward you.' What do you feel?

May these words bless you today. 

Think on them and allow them to change you. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Your work IS important!

"Every occupation has its own honour before God. Ordinary work is a divine vocation or calling. In our daily work no matter how important or mundane we serve God by serving the neighbour and we also participate in God's on-going providence for the human race." - Martin Luther

These words remind us that, no matter what we do (work or serving), this is part of our higher calling. As you go about your tasks today, remember that you do it for the Lord and not for anyone else. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" - Colossians 3:23

Living in Grace

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Strong and immovable

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul has a lovely way of encouraging us to persevere. I know that we don't always feel immovable and strong, but his message is important for us to hear. Our work for the Lord cannot be measured in the same way as commercial success, but we need to believe that when we serve God our efforts are making a difference.

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." (The Message - Eugene Peterson)

Keep serving the Lord and leaving the results up to him. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Employed for you

When we say the Methodist Covenant Prayer, there are a few words that may have lost their original meaning over time. For example:

"Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you..."

Traditionally we could understand this to mean that regardless if we are employed/unemployed we would be content in God's will. However, there is a different perspective on this, that I feel draws all of us into God's greater work, regardless of our employment status. This difference also implies that every single believer has some work to do, in the Kingdom.

Colossians 3:23-24 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

If we note that God has given us all spiritual gifts and natural talents, then we need to offer these back to God and to apply ourselves to these tasks. Our 'work' for the Lord will be to live for Jesus. If God has called me to serve as an usher in church, or a children's church teacher, or a pastoral care assistant, or anything else, then I am 'employed' in serving God in the Church. 

What would this mean for you at the moment? 

What 'work' does God have for you to do at the moment?

Are you willing to pick up the mantle and serve Christ.

Have you considered that our work is a partnership with God's spirit? We work with God and not for God?!

Living in Grace

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No more work!

I think that if we had to say to everyone in world, "you don't need to work anymore, but you will still get paid," most people would say, "Oh yes please!"

Of course this is never going to happen, but it does open up a question concerning how we view our work and how we spend our days.

• If you asked a teenager - they would prefer not to do any work.
• If you asked a busy person, they would argue that they work too hard. 
• And then there are the pensioners who would love to still be at work in some kind of way. 
• And of course, there are those who are struggling to find work - they would love to have a job.

Solomon's word to us today reminds me that we should be grateful for the work we have and that we should honour the Lord with the work of our hands.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Paul said something similar in Colossians 3:23: 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters"

Sam Ewing wrote: "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."

Living in Grace

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Work and worry

There are millions of people who would agree that their work includes a huge amount of worry. We worry about pleasing people at work. We worry about whether we will still have a job if the economy changes. We worry if our job is not satisfying us. We worry that we may not have enough money to pay the bills and should we look for a new job? Work and Worry go hand in hand it seems. And Solomon would agree:

"You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn't had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn't right!  You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it? As long as you live, everything you do brings nothing but worry and heartache. Even at night your mind can't rest. It is all useless." - Ecclesiastes 2:21-23 (Good News)

Do you feel that you are also 'working and worrying' your way through life at the moment? If this is the case, then I offer you the wonderful words of Jesus as a help. 

Luke 12: 22 - "Then Jesus said to the disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body.

"Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?" (v.25)

Living in Grace

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Why do you work so hard?

Today's reading leaves me with a huge dilemma and it involves how hard we work. Let's see what it says first:

"Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, because I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, and he might be wise, or he might be foolish—who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. So I came to regret that I had worked so hard." - Ecclesiastes 2:18-20

At a glance we see that Solomon is concerned that his years of hard labour, grinding effort and sacrifices are going to be handed over to his children and he is not sure if they will appreciate those gifts. In the end, he has no control over how they will react when he has passed on, but I guess he does have another option. That option is to instruct his kids in the best way possible and to trust that they will appreciate his inheritance and the legacy he leaves. 

Of course there is no guarantee of this and history tells us that his son (and successor) Rehoboam wasn't well received by the people of Israel. In fact, 10 out of the 12 tribes refused to accept him as their king and so he only ruled over the Kingdom of Judah (or the Southern King). 

I am a little uncomfortable with the last part of today's reading where he says: "I came to regret that I had worked so hard." The reason I am uncomfortable is more along the lines of finding a balance. It is TRUE that we should never make work our Idol and pursue our careers at the cost of family and other important values. However, there is also merit in working our best/hardest, as if we are working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). 

What do you think? Or am I perhaps just over-analysing Solomon's point?

Living in Grace

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Dealing with the right things

During my research for the message this week, I came across this post from Warren Wiersbe:

"During the early days of the Salvation Army, William Booth and his associates were bitterly attacked in the press by religious leaders and government leaders alike. Whenever his son, Bramwell, showed Booth a newspaper attack, the General would reply, "Bramwell, fifty years hence it will matter very little indeed how these people treated us; it will matter a great deal how we dealt with the work of God." 

It is such a reminder that when we step out and do the Lord's work we may not always receive the support we expect, but we must trust in God's provision and strength.

Living in Grace

D3LM3 

The empty Manger

We are so accustomed to hearing the word 'manger' only around Christmas time, but in today's reading from Proverbs we note that it pops up again.

"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests." - Proverbs 14:4

What Proverbs is referring to is when there are no animals to work the fields, then the manger/crib/trough will be empty. This is not speaking about the feeding trough of the animals, but rather the collection of the food that is stored in the manger. 

The second half of the proverb then reminds the listeners that when you have oxen to plough the fields, then there will be a harvest in the right season. The strength of the working animals helps the farmers to get their work done and so secure food for their future. There is a lovely synergy between the farmer and his animals. They both depend on each other. 

I couldn't help relating the huge impact of Covid-19 on the ability of people to work at the moment. Although we are slowly moving down the stages of Lockdown, there are still many millions of people who are not able to work. And when there is no one working, then families are experiencing 'empty' mangers.

Let us pray that people are soon able to get back to work and provide the 'harvests' for their families.

Living in Grace
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Rejoicing in work

“O Lord, renew our spirits and draw our hearts to yourself,

That our work may not be to us a burden, but a delight.

Let us serve you with the spirit of bondage like slaves,

But with freedom and gladness,

Delighting in you and rejoicing in your work,

For Jesus Christ’s sake.” – Benjamin Jenks

When it comes to serving others, it makes a huge difference if we commit ourselves to the tasks out of love or out of bondage. A servant who does the minimum, just to avoid being scolded by their harsh master, is unlikely to go the extra mile for that same person. 

However, a servant who knows they are loved and respected by their Lord, will usually go beyond the required limit, just to be a delight to the one who employs them.When we serve Christ, which servant are we? Do we serve out of fear or because we delight in our Saviour?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Nehemiah - with God's Help

Carrying on with the theme of yesterday - rebuilding when faced with opposition - it is interesting to note that Nehemiah faced similar trials as Ezra. There were many people who tried to distract them from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but in the end God helped them prevail. This verse sums up the hard work and focussed stewardship of Nehemiah and his team.

¹⁵ So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. ¹⁶ When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." - Nehemiah 6:15-16

The hard work of the people, coupled with the HELP of God, ended up in a great victory and the task was completed. We would be wise to remember that anything worthwhile will take time and a huge effort if we want to succeed in that task. If it is worth it, then it is worth the pain and hardship to accomplish the goal.

Keep at it! God will help you complete the task.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Going back

¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. - Luke 2:20

Going back to work or getting back into a routine is always a little tough. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the start of a New Year why don't you reflect on the attitude of the Shepherds in Luke 2. They went back to their dull, ordinary lives, tending sheep, but their return to work was different because of their encounter with Jesus. We too can return back to our routines knowing that we have witnessed the blessing of the Saviour's birth. 

Prayer thought: Ask God to change your mindset today and remember that Immanuel is still with us. 

Living in Grace
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Be Strong

When the Bible records a word or thought 3 times in a few verses then we need to stop and take notice. This passage from Haggai is one of the scriptures we used on Sunday and it does exactly that -repeats a word 3 times. I think that when you read these words, you will get the message :)

But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. 
Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
Be strong, all you people still left in the land. 

And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’ (NLT – Haggai 2:4-5)

Remember the words of the old chorus:
"Be Bold, Be Strong, 
For the Lord your God is with you." 

God is with you. 
Shalom and Grace.

Living in Grace
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It is work!

Ministers are always on the receiving end of jokes about working "only one day a week". We know that these jokes are only made in jest, just as the jokes about teachers only working half-day are also made for fun. However, when I read this quote from C.F.D. Moule today it shed some light on prayer and work.

"Prayer, genuine and victorious, is continually offered without the least physical effort or disturbance. It is often in the deepest stillness of soul and body that it wins its longest way. But there is another side of the matter. Prayer is never meant to be indolently easy, however simple and reliant it may be. It is meant to be an infinitely important transaction between man and God. And therefore, very often…it has to be viewed as a work involving labour, persistence, conflict, if it would be prayer indeed." - C.F.D. Moule 

Did you notice that? Prayer = work.
So, when I am praying (on my six days of rest), I am actually working :)

Take care and have a blessed day. Don't miss the significance of prayer being a discipline and something that may require effort.

Living in Grace
D3LM3