Our Jobs and Our Calling

Thanks so much! You guys really did a good job, especially like the swimming fish. That was really good. That is really hard to do, by the way. That is very hard to do. To do your part when you're moving and actually keep singing. It's easy to do your part and then forget, oh yeah, I'm supposed to be singing here, too. So they did very well. Many times that can be a distraction. And even the arm movements, like, yeah, shout joyfully, shout, yeah. So you remember to keep singing. So good job. Really appreciated that. I'd like to begin the sermon this afternoon with a question.

Why do you work? Why do you work? Now some of you might say, well, I don't work anymore. I'm retired. All right, what do you do while you're retired? Think of it in those terms. Why do you do what you do? Maybe you're a student. Why do you work? I work at being a student. Now some of you might think, well, I work because I've got to put bread on the table. That's what's got to happen. So I can do what I want with the rest of my time.

Maybe that's something that came to mind. Perhaps just earning a living. I have to earn a living, so I've got to work. I know some might think, I enjoy the challenge. My job provides an opportunity and challenges me. And I really appreciate the opportunity. I want to accomplish things because that career opportunity is something of great interest to them. They appreciate and they enjoy working. Some of you might say, well, I just want to supplement the family. We need a little bit of extra income because these days, one income just doesn't cut it.

So, it's a little bit of a challenge. It's a good supplement to have more than one in the family working. Might be earning a little extra money to help pay for college expenses. Get an education for yourself or your kids. Someone once told me they work just to get out of the house. And maybe that's a good reason. So why do you work?

Sometimes I think we have a tendency when we think about our jobs or we think about the work that we have to do. We have a tendency to divide that part of our life into kind of a working part of our life. Maybe you'd think of it as a secular part of our life, non-religious part of our life. Because, of course, today we've got the Sabbath. And we celebrate the Sabbath together. We come together, we worship God, we honor Him, we fellowship together. And so we would classify even a men's chili cook-off as a sacred kind of a thing.

That we come together on God's Sabbath, we come to special church activities, we come to Sabbath services. And we think of that as a religious kind of a thing. A sacred kind of a thing. And so when we look at our life, we often see ourselves as working people. We're out there in a working world and that brings challenges.

That means difficulties for us because we have a tendency to look at our life in reference to who signs our paycheck. Do you think that's a fair thing? If the government signs your paycheck, maybe you're retired. Your boss signs your paycheck. Does that determine fully what your occupation is? Of course, I work for the church, and so Mr. Kubik signs my paycheck. Well, does that mean something different than you?

Well, I can say I'm a full-time minister. In fact, we even got that little phrase that we use sometimes. I'm a full-time minister. But how does that differ from what you do? Does that mean, because you're in the working world or because you're retired, that you're not in full-time Christian service? I mean, after all, ministers are expected to talk about God. We're expected to encourage people. We're expected to give absolutely perfect advice, which we always do, right? We know that. We know that ministers are expected to study God's Word.

They're expected to pray a lot. They're expected to be a light to the world. But the rest of us, on our jobs, our responsibilities, they don't exactly lend themselves to talk much about God. They don't allow us to concentrate on spiritual things, do they? I mean, in your job, maybe you've got to please the boss. You've got to make the boss happy. You've got to make sure you get those computer programs working the way they're supposed to. Maybe you've got to answer the phone. You've got secretarial work to do. Maybe you've got to attend to the patients. Or as a student, you've got to make sure your assignments are done.

Perhaps you've got to talk to the clients. Answer the phone. Teach. Maybe you've got to take orders. Maybe you've got to be sure that the things that are given to you are accomplished that very day. Now, it's not really any different if you stay at home. If you don't work outside of the house, you definitely work inside of the house. There's plenty of things to be done. Many jobs, whether it's housework or raising the children. Many of us homeschool our children. Those are especially challenging things.

And if you're retired, a senior citizen, you're not excluded from those same kinds of responsibilities, whether it's preparing meals, whether it's getting the house ready, whether it's cleaning up the yard. Those things have to be done. And most often, it seems that when we think about those duties, those things that take up so much of our time, that take up our work week, oftentimes we don't see a direct connection between those things and our Christian duty.

Oftentimes we see those things as secular things. They're non-Christian kinds of things. But is there a connection? Should there be a connection between those things and being a Christian? Well, let's answer that question today. Let's think about it. By beginning by turning over to Romans 12. Romans 12, verse 9 is one of those passages that gives a list of character traits that we as God's people are striving to emulate.

We're trying to be these kinds of people that the Apostle Paul is talking about here, not only to the Romans, but also to us. We're striving to love. We're striving to put on Christ. We're striving to be that kind of an example. And yet, the Apostle Paul points to something that I think sometimes is a challenge for especially our modern way of thinking, especially the way we compartmentalize different things. That this is my church life and this is my working life. Let's notice what he says. Romans 12, verse 9. He says, Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.

Well, certainly that's keeping with the commandments. That we're to love. We're to love God. We're to love our fellow man. That's certainly characteristics we strive to put on. Well, then in verse 11, he says, So here we have this whole list of different things, but I'd like to zero in on verse 11. Verse 11 ties into this concept of our compartment world. That we have a working world and we have a religious world. And yet here he says, Don't lag in diligence. Or the King James says, Don't be slothful in business. So it's not just saying we should be diligent, that we should be hardworking people, but on our jobs.

It takes on that perspective here. The New Living says, So what Paul is saying here, there's a connection between our working world and being a Christian. That we really cannot separate them. We shouldn't separate them. So how does our working life fit with our Christian life? You see, God's saying there's no sacred compartment and no secular compartment with God. He sees us as a total being. He's interested in every part of our life, isn't he?

All parts of our life. God is interested. In fact, He has a special plan, a special purpose for each one of us. Don't we get caught up with that kind of thinking sometimes? I think sometimes we tend to think, well, their life is more important than mine, because they have so much more of an important job than I do.

And we have a tendency to look at life like that. But do you think God does? Do you think God looks at us like that to say, well, that person's job is so much more important?

And so somehow, some of us are discounted. Our life doesn't mean as much. Well, sometimes I think we try to make God into a respecter of persons when He's not. Because if we are committed to God, if we are committed to serve Jesus Christ, if we've made that commitment, we understand what that's all about, then we are a full-time servant. No doubt about that. We have to be. In fact, that's what our calling is all about. Peter talked about that over in 1 Peter 2, beginning in verse 5. Notice how God views our life as a whole. Our whole life, not just our working life over here, our retired life over here, and then over here we've got our religious world. No, God doesn't see it that way. When He calls us, He opens up our minds to His truth. He expects us wholeheartedly in every aspect of our life, whether it's working, whether it's resting, whether it's church, that we are God's servants. And Peter makes a special note of this in 1 Peter 2. And let's notice what he says in verse 5. He says, He says, So here's the whole house, not just this part of the house over here, but the whole house. We're being built up into a spiritual house. He says, And so he goes on then in verse 9. He says, Some translations say a peculiar people, meaning a special people. We are a special people to God. And he says that Now, some try to take this verse and they misunderstand it and say, Well, everybody's a minister then. Well, that's not what he's saying here at all. But he is saying, each of us are called to serve God. In whatever way that God has called us, we are called to do His work in our life, whatever that may be. And in fact, that is much of where the United Church of God's mission statement comes from. Not the mission statement, but the vision statement. The vision statement focuses in on a church that's led by God's Holy Spirit. And so you might say, well, what am I supposed to do? Because that vision statement goes on and says that we are joined and knit together by what every member supplies. Now, that's taken from Ephesians 4. If you want to turn over there, we can just remind ourselves of Ephesians 4. And verse 16, he reminds us that we're to grow up in all things unto Him who is the head to Christ. So we're to grow up, we're to be a complete adult, spiritually speaking, a mature spirit, a mature spiritually defined Christian, is what we're supposed to be. And then he goes on to say in verse 16 that the whole body is joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effect of working by which every part does its share. And this causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. And so our vision statement is taken from Ephesians 4.16 and from Hebrews 2 as well. So that as we are growing, as we are fulfilling God's purpose in our individual lives, in our everyday lives, we are, it says, bringing growth. We're edifying the body. And so you might say, well, how am I supposed to do that? I'm not a full-time minister. I can't do that. I work.

Well, I think that's part of what God's got in mind. How does God want us to view our jobs? I think this is one way we can begin to fulfill the vision statement. We can begin to fill Ephesians 4.16, that each of us can be doing our share. We can be supplying what every joint has. We can do those things, and we can do it by taking a different view of our working life. Stop viewing ourselves as a working person and then a religious person, but see ourselves as a whole the way that God does. I mean, would it surprise you to think that God is interested in our job? Is He really interested in the working world, our working life in that sense? Well, I think He is. Is it possible that we could be just as much service to God on our job as in anything else we could do? Is that possible? I mean, being a carpenter, or being a contractor, or a nurse, or a secretary, or a salesperson? Is that somehow second best? Is it the leftovers for what God has in mind for people? Not if you understand what God is all about. He's called us to be full-time Christian servants. And so as we fulfill God's purpose, hopefully we'll begin to see that our job really does matter to God. And I can fulfill what God's called me to do, even on my job, or even being retired, or even being a student. It's an interesting phrase that's mentioned back in Ecclesiastes that ties in with this thought. Let's look at Ecclesiastes 2, verse 11. Now some of you might think of Ecclesiastes as the perfect description for your job. It's useless. It's all vanity. It's all useless. Maybe that's the description that comes to mind when you think of your job. Well, hopefully we can change that perspective a little bit today. Ecclesiastes 2, verse 11, we see Solomon talking about work. And maybe you felt this way about your job. Let's notice what he says about it. Ecclesiastes 2, verse 11, he says, He says, He says, verse 12, He says only what he's already done. One king is just like the next. There's not that big a difference. So what's the big deal? Well, he came to conclude then, verse 13, So can we have a different perspective on our life? Can we have a wise perspective on our life, on our job? Well, verse 14, he goes on, Probably their eyes are both in their heads, but the fool is blind, he says. He says, All right, where's he going with all this? Well, let's see how it connects. He says, So not a real positive approach here, is there? Well, let's see what he says then next. Verse 17, It's not lasting, in other words. And who knows whether he'll be wise or a fool? Yet he'll rule over all my labor, which I've toiled, and which I've shown myself wise under the sun. He says, You ever felt that way about your work?

I remember talking to a man who I came to call Mr. Papermill. He worked in the Papermills for 40 years, and we had a special retirement party for him. And it was an interesting little get-together. He was talking to Mr. Papermill a little bit, and kind of came up in the conversation 40 years. That's a long time to work at one job. And he worked at that same Papermill for 40 years. And so I just kind of off-handedly, I just said, Boy, you must have really enjoyed working at the Papermill if you worked there 40 years. You know what he said? I hated every minute of it.

Boy, I felt kind of stupid. I felt bad then. I felt bad. Wow, I'm doing something for 40 years and hating it. And it kind of reminded me of what Solomon, despairing in all of the labor. Did you ever feel like that? Disparing with all the work. It just doesn't seem worth it. You can never seem to get ahead. It's not going anywhere. And yet, that's not the way God wants us to view that. In fact, Solomon turns it around in the very next verse. Look at verse 21. Verse 21, it says, So you don't have to work at a job for 40 years and hate every minute of it. It's possible to work and do it with wisdom.

It's possible to have a job, even a job maybe you don't like, but you can work it with knowledge and you can work it with skill. It doesn't mean you have to be stuck at the same job for 40 years and hate it. Get a different job. Wouldn't that be great? Like what you're doing.

Maybe that's part of the wisdom that he's talking about here. But he says there is a way that we can work and we can do it in a wise way. We can do it in a knowledgeable way. We can do it in a skillful way so that we don't despair in all of our work, all of our labor.

Because if we only see the work, the job, as something we have to do, we're going to despair. But is there a way we can see it in a Christian mindset, in a godly mindset, not a Mr. Paper Mill mindset, but in the kind of mindset that God wants us to have? And is it possible to see our job as the place where God's placed us right at this time, that maybe He's got a purpose for where we're at right at this very moment?

Is it possible that God could use us, even in that lousy rotten paper mill, as a light shining in the darkness? Is that possible? Is that a knowledgeable approach? Is that a wise approach? And you might think, well, I've never really thought about whether this is where God wants me or not. Well, let's think about that. Because we're not less important just because we work for an hourly wage. We're not meaningless. God is totally concerned about every part of our life, and we may just be where God wants us to be.

Have we ever considered that? Because I believe it is possible for us to fulfill our vision statement on our job. If God's calling us and using us and wants us to be that joint, He wants us to be that ligament so that we'll bring about the growth of the church, that means I've got to be that shining light, not just to church, not just to church people, but to everybody I meet.

Most of your week is spent where? Well, it's spent on our jobs. And so what will those people hear? What will those people see? What message will they notice lived right before their eyes? They need personal contact with the church of God. They need to understand the plan of God.

They need to see that lived right before us. And so as the body of Christ, the whole body, every part of us needs to be doing their part. Can we set a godly example when we're on the job? Can we show God's love, His mercy, His direction in our lives? That doesn't mean we're preaching to them. That doesn't mean we're telling them to shape up and they don't understand what the Sabbath is.

No, it means that we're living a life that's reflective of who we are, that we're working, and that example that's lived before their eyes is a powerful example that cannot deny the fact that God is in charge of our life. And it makes a difference. Our perspective makes a difference. Christ even alluded to this over in Mark 13. Notice the parable that He uses. It's a kingdom parable, sometimes it's called, because it talks about the householder, the man who is charged with the house, going away, and then eventually coming back.

Let's notice it, Mark 13. Verse 34 is where we'll begin. Mark 13.34. Here Christ compares the kingdom and the return of Christ. He says, It's like a man going to a far country who's left his house and gave authority to his servants and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Verse 35, this part we usually focus in on. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning.

So we're to watch. And we focus so much on that, that we're watching for the return of the master. We're watching for the return of Christ. But in the meantime, did you notice there were instructions given in the meantime? Christ has gone to the far country. He's returned to the throne of God.

He's left his house. He's left the church, his body. He gave authority to his servants, that's you and I. We have the authority. We've been given God's Holy Spirit. We have authority over sin in our lives. And not only that, He says He's given to us each his work. He didn't say, well, I just gave it to the ministers.

I didn't just give it to the directors. No, I didn't do that. Every one of us has a job to do, a job to fulfill. And so when we get up in the morning, do we have a sense of commitment to what God has called us to do? Do we know that we're headed to a place where He wants us to be? Not necessarily 40 years if we hate it, but a place that for right now we can fulfill His purpose at work, on our job.

We can fulfill the vision statement. We can fulfill Ephesians 4, even on our jobs. That might seem like a difficult thing. But let's consider that for a moment. How can we do that? And sometimes it's even hard to hang on to a job.

I'd heard about the lumberjack that got fired from his job. How did he get fired? Well, his buddy said, well, how in the world did you get fired from your job? His friend said, well, do you know what a foreman is? And his friend said, well, yeah, yeah. He's the guy that kind of supervises the work, stands around, watches the other men work, makes sure they do their job. He says, what does that have to do with you getting fired? He said, well, the foreman just got jealous of me because everybody else thought I was the foreman.

Now, the question is, do you supervise your own work? And do we see our work through the eyes that God wants us to see? You see, I believe that God's work, the preaching of the gospel, is not only by the spoken word. It's not only through a Good News magazine or a television program. It's not just through a publication or a booklet.

It's confirmed and supported by the reality that Christ is in you. That's the reality of the gospel. The real core of what Jesus Christ taught was that we've got to follow the example that Christ set, and we've got to demonstrate that example to everyone that we come in contact with. Isn't that our calling? Is that what God wants us to do? Is that possible to do that in our working world?

Is it possible to do as a student? Can I live my life in a way that reflects the fact that I have Jesus Christ in me? As a retired person, do my neighbors know there's something a little bit different about that individual? They just look at life differently. Do we demonstrate the fact that we are different? Different in a good way? Different in a good way because we have God's Holy Spirit. I think we could fulfill the vision statement by taking that perspective and understanding, and this is an awesome responsibility that God's given to us, isn't it?

In fact, Christ emphasized this in John 17. John 17, 11. I wonder if Christ had this in mind even just before the crucifixion. Let's notice one of the very last prayers that Christ was praying just before the crucifixion. He said something interesting that I think reflects on our topic for today. John 17, 11. Here Christ is praying that prayer, and He says, Now I'm no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father.

He says, Keep through your name, those whom you've given me, that they may be one as we are. He says, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you gave me I've kept. None of them is lost except the Son of Perdition. That Scripture might be fulfilled. So Christ is praying about the disciples. He's praying about us as well.

Let's notice that. He says, Now I come to you, these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I've given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they're not of the world, just as I am not of the world. He says, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth. Then verse 18, As you sent me into the world, I've also sent them into the world. And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. Now oftentimes we'll read this section of Scripture at Passover time, and we might skip right over the fact that God has placed us right where He wants us, hasn't He? Did you catch that? It's in verse 18. He says, God has arranged it so that we have to be in the world. We have to be. He says, I also have sent them into the world. So we have to be in the world.

We have to go out and make a living. We have to do this. God's designed it that way. God's designed it that way. And so work, our jobs, whether we're a student or working at an hourly wage, that's the place that's kind of a common denominator. It's where Christians, it's where you and I, God's called out people, where we go and we meet people that aren't Christians.

Or maybe people that think they're Christians, but they're not. And it's arranged that way. God, have you ever thought about that? God planned it that way? And I have to work with these people because God worked it out that way. That means I have to come in contact with people that we'd call Gentiles. We'd call unbelievers.

But maybe God looks at it a little bit differently. You see, we meet the real world on our jobs, and I believe that is no accident. I think we have an amazing opportunity because it doesn't rely on our personality, it doesn't rely on our talents, it doesn't rely on our abilities. He says we're sent. We're sent. We're sent into the world. We don't have a choice. We're God's people. He sent us. We're not waiting to wonder, well, what do you want me to do now, God? No, He sent us into the world. Not too many options given there, is there? Not a lot of options. So it's in this working world, or at school, or when we're retired, that we come in contact with people that we can truly let our life shine and be a witness to God's way. So our jobs should be a part of the world which God has called us to serve. Ever thought about it like that? I mean, if you're not a light on your job, at your workplace, who's going to be?

If you're not a light to your neighborhood, who else is going to be? If you're not a good neighbor, what joint is going to supply that? What ligament? Well, there isn't one. God sent us, and we can fulfill His vision of Ephesians 4 for the church, for ourselves, for His work, by seeing that opportunity to really, truly be a light every day, every day, and every opportunity that we have. Paul spoke about this over in Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 3, verse 7. He set a wonderful example for us. And I don't think it's there only by coincidence. I think God inspired this to be recorded for us so that we could see a real-life example right before our eyes, to say, Yep, God meant it that way. It applied way back then, a couple of thousand years ago, and it applies to me on my job, at my school, even today. Let's notice Paul's example, 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 7. He says, And he's writing to Thessalonians. He's also writing to you and I. He says, Nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but we worked.

So even the apostle, the man who was inspired to write most of the New Testament, worked, had a physical job where he labored. It says he labored with toil night and day. And he did it for a reason, he says. Not that we would be a burden to any of you.

Verse 9, not because we don't have authority. He could have taken the tithes. But he said to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. Now, obviously, he didn't mean they're all supposed to take it on the road, and they're all going to journey and continue to go on and follow Paul wherever his journeys would take him.

That's not what he's talking about. He was setting an example on his job, on how to work, why he works, and the kind of light he could be, even though he's toiling, even though he's laboring. Even though it was physical work, he could let his light shine. The gospel could be preached through his work. And so he says he was an example so that we could follow that example. We could imitate that example. So he was doing that job, living that life in a way that was a shining bright spot in a very, very dark world.

And of course, he says, we're called to do this. He says some walk, he says, disorderly. They're busy bodies. Verse 12, he says, Those who are such we command and exhort through the Lord Jesus Christ. They work. He says they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

But as for you, brethren, don't grow weary in doing good. You see, I wonder if Mr. Papermill could have looked at his life differently if it would have been possible not to grow weary and do good even in difficult situations, even in a job that isn't ideal. Is it possible? You see, Paul's work showed that God was with him.

More than the fact that God was with him. God was in him. God was in him. Can you imagine writing this? There's certainly times in my life I couldn't write this. Yeah, follow my example. No, don't. Do exactly the opposite. But see, Paul could write that because he was that shining light that lived that example right in front of their eyes. Jesus Christ was the same way.

That's our goal. That's the directive that we've been given. That's what we're supposed to emulate. We're to imitate that example so that we're showing that God is in us. And if I'm that light, I don't have to preach or teach or sometimes you think, well, I've got to witness all day long. Well, we can't do that. We've got a job to do. We've got a work that has to be accomplished. But there's something amazing about your job that maybe you haven't thought about. In your job, you're on equal footing with everybody else that works there, aren't you?

You might be in a different position, but nonetheless, you work there. You work there. And everybody else that's there works there, too. So could I come to your work and hand out good news magazines to everybody? Walk maybe from office to office or down the assembly line and hand them all out? Say, hey, I'm a minister with the United Church of God. Here you go. Read this. You'll love the article on Christmas. Let me tell you. I can't do that, can I? I can't do that. The minister can't get in there. He's not going to be handing out good news or booklets or say, hey, have you seen that program? It's amazing.

I can't do that. But you know the people you work with. The rest of us would be outsiders there. But that's where you are. That's where you belong for the moment. You have a right to be there. And in fact, if I'm reading the Scripture correctly, you have a duty to be there.

Now, even though you can't teach or preach or hand out good newses, your life can be an inescapable witness to the truth of God, what God can do to change lives, because He changed your life, what God can do to make a difference in someone else's life. When you're committed to God, amazing things can happen, and your life is proof to that. What an amazing witness that is! And those people that you work with, that's something they can't ignore. That's going to be difficult to deny.

Why? Because you're living it right in front of their lives. Right in front of their eyes? That's what Paul did? We can do the same thing. We can do that in our neighborhood. We can do that at our school. We can be different. We can be, if we choose to be.

We might not ever utter a word about the Sabbath or the Holy Days or anything. But living that life will probably bring about some questions. Probably will. In fact, Christ put it a little bit differently. Matthew 5, verse 14.

Maybe the Apostle Paul had this in mind when he was writing to Thessalonica. In Matthew 5, 14, a very familiar section of Scripture. We know it, but have we thought about this on our jobs? Christ said, you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Whether it's at home, whether it's at church, whether it's on the weekend, or whether it's every day on our job. He says they don't light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. So let your light shine to everyone in the church. Oh, no, it doesn't say that. Let your light shine to mankind, to men, to people, to humanity, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. There's an expectation here, isn't there? And Christ just didn't say, well, let your light shine and don't expect any results. No, that's not the case at all. They're going to see your good works. They're going to see how you live your life. They're going to see your perspective. They're going to see how you work. And ultimately, it's going to lead to them having a relationship with God.

I believe this even ties in with Matthew 24.14. Oftentimes, we'll refer to Matthew 24.14. It talks about this gospel must be preached in all the world as a witness, and then the end will come. And oftentimes, we think of just the spoken word or the written word going out, and that's going to accomplish that particular passage. But I don't think that's fully the case there. You can be a witness. If you're living your life in a godly way on your job at every time, that is a witness. And this gospel will be preached as a witness at your work, in your neighborhood, at your school.

And that light is going to shine. That light is the opposite of darkness. It's the opposite of the ways of this world. That city is on a hill, and like the limestone that those buildings were built with at the time of Christ, it'll be undeniable. It'll just light up on a beautiful day like today, and the snow shining off of the ground. That's what it will be like. It'll be such a contrast. So in everything that we are, everything that we should do, it should reflect the fact that Jesus Christ is at our heart and core. And there's no doubt it has to include the half of our life that we spend on the job.

It has to include that. And so in a way, we have a commission, don't we? We have a commission that we share. We share that same encouragement, that same comfort, that same hope that God's given us. And we reflect that same love that He has for us to everyone we come in contact with. And so that's the challenge for us, is that we can even do it on our jobs. The Psalms talk about this as well. Look at Psalm 69, verse 5. Psalm 69, verse 5. You know, in some ways it may mean that, boy, I have to maybe work a little harder on the job because my life isn't exactly a reflection of the kind of work ethic I should have.

Well, maybe it will help us to re-examine things. You know, what kind of job report would I get if Christ was my supervisor? It's like my dad used to say, hard work never killed anyone. But you don't want to take that chance, do you? No, I don't want to be the first victim, right? But sometimes that's what it comes down to. That's what it comes down to. Psalm 69, verse 5 is a reminder of that. It says, God, you know my foolishness. My sins are not hidden from you. We are called to an awesome calling, and it is a challenge.

There is no doubt. This is a challenge to put into practice in every aspect of my life. But he says in verse 6, let not those who wait for you, O Lord God of Hosts, be ashamed because of me. Really, that word means discredited. Don't let your way, God, be discredited because of me. Have you ever thought about it like that? There are those that are waiting for God out there. They haven't got the calling yet. They may at some point, they may have to wait. They may have to wait until the return of Christ. But there are those who are waiting for God's call.

And so we see here in Psalm 69, we've got to make sure our goal is to not discredit the gospel of God. He goes on to finish verse 6, Let not those who seek you be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for your sake I've borne reproach, same has covered my face.

Kind of implying the example of David, the example of Christ. We want to make sure our example rises to that standard. That whatever our circumstances, we don't want to trip up anyone else. We don't want to be the one that causes others to fall short for the goals that God has in mind for them. We don't want to discredit the truth of God because of the way that we work, or how we work, or our perspective on work, or how we act when we're on the job.

And so I think those are monumental things that certainly can help us to fulfill that awesome vision that God has in mind for each and every one of us. And so we can begin to view the workplace as a place that God has sent us. He sent you to be His life, and our lives can be different.

And I believe that as we do that, you think it will be very long before you'll have an opportunity to give an account? Why are you different? Why are you hopeful in this kind of a crazy world that we live in? The bottom falling out of the economy and people in so much trouble. Why are you different? Don't you think that sooner or later someone's going to ask you, what's up? Why do you have that kind of perspective? Well, then we'll have that opportunity. 1 Peter 3, verse 15.

Familiar passage. In fact, we heard a whole message on this recently. 1 Peter 3, verse 15. I believe is what will come about. Will be another way that we'll be able to fulfill the calling that God's given us, to be that joint and that ligament that can supply what God has in mind. 1 Peter 3, 15. It says, Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. That's where it begins. That I've taken my calling seriously and I'm going to allow Jesus Christ to live His life in me and through me.

I'm going to let that light shine. So by doing that, He says you'll always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that's in you with meekness and fear. He tells us how we're supposed to do it. So it's going to become evident as our life is a testimony.

It is a witness to the gospel of God, to our great calling, to the fact that we have God's Holy Spirit in us. We can be ready to give a reply. We can be ready to give a defense to anyone who calls us into account for the hope, for the reason that we are different, the reason that we have a different perspective. We'll be prepared. We'll be ready to answer.

We'll be ready to supply what only my joint can supply, my ligament, my part. It's the only part that I can supply. And so He says we'll be ready. We'll be ready to do that. And then He says in verse 16, we'll have a good conscience. We'll have a clear conscience. Even when it doesn't work, even when the naysayers—probably got a few of those on our job, too, don't we? Yeah, you know who they are.

Even those people, even the naysayers, it says you can have a good conscience that when they defame you as an evildoer, it says those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be a shame. Yeah, they may hassle you. They may give you a hard time. It's not going to be all peaches and cream just because you're letting your light shine. There's going to be difficulty. There's going to be challenges. But God promises in the end, they'll be ashamed. And our hope is so real.

Our perspective in the true gospel is so distinctive that even unbelievers, even the naysayers, are going to be puzzled by it. And those that are truthful to themselves will ask about it. And so God's Holy Spirit will be reflected in us. There'll be a difference. There'll be a perspective of love, a perspective of hope. And in this major way, it just might be possible, God could reach out to them and call them through you, through the hope that you've shown, through the gospel that you've lived every day right in front of their eyes. And so we're all proclaimed, or we're all called to proclaim that kingdom, that kingdom of God by example, in everything that we do, in everything that we say.

And so wherever we are, that's what should shine through. You could probably sum it up with a little story that I heard about a couple of people who are working at a stone quarry. They were all doing their jobs. They were all employed doing the same job, working with the rocks, working with the stone. Well, someone was visiting one day and went up to each of these workers.

And they asked them, what are you doing? The first worker said, I'm breaking rocks. They went up to the second worker. The second one said, I'm earning a living. They went up to the third worker, asked him, what are you doing? He said, I'm building a mansion.

What's your perspective? What's your perspective on your job? I think it all starts with a change in attitude, because we're to be living stones. We're to be built up to a house of God. You see, don't look at your life as just breaking rocks. Don't look at your job as just earning a living. God's called you to build a mansion. So don't just catch the vision. Live the vision.