Friday, March 9, 2012

It's Not My Job!



In today’s economy, where jobs are few and applicants plentiful, going the extra mile at work can really pay off. As more and more are laid off, those who remain are expected to carry the brunt of the workload. Flexibility and willingness to assume the responsibilities formerly carried by others can go far in assuring an ongoing paycheck. Now is not the time to tell our employer “It’s not my job!”

Yet I wonder how often Christians shrug off the responsibilities God has placed on us with a similarly cavalier attitude. His commandments are clearly spelled out in His Word, yet we often dismiss them because many in authority and in positions of worldly influence seem to blatantly disregard them (Ephesians 6:12).

We judge ourselves by the cultural norm, and conclude that we look pretty good in comparison to the lost, forgetting that we serve a just and holy God who demands a higher standard (Leviticus 20:7; Romans 6:13,16; 2 Peter 3:11). Our sins are forgiven and washed away by His righteousness (Romans 3:25; Romans 5:21), but that does not give us liberty to continue in a sinful lifestyle or to stay where we will be tempted into habitual sins (Romans 6:15).

He has plainly told us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” (John 14:15) and “feed my sheep” (John 21:16). The last words of Jesus before He ascended into Heaven were the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), where He commanded believers to spread the Good News about Him and to teach one another from His Word.

This job is not reserved for pastors and teachers, but is the responsibility of everyone who has trusted Christ as Savior and has faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only way to eternal life (1 Corinthians 15). He has placed each of us in a unique sphere of influence and equipped each of us with different gifts, personality traits and talents to be able to reach people no one else could reach (1 Corinthians 12).

Sharing His Word and leading others to Him is, however, not really a job but an awesome privilege, blessing, and opportunity to worship and thank the One Whose sacrifice gave us eternal, abundant life (John 3:16;10:10). He could have written the plan of salvation in the sky for all to read; He could have entrusted the Gospel message to angels; but instead, He appointed every believer to be His ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) and allowed each of us to share in the joy of leading a lost sinner to Him!

If we are faithful to carry out His general will for our life by avoiding and hating sin, praying, loving and witnessing to others, and if we listen for His voice, He will also give each of us specific instructions for how to best fulfill His specific will for our lives (2 Timothy 1:9).

Ultimately, it is not our job to “save” anyone, for that can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit convicting the lost person of his sin and of his need for a Savior (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Our job, and our amazing privilege, is to plant and water seeds of His Word by our testimony, of His holiness through our lifestyle, and of His love through how we treat others (1 John 4:7).

We may not know in this lifetime what effect these had, but we know that our labor for Him is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). If we carry out His commission, we will meet in glory those we helped lead to Him, and we can present them to Him as a crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19). He will say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:21) and He will reward us throughout eternity! (1 Corinthians 3:12)


© 2012 Laurie Collett


34 comments:

Denise said...

Yes, we all need to be planters of the Word.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Denise! Blessings to you!
Laurie

Joyful said...

Amen!

Nadwrażliwiec said...

We are saved by grace. But this fact doesn't mean that we can do all we want. God loves us, but He is also fair. He won't ask us, what we want to do, but He will ask us, how did we use our gifts given from Him. Blessings for You.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Joyful! God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Zim! His grace gives us liberty, but not license to sin. When we see Him in glory, we will suffer loss for missed opportunities and wasted time and talents we could have used to honor Him.
God bless you and your ministry,
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

Great post, Laurie. Not only do some shrug off their responsibility, but a second group makes people feel guilty that they didn't get a profession from everyone they talked to. As you stated, we can't save them, but we can let them know.

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, dfish! Praise God that He does not ask us for success, but only for obedience, and that He rewards us for our faithfulness to do His work, regardless of the results.
God bless,
Laurie

caryjo said...

I'm kind of a blunt-thinking woman. Often my comment is that our God-job is to do whatever He asks us to do whenever He asks us to do it. Not perfect, in my case, but try to be persistent and consistent. WHY? Want to see the results when I get to heaven. Can't always see them here, but "there" will be filled with revelation and joy...

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, caryjo! He will reward us greatly for our obedience, and the thought of Him saying "Well done" should inspire us to listen for His voice and follow it.
Love in Him,
Laurie

Charlotte said...

Thank you for sharing these encouraging words. We need to remember who we are and act accordingly.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Dolly @Soulstops said...

Hi Laurie,

Visiting from "Seedlings..."- linked up after you... I agree that whatever God calls us to do, then it is our job...thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

As a youth, I did any paid work with joy that came my way. As a young man, I did the heavy work and helped the older men not labor so hard. They always wanted the employer to hire me as well. God offers us work and we must be willing to accept what he asks. Once He asked me to substitute in the toddlers class at Suonday school. One small girl asked me why my hands were so dirty? As a roofer at the time, it was difficult to remove all the asphalt from the shingles even with the special goop that I used. It was hard to explain to her, but I did the best I could. Happy is the man or woman who learns to follow without question when God says "this is your job for today."

Laura said...

We only have One true standard, and we will never measure up. But we must keep trying to be more like Him. When we compare ourselves to the world, it's so easy to lose our focus. Very good thoughts, Laurie.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Charlotte! We are children of the King!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks for visiting and commenting, Dolly!
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Robert,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment and testimony! Obedience is better than sacrifice. I wonder how many blessings believers miss because they question a specific assignment or consider it beneath their calling, instead of trusting that God knows exactly what He is doing and that He will reward their labor.
Blessings to you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Laura! We need to keep our eyes fixed on His face! If we seek Him, He will progressively conform us to His image.
Love in Him,
Laurie

Joan Davis (Jo) said...

It is a privilege that God will work through us to plant the seeds that can grow into faith! And you are right...that privilege is not just for pastors...it is for all of us! What a blessing!

Unknown said...

Everyday, I realize how I fall short. And yet, everyday, I realize how His grace makes me want to truly repent -- to turn around and walk back toward Him. I am grateful that He calls us to be more than we truly think we can be -- all because we can rely on His power in the face of our weakness.

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Joan,
We are truly blessed that He uses us to share His Word, and that He will reward us even more for doing so!
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Jen,
Praise God for His grace and His mercies, which are new every morning. He is the vine and we are the branches -- without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Shanda said...

If we only took our job seriously and worked at it with all our mind. Maybe Jesus would come a lot sooner???

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Shanda! In His mercy, He is waiting for everyone to be saved who will be. We must do all we can to plant and water the seeds of His Word.
God bless,
Laurie

Anonymous said...

Hi Laurie - you are so right! God says we are all priests with Him. So its anyone who is saved, job to do what God wants him/her to do. Great post
God bless
Tracy

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Tracy! It is a blessing to be in His royal priesthood!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Ms. Kathleen said...

Wonderful and encouraging post :) God Bless!

http://theemptynestexpress.com

LAURIE said...

LOVED this post! What a great reminder that we all have a job to do! As Christians, I pray that we dont fall down on our responsibilities. So glad to have you linking up with us over at THANKFUL THURSDAY today! ((blessings))

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Ms. Kathleen! God bless you too!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Laurie,
Thanks so much for your encouragement! I join in your prayer that we would be faithful to the assignments He has entrusted to us.
Love in Him,
Laurie

Joan Hall said...

Laurie:

Often people think of ministry as being reserved for the pastors, envangelists, etc. However we all have a ministry--where we live, where we work, where we play.

Thank you for another wonderful post.

Blessings,
Joan

Sharon Claassen said...

Yes, yes, yes!!!! Our work for God is not only reserved for the pastors and paid staff at churches! God has called all of us to do His work while we are here...what an honor!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks for your encouragement, Joan! Each of us is a unique member of the body, and we each have a unique sphere of influence.
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Sharon! Amazing that the Creator has given us the honor of His special assignment.
Love in Him,
Laurie
http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/