Thank you, Jesus.
My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Verse 123
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
This passage is tearing me up this afternoon. I realize that the passage, at a deeper level, is about working for God and the struggles and troubles that come about as a result of people working for God.
However, I have been struggling majorly with my ("majorly"??) attitude at work lately. The company I work for has been taking benefits away from us and replacing them with worthless things like "value points" and claiming they "value their people" through doing so. This has only served to increase the difficulty I have in maintaining a positive attitude at work.
But this passage brings it all home again to me. I am supposed to be working as though I work for God, not for men! It doesn't matter what men do to me! I'm supposed to maintain a good, Christlike attitude, no matter what.
Here's what Paul says in this passage:
Our work as God's servants gets validated�or not�in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.
Dear, dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!
"People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly...in hard times, tough times, bad times..."
Wow...the list goes on and on. Again, I realize that these words are primarily spoken to people who work for Christ...or are they?? Not all the Corinthian Christians were involved in the work of the gospel, were they? In fact, very few Christians actually are.
So, the more I think about it, the more I believe Paul was talking about life in general. Yes, we get some trouble because of our faith in Christ, but we are to be exemplary employees. We are to be honest, hard-working people.
Is life boring? Nay! It is not. Not if we are focusing on God, it's not!
Is living for God boring?? No! Emphatically, no!
Our work for God should involve a heart of worship. It should be with a pure heart. Every activity we do in the name of Christ can be, and should be, an act of worship!
I feel a new energy as I get ready to go face the job tonight. I feel a new determination to be "God's man" at my place of employment. My attitude will be one of service, no matter how I get treated. I will do whatever I am asked to do, even if it's "not my job." And believe me, I do a lot things that aren't my job around there.
Let me live this "wide-open, spacious life" for you! Let me be gentle, holy and honest in all I do. Let me love all people.
Praise you, Jesus, praise you!
Grace and peace, friends.