Judges 16-18

Luke 7:1-30

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”       —Matthew 6:9-10

Why do we do what we do day after day, hour after hour? Where do we spend most of our time? Who are the people that we connect with? Where do we have life-giving conversations and make a difference in a person’s life? The truth of the matter is that what we do should always be an expression of our “yes” to God. In other words, the actual tasks and work that we do should be filled with His presence and power. Some of us may immediately think of starting a Bible study or gathering for prayer at work. While these are wonderful and valuable activities, there is something much deeper.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah rhetorically asks, “What does the LORD require of you?” The answer is “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). This answer is powerful as we consider, what if we had lawyers, social workers and service workers acting justly in all that they did? What if we had medical professionals, teachers and grandparents loving mercy every day in every way? What if we had athletes, CEOs and parents daily walking humbly with God? When we do, it resonates with “The Lord’s Prayer” of “Your kingdom come, Your will be done in my office, my school and my home.”

Whether we are still in school, working or retired, how can we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God in our day-to-day life? For those of us working, some may raise the point, “I did not choose my job. I would have never chosen this job. I just took it to make ends meet, to help pay rent.” If that is our reality, may we take time to seek God’s presence where we are. It could be possible that God is asking us in faith to step away from this job and to say “yes” to something else. Or, we may hear from God that we are exactly where He wants us to live, to serve and to love although the pay may be less and the job title is not what we are expecting. Nonetheless, the most important thing is not what we do, but the heart of obedience with which we do it.

Life is short. With the time that we have, God wants us to spend our time on things that matter to Him. How can we live as a reflection of Christ to the broken world today and bear witness of His love, mercy and humility? 

Almighty God, help me spend the time that You have given me on earth on things that matter to You. Show me to whom I could bear witness of Your love, mercy and humility. Thank You, Lord.