Take Jesus With You

Monday, September 7, 1998

Labour Day

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

All Christians try to stay on the path that leads to the Lord. We attend church, go to Bible study, spend time with our family, do volunteer work and try to be good friends. But how many of us take Jesus with us into our workplace? The hours spent committed to our jobs grow but our commitment to take our Saviour into the workplace stays the same. How many of your co-workers know that you are a child of the King? How many know your commitment to Christ? They may know the name of the person in the other department who doesn't like to work with you; they may know that you and your boss don't get along; but do they know the Saviour? Do they have a clue that you do? Don't use the excuse that there are laws, policies, memos (blah, blah, blah…) that prohibit you from sharing you message of salvation. Your citizenship in the kingdom should be as plain as the nose on your face. They should see it in your eyes of compassion; they should notice it by your positive attitude; they should recognize it in your enthusiasm to assist someone who is overwhelmed; they should note the lack of gossip going on in your cube/office; they should note the peace of heart that you have even during the worst of days. If they don't, maybe you've forgotten something far more important than your lunch. Maybe you forgot Jesus. I came across the following piece:

    Take Jesus With You

    I drive into work listening to gospel music or a pre-recorded sermon on the radio. I get out of the car and walk to the building entrance.

    As I open the building door I leave just enough room for me to get in and I leave Jesus standing outside as the door closes behind me. He's standing with His palms on the door glass and watches me as I get on the elevator. His eyes are sad and He turns and goes to sit on the stone bench.

    There He'll sit patiently and wait for me for the next 9 hours.

    First two hours of work, I fuss and complain about things not going right. Jesus, sitting with his chin in His hand looks upward toward the building wishing He could help me.

    By lunch time, I'm flustered, regretting I work in this place and sputtering bitterness all over folks. Jesus comes around to the side of the building where my cube is located. He looks up from the ground trying to get my attention but I can't hear him; my focus is on my problems.

    Jesus goes back to the front of the building, sits down and continues to wait for me. He thinks to Himself as He looks up to the third floor, "She went in there defenceless. If only she had taken me in there with her. When will she learn?"

    At the end of the day, I'm pooped, run down, no energy, irritable and frustrated. I leave the building and Jesus gets up happily to greet me but I'm in no mood for Him now. I've just been to hell and back and the last thing I want to do is be bothered with anyone.

    God just actually showed me this is how I've been acting. He showed me each act, and worst of all, He let me feel a small portion of how grieved He was because of my actions and attitude. I left Jesus standing outside, almost let the door smack in His face and I come in here defenceless.

    From time to time our jobs overwhelm us and we completely forget to "take Jesus with us". We may not go around cursing anyone out or punching anyone in the face (hopefully), but what are our actions saying about us and about who or whose we are? We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

    We should be bringing peace to our jobs not be the cause of confusion. We should be the ones to bring our gifts and talents to the table to help in whatever area God has chosen for us to work in. My hope in sharing this is that this will help someone who may be having a hard time in their workplace.

A city on a hill can not be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)

Prayer: I say I know my Saviour lives because you are with me always, but I only invite you with me when convenient. Forgive me. Help me, Father, not to shame myself in front of you, not to bring shame to your name in front of those I spend the most time with, the people at my job. Help them to see you when they see me; help me remember that the glory is yours all the time, even from 9-5. Amen.

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About the author:

Kimberley Dubard
Arlington, Virginia, USA

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