"Never is a life more ennobled than when we do all things as unto God."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
CH Spurgeon tells us that true faith in God leads a person to serve God in his/her daily calling. He further maintains that this service is marked by obedience to God's commands.
"Brethren, Christian men are helped by faith to serve God in their calling by obedience to God's commands, by endeavouring to order everything according to the rules of love to God and love to man. In such a case, integrity and uprightness preserve the man, and his business becomes true worship."
When we walk in obedience, our work is transformed into worship to God. On this topic, Spurgeon goes on to exhort us to "manifest a Christian spirit" in all we do. His point is simple - God is not honored by "correct behavior" that is devoid of a gracious spirit.
Here is what he says about this -
"The spirit that actuates us may seem a small matter so long as we are outwardly right; but it is in reality the essence of the whole thing. Take away the flavor from the fruit, or the fragrance from the flower, and what is left? Such is correct living without the savor of grace."
Years before Charles Sheldon issued the now popular, WWJD call, Spurgeon asked not only "what would Jesus do" but also "how would Jesus do it". He tells us the following -
"Oh, to act in your trade and calling as Christ would have acted had he been in your place. Hang that question up in your houses, "What would Jesus do?" and then think of another, "How would Jesus do it?" for what he would do and how he would do it may always stand as the best guide for us. Thus faith puts a man upon serving God by leading him to exhibit the spirit of Christ in what he ordinarily does, showing all courtesy, gentleness, forbearance, charity and grace"
Also, take note of Spurgeon's perspective on daily work, taking one day at a time and making full use of it.
"If we really live to serve God, we shall live intensely day by day, allowing no time to waste. Live to-day and tomorrow you may do the same. Plans for the whole term of life many of you may not be able to construct, but mind that you work while it is called to-day...Thus, faith in him leads us to spend our energies in his service, and to do our ordinary work with an eye to his glory, and so our life is coloured and savored by our faith in the Son of God."
What thoughts would you add to this? What is your experience as a worker?
8 comments:
Andre, these are my very favorite kinds of posts that you do here.
I'm thinking about the "How would Jesus work" question. How would Jesus blog? How would Jesus edit?
For me, it is part excellent producut and service--I want each writer's work to be the very best it can be. But like your post suggests, how I go about doing this is just as important. The way I tell writers about the changes, the tone I adopt in my emails and in my comments. If I wouldn't speak to Jesus Christ this way, why would I speak to them this way.
In some ways that's a bizzare and probably blasphemous thought--editing Jesus... On the other hand, whatever you do for the least of these.
Not that you are the least of these Andre! Great post.
Marcus
Thanks for the positive feedback on the post. It's helpful to know what resonates with the faithful readers of this blog. Yes,...the two of you out there know who you are.
When it comes to writing, I am the least of these.
For what it's worth, my experience with you editing the short articles I write, is that you do it with grace and a healthy dose of encouragement. You look for what in our family, we call an EGG - Evidences of God's Grace.
Andre, Really good stuff here, as one should always expect from Spurgeon.
I love what he says in doing what Jesus did, but also how he would do it. And the scent and taste. One to remember!
Yes. Our walk with God in Christ is about all of life. Especially our relations with God and others. And certainly involves what we do.
Thanks!
EGG. Cool! I totally gotta use that!
Ted
I like the scent and taste analogy as well. I've realized that often in a corporate environment, we're focused on "getting the job done". As Christians success is measured not only by whether we hit the project milestones or objectives but also in terms of how we got there.
Craver
Glad you like it. It's an occasional practice for us as a family to hunt for EGGs when we have dinner together. We turn our focus away from what's wrong with each of us and look at how God has worked in our lives.
There are probably more readers than you realize.
Half Mom
thanks for the encouragement! So...I now have 3 readers? :-)
seriously, I try not to think of how many readers...I just want to be faithful to share what I think can be a help to myself and others.
Grace to you
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