day 268: "God, On Line One"

Over the past year plus now of writing Purposed worKING I have been amazed at the number of people who tell me that this daily companion piece means something to them because the intersection of work and faith is so often ignored. We work and work and work and all of those hours that we spend in the office, in the field, on the sales call, in the car, hunched over our computers, yada, yada, are all hours that God wants to be there with us but we so often check Him at the door or leave Him at church on Sunday morning. Our God is a God of work. He devised work and as we read throughout the Bible each of the great people we learn about also all at one time, had jobs where they had to perform to the highest standards. For most of the years of Jesus' life, he had a job too. He worked just like all of the other carpenters and he had to learn and perfect a skill to be a part of the world around him. Whenever I come to that point where I wonder if I am doing for God what He wants me to do the work I do and is that enough for for Him, He reminds me that He seeks people out, in our work, when we are doing our daily work, and goes and finds us right there in the middle of the daily routines, when we least expect it. It is clear in the Biblical testaments that Jesus' disciples weren't applying for a disciple job when Jesus found them. He found them in their day jobs when they weren't looking for another job. In Luke 5:27 we read: Later as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector name Levi sitting at his tax-collection booth. 'Come be my disciple!' Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him." God found Matthew, Levi, on the job, while he was going about his everyday work. While we don't have Jesus walking up and down the halls today physically calling us out, He is calling us each and everyday on our jobs to follow Him. We all have heard Him at some point in our careers. In the middle of something gnarly we ask ourselves what would God have me do. Or at points of extreme satisfaction or achievement, we are reminded to stop for a moment and give thanks to the Lord for the support and result. At moments of decision of how we should act or what we should say, God puts the right word in our mouth, or at least tells us what we should say. It happens every day to us, if only we would listen. If only we will pick up line one when God calls. Imagine the change of events and course of life of Matthew, John, Peter, Luke, etc., had they been too busy, or too wrapped up with a customer, to not have heard the voice of God the day that they were called. Today, let's be sure that we don't miss "God, on line one", when He comes calling on us!

Reference: Luke 5:27 (New Living Testament)