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vs 15b: always strive to do
what is good for each other and for everyone else.
In a recent church meeting,
Achen asked us to think about us fulfilling the will of God and what our
personal conviction was. An accountant in the group immediately
pointed to a doctor saying, it's easier for him (the doctor) to fulfill the
will of God when compared to himself. The idea behind the saying
was because the doctor is in a “helping profession” and an accountant, is
not.
Yet, God reminds us in His Word to, “acknowledge those who
work hard amongst you”. He has blessed us with the jobs we have
today or maybe is preparing us for our future careers. Our
conviction comes when we recognize that our jobs are not self picked but
are a part of God’s plan. Recognizing this, we should seek guidance
from the Lord, in each work task, project, patient, client, we come
across and ask what is God asking us to do here? How can we share
God’s love today?
While being a doctor, priest, social worker, teacher,
counselor, etc, may appear to be a more helpful profession, all
professions are necessary for God’s kingdom and there are numerous
opportunities to share God’s love in areas like finance, the corporate
world, construction, retail, etc.
Another area this passage takes us to, is the reality of
negativity in the workplace. Some of us may be in a workplace where
our co-workers are idle, disruptive, disheartened, weak. There may be
some who pay back wrong for wrong. This passage reminds us of our
purpose in such places. We are called to live in peace with each
other (v13), warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the
disheartened and help the weak (v14)”. We are called to pray
continually and give thanks in all things. That is God's will
for us.
As Christians in the workplace, our calling is clear in
terms of directives, but difficult to carry out. Let us be
reminded that the challenging situations we face today may be the sole
reason God has provided us this opportunity and placed us where we are
today. Let us strive to do what is good for each other and
encourage our brothers and sisters with God’s
love.
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