– Selections from Bob’s Sermon on September 26, 2021
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28
Life for a Christian is a response to God’s redemptive call, no matter what our job, Romans 12:1-2. So the Christian has more than a job; we have a vocation. Vocation means a calling. Lots of people have jobs, but only Christians truly have a vocation, Ephesians 4:1. Our job is a vocation because we are called to do what we do for the Lord, rather than for ourselves. God providentially gave work to us as our mission in this world.
By God’s call, we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works that God foreordained that we should walk in them, Ephesians 2:10. Whether we are a homemaker or an undertaker, an engineer or an auctioneer, a janitor, an editor, or an auditor, a student or teacher, as Christians we live our lives unto God. Martin Luther says, “Vocation is the specific call to love one’s neighbor.” We respond to the call to love our neighbor by joyfully and diligently fulfilling the duties of our everyday work.
Our work is worship because we are priests to God; our labor is an offering unto God. Our vocation as a day laborer, lawyer, quality inspector, mechanic, teacher, homemaker, or doctor is given by God as our assignment in living for His glory on earth.
Your job provides for your needs; but more importantly, it enables you to love your neighbor by serving them well. Your employer is your neighbor, and you serve him well by your diligence and integrity. Your fellow workers are your neighbors, and you serve them well by your contentment and concern for their needs. Your clients or customers are your neighbors, and you love them well by your honest dealings and reliability. Not only this, but God calls you to share some of what you earn with others who are in need.