Divine Work Ethic

“But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” (Joh 5:17 AV)

Not too complicated.  When God works, we should, too.  There is an ethical responsibility to work when the LORD is working.  Because God works all the time, we must, too.  The Son knows God is always working.  Therefore, He must also work.  There is no time for sinful pleasures.  There is no time for an idle waste of time.  Jesus is responding to the disciples.  They are worried Jesus is so busy that He forgot to take bread.  They were worried that Jesus was not caring for Himself as He should.  The response He proffered was that God’s work is the most important concern He has.  What is important to the Savior should be our heartbeat as well.

What drives a business owner?  They are a different breed.  There is something about them that is unique.  Believe it or not, I have worked directly for small business owners and pastored others and noticed one trait they all have.  Their work is their heart.  Sometimes to a fault.  They eat, breathe, and sleep their business.  It is what defines them.  It is what determines their choices.  One of my best friends was the son of a hardware supply store.  His grandfather started the business and his father took it over.  They had three stores.  I’ve pastored a farm equipment dealership owner, a general contractor, an electrician, a store owner, and a mechanic shop owner.  They are remarkable people.  They are the first ones at the business and the last to leave.  They never take breaks.  They are always moving.  Always making decisions.  Always busy to make money that they might provide for their family, their worker’s families, and the community.  True business owners are not islands unto themselves.  They are part of the city or town in which they do business.  They have to be.  Their clients are neighbors, friends, and family.  When the door says they are open, they are there.  I have known several farmers.  They are the hardest working bunch of all.  They never leave their calling.  There is always something to do.  Something to fix.  Something to tend to.  There is a sense of work that few others truly understand.

This should be the attitude of the saint.  Paul tells us to walk worthy of the vocation unto which we are called.  Once we have accepted the free gift of salvation, our lives should be redefined primarily by that relationship.  What the Father is doing, we should be in on.  As the father works, so too should we.  The dealership I mentioned earlier was owned by a father who had one son.  The son literally grew up in that business.  He learned it better than his dad.  If the dad was there, the son was there.  As long as dad was working, the son was as well.  We are sons of the living God.  If God is working, we should be clocked in, doing the will of the Father.  That is our Savior’s example.  As the Father works, we too should work.