Have you ever worked with someone who you wish was more committed to their job responsibilities?  Maybe some of your coworkers or even your employees think it is okay to just do the bear minimum work requirements.  How does this attitude make you feel?  I am disappointed by such behaviour and even more discouraged when I see this type of conduct from people claiming to be Christians.

Would the way we perform our secular work be pleasing to the Lord?

Although you may not have considered this, our secular job performance is accountable to the Lord.  God has instructed us to do everything for His glory, which includes the way we perform our job responsibilities.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) states, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  This message is repeated again in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:17, 23-25 NIV).

We are instructed to perform ALL our activities “as working for the Lord Jesus Christ” giving glory, praise and thanks to God.  Unfortunately, many so called ‘Christians’ think that this commandment only applies to church related activities and responsibilities.  However, these verses clearly state “whatever you do” is to be done for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These demanding yet very clear instructions are given to us by the Lord through His perfect and infallible Word, the Scripture, and “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV).

The challenge here is not simply excel at work, but to “do it all for the glory of God”; to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” and to “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”.  Many people, including Christians, can be extremely diligent in their job responsibilities and may even perform them exceptionally well; however they are often doing these things in the absence of pleasing God.  It is scary to think that even people who seemingly have a close relationship with the Lord and are involved in many church activities hold the ambitious “do what ever it takes to succeed” attitude without any consideration for the Lord.  Even if we do not fall into this extreme mindset category, I wonder how many of us truly take into consideration how we may please the Lord through our secular work performance, through the jobs we apply for, and even the job offers we consider accepting.  Do we do any of these things “all for the glory of God”, for the glory He rightfully deserves?

I hope that each of you experiences the great joy in glorifying the Lord through your daily work activities.  And if not, what is hindering such joy?  Is it trials or hardships that you are facing?  Is it sin in your life?  Is it spending too much time and energy chasing after selfish career aspiration?  Is it trying to please everyone at work in the absence of God?  Whatever the cause, set time aside each day to reflect on what God has done for your in Christ, and consider how you ought to live that day in light of His mercy and how you may joyfully bring God glory through your daily work responsibilities.

Ben (Toronto)

There are posters all over our hospital regarding a weight losing campaign. The concept is similar to the television program The Biggest Loser. The campaign aims to reduce obesity and all the complications that come with it. The biggest loser is the person who loses most weight and he or she will be the winner.

In a very meticulous way, the gospel of Mark presents Jesus as the biggest loser. The key questions in this gospel are: “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:27-29) After the responses from the other disciples, Peter gives the monumental answer: “You are the Messiah!” Peter passes the exam — or does he?

It is only after Peter’s declaration that Jesus begins to talk about his upcoming suffering. He specifically predicts his death and his coming back to life after three days. This is far too much for Peter to understand. In Peter’s mind, the Messiah is a victor and cannot be a victim. Peter then speaks his mind and strongly advises Jesus not to proceed with his plan. This student who has just got flying colours for the first part of his exam now totally fails the second part.

But how can we blame Peter? We would have said the same thing, though may be only in our hearts. It is naturally that we think as humans do. (Mark 8:33) It is actually harder for Peter to think otherwise because he has seen the impressive acts of Jesus with his own eyes and heard the powerful teaching of Christ with his own ears.

Many of us still fall into the same trap. In the name of evangelism, we introduce Jesus as the supreme miracle worker and we mention Jesus as the greatest sage that ever lived. Would we dare to present Jesus as the biggest loser?

Jesus is a born loser because He was born in order to die for us. Jesus is the biggest loser because he has given his own life for us. It is by giving up his life that the disgraced victim has become the biggest victor.

We will never understand the messiahship of Jesus without first grasping the centrality of the cross. The cross is the climax of the story of the Messiah. Nothing should be allowed to soften that harsh image. Then and only then will we begin to understand the implication of Jesus’ words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) For Jesus, the cross is the core of messiahship. Similarly for his followers, the cross is the heart of discipleship. Yoder Neufeld summarizes this point well when he writes: “To get excited about Jesus is costly in the extreme.”

Are you ready to join the Biggest Loser program?

Clement Yeung