Week 31: Do What You Love
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross…
Hebrews 12:2
We all need good examples, and Jesus certainly tops all lists. His example of joy-filled work is inspiring. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus went to the cross joyfully. He saw the benefits of our salvation and because of that, he laid down his life. No one took it from him, he willingly and joyfully laid it down (John 10:18). That begs the question to his followers: do we have joy in what we do? Every day we ought to get up thankful for the opportunity to serve our King in this Christian environment, but it is easy to get discouraged. It is good to check our hearts to determine if we are joyful in the journey. Two attitudes can come about in our lives. We can be people who are holding out for our teaching ministry to end, or we can be people who see this as a ministry calling. Which are you?
First, check your heart to see if you are simply waiting. I knew a man who was a career public school teacher. His passion was history, and his pessimism was students. He would tell me every summer how many years he had left until he could retire. As he counted down his long-awaited departure, I would often think, “Man, I wouldn’t want to be in his class.” The irony was that this man could not wait to leave, but the problem is that he had to wait to leave.
For some of us, we are waiting out teaching. We wish we could walk out the doors yesterday, but we have kids here. We have bills to pay. We have a retirement plan. Can I respectfully say that if you are simply waiting, you’ve lost your joy. If you don’t have the joy of the Lord, then pray. My history teacher friend did just that. Do you know what God did for him? He opened up another job with state benefits, and he found his joy again. I saw him recently and congratulated him on his new job. He’s happier, healthier, and no longer giving his yearly countdown. The truth is that pessimistic people are both drained and a drain. Numbers 13-14 records how 10 negative people drained the entire nation of Israel for the next 40 years. Let me encourage us…let’s not be one of those waiting people.
Second, check your heart to see if you are willing. The willing are given supernatural strength to endure a lot of things. God gives them a grateful heart that sees joy in the journey. Jesus had that strength to endure what was before him. To be clear, what was before him was hard. He endured the cross and the shame that would follow. He did this because he saw the greater good that would result. He would sit down at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews 12:2). This means that when he sat down next to the Father, the broken fellowship that had resulted from Adam was now restored. As theologian A.J. Gordon said of Christ’s sitting down, “The place the divine son had won for himself in the Father’s heart He had won for us also (Gordon, The Ministry of the Holy Spirit, pg. 29).” How did Jesus do all that? He had a joyful heart for the mission the Father had given him. Joyful people have God’s supernatural strength to endure. Proverbs 17:22 says that a joyful and cheerful heart brings healing. Are you a healing person?
Don’t let the wear and tear break your calling. The end is in sight. Rest is good for the soul, and the time you get away will hopefully refresh you. In the meantime, count your blessings. Get up every day and thank God that he allows you to be in this ministry. It will change you from waiting to willing.
Discussion Questions:
Are you waiting or willing as you come to work each day?
What can you do to foster joy in both your heart and those of your colleagues?
How can we lovingly combat negativity in the workplace?
