Your job

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"Your job" By Diane Webb

Psalms 30: 9—"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise the? Shall it declare thy truth?"

While we are still on earth, we have the opportunity to love and serve our Lord. We have the chance to share the good news with every person we see. In death, our job will be to praise and worship God for eternity. Now, however, we are to spread the good news—the gospel of Jesus Christ—to all corners of the earth. David writes this Psalm after recovering from a serious, life-threatening illness. He praises God for his healing and points out that while yet alive he can continue God's work on earth. When we pray for healing what is first in our mind? Is it our children, our spouse, or our grandchildren? We want to see our children and are grandchildren grown. We want to grow old with our spouse. Do we stop and think what our real purpose on earth is? Remember, what is on earth is temporary and we will see our family again in heaven anyway. Our purpose on earth, really, is to spread the gospel to those who have not heard it before. We can spread the gospel by our lives and the way we treat others. We can share testimonies with people. We can live a life that openly declares "I am a Christian". We can provide an example of how Christ would have us live. We can be His representative to others. We can pray for people, help people, love people, and serve God with all gladness. Perhaps, the next time we pray for healing—for ourselves or others—we can remember the healing is needed to allow more time to spread the gospel of Christ. If the person we pray for is not a Christian, then they need more time to accept Christ. These both are good reasons to ask for healing. Always ask the Holy Spirit to lead your prayers for you. Sometimes, you may find yourself praying for something you had not thought of before. Maybe you end up being led to pray for someone you have not prayed for before. Be mindful of the primary focus of a Christian life—Jesus Christ. God's desire is to save every soul from Satan. He has saved us so that we might lead others to Him. We all may not be called to be preachers but we all are commissioned by Jesus Christ as his disciples. We are all ministers of the faith. The next time you get upset think of the real purpose for your life. The vast majority of things we get upset about have nothing to do with God's work on earth or his heavenly kingdom. They are just traps set for us to get our focus off God. Look for God's will in every situation. Ask for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Do not be shy about using the spiritual gifts you have and the power of the Holy Spirit in your daily life. The spiritual tools and weapons God gives us are for our work in His kingdom. Whether it be singing, teaching, serving, or ministering, it is all for the glory of God. Your job is to spread the gospel of Christ. If you are a parent, the spiritual growth of your children is your responsibility while they are in your care. Whether your children grow up to be doctors, lawyers, or factor works is not significant. What is important is where they are spiritually when you are done. The measure of our success on earth is not in wealth, fame, status, or power; it is in the number of people we have inspired to believe and accept Jesus as Christ. May God help us all in this awesome task.

Father, thank you for the gifts you've given me. I am blessed with so much talent and opportunity. Lord, help me recognize my gifts and never forget my purpose on earth. Keep me focused, Lord, on your will and your kingdom. In Jesus' name I ask and pray, Amen.