Yesterday, we talked about our time in the church building not being the totality of our Christian life. So how do we live out our faith outside the assembly?

There are lots ways in which this can be done. It’s seen by the way that we work. As Paul said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24) Martin Luther King, Jr. described it this way:

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

Years ago, back when I was in college, I spent a summer in Long Beach, California. To support myself I worked at a Peugeot bicycle warehouse. I didn’t actually work for Peugeot; I worked for Thomas Temporaries, who sent me to work at the warehouse. It wasn’t extremely hard work, but it was a lot of effort for the little pay that I earned. It was not the average person’s dream job.

Toward the end of that summer, when I was about to return to Texas to go to school, the warehouse manager was bidding me goodbye. He made the comment, “I’ve never had a temp that did everything I asked him to, the first time I asked.”

I saw my opportunity and told him the truth: “That’s because I’m a Christian, and I’m not just working for you. I’m working for Jesus Christ.” Now, I’d like to tell you that the man immediately begged me to tell him how to be saved, but that’s not what happened. I’m not even sure that I said exactly what I should have. But I do know that I worked that summer exactly as I should have.

Can you imagine if Christians had the reputation of being the best workers out there? If people saw them as dependable, honest, hard-working, good-natured employees? What if people knew that Christians complained less, focused more and always put in a full day’s work? I can see how that would make an impact on the world.

Photo by Jmabel