“Each of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent me [Jesus], for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end.” — John 9:4
When I was a kid, I went to a very traditional church and hymns (played by piano and organ) were the staple of our worship time. During the past couple weeks, I have had this old hymn going through my head randomly.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.
Words: Anna L. Coghill, 1854.
And since I was a kid, I have been taught the value of hard work – from both of my parents and grandparents. From the time I remember, my parents served God. They served in the church, and they served others. They operated, in many respects, in the reality that time is short and there is work to be done, like Jesus taught in John 9. The other day someone said to me, “You are always busy… you never sit down.” Of course, I do rest – I have my beach time where I sit with a good book or take a walk or a ride a great trail with The Lord. But it’s true, I don’t slow down a whole lot. As Mike Bickle says, this life is just an 80 year internship (give or take) and the stuff we do now is what counts in the next life. The way I figure it, my service, what I give (of my time, money, abilities) now will impact what happens in the next life, and that is an eternal time frame. This life is short. I can be selfish and waste my life on pleasing myself with temporal things like house and cars and boats, or I can walk in my calling — which is to stand, serve, minister, and burn — however that looks. Do I enjoy those temporal things? Heck yeah. Do I hold them loosely? Heck yeah. I have to. It’s just stuff. And like Corey Stark used to always say… it’s all gonna burn.
A lot of people today don’t like work. They feel entitled to things without having to put some sweat equity into it. They have their hands out waiting for stuff to drop into it. I think of my Dad and how I never saw him with his hand out. In the middle of us having nothing, this man still gave to others. I have no doubt that his reward in heaven is pretty rich. He changed people’s lives because he served them. His work – fixing a widow’s broken pipes under a house trailer in the middle of winter – is a lasting testimony of a spiritual act of worship!
When darkness comes, and we pass on to eternity, will the work we did matter in eternity? I think about that a lot. I don’t want to mow grass just to mow grass. I do it because it’s a privilege to have a beautiful place where people can come and enjoy the beauty The Lord has created. We build beautiful spaces and keep them clean so that people can come into a nice place and hear the voice of The Lord through worship and the Word without the distraction of clutter and craziness. I do what I do with the best excellence I can because my work is a spiritual act of worship… of service … to glorify Jesus Christ with my hands.
