I Love My Work!
by Grady on Aug.30, 2007, under General
I Love My Work!
There cannot be a better job on the planet than mine. I am leading a brand new congregation of God hungry believers. SonPointe Church is a great work! Nehemiah spoke of his work in the same way. Nehemiah is a great study in the importance of work. In Nehemiah 6, he answers his inquiring enemy with the statement, “I am doing a great work!”
Everyone who is actively involved in the work of the Lord is involved in a great work. From the moment Jesus directed His disciples to go into all the world, the work of the kingdom of Christ has grown and prospered. It is a great and worthy endeavor. It has no equal! God’s book is the #1 bestseller of all time and His work is the number one work of all time!
Here are two powerful truths: it is great and it is work. The task before Nehemiah was a great task. He and his followers rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. (Personal note: I am 52. On Saturday, September 1, we begin canvassing neighborhoods and doing the work of launching our church. Including Saturday, there are just 52 days before I turn 53 on October 22nd. Is God getting me ready for a really happy birthday? Who knows! Yet, I cannot think of a better way to spend the last 52 days of my 52nd year than working for the Lord.)
Nehemiah’s work was a great and worthy task. It also required great effort. The task before our church is also great and will require much labor, but a dear friend reminded me today that the “fields are white unto harvest.”
Work is a good thing. God never intended for mankind to get by without work. Even God works! He worked to form the world. Six out of seven days God worked. We should do the same! We should honor God’s day of rest by working the other six to earn that rest.
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Theodore Roosevelt
There is no greater work worth doing than the work that God intends for you. If you are in the will of God you will be working 85% of the time (six of seven days). God works and expects you to work as well. God is not pleased with those who refuse to do their share of His work.
Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. Voltaire
I don’t agree with everything that Voltaire had to say, but in this statement, he is right. Nothing is better for an individual or group than work. You defeat the enemy when you work. Boredom, sin, and need creep into groups and individuals that are not focused on their endeavors. God’s work is challenging and rewarding. Jesus said, “…I must be about My Father’s business.” Luke 2:49 (NKJV) Jesus knew the significance of doing the will of God. It was also vital to Nehemiah and should be important to every follower of Jesus Christ.
How can we work for God? Work! Earn a living. Tithe on your income. Support the work of God. Give to missions. Faithfully attend church. Be a model of Christ in all of your endeavors. Participate in the outreach endeavors of your church.
Work at keeping the peace of your church. Work at being a peacemaker.
Jesus declared that certain folks were blessed. However,
I don’t recall Jesus saying blessed are those who are bitter in spirit.
I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who frown at others and refuse to greet their brothers and sisters in Christ.
I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who are constantly offended.
I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who refuse to support the work of the local church.
I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who hinder the work of God.
He did say blessed are the peacemakers!
I can assure you that making peace is hard work!
Jesus did say that those who would be known as the children of God were the peacemakers! Want to be called a child of God? Make peace!
Jesus did say “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.” If you are hungry for justice you will work!
Our church is a vital part of the work of God. Every believer who attends a church should enter into the work of that church or find a work they can enter into. Our church motto is, “Find your place in the Son!” There is a place for you in SonPointe Church and it is a place of work. After all…
Whoever does not love his work cannot hope that it will please others. Anonymous
Do you want to please the Lord?
If you love the Lord of the work, you will love the work of the Lord!
The work of God is a great work, and anything or anyone hindering the work cannot be pleasing God. When you grasp the greatness of the work, you will get involved! God’s people simply cannot sit on the sidelines when they understand the great task before us!
Do you love your work?
August 31st, 2007 on 2:59 am
I love my work too! And I love my boss!! You are the best!
March 1st, 2008 on 10:44 am
hi~Grady Russell,
I love my work very much! I was born in China and I am teaching English in China now. I began to read your blog weeks ago. Your life and words are fascinating and breathtaking. You see, if you take pains and learn in order to get a reward, the work will seem hard; but when you work… if you love your work, you will find your reward in that.
By the way, I have a question to ask:
how to understand “far and away” in the following sentence?
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
Most of my students think that “far and away” has some negative meanings, as in “far away from”, for example, “the best way to get far away from pressure in life is…”
Thanks a million!
March 1st, 2008 on 1:15 pm
Jerry thanks for the post.
I believe that Roosevelt was using the term to identify a great margin as in the phrase “far and away the greatest margin of victory.” It is possible today that the English meaning is changing. Roosevelt spoke those words decades ago. Although I am not old enough to remember that time, I do understand the term to mean a great margin or difference. For me the term does not invoke either a positive or negative connotation. The term is neutral. The use of the term would give it connotation. “He was, far and away, the best horse in the race” would be a positive statement. “It was, far and away, the worst night of my life” would be a negative connotation.
I would have to accept that your students might see this in a negative connotation due to some shared history or experience. They could have something of a colloquial or metaphorical understanding of the term. In America, for my generation, if something is bad then it possesses undesirable qualities. For younger generations, bad has taken a more metaphorical meaning giving it desirable qualities. When I say, “He was a bad musician” I mean that in the most negative way. Younger generations here could say make the same statement to mean that he is really a great musician. The listener must be able to discern the intent. That is the dilemma we face when we use metaphorical or colloquial terms. While they can be used to give great emphasis they can also be easily misunderstood.
Thankfully, not all words and phrases in English have such a variety of uses. It would be interesting to discover why your students sense the negative connotation.
I actually visited Wuhan and Beijing a few years ago with a church construction team. We built pews for a church in Wuhan. It was a great experience. I would have to say that it was “far and away” the greatest journey of my life and I mean that in the most positive way. (I couldn’t avoid the humor.) Seriously, I found the Chinese people to be friendly and receptive. I truly enjoyed the experience. Give my best regards to your students.
One of the most difficult barriers for me in China was the language barrier. Thankfully, I had plenty of folks around to help me communicate. While I do not remember very much of the Mandarin dialect, I can say to you for your kind statements and for your dedication to your profession and to your students for their interests in the English language –
Xiexie!
Grady Russell
March 2nd, 2008 on 10:55 am
Grady Russell, Wow~ I don’t know how to thank you enough! The explanation you give me is so detailed and exhaustive that it helps me a lot!
I believe your sense of humor—I can read it from your posts in your blog— adds color to your life and everyone around you. I have to give you a warning: Humor may be hazardous to illnesses and pressure.
Xiexie!
Jerry
March 2nd, 2008 on 6:11 pm
Glad to know that it helped. Isn’t is really cool that we can meet and communicate with someone half way around the world?
Best Regards
Grady
June 12th, 2008 on 11:50 pm
hay! I’ve been waiting for your update for months. How are you doing recently? China experienced a great deal of crisis these days: the earthquake, torch relay protest, etc. Life is hard but work has to go on!
I came cross a sentence from a website last week and I don’t understand, could you do me a favour, Grady?
“The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a subdivision of psychiatry.” Henry Kissinger quotes (American Political scientist. b.1923)
Thanks a million!
June 13th, 2008 on 2:23 am
I am so sorry, Jerry. I have been distracted lately. I hope to resume blogging soon.
I will attempt to explain the phrase; “The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a subdivision of psychiatry.” Henry Kissinger quotes (American Political scientist. b.1923). Sadly, it is only my opinion and I must remind you that I am not a politician.
I believe that Mr. Kissinger was implying a common attitude among American citizens, and elected leaders, that assumes relationships with other countries require an understanding of Psychiatry which is a branch of medicine that studies and attempts to treat disorders of the mind (mental illness). The implication is that Americans see all foreign countries and people groups as needing analysis and treatment for their perceived disorders.
While I don’t believe that his assessment applies to all Americans, certainly not those who have travelled and met the people of other countries and traditions, I do understand His frustration. As a political scientist he is understands that foreign policy has more to do with building social structures and developing processes between differing groups of people or nations. An attitude which assumes “disorders” is a very detrimental to strong and lasting relationships. How can I build a trusting relationship with those I think are not normal?
I believe that this analogy might help. I understand that men in China see women in very different ways. When a man is pursuing a wife, he sees her beauty and desires her company and affection. Once a man has a wife, he sees her value for service and support. He sees her differently even though she is the same woman. She has not changed. Please forgive me if I am wrong, but if I am right wouldn’t be better to treat all women with respect? I believe that I should treat my wife better than all other people in my life. We will soon celebrate 33 years of marriage and we are both happy because we value each other.
So, Mr. Kissinger sees the relationships between countries in much the same way. If Americans will value other nations and peoples as much as they value themselves, they could develop and maintain stronger and longer lasting relationships with them.
Now I will add another opinion regarding the statement. The very term “foreign policy” is becoming very outdated in our language. The word “foreign” has begun to have a negative connotation. Who would want a “foreign” object in their head? Not me! It seems to magnify the differences. Another term that is similar is “alien” which can refer to creatures from other worlds or people from other countries. Not a nice group to be in, right? In much the same way the word “foreign” puts other people or nations in the same group as little green men from outer space! [No offence is intended for any little green.] I thing a better term would be “world policy.” That phrase seems to give us all equal status since we are all part of the world.
I hope I helped you. It is good to “hear” from you. I love the World Wide Web!
Stay tuned!
Take care,
Grady