SECONDARY

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

How many of us wish there were more hours in a day, or that we could be more productive than we are currently? Go ahead and raise your hand if you do. Ok, maybe don’t do that, especially if you’re in public reading this post, ha!

I think we can all agree, however, that our days, weeks, and months fly by because of how much we tend to pack into our schedules, which is usually our excuse for missing out on all the “Jesus stuff”. Whether that be our personal time with Him reading His Word, going to church, or even serving others, we mark those things as, what I call, “optional tasks”.

About a month ago, my family was invited to share at a church that we have been doing ministry alongside for a few years now. My dad preached a powerful message where he gave some good, practical life advice that I want us all to think about.

He explained that most of us go to school or work every day with the intention to do exactly that, school or work. Who knows, maybe you are doing both right now. Whatever the case may be, we go to those places every single day making assignments or jobs our main priorities, when really, they should be secondary.

Allow me to elaborate…

I’m sure y’all have heard or read Colossians 3:23-24 before which says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Seems to be a pretty straightforward verse, right? Most of us read that and believe it is saying to do things with excellence because we should do everything as if we were working for the Lord. While that is partially true, I think as Christians we have provided ourselves with a very clever excuse.

To speak plainly, I think we have tricked our minds into thinking that we can participate in every worldly thing we find satisfactory, so long as we say that we “look at it” the right way. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, I don’t think I should quit doing some of the worldly stuff (which usually isn’t bad in and of themselves) I’m involved in because I can be a witness there”? Yeah, me too.

What that typically means is, “I don’t want to quit, so I’ll trick myself into thinking that Jesus is my priority and that I’m doing it for the right reasons, even though I’m really not.”

I don’t mean that harshly, but y’all know I’m not afraid to speak truthfully.

Simple question: What would happen if we would all go to our schools and workplaces with the intention to share the Gospel and live for Jesus, not just to complete assignments or jobs?

Get this y’all, if you work at a factory, you’re first priority should not be to make as many parts as possible today. Your goal should be to pray for the individual next to you who might be struggling with family issues.

Do you need to make parts? Sure. But that’s secondary.

Maybe you’re a teacher or a bus driver. Your first priority should not be to make sure kids are learning or that everyone gets picked up/dropped off on time. While those things are very important, your primary intention should be to talk about how good Jesus has been to you and how much He loves each one of them, as openly as possible.

Every kid you’re around should know that you love Jesus with all of your heart, and that Jesus loves them with all of His heart. Stop with the excuses of why you can’t.

The word “can’t” should not exist in a Christian’s vocabulary.

Maybe you work for a welding company, or work on big cranes all day. Maybe you sit beside a girl at school during lunch who doesn’t eat because she is insecure and has been bullied because of it.

Perhaps a teacher at your school mentioned she just lost a baby, or you know the kid at the back of the class during third semester plans to deal drugs after school is over. When you just start to look around, you will quickly realize that God did not create you and give you life only to do schoolwork or change tires every day.

Are those the things you have to do every day, absolutely! But those are the means by which you are able to meet new people, encourage them, challenge them, pray for them, and speak joy and life into them!

Jesus and His Kingdom should be first in our lives. The task of sharing the Gospel should ALWAYS be your first priority. Let everything else fall in the “secondary” list.

“Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do, and yet make a profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then I am exposing my faith to ridicule and leading men to speak evil of the very name Christian… O, Lord, keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true.”   (Charles Spurgeon)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= What are you going to do differently?