Tuesday after the First Sunday of End Time, 11/7/00

Matthew 24: 45-47 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions." --NIV

In the name of the One Who is our master, amen.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? Would you throw a big party? Call people that you owed an apology? Rewrite your will and leave a bunch of money to charity? Or would you go to work like usual?

Someone asked Martin Luther what he would do if he knew that Jesus was going to return tomorrow. He said that he would plant a tree in his garden today. Why? Because doing the work that God has given us to do on this earth is a major part of being prepared for Jesus' return. The Lord has given all of us work to do, and it pleases Him when we do that work. Certainly the passage we look at today is talking about the work of the Gospel, but the God-pleasing work that we have been given to do, covers everything from preaching the Gospel to those around us, to washing our dirty dishes. Whatever your place in life, there is work for you to do, and God wants you to do it.

Before you groan too loudly, remember that the reward is far greater than the work we do. We will be brought into heaven where we will be forever refreshed. And, in proportion to how faithful we have been with the work God gave us to do on earth, we will be honored with authority in heaven. God bless your work! Amen.

Prayer: Dear heavenly father, because we rebelled against you and sinned, work has become difficult and often unpleasant. Help us to remember that when we work, we work for you. Help us to find joy in our work and do it to the best of our abilities, amen.

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