Jesus the Carpenter

There are times when I truly long to be the pastor of a local assembly. That may sound a little crazy for most who know me, but’s it is true. Is a pastors’ job easy? Absolutely not…long hours, constant sacrifices, little thanks and often dealing with situations they can have little affect on, yet a calling like none other. Even give all of the difficulties, all of the pastors I know have expressed a deep satisfaction with what the Lord has asked them to do.

I think we all grow up with our own romanticize vision of life. For me it was the hero movies about WWII with actors John Wayne, Victor Mature and Kirk Douglas to name just a few. Silver screen epics like the Sands of Iwo Jima, The Longest day and The Bridge on the River Kwai all instilled a sense of duty in me that translated into a very successful military career.

When I turned my life over to Christ in 2001, the level of gratitude I experienced is hard to express. I owe Him everything. It is out of that gratitude I have chosen to serve Him and further the Kingdom of God on earth. I always thought the only way to do that was through service inside the church or a ministry like JAMA. I had no understanding of what it meant to minister in the workplace until I started to read Os Hillmans devotionals 10 years ago.

Jesus was also a marketplace minister. “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Mark 6:3

Scripture tells us He had extraordinary knowledge of God as a young man and yet did not start His pastoral ministry until he was 30. As a carpenter, He came in contact with many people. While His public ministry is well documented, I can only imagine how He touched the people He worked for and with as He labored at His trade. Ponder that thought as you work today and ask the Lord how He would have you use your skills to further the Kingdom.

Blessings