Sacred Versus Secular

There is a mind set in Christendom that we live our daily lives separate from our Christian walk. In 2 Cor 10:5 Paul said, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” How could we ever compartmentalize our lives to exclude Christ from our daily activities?

Character is who you are when no one is looking. I use to live two separate lives, one in the view of the world and one that only I saw and understood. If you knew me in my secret life, you wouldn’t begin to think I was a follower of Jesus Christ. No one could have done the things I did and be remotely connected to Jesus. The image I portrayed was a sham. The curtain between those two worlds was lifted on March 3rd, 2001. From that day forward I’ve walked a transparent life with nothing hidden from my Lord or those around me.

It is always very uncomfortable to share my life story. No matter how long it’s been since I was forgiven, it is still something I am deeply embarrassed about. The only saving grace is knowing I am forgiven for my sins and that my story may impact another’s decision to follow Jesus.

I have one question for you today, if you are a follower of the risen Lord, is there any way for you to separate your work life from Christ?

Blessings

Sacred Versus Secular
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Gen. 2:15).

Imagine for a moment that Jesus has just completed his three years of training with the disciples. He has been crucified and is now commissioning the twelve to go into the world and disciple the nations. Now imagine him also making this statement to them.

“Dear brothers, it is now time for you to share what you have learned from me. However, as you share with others be sure that you keep what I taught you separate from your work life. The principles I have shared with you only apply in situations outside your work life. Do not make them fit into this context. The miracles you saw in me can only be done in certain situations outside work life. Keep this in mind when thinking about praying for the sick or the lost. These truths will not work in the marketplace.”

Sound preposterous? It may, but this is the mindset of many in our world today. The spiritual does not mix with the everyday world of the workplace. “What happens on Monday has no relationship to what takes place on Sunday,” they say.

These are the thoughts expressed so much in our day and time, although they are not expressed in such direct terms. Let’s think more about this idea. When Jesus came to earth, how did He come? He came as a carpenter. He was a man given to work with his hands and to provide an honest service to his fellow man. He did not come as a priest, although He was both a King and a Priest (Rev. 1:6 KJV). When it came time to recruit those for whom the Church would be founded, He chose twelve men from the workplace – a fisherman, a tax collector, a doctor, and so on.

They all came from the workplace. None of his disciples were priests from the synagogue, a natural place to recruit from if you were going to start a religious movement. Jesus called them all from the marketplace of life. Was this any accident that Jesus called men and women from the marketplace to play such a vital role in His mission? I think not.

Today, embrace your work life as a holy calling.