Spirit of Peace III ...

Thursday, March 9, 2017. I would like to stay for a moment with the question of peace with respect to our work activity. What is needed? What is good? What is right? What is the role of our work for our life?

Activity and Non-Activity …

The idea of the New Testament is that work is an important part of human life. We are given strenght and intelligence and the ability to plan and carry out things. We call it work, when we do it to prepare our environment for our living. The ability to work, to do things and to complete something, either products or service, is part of human dignity.

It would also be possible to depend on others to let them serve us. It is possible to be fully dependent. That can happen within a family or some particular community. It can happen with respect tot he modern state. But it is not what God wants for us. It might happen when we are ill or in special need. But usually we have to contribute our share to our living, we have to earn it with all our responsibility! The apostle Paul writes:

9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.4 (from 2nd Tessalonians 3)

Do what is needed! …

We need to do what is needed. We need to work. At the same time, work should not become the fully defining moment of our life. Our work should not become our God. It is just our work. We are what we are, because we are made in the image of God. He wants to be with us, he loves us, he wants us, he gives us a frame for our life and a perspective for eternity.

It is an important ingredient of peace to give work the right status. It is not God. But still it is important. It is not to be neglected. And it can be fun, it can be great - created by a wonderful God. We live in a world which is amazing, full of wonder where ever you look. Our work is our activity in this world, to explore it, to make it useful to us, to maintain it and let it prosper.

Come to peace with your work, personally. Make peace with it in the sense that you give it the right status. And let God be in all of it. He can help us with his spirit, with his wisdom, with his truth and love. We can carry out our work in a great partnership with the eternal God through his holy spirit. The Old Testament gives us many examples here, encouraging passages with stories of blessing and truth. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts