The Lord Who Blesses Our Work

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off” (John 21:1-8).

Jesus showed up again. Seven of His disciples had returned to their previous occupation, fishing. There was nothing wrong with their earnest attempt to support themselves by returning to their craft. But a significant thing happened. They were totally unsuccessful. They fished all night and caught absolutely nothing. Then Jesus showed up at daybreak. He asked a penetrating, convicting question… “Children, do you have any fish?” In calling them children, Jesus identified them as His disciples and sought to reassure them that they still belonged to Him. In asking if they had any fish, He forced them to confront the reality of their circumstance and confess their impotence without Him. Then Jesus gave them clear instructions and as they faithfully obeyed His word their nets overflowed with fish. The beloved disciple John was first to recognize the presence of the Lord in this event, and Peter was the first to react. The other disciples strained to bring the overloaded net full of fish to shore and when they arrived they were met by Jesus, the Lord who blesses our work.

What do you do for a living? The question is misleading. Disciples believe that God is our provider… “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We do not trust our job to provide for our needs because we cannot have two providers. We cannot serve two masters… “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). But the Spirit exhorts us to work in order to support ourselves and our families… “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). There is a tension here, a challenge to the earnest disciple to trust the Lord to meet every need while working diligently at the same time. The tension is resolved when we recognize that Jesus shows up in our work and we make Him Lord of our work.

Diligent disciples understand work as a calling or vocation. We define our vocation as the place where God uses our gifts and talents to meet the needs of others even as He meets our needs… “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). The Teacher goes on to reveal that apart from serving God with our gifts and talents, there is no real fulfillment to be found in our work… “For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). The Spirit promises that Christ will show up and bless our work done earnestly for Him… “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

As we grow up into Christ our jobs are transformed into a kingdom-building vocation by …

The Lord Who Blesses Our Work.