Be About Your Fathers Business- Let's Go to Work!

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

At Wednesday nights service Pastor Josh, worship pastor at our church walked by me in the hall. I said, “hey man of God!” Two other men were in the hall walking ahead of him. I said, “Three men should be turning around to see who is calling them.” Man of God. Quite a name isn’t it. When you look through scripture you see so many great men of God.

My father was illiterate. As a child he was taken out of school and what he did was work so that the family could make ends meet. From a large family he worked and at thirteen he earned a man’s wage for a day’s pay. When he came to Jesus when I was about ten years old he desired to read so badly and went to adult literacy classes. As a plasterer he worked very hard. Tons of cement would go through his hands, arms and shoulders up to the walls and ceilings of most of the houses built in Yakima, WA where he lived and worked. At night his arms hung in pain from the extremely hard work of the day.

Because he wanted to do something for the Lord he volunteered my brother and I to clean the church each Saturday- my first ministry. That was not enough, he started inviting people to church and would pick them up in our car and make sure they would be in the house of God and hear the Word of God. In fact from the time I was fourteen years old he started driving Sunday school Bus Ministry for the Stone Church in Yakima. For thirty-eight years he drove the Sunday school bus. Many people came to Christ and I know there were many who bless him for faithfulness and love to bring them to Christ. He couldn’t teach, preach or pastor, but he could drive the Sunday School Bus and make sure by visiting homes on Saturday that they would be in God’s house on Sunday. Favorite helpers in the bus ministry was Bruce and Mary French.

John Wanamaker was an amazing man, and many people in Philadelphia are familiar with the huge store known as Wanamaker's, which bears his name. He was a Postmaster General for many years, but he also founded a Sunday school that grew to over four thousand students. Can you imagine that? Someone came up to this guy, who had this huge business and a mega-Sunday-school, and asked, "How do you find the time to run your Sunday school in addition to your business and other obligations?" Wanamaker replied without hesitation saying, "Why, the Sunday school is my business. All these other things are just things! Forty-five years ago, I decided to take God at His Word that if I would seek first the kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness, then all these other things would be added unto me."

What's your business? A plumber? A dentist? A carpenter? A homemaker? A teacher? WHAT'S YOUR BUSINESS? Your real business is that you're a servant of God. You may be serving God as a plumber, as a homemaker, as a teacher, or as a carpenter, but you're a servant of God. Paul says to serve Him with all your heart because when you get the eternal view, you'll see that your service to God is not in vain. God sees it, God notes it, and God will forever remember it. The time is short, my friend. Let's be about our Father's business, let's get to work! Nothing you do for the Lord is useless, but useful in His Kingdom.