a good job may not be good enough
Jesus "said to them, 'You will doubtless quote Me the proverb, "Physician, heal yourself," and say, "Do here in Your own country the things we have heard You have done in Capernaum." But in fact', He went on, 'No prophet gains acceptance in his native place.' " —Luke 4:23-24
Jesus was tempted three times by the devil in the desert (see Lk 4:3ff). Next, He was tempted to make healing His primary occupation instead of prophecy and teaching (Lk 4:42). He was tempted to do what people wanted rather than what His Father wanted. Like all of us, Jesus was tempted to do good things instead of "God's thing."
Are you in the right job as far as God is concerned? Is God calling you to leave your job as Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew were called to do? (see Mt 4:18-22; 9:9) Even if the Lord isn't calling you to leave your job now, would you obey Him if He called you to leave your job later? In other words, is Jesus the Lord of your life and your work?
Sin is not only something we do wrong for a short time. Sin can be patterns in our lives which are not God's will. We can persist in these patterns for years. Let us turn to the Lord to make sure we are doing the job He wants in the way He wants, and for the reasons He wants. We don't need a "good job," but God's job.
Prayer: Father, on Judgment Day, may You say to me: "Well done, My good and faithful servant" (see Mt 25:21).
Promise: We "will be caught up...in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thenceforth we shall be with the Lord unceasingly. Console one another with this message." —1 Thes 4:17-18
Praise: Emily lifts her hands in prayer. One hand is lifted to give praise to God and one is lifted to receive the Holy Spirit's grace.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Job Performance for Jesus, listen to, download, or order our CD 43-3 or DVD 43 on our website.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 15, 2019
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