John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Friends, that should be the rallying cry of all believers! Jesus and His disciples were passing by a man, blind from birth, when the disciples asked; ‘Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.’ (vs.2-3) Yes Friends, no sin was involved there, it was all a part of God’s master plan: Jesus would give him sight and thereby demonstrate His own awesome power and His close connection to the Most High, in whose name it would all be done. Then Jesus continued, ‘I must work the works of him that sent me…’ Oh People, that’s the attitude we followers of Jesus desperately need to adopt! If there was one defining aspect of Jesus, it’s His focus. Regardless of what happened, or to whom, He never lost sight of His purpose on earth, while continually reminding those around Him of it. ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34) He said this to His disciples after His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. They had just returned with food, which they offered Him. But He replied, ‘I have meat to eat that ye know not of.’ (John 4:32) His food was His work. And when the Jews sought to persecute Him for healing on the Sabbath, He let them know in no uncertain terms: ‘My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.’ (John 5:36) That’s telling those so and so hypocrites! This obviously raised their ire, cause He had not only broken the Sabbath, but now was making Himself equal with God. But Jesus simply dismissed them with a monologue re His relationship with the Father.’ (John 5:19-47) And in vs.36, He fearlessly informs them; ‘But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.’ People, Jesus was very conscious of His purpose. Are we? We should be. Our minds should be focused on the jobs where we earn our living, performing them to the best of our ability, and also on our Christian purpose; to bring lost souls to Jesus. He said we ought to work during the day, for when ‘the night cometh, no man can work.’ That was more relevant in Jesus’ time than today, since they had no electricity to emblazon their nights. But I think that statement has a more profound meaning, coming as it does, directly before this one. ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (vs.5) Jesus meant His time on earth was the light, so He had to make the most of it. The Father’s allotted time for the job, left Him no leeway for laziness. The same applies to us Friends. Now that Jesus is no longer here in His physical form, we, His followers, are the light. ‘Ye are the light of the world,’ He said. (Mat.5:14) And with that commission comes a great responsibility. We’ve got to work seriously at our assigned tasks; make hay while the sun shines. That’s the perfect cliché for it Friends. And it’s exactly how Jesus went about His Father’s business. We also need to go about Jesus’ work, in the same steadfast, purposeful manner. Thus, when our light is about to be extinguished, we’ll be able to say, like Jesus did: ‘I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’ (John 17:4) Yes Friends, let’s make that our stated goal nuh. Much LOVE!…our sole purpose on earth…to glorify God…through Jesus’ name…
Friends, that should be the rallying cry of all believers! Jesus and His disciples were passing by a man, blind from birth, when the disciples asked; ‘Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.’ (vs.2-3) Yes Friends, no sin was involved there, it was all a part of God’s master plan: Jesus would give him sight and thereby demonstrate His own awesome power and His close connection to the Most High, in whose name it would all be done. Then Jesus continued, ‘I must work the works of him that sent me…’ Oh People, that’s the attitude we followers of Jesus desperately need to adopt! If there was one defining aspect of Jesus, it’s His focus. Regardless of what happened, or to whom, He never lost sight of His purpose on earth, while continually reminding those around Him of it. ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34) He said this to His disciples after His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. They had just returned with food, which they offered Him. But He replied, ‘I have meat to eat that ye know not of.’ (John 4:32) His food was His work. And when the Jews sought to persecute Him for healing on the Sabbath, He let them know in no uncertain terms: ‘My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.’ (John 5:36) That’s telling those so and so hypocrites! This obviously raised their ire, cause He had not only broken the Sabbath, but now was making Himself equal with God. But Jesus simply dismissed them with a monologue re His relationship with the Father.’ (John 5:19-47) And in vs.36, He fearlessly informs them; ‘But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.’ People, Jesus was very conscious of His purpose. Are we? We should be. Our minds should be focused on the jobs where we earn our living, performing them to the best of our ability, and also on our Christian purpose; to bring lost souls to Jesus. He said we ought to work during the day, for when ‘the night cometh, no man can work.’ That was more relevant in Jesus’ time than today, since they had no electricity to emblazon their nights. But I think that statement has a more profound meaning, coming as it does, directly before this one. ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (vs.5) Jesus meant His time on earth was the light, so He had to make the most of it. The Father’s allotted time for the job, left Him no leeway for laziness. The same applies to us Friends. Now that Jesus is no longer here in His physical form, we, His followers, are the light. ‘Ye are the light of the world,’ He said. (Mat.5:14) And with that commission comes a great responsibility. We’ve got to work seriously at our assigned tasks; make hay while the sun shines. That’s the perfect cliché for it Friends. And it’s exactly how Jesus went about His Father’s business. We also need to go about Jesus’ work, in the same steadfast, purposeful manner. Thus, when our light is about to be extinguished, we’ll be able to say, like Jesus did: ‘I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’ (John 17:4) Yes Friends, let’s make that our stated goal nuh. Much LOVE!…our sole purpose on earth…to glorify God…through Jesus’ name…
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