“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
Not many prisoners can say that their actual prison job is to minister to their fellow prisoners. What a privilege it is to serve God full-time while behind bars. As much as I enjoy it, though, I have a co-worker who I think enjoys it just a little bit more. He is always so bubbly when we go out ministering together, bouncing up and down lie he is just about to explode Jesus all over the first person he meets. It never fails…while on our way, he is going to turn to me with a great big smile and say, “Isn’t this great! You and me sharing Jesus in the field together! This is what we sat through all those seminary lectures for.” To which I usually respond in a serious tone, “Hey, stay focused, we got a job to do.”
It seems that sometimes I forget that an over-focus on the job is exactly what got the Israelites into trouble. In Micah 6, God asked them why they continued to be disobedient after all that He had done for them. Their answer – because of everything he continued to demand from them, all of the sacrifices and rituals. Then God just shook His head like a disappointed father. How could they still not know what He wanted from them? He wanted them, not their efforts!! It was never about the works, to begin with; it was always about the relationships. God’s purpose was always to relate to His people, and for His people to relate to each other. It is really quite simple. Be a humble child before your Father, then do right and be kind to others.
Now if Israel struggled with this in their day, how much more do we in our high-octane, performance-driven culture? We operate in a world where task management and time efficiency rule the day, and these don’t stop at the workplace. They carry over into every area of our lives, even our homes. The performance mindset is also found in ministry. On a unit of 3000 men, the job of ministry can quickly become overwhelming, and it’s easy to find myself focused on one task after another. Here, my co-worker keeps me grounded with the reminder that the joy of ministry is not the work, it’s the people. By placing the highest value on those we meet, and even myself as his co-worker, his message is clear….it’s not a job to do, it’s people to see, and a Person to introduce them to.
Next time your work has you feeling burdened down, ask yourself this, “Am I task-driven or people-driven in what I’m doing?” Put the joy back in your work by taking your focus off the job and putting it back on God and His people. Then hit the field with a great big smile on your face.