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I am a do-er. For as long as I can recall, I have been someone who takes great satisfaction in crossing completed tasks off my list. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when a job is done, and I like being a person that others can rely on to finish things.

One of the challenges of being a do-er is that there is a temptation to define your life based on what you have done, rather than the person that you are. There is danger in this on multiple levels. First, my standing before God is based on Christ’s work and not my own. If I define myself based on what I have accomplished than I am not defining myself based on the same terms that God uses. The most importation definition for me should be that I am a child of the King, and that is only accomplished because of the penalty that Christ paid on my behalf and His conquering of the grave. 

Another danger of thinking of myself in terms of my accomplishments is that often the things that I must do start to feel like burdens rather than opportunities. Even good things like ministry and taking care of my family can start to be viewed as “have to’s” rather than “get to’s.” The responsibilities that God has granted me can weigh me down as I attempt to accomplish them in my own strength based on my own abilities. I may even be tempted to think of Heaven as a place where I can escape these duties, a place where I take it easy and rest. 

However, this view of responsibilities and my eternal destiny is in direct contrast to what God’s Word teaches us.  Jesus said that if we are faithful with little that we should be faithful with much (Luke 16:10). Thus, having much to do is not something to escape, but rather a reward to pursue. Of course, this presumes that the things that we are focusing our time, attention, and energy on are things that have eternal value.  When this is the case, responsibilities are something to be cherished and grateful for because we know that through doing our duties, we are making a difference for God’s Kingdom.

Additionally, it is apparent in the Bible that if God’s children are faithful with their God-given responsibilities on this Earth, He will grant them greater responsibilities in His Eternal Kingdom (see Luke 19:12-27). Because Heaven will be a place of peace rather than pain, a place of gladness rather than tears, we can conclude that the work that God gives us in His coming Kingdom will be a source of great honor and contentment. We will find joy in the work He has called us to do, because it will be work that the God of all glory, power, and might, has graciously given us. 

The same is true for the work that He has given us now. Because He is the one who assigns us our roles, our tasks, and our obligations, we should consider it a privilege to do what He has called us to do. This applies not just to obeying His commands (which of course, we should be honored to do that as well), but in the specific duties that He has assigned to us through the positions in our families, church, and community that He has graciously appointed to us.  God could have assigned anyone else to these roles, but in His kindness, He has given them to us. Therefore, as we do them, as we consider our obligations and our commitments, may we find great satisfaction and joy in them. May our responsibilities remind us of the goodness of our God who mercifully uses redeemed sinners to accomplish His work, both in this world, and in eternity to come. 

One of my favorite stories to tell my students involves my dad. It was a story that I didn’t hear until after God called him Home. When he died, the company my dad worked for started a leadership award in his honor. To be nominated for the award a person had to meet three criteria – criteria that defined how my dad led. They had to solve a problem, they had to involve other people in the solution, and they had to propose a solution that was systematic in nature. In other words, they had to make a difference in the company by working with other people to provide a long-term fix to a problem that repeatedly occurred.

The first recipient of the award was a woman that my dad hired. When she accepted the award, she told the story of her first few weeks on the job. Apparently there had been a mix-up with the set-up of her direct deposit and her first paycheck wasn’t going to arrive on the scheduled date. My dad got word of this and dropped by her office to chat. Knowing that bills still need to be paid even if a paycheck doesn’t come in, he asked her if she was going to be o.k. Reflecting on this story, she said, “I’m pretty sure Brad was prepared to write me a personal check.” As she shared this at the award ceremony, my mom leaned over and told me that’s exactly what my dad had planned. Although it wasn’t his fault that the check hadn’t come in, he recognized that a member of his team was in a tough situation. He had talked to my mom the evening before, and they had agreed that they would be willing to give up some of their resources to help meet any need. As his employee told the story it was clear that this incident in her first two weeks of work set the tone for how she viewed my dad as a boss, and more importantly, as a person. She knew that my dad was willing to sacrifice for the good of someone on his team.

The reason I love to tell this story is because it is reflective of who my dad was in every aspect of life. As I often say, he characterized what it means to be “a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). However, most people think this propensity to generosity is something that is reflected in one’s personal, not professional, life. Through this and other acts of selfless giving, my dad demonstrated that for the Christian, generosity belongs at work too. This simple act of kindness demonstrated to this employee and to the rest of his team that he took his faith seriously. It showed them that loving God and loving others wasn’t something that was just important to him on the weekend; it was going to impact the way that he treated them at the office. In short, it demonstrated that he took the Gospel seriously and when he was asked why he was so generous to others, it gave him the opportunity to share how much God had done for him.

When we give selflessly, we reflect the selflessness of our Savior. In the story I shared above, my dad was preparing to give of his financial resources, but there are other ways that we can sacrificially give to bless those with whom we work. We can give of our time, willing to listen to and help with their struggles rather than focusing on the challenges we face. We can give of our talents, being willing to use our gifts and abilities to help someone else. We can give of our opportunities, allowing someone else to shine instead of trying to make sure the spotlight is always on us. Regardless of the way in which we do it, when we generously sacrifice for the sake of someone else, we are modeling, in some small way, the sacrifice that Christ made for us.  We are providing a foothold to the Gospel and showing those around us, whether at work or the community, that we are willing to give up what is rightfully ours that they may be blessed. We are showing we prioritize them as image bearers of God, and that because of this, we will be generous to them with what God has given us.

In a world where people often focus on what they can get rather than what they give, a Christian can make a Kingdom difference by being sacrificially generous. If this Christian is also a leader in some way, the impact can be even greater. When we give of ourselves to bless others, we are showcasing the sacrifice and love of our Savior. May our colleagues and our community increasingly think of us as those who are joyfully generous. May we lead people to Jesus by willing give of what He has graciously given to us.   

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

I Timothy 6:17-19