24/7/365
Scripture Reading — Luke 12:35-40
"It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes." Luke 12:37
Even as I rose in the ranks at the bank I worked in, I tried to maintain self-discipline--usually with success. I might work long hours at the office Monday through Friday, but I wouldn't take bank work home with me on evenings or weekends. That gave me time away from work, and it provided time when I could serve in the ministry of the church of which I was a member.
What I did then is probably less possible today. With today's cell-phones, e-mail, and the Internet, employees today apparently feel the obligation to be in touch with their jobs 24/7/365--every hour of every day, all year long (including "vacations"). But living by that principle is hazardous to spiritual health.
There is one place, though, where the 24/7/365 principle is commanded. We are to live 24/7/365 in the awareness of our Master's presence. We cannot practice God's presence on Sunday and then turn our back on God the rest of the week. God's presence follows us everywhere, in everything we do. At our job. In every class we take, at any school, at every level. In whatever we do as parents and grandparents and spouses and children and brothers and sisters. In what we do to relax or exercise. In our weekends and on our vacations. In what we read or watch or play to be entertained. Everything belongs to Jesus, our Master. It's all sacred. It's all holy.
Lord our God, may no part of day or night be free from sacredness, but may all our life, every step and every day, be in fellowship with you. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Fred Bultman
Fred Bultman began a “second career” as a pastor in 1997, after a first career in the banking business. He served as pastor to congregations in the U.S. and Canada. In retirement, he continues to enjoy sharing in the ministry of the churches in and around his home in Fremont, Michigan.
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