WORK GOD’S WORKS (2)

“I MUST WORK the WORKS of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can WORK” – John 9:4

Just as Jesus Christ worked the works of the Father, Believers are called to WORK GOD’S WORKS: “I MUST WORK the WORKS of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can WORK” (Jh.9:4). Jesus encountered a man who had been blind his entire life. The disciples held a common belief that his condition was due to some specific sin – either his or his parents'.  Jesus refuted this idea, and healed the man. Then, He used metaphors of day and night to describe His earthly ministry. In an era without electricity, less work could be done at nighttime, and more during the limited daytime. Here, “day" referred to the time left for Jesus to serve God's will on earth. "Night" referred to the rapidly-approaching time of His death that would end His earthly work.

Jesus knew He had a finite amount of time to ‘work’ and felt a sense of urgency and the importance of getting the work done with His disciples. Interestingly, other Bible versions use the plural pronoun: “As long as it is day, WE must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (NIV); “WE must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (ESV); “WE must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (NASB). Jesus placed on all who serve God, an obligation to be responsible with our time by saying "WE MUST"!

In another sense, the blind man had lived in darkness all his life, but Jesus brought sight and light to his life. Similarly, the world was in darkness until Jesus came, and “in Him was life, and that life was the LIGHT of men” (Jh.1:4). He “was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (Jh.1:9). By bringing sight to this blind man, Jesus was illustrating how He provides light to all humanity: “I am the LIGHT of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the LIGHT of LIFE” (Jh.8:12). As long as Jesus was there, it was day – the Light of the world was there! Now, He calls Believers, “the light of the world” (Mt.5:14). Therefore, what we’re sent to do is “The Work of Light,” because we are “light in the Lord…children of light” (Eph.5:8).

Beloved, we as Believers in Christ have only the days of our earthly lives to accomplish the work God has assigned us to do. Yet, many of us have all sorts of distractions crowding into their lives. Some of these distractions seem important; others are like insignificant intrusions. The pertinent questions are: How well are we doing with placing God's priorities first in our lives regardless of the apparent importance of possible distractions? Do we feel a sense of urgency to get His work done? Is God's work our focus or just another item to check off our "to do" list crowding into our busy lives? As we submit our will to be led by His Spirit and commit to live for His Glory, the Lord will teach us how to order our priorities and guide us to be more confident of the things He wants most for us to do.

Christ is our Model as One Who worked the works of God and used every precious moment to carry out His Will through His life. As we walk in Him Who is the LIGHT, we are enabled to work the Works of Light. May we receive Grace to follow His example and live in total submission to His indwelling Spirit, knowing that the day is far spent and the night is coming when none will be able to work. May the good work that God started in us at salvation be completed to His Praise and Glory, in Jesus’ name!