Are You an Effectual Laborer for Christ?
Our featured author this week is Dwight Hill. Dwight is the author of four books that focus on helping business and professionals relate Christ to the marketplace. Mr. Hill is the author of the weekly electronic newsletter, "The Facts of the Matter" for business and professionals, which enjoys a worldwide audience. In April 2014 Mr. Hill passed away from an inoperable brain tumor on his 78th birthday. His time on earth serves as an example of a life well lived to the glory of God.
Ernie
 |
|
|
Are You an Effectual Laborer for Christ?
By R. Dwight Hill
|
|
That is, are you significantly engaged in the lives of those God has placed in your life because you care about their eternal destiny?
I'm talking about neighbors whose lives are in chaos; business and professional associates who are successful in the eyes of their peers but are hopelessly lost spiritually; family members who have lost hope as their lives descend into despair. In a word, are you involved in the lives of those who are separated " from Christ...without hope and without God...?" (Eph. 2:12b).
Or are you blithely cruising along, benignly indifferent to the pain, despair and spiritual ignorance that surrounds you? If the answer is "yes," you are not in fact a laborer for Christ among the people for whom he died. By your inaction you are signaling the fact that you could care less.
About 30 years ago, Lorne Sanny, the Director of the Navigators, stated with deep angst that most of the Organization's trained laborers were not "laboring." The Navigators had gone back and researched people whom they had trained in past years, and were now in the working world, raising families, advancing their careers, etc. Somehow, over that span of time they had settled down into life and had lost the passion, the vision and the spiritual edge they once possessed. Inch by inch, it seems, they had grown inward and insulated from their lost world, happily self-absorbed and spiritually lukewarm. (See Rev. 3:15-19)
The fact is that a true laborer for Christ is a rare person indeed, as our churches are filled with nice people who are sterile spiritually. Few possess the heart, the vision and the knowhow to be used of God to win and disciple others. Little wonder that Jesus made the tragic observation, that "... the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few..." (Matt. 9:37b)
If it is your heart's desire to be meaningfully engaged as an effective laborer for Christ, carefully read the next five "Facts" that will explore in detail five characteristics of effectual laborers for God:
This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.
R. Dwight Hill
1These five characteristics were drawn from a memo from Doug Nuenke, the U. S. Director of the Navigators, March, 2013. Used by permission.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information and resources to help you grow and become a more effective ambassador for Christ where you work and live, go to MarketplaceAmbassador.com
|
|
Learn more about becoming a more effective ambassador for Christ where you work and live by visiting
CBMC's On-Line Resources at
|
More than the average Bible study. Our focus is to provide men with a proven game plan for "doing life" and maintaining margin while finding meaning and purpose for their lives.