Focus: Working or Idling?

Text: Lk.13:7

"Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"

The earth is the sphere of human existence and industry. God created man for WORK and redeemed him for GOOD WORKS. Paul says, "If any would not work, neither should he eat." The earth is not a place for idleness or indolence, but for industry.

Heaven is regarded as a place of rest, while the earth serves as the place of labor. When we cease our labor on earth we enter into our rest in heaven. Here on earth man is given a day of rest and six days of work. That means that the earth is more about work than it is about rest.

No Christian can afford to live here on earth and be useless to God and humanity. No Christian should waste space and grace. We are saved to serve. Paul tells Philemon about Onesimus, "Which in the past was unprofitable, but NOW profitable to thee and to me" (Philm.1:11). Onesimus once lived contrary to his name. His name meant usefulness, but he devoted himself to leading a useless and wasteful life. But now the story is different. As a new man in Christ, Onesimus is living out the true meaning of his name. He is now useful.

The earth is always connected to work in everything. To love is to labor. Paul calls it "labor of love." To believe in Christ is to work. Paul calls it "work of faith." Also, having hope for the future means laboring in the now. The earth is not a place where one can fold his hands and idly wait for the miraculous. We work even while we wait.

The point I am making here is that God planted the Christian on earth to bring in kingdom harvest. Loving God implies enjoying and serving Him for the rest of his life.

The cross signifies not only suffering but also labor, for on the cross, Jesus Christ said, "It is finished," which means that He was working while on the cross. He worked to redeem us. In reality, the cross was His main work.

Our text is very significant. A vineyard owner is concerned that a certain fig tree in his vineyard is not yielding fruit after a long period of three years, and he wants it cut down. He asks a very practical question, "Why cumbereth it the ground?" And God is asking us the same question: why are you occupying space for nothing? Why should it be said that you have repented when you cannot show any proof of repentance or produce the fruit of its reality? Why be alive and not be productive? A Christian who is not bringing in the gains of salvation is merely filling a space, but without fulfilling a role. In John 17, Jesus Christ brought His report card to His Father, and in it He says, "I have GLORIFIED thee on the EARTH: I have FINISHED the WORK which thou gavest me to do" (Jh.17:4). That is what we are here for - to bring glory to God by fully finishing our divinely assigned tasks.

Let us labor to bring in the souls, the material resources, and different blessings of God in our lives. God wants all the gains. Let there be no unused powers, no wasted grace, and no unsaved souls that we had the power and opportunity to have saved. Let's do our jobs and fulfill our destinies. It's work time in this workplace. We have all eternity to rest. Let's not occupy any space in vain. We have a last chance of grace to endeavor to enrich the kingdom of Christ with our services and resources. John says, "It is the last time" (1Jh.2:18). Long or short, we are in the final hour of divine history. Let's do all we can to the glory of God.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter