Preached August 4, 1991, evening service First Baptist Church, Garrett, Indiana
One of the questions men often ask men when they first meet is, "What do you do?" A smart aleck might answer by saying, "Oh, I snore," or "I mow my lawn once a week. Then I take a shower. Then I usually watch television an hour or so...." By then the other party is likely to intercede asking, "I mean, what do you do for a living?"
This usually is a good ice breaker. Most of us are comfortable talking about our work. If things are going well it gives us a chance to boast a bit, tastefully, of course. If things are going poorly, perhaps we'll get some sympathy.
There is a far more important question, however, than what do you do? It is a question drawn from the teachings of Jesus. The question is: For what are you working? There is a 2nd question like unto it--for whom are you working?
I assume you are working at something. Most of us are. Very few of us escape. I did hear about one fellow who was an expert at what we might term "work avoidance."
His wife woke up one morning with a severe case of laryngitis. For days she couldn't even whisper. To help her communicate, her husband set up a clever arrangement. She would tap on the table when she wanted to say something. One tap meant "Yes," 2 taps meant "No," 3 taps meant, "What would you like for supper?" & so on. "93 taps," he said, "meant `Take out the garbage.'"
Some of us may resemble that rascal. We've found our own system for getting out of work. Most of us, however, have some kind of meaningful activity.
Years ago, a woman was committed to a mental hospital. About 3 months after she was admitted, she made an unusual request. She asked for a larger room, a large canvas, & lots of paint. Every request was fulfilled.
Six months later, she invited the administrative & nursing staff into her room for the unveiling of her "life's work." After everyone was seated, she dramatically pulled back the sheet that covered her masterpiece. What a shock! The canvas was all white--not one paint stroke on it. Everyone politely sat there "admiring" the painting until finally the chief administrator spoke up. He asked, "What is it? Tell us about your painting."
The woman responded enthusiastically, "It's the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea."
Someone asked, "Where is the sea?"
She quickly replied, "It has parted. Half is on one side of the canvas & half is on the other side."
"Well, where are the children of Israel?" someone else asked.
The woman said, "Oh, they have already gone through."
"So where is the Egyptian Army?" another asked.
"Oh, they haven't arrived yet," she said.
Some people live their lives like that--never making a mark on their canvas. It's hard to respect someone who is not even trying to make life count somehow.
A few of you may remember a ball player whose nickname was Old Scrap Iron! His real name was Clint Courtney. He was a journeyman catcher for the Baltimore Orioles many years ago. Courtney was never a star. You won't find his name in the record books.
What Courtney lacked in power, speed, & innate talent, he made up for with courage. The runner trying to beat the throw home could bare his spikes if he wanted. Or he could simply try to bowl Courtney over. The result would be the same. Old Scrap Iron held his ground. He may be cut and bruised. A foul tip might miss his protective padding & sting his elbow, but he hung in there. He was a fighter, a worker, a blue -collar player, as we would say today. He would not quit. Who does not admire someone like that?
I assume that you are working at something. It need not be for profit. Many retired people are giving their time to others. Some plant gardens. Some find ways to help around the church or in the community. Few of us who are able-bodied would be content to sit inside watching TV all the time. Most of us are working at something. The question is, For what are we working?
Some people don't even know. Money, power, recognition? Some of us would answer simply, survival. Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle sometime back: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
Some of us can identify with that. We've got bills to pay, college to prepare for, old age to think about. Some of us are overwhelmed with the cost of just getting by. But there are other reasons for working that have nothing to do with survival.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS THE PRIDE OF EXCELLING, GIVING OUR BEST.
Coach Gene Stallings tells of an incident when he was defensive backfield coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Two All-Pro players, Charlie Waters & Cliff Harris, were sitting in front of their lockers after playing a tough game against the Washington Redskins. They were still in their uniforms, & their heads were bowed in exhaustion. Waters turned to Harris & asked, "By the way, Cliff, what was the final score?" For these 2 professionals, what mattered was not winning or losing as much as the game itself.
Knute Rockne was a motivator. At the halftime of one game, his Notre Dame Fighting Irish were playing poorly. The team walked dejectedly to the locker room where they braced themselves. They knew Rockne would tear into them. They sat & sat, but Rockne did not appear. Finally as the team began to head toward the door for the beginning of the 2nd half, Rockne came walking in. He looked around & started to walk back out again. Then he said simply, "Oh, sorry, I was looking for the Notre Dame football team." Notre Dame won the game.
Pride in what you do and how you do it are powerful motivators. There are people in this world who work just for the pride of doing what they can do as well as they are able. They are often given increases in salary, but it is not money that motivates them. They receive appreciation & recognition, but again, that is not what pushes their button. Something internal pushes them to give their best. The world would be a much poorer world without such folks. I know our church would be poorer without them. Every conscientious teacher, choir member, & church officer is made of such stuff. They give their best regardless of what they are engaged in.
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE MOTIVATED BY SIMPLY BEING PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN THEMSELVES.
Thus we come to that 2nd question, For whom are you working?
There was an article in the newspapers recently about a man named Elmer Booze. Booze is a professional page-turner for concert pianists.
His job is to follow the score that the performer is playing & turn pages at the proper times. He is supposed to be as unobtrusive as possible, working quickly & without obscuring the performer's vision. Booze does this well enough to be referred to as "the ghost."
A good page-turner should help make the performer successful. The page-turner doesn't share the bows; nor is he listed in the program. He has done his job if he has enabled the performer to perform uninterrupted & if he himself has remained unnoticed. Elmer Booze is content to make his anonymous contribution to something bigger than himself.
Again, that is the motivation that drives many people in our church. Think how many tasks, from teaching Sunday School to preparing the flowers on the altar, are done by people who ask no recognition for themselves. They are content knowing that this is God's work & they are thankful to be part of it.
There are all kinds of motivations for working. Still, they all fall short of Jesus' standards. "Do not labor for the food which perishes," he says, "but for the food which endures for eternal life...." There are people who are sweating blood, working their hearts out, driving themselves to early graves, who will one day have nothing to show for their labors. They will leave this world just as empty handed as they came into it. There will be not a single mark on their canvas, because everything they work for is perishable. They have missed the whole point of living. And what is the whole point?
Perhaps we can learn the whole point from a 19-year-old who works very, very hard. His name is Michael Chang. Two years ago at age 17 he stunned the tennis world by becoming the youngest player ever to win the French Open. His endorsements alone exceed one million dollars annually. He looks forward to career winnings that will run into many millions more. But Chang is driven by something much bigger than fame or fortune. Michael Chang is driven by his faith in & commitment to Jesus Christ.
For what are you working? For whom are you working? We are all working for something--for survival, for glory, for the pride of a job done well, to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The reason we are working is really of little consequence from an eternal perspective. We may work ourselves to death and have nothing to show for it--even if we are doing good works.
THERE IS ONLY ONE THING IN THIS WORLD OF REAL CONSEQUENCE: ARE WE CONNECTED TO CHRIST? HAVE WE RECEIVED HIS FREE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE?
Charlotte Elliott was 45 years old, & an invalid. She was living at Westfield Lodge, in Brighton, England. Her brother, the Rev. H.V. Elliott was arranging a bazaar to raise money to aid in the building of a college where the daughters of poor clergy might be educated at low expense. Miss Elliott, being ill & unable to assist in the final preparations, lay on her bed, feeling sorry for herself. She felt so useless.
On the following day, when all of the other members of the family were at the opening of the bazaar, a feeling of peace & contentment suddenly came over her. She realized that God had accepted her just as she was. She didn't have to DO anything...except be open to God's unconditional love for her. In gratitude, she wrote a hymn, "Just as I Am Without One Plea...."
There are some of you who are working very hard. That's good. Make your life count for something. But have you received that which hard work cannot obtain? Have you received the gift of God's grace thru Jesus Christ? "Do not labor for the food which perishes," he says, "but for the food which endures for eternal life...."
