Working on behalf of the weak

All of us as humans in this world have certain motivations, drives, ambitions behind all the efforts we put into succeeding in our careers. Some people are driven by self-centered ambition to amass wealth, some by desire for worldly pleasure, or fame, and some by the desire to influence power over others.

However, a sincere study of the way of life and teachings of Jesus and the Apostles of the early church will always reveal a clear truth – It is impossible to follow Jesus without denying self. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23), and any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33).”

This means in essence that the moment we decided to follow Jesus, we gave up our rights to do whatever we wish, to spend the money we have the way we like; we became His properties, our lives, everything we had or have or will ever have belongs to Him. And it also means that the motivation behind everything that we do from that point onwards as followers of Christ should no longer be about ourselves but Him, and consequently about others, because we can’t say we love Him, if we don’t love our neighbor (1 John 3:17). The motivation behind our daily work, the reason we wake up and go to work, shouldn’t be about selfish ambition anymore but about a godly ambition to serve our Lord and to seek the expansion of His Kingdom. The scriptures clearly indicate that SELFISH AMBITION IS A WORK OF THE SINFUL NATURE and those who continuously live this way will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21). Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippian church, “DON'T DO ANYTHING FROM SELFISH AMBITION or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own (Philippians 2:3-4).

In line with this, Paul spoke these last words to the Elders of the Ephesian church when he was about to depart from them: “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. In everything I've done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to WORK ON BEHALF OF THE WEAK and not exploit them. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE’” (Act 20:33-35). Instead of taking advantage of the feeble ones or trampling over them to get ahead, Paul labored diligently on their behalf, to support them and meet their needs. It is also important to note that he didn’t just give them a few leftovers that fell off his table; he actually worked on their behalf in selflessness.

So, wherever the Lord has placed you, whether as a banker, lawyer, teacher, doctor, engineer, businessman, politician, etc. do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ (Col 3:23-24).” And as the Lord blesses your work, remember you are not your own, and that your possessions belong to Him; you are a treasurer for God, receiving directives for the allocation of the resources He has entrusted in your hands, to provide for the need of your household and relatives (1 Tim. 5:8), to fund the work He is doing on the face of the earth such as missions, to support the weak, and provide for the poor. Let us therefore live with this godly ambition to be instruments in the hands of God and to be blessings to others.