Jesus in Everyday Life
What did the woman at the well, Peter, James, John, and Matthew all have in common? They were all just going about their normal business. The woman at the well probably had sweat beaded on her brow. She was listlessly hiking to the well as she did every day. No doubt she was not far from us modern women with a large to-do list on her mind. Perhaps she was thinking about what she would make for dinner or thinking of the chores left to be done for that day. She was certainly not expected a conversation to not only interrupt her work but her entire existence. An unexpected hope found her at work.
Peter, James, and John were out on their boat as they did regularly. Their living depended on how full those nets came up. As the boat gently rocked and the sound of water lapping against the boat marked off the hours of their day, Peter may have glanced up at the sky, gauging the time, hoping for a good catch. Jesus- savior of the world, the son of God, and answer to all their hopes- came to them. He didn’t wait for them to hear of His reputation and seek Him out. He didn’t wait for a good pocket of free time to pursue these men. He walked right up to them as they worked. Then what did He do? He worked with them. He filled their needs, then he captured their hearts. They ended up leaving to follow Him that very day.
Matthew was sitting at his booth. No doubt the hardness of the seat beneath him began to ache after hours of collecting taxes. Not to mention the sour moods of those being collected from would have left him with a tough skin and low expectations for encouragement during his day of work. This, however, was the place Jesus chose to meet him. From that day on his life was changed.
In Scripture, Jesus promises in John 14:12 : “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”. So my challenge this week is what does it look like for us to do this? What does it look like for us to meet people in their places of work? This video shows the Khmer people making rice noodles. This people group is classified as unreached by the Joshua Project. Imagine sitting with them, learning from them about noodle making, and then foraging a relationship that leads to sharing the gospel right there in the middle of everyday work. While the trade changes, the idea does not. Ask God to highlight this week a way that you can be bringing Jesus to people amidst the work and tasks of everyday life.