About Our Father’s Business

The labor of the righteous leads to life,The wages of the wicked to sin.

Proverbs 10:16 (NKJV)

“The labor of the righteous leads to life”—not more money, not more things, but life. Psalm 37:16 says, “Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked” (NIV).

So this is a great moment to pause and ask ourselves, what is life? Do you have a passion to fulfill the purpose that God put you on this planet for? Do you know what it is? Do you ever ask the Lord to show you what it is? Because, as Walker Percy said, “You can get all A’s and still flunk life.”

Jesus gave us a clear, solid place to start that will shake us loose from just falling into the world’s version of success. He said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21, NKJV).

When I think about these important words, I realize that material things get broken, go out of style, and get lost. It’s really people who are important. Jesus invested in people. So the greatest purpose that he could give us here on earth is to love people. That’s true living.

As Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” That’s right, Winston.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

All right, ladies, let’s do something about this. As Jesus said, “[We] must be about [our] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49, NKJV). And our Father’s favorite business is people. He has a special tenderness for broken and lonely people like widows and orphans. The ache of losing someone you love lingers for many years. Often we feel inept around grieving people because we don’t know what to do or say. We cannot fix their pain. But God can use you to give a moment of comfort, a hand on the shoulder, a kind card slipped into a pocket at church. I’ll tell you the truth, when you do any of those things, not only will you be a blessing, but you will indeed be blessed.

One Year Bible Reading

Leviticus 16:29–18:30; Mark 7:24–8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 10:15-16