Hello everyone. What an interesting year we had!
I have been meaning to write another newsletter for so long but the Lord allowed me to have a new job as a research scientist in addition to my job at GBUC. This meant many busy weeks that went by at a breakneck pace and I could only see my limitations. Remembering my first newsletter 2 years ago, when I was starting this ministry, I couldn’t help but wonder:
Was this difficult pace of work and its recurring challenges that brought me stress, doubts, questions, illnesses, paths paved with errors and uncertainties, really part of those “good works prepared in advance” of which Paul speaks in Ephesians 2:10?
I want to share with you a reflection we had with a group of GBUC graduates around a Bible study on Ephesians 2:1-10.
Working in a broken world
In this discussion group of professionals coming from very diverse backgrounds and fields, we realized that we are working in a broken world. Verses 1-3 got us thinking about “the ways of this world,” which seem to be the effect of a dominant system that interacts with the self-centeredness of the individual. In work situations, “the ways of this world” often value performance more than the well-being of people. they also suggest that our identity depends on the expertise we have. This paradigm hardly works in a world in which our 35 to 40 hours a week are filled with conflicting human relationships and unforgiving economic issues, in the midst of which our human weaknesses and limitations can only be more evident. This was not God’s original plan. It is clear from Genesis 2 that God wanted “man” to be a partner, relying on Him, working in community (with “woman”) to add value to the creation.
« The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. » – Genesis 2 :18-19
But then, sin came in Genesis 3 to make work a means of subsistence, often painful. Christian or not, everyone lives this reality.
Our identity in Christ
Yet as we read verses 4-7, the perspective changes. From condemned people, God changes our identity:
« … made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.… » – Ephesians 2 :5
Because of Jesus, we are saved. It is not our works, nor any expertise but Christ who defines who we are. Therefore, the life we live must be lived with eternity in sight.
« And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus »– Ephesians 2 :6
How can we understand these words, we who are sitting somewhere in Quebec, if not by the fact that our salvation is already acquired for the eternity to come, but its effect starts now. This does not separate us from the pain of this world but rather allows everything that happens to us to pass through the filter of the gospel.
So how can we make room for the gospel in our professional lives?
These works “prepared in advance”
Concluding our reflection with verses 8 to 10, perhaps we can reconsider our jobs. For if God prepares the works, they are at His service according to the identity He gives us. Perhaps we don’t have our jobs for great performances or professional success, but rather to take care of our colleagues and show them the love of Christ. Perhaps the “works prepared in advance” are those of long, difficult and hardworking hours that cause us to depend on God rather than our strengths. Perhaps our difficult and stressful work experiences are a school of compassion and grace for those like us who work hard or provide services for us. Perhaps we need to see our work as a spiritual discipline in which God manifests himself in his sovereignty, as in prayer and meditation. And, perhaps, if God has prepared works for us, we must submit them fully to him, taking the risk that they may not be the ones we imagine or the ones we are good at. Let’s think about that the next time we are frustrated with our work or someone else’s work. Let’s think about that the next challenging Monday before we begin any activity. Let’s look to the one who has a greater perspective on our reality than ourselves, God our Father, Jesus our Brother, the Holy Spirit our Comforter.
The work continues…
I continue to work in two different fields with the faith that all this was prepared in advance so that Jesus would reveal himself to students on campuses but also in the field of scientific research. In my case, the Lord has used many friendships that have helped me through some storms. He also used Bible studies on the book of Ruth during the summer to encourage me in my relationships so that the overflow of activities would not extinguish them. He comforted me as I sang praises to him in community and through trials. So let us walk with the grace of the Lord who owns the mission. He will sustain us and be with us, he Emmanuel (God with us).
Pray without ceasing…
Let us pray that in this Christmas season, we seize opportunities to proclaim Jesus, God who came as a child to stay with us forever. Pray also for the end of year activities of the GBUC, especially our participation in URBANA, the conference of North American IFES groups. May this event inspire students and produce strategic partnerships. Also, please feel free, if you would like to financially support the GBUC ministry or mine, to follow the link: gbuc.ca/donate.
Thank you for supporting the work that the Lord is doing in me through your prayers and donations. Merry Christmas! Jesus is near you where you are. Enter 2023 with Him… Work with Him… Stay close to Him. May God bless you!