God’s Will in Our Earthly Work

God’s Will in Our Earthly Work

God reveals His will to a person at the very moment in which he is living. He who looks away from the present moment does not know that God’s will is always at hand—precisely in the state in which he is and for the work in which he is engaged. God’s will is always ready to intervene where we are, for God is always very near to everyone.

Someone who doubts often believes that God’s will is found only in visiting the sick or in getting up and giving a testimony. Satan always covers up those areas where it should be easiest to seek God’s will; he leads the person’s thoughts further away. For the spiritual person, he usually covers up earthly issues as something that has to be separated from the spiritual. Thus he hinders the person from presenting his body as a sacrifice in order to fulfill God’s will. Everything for which we use our body according to God’s will is our spiritual service. Therefore Paul says so aptly concerning our earthly work: “Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men . . . .” Eph. 6:5-8.

We see that every work in our earthly calling is to be performed before the Lord’s face, as unto the Lord. It is as if the Lord Himself were standing there and watching you, making sure that you are doing the work for Him. When you perform your work in this manner—under His eyes and supervision—you will experience in your inner man that His eyes (through your spirit and your conscience) will follow the work in which you are engaged, even to the last small detail—point for point. He will then become the One who guides your work. If there is one particular point in your work where you have not been fully obedient, and the work on this point was not done as you know it should have been done, then this point will exert pressure on your conscience, and He will lead you back in order to finish what is lacking. Your obedience and patience will lead to a perfect work according to the light and understanding that you have. When you thus serve as unto Him, and your desire is to do His will, you will do your work willingly and faithfully, and you will receive your reward from the Lord, for it is for Him that you do your work. He will pay you what is right, even if you do not receive what is right from people. The reward you receive from people—the unrighteous mammon—is your earthly livelihood by which God lets you live so that He, during the time that you are on earth, can present you as an example and an adornment of His doctrine. When you are thus obedient, you will be watchful in your work before His face all day long, so that you with your work and through it with your life, can please Him. He is your co-worker in each work just as you are His co-worker in the same work, for He works in you to will and to do all things to His pleasure. Therefore do your work without murmuring and doubting, so that you can be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. See Philippians 2:12-15. All obedience to the Lord is part of your salvation. Through obedience you perfect all righteousness in your daily life. This is how you live in the Spirit in every earthly work. These works are His works that you must keep with care by walking in them. Thus each work is of heavenly worth—first to the Lord, then for others, and finally for you.

If your heart is wholly for the Lord, then you know that His eyes go over the whole earth to strengthen such people mightily in everything they do, and consequently they will succeed. The works you do benefit the others, either directly or indirectly, and thus the Lord serves mankind even today through His children. However, few people are aware of His ministry; few people appreciate it as coming from Him. Nevertheless, His servant’s mind is without limits, because love never fails. He serves others through you when you serve as unto Him. Thus He exercises the same grace even today through the members of His body on earth just as when He Himself walked on earth. The Lord could take His own home but in His grace, He appoints them to finish the work that He gives them to do, so that His grace can reach even more people. In this way He lets the earthly work be a heavenly seed. We live His life, and thus Jesus is still walking on earth through the members of His body as a son of a carpenter from Nazareth, dutifully fulfilling His obligations in all things.

This is how, in a practical manner, you can gather treasures in heaven at all times of the day. Perfect obedience on earth results in perfect joy—His joy in you and your joy in Him.

Concerning these things, Satan darkens many people’s vision. We see many people in the various congregations who confess Christ, but their earthly work is not being carried out with a willing mind as to the Lord but rather with murmuring and carelessness as to men. Therefore we find that many of them are “sick of it” and “tired of it.” If they sought God’s will in the things that were at hand and performed them in perfect harmony with their conscience, we would see them rejoicing in God’s pleasure. However, in order to carry out everything in harmony with your conscience, you have to exercise yourself in patience, for this leads to a perfect work.