"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.Mark 6:3
There is no doubt that Jesus was a phenomenal teacher. Anyone can look at his life and tell that he was good at his job. But a lot of times people overlook the fact that Jesus had another regular job that had nothing to do with the ministry. He was a carpenter, working in the rough and tough world of construction.
Jesus spent a great deal of time in the workplace, and people were always watching him. They were upset with him because he wouldn't act the way they wanted him to act. But Jesus always handled the pressures and problems of the workplace without compromising.
Isn't it amazing how a person can be a character-compromising employee one minute and an angelic church attendee the next? Unlike Jesus, a lot of us cannot resist the urge to compartmentalize our lives. We think that we can have our faith world over here and our work world over there. We divide our lives into pieces and then make choices in one piece that don't affect our other pieces.
Compartmentalization is especially common in the workplace. We pull into the parking lot and leave our cars and biblical principles right there until the end of the day. Meanwhile, an abundance of unethical decisions and compromising choices are being made in the adjacent building. But God never intended our lives to be compartmentalized. So let's take our cue from Jesus and live out our faith in every area of our lives because that is what it means to have a heart loyal to the Lord.
A Prayer for Today
Lord, thank you for your example of integrity. There will always be times when I will be pressured to compartmentalize my life, but I pray that you will remind me of Jesus' example and help me to lie out my faith in every area of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
