Thursday, June 6, 2013
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It's almost become a gag line; it expresses the attitude of an employee who just wants to meet the bare minimums of their job. You ask them a question, ask them to do some small task; kind of shrugs his shoulders, puts his hands in the air and says, "Not my job!" Well, that can be a lazy response or maybe a wise one in some cases. For example, if you ask me to repair your car, I probably should say, "It's not my job." Or if you ask the local mechanic to take care of your toothache, it would be good if he said, "It's not my job." Or if you ask your dentist to program your computer, it would probably be good for him to say, "It's not my job." See, you really shouldn't be working out of what really isn't your job and you don't know how to do.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "It's Not My Job."
Our word for today from the Word of God is Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from them whose walk is blameless." Wow, that's a great promise, isn't it? No good thing... Any good thing; anything that's really good for you, He will never withhold if your walk is blameless. And, of course, He's the one who defines what's good for us, because He knows best.
What's interesting about this verse is that it tells you three responsibilities that are not your job. "It's not my job!" Number one it's not your job to provide. It says here, "The Lord bestows favor." God gives you what you need. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, "Don't go chasing after food and clothing like the rest of the world does, because your Father knows what you have need of. You seek the kingdom of God and all the things will be taken care of."
You lose a lot of peace worrying about where the dollars are going to come from, the transportation, the resources. Three times in that passage Jesus told us, "Don't worry! Don't worry!" They're going to come from your Jehovah Jireh-the Lord who provides. He will take care of it. Although He expects us to work, ultimately the provision of your needs is not your job.
Secondly, protecting is not your job. It says, "The Lord is your shield." We waste a lot of effort defending our position, trying to look good, answering criticism from people, trying to protect our spot, fearing injury, fearing disappointment. What are you doing to just try to protect yourself? The Lord is your shield. It's not your job.
Then it's also not your job to promote. It says, "The Lord gives honor to people." Quit trying to get the spotlight for yourself; God exalts people. What are you doing trying to promote yourself? So, what is your job? Well, it says, "He does this for those whose walk is blameless." Your job is your walk. You're supposed to concentrate on cleaning up your walk with God; getting rid of those traits that displease Him and that bring criticism from others. Your job is to focus on spending time with your Lord; treating people as your Lord does, eliminating those stubborn sins that you tolerate rather than eliminate.
God's job is to provide your needs, to protect you from hurt, and to promote you to positions that He chooses. I wonder, have you been trying to do one of His jobs? Why don't you concentrate on your own? Concentrate on the purity of your walk, and God will keep His promise, "No good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."