You Have One Job

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Yesterday, for me, wrapped up three days of a local athletic competition, which was an amazing display of strength, endurance and skill – none of which belonged to me. It was inspiring though, and as I watched, I was motivated. I need to change. I must lose fat and gain muscle. Today, I start. Then, last night, I found myself back at the fridge again, foraging for snacks. I have good intentions, but I am easily distracted.

In treatment for chemical dependency four years ago, I had a similar, if not more meaningful, experience. I had it out with God one day, telling him how desperate I was for change. He told me that if I wanted transformation, then I must make a genuine effort to abandon myself and seek him every day. From now on, you have one job. Daily deny yourself and follow me. Perhaps that’s two jobs, but you get the idea.

The Bible, from Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5) to Christ (Matthew 22:37), insists that our greatest purpose in life is to know, love and follow our creator. Here, in today’s passage, King Solomon reiterates this. Experiencing all life had to offer and finding no satisfaction in all the appetites of his flesh, Solomon concluded: After all is said and done, here is your one job: follow God.

As Christians, we say we do this, but we are easily distracted. We claim to follow God, but our actions reveal that we follow ourselves. We call ourselves disciples, but we live enslaved to drink, money, pride, lust, anger, resentment, affirmation, work and self. We tell ourselves we will be better tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, like me, we are right back at the refrigerator of life, following our own appetites.

Every day, we have one job that we must do before all others if we want to abandon our misery and follow Christ. If we desire to truly enjoy life and if we want everything to exist in its proper place, then daily, we must make a conscious choice to put God above all. This is our one job . . . every day.