How Can Your Job Benefit the Poor?

Do you ever wonder sometimes if anything about your life matters? Do you ever ask yourself if your life really has any eternal significance? Are you tired of feeling like you just get up every day, try to make ends meet, watch a little TV, and (possibly) look forward to a vacation or two?

We’ve all had the sense that we were created for something more. And that’s no accident. God actually created us to crave eternal significance with our lives, and Jesus shows us how to get it. Here’s the thing: Living in a way that has eternal significance may not look like we expect, and what Jesus teaches us about it is both less glamorous and more rewarding than we might think.

For example, Luke tells the story of Jesus attending a party in which he shook things up (to say the least) by telling his host that instead of inviting his rich friends to his feasts, he should be inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. In other words, if you want God’s blessing, invest in people who can do nothing for you in return.

There are a number of ways we can apply this in our lives—as, for instance, the literal application of inviting the “poor, crippled, blind, and lame” to sit at our dining room tables. But in addition to opening up our homes, we need to ask if there are ways our jobs or skill sets can benefit the disadvantaged and poor in our own communities. Read More