Faith and works. Works and faith, fit together like hand in glove.

It's early in the year. I am not quite at fifth gear - the pace that I was at in 2012 - but it seems like it is gradually moving towards that again. Amidst falling asleep at early hours due to exhaustion and burnout (from last year) coupled with sleepless nights (which was surprising), I wake up early this morning and headed out for a full day of meetings, interspersed with conference calls.

One event after another. One conversation after another. It's been a few months since I have felt this curiously amazing feeling ...

Thoughts. Words. Deeds. Each form a piece of the large jigsaw puzzle. A huge canvas. The full picture, yet to be revealed. These are exciting times ... when jigsaw pieces find their way into destined positions. Trusting and sensing the invisible hand at work. It's an amazing feeling to be part of something larger than myself ... something other worldly ... in an otherwise worldly environment.  

Winding down for the day. I catch up on my reading. I am again amazed.

Faith and works. Works and faith, fit together like hand in glove. 

The phrase "hand in glove" from The Message bible jumped out at me. It spoke of my responsibilty to be busy about the work that God has placed in my path to do. The role. The responsibilities. The ideas. The possibilities. ... at this point, it would appear that the world is my oyster. The world as God's kingdom that has come and is coming. The world enveloping the precious pearl that is/will be revealed to those who put their hands to the plow (work).

For awhile I had been pondering a young leader's emotionally charged comments spewed from the pulpit. We are to worship God and God alone. (Therefore,) we will serve God and God only ... not man!

At that time, I was going through a tough situation where a trusted associate once told me that having been given a job was an answer to prayer. In the midst of reality - extremely hard work, being subject to vicious gossips and challenging circumstances, it was subsequently decided that the job cannot be from God. After all, it involved too much work, working with non-cooperative, ungrateful people, and worse case scenario - doing bits and pieces of work within short timeframes that seemed meaningless and with little hope of having the red carpet drawn out for one to walk on ... you get the drift!

We live and work in the world. And yet, it is impossible that one should work and serve God in an environment that is perceived to be overwhelming, stressful, thankless, and completely lacking in all manner of mutual respect ... and the list can go on, if we choose to let loose our guard! God it can't be from you because I can't find time to rest and the work keeps piling up and ... it is just not "restful" (completely opposite from ... a stroll in the park or watering a garden of roses, perhaps)!

Baffled. Speechless.

Like yeast, the deception spread. And suddenly, the reality became sails that no longer had wind. Tattered and torn by the unforgiving, relentless storm of betrayal, gossips and rumors. All possibilities came to a dead end. Dreams that were given appeared dead (as if it was a mental patient's hallucinations to begin with). When all seemed lost and gone. Dead. Yielded. "Suddeny, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction" ... once again.

I digress.

Faith and works. Works and faith, fit together like hand in glove. 

The latest reading brings clarity to swirling thoughts from months past. That whole bit about worshipping and serving God and God alone. True. We are called to worship God, and God alone. For he is a jealous God, and we are to have no other gods/idols that we value above him. Additionally ... in the midst of worship or performing worship to God on a daily basis, he places us in the marketplace, a secular environment. It is at such places, where our secular work is/becomes ministry.

As believers, we work because that is what God has placed in our hands to do or in our paths, in answer to our prayers for the Lord to provide for our needs. In going about our daily work, we inevitably serve those (the imperfect ones) whom God has placed in our lives to watch over, lead and guide us in our work. It is like serving our parents. We don't worship our parents, but we are certainly called to honor them by loving and serving them.

We worship God at our workplaces by giving our best and the most excellent work (that comes from working by faith in God's grace, wisdom and strength). We worship God by maintaining our presence within the world. We (his presence in us) are his kingdom come (to the world). As we faithfully take our positions in the marketplace, we are His will done on earth as it is in heaven!