Jesus' Shared Wisdom

15: Employee

Often throughout writing this book, I've pressured myself to write as often as I could. I've tried to teach new lessons every few days, in an effort to meet the expectations of Jesus. Sometimes I think if I don't post a new lesson a few days after my previous one, then I will disappoint Jesus. However, by having this mindset, I've done more harm to myself and my connection with Jesus than good.

I've made myself an employee of Jesus, which I believe is a term that everyone thinks they become at certain times. We pressure ourselves to constantly fulfill pieces of our role in the Great Commission. We fear that by falling to complete tasks by a certain date, we have failed Jesus.

Although it is incredibly important to serve Jesus, we should not treat ourselves like grunts or employees of Jesus. We should not treat God as an angry boss who punishes us for our shortcomings. We cannot force deadlines upon ourselves, since by doing so, we weaken our relationship with Jesus by focusing on our own actions.

We must see Jesus as a father and a guide, not a hardened boss. We must see ourselves as sons and daughters of Jesus, not employees. When we don't see ourselves this way, we grow tired of following Jesus. We collapse under the weight of the deadlines we make. We soon lose our intense spirit, which seeks to act for Jesus.

This way of thinking is dangerous to true followers of Jesus, since it makes us forget the freedom that came with Jesus's death. Jesus doesn't force us to complete a task by a certain date or in a certain amount of time. Jesus knows by adhering to these silly requirements, we forget the gift of freedom He purchased with his blood on the cross. Instead of creating our own harsh deadlines, we should rely on Jesus to guide our actions. We must constantly remember that Jesus knows the best plans for us and is willing to share them if we ask and trust Him.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
(Galatians 5:1)

Jesus's gift of freedom makes Him different from a boss. Jesus's love for us and willingness to guide us makes Him a father. We must not forget this when we feel burdened by our part in the Great Commission.

We should not feel punished for defeated when we fail to complete a certain part of our role in the Great Commission. Acquiring a poor attitude from your failures will only sink you deeper into a pit of self-pity and self-despair. Remember what you learned about the pits and remember how to escape them. Jesus will be with you every step of the way and lift you back onto your feet when you stumble. Jesus knows we are fallible and imperfect beings. It is natural for us to push Jesus's work off to the side to attend our own desires.

Jesus isn't disappointed or angry at your failures. If you are willing to focus on Him and learn to overcome your failures with His help, Jesus will gladly assist you. Remember that your shortcomings are another way for Jesus to share His desire to love you and guide you. Jesus knows when and where you will stumble, so He knows how to guide you through each obstacle.

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
(Romans 5:3-4)

Finally, we must realize that our actions for Jesus are flawed and incomplete. They have been this way since the beginning of mankind. If we think of ourselves as employees for Jesus, we may as well quit our job, since our actions won't be enough for our salvation. This is why Jesus came in the first place. Jesus looked at our struggles with sin and our flawed and incomplete actions as a puzzle we could not possibly complete. However, by dying for us, Jesus took this puzzle and solved it completely.

So if our actions will always fall short of Jesus's expectations, does that mean we shouldn't act for Jesus? Does this mean that we shouldn't try to fulfill our role in the Great Commission since we will undeniably fail? Even though Jesus sees our actions as flawed and imperfect, Jesus loves them as if they were complete and perfect. Jesus cares about our goal behind those actions, rather than the actions themselves.

Think of yourself as a child drawing a picture of your parents. Even though you may have drawn something strange and unrecognizable, your parents would likely be overjoyed that you decided to focus your efforts on them. In the same way, Jesus loves our desires to follow the Great Commission and to love Him. He loves who we are on the inside, regardless of our failures on the outside. Remember that Jesus appreciated and loved the woman who only donated two coins to the temple, since her inside motivations were pure and true to Jesus.

"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
(Mark 12:43-44)

Isn't it great to know that Jesus provides us with freedom to follow Him? Other religions require you to do this, during this certain time or by that certain date. With Jesus, we can say our actions are done for us, since Jesus is willing to guide and lead us down the best path. When our goal is pure and pleasing to Jesus, our actions are taken care of and led by Jesus.

We don't have to feel depressed when we fall short of what we hoped, since Jesus knows our weaknesses and flaws and plans accordingly. We don't have to worry if our actions are good enough, since Jesus cares more for our intentions behind our actions. I know you may feel like a weight is on your shoulders, pressuring you to constantly work for Jesus. But Jesus doesn't want you to act unhappily, with a poor spirit. Remember how much freedom you have as a follower of Jesus, trust Jesus to guide your actions, and don't become depressed when you make a mistake.

Thank you for reading this incredibly long lesson! I really want you to focus on this lesson and remember what you learned, since I feel that this is an incredibly important lesson. Don't feel discouraged by the fact that everyone's actions are flawed. Remember that Jesus will mold and shape them into beautiful and helpful actions if you trust Him and if your intentions are to love Him and love others. Please share what you learned in this lesson with whoever you can, it is truly important!