“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
I call it fodder for the fire, works performed that have no eternal value whatsoever. Most employment positions fall into this category, but the attitude, if you will, that we perform them in need not to, the manner in which we fulfill what for many is a repetitive, day-to-day task can be turned into something that can last forever. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)
The material items that you produce where you are employed, and all in some way either manufacture or handle items of this world, will not last, when the Lord makes this world over, when He creates a new heaven and earth, (Isaiah 65:17) not a single paper clip or nail will be left, every item, from every age of man will be destroyed. The ark of the covenant may continue into eternity with us, but that is just conjecture on my part.
It is more than difficult for the contemplative mind to address the issue of the so-called needs of the day, even sitting down to a meal can seem as if it is removing what little time this dew that arrives and then is gone (Hosea 13:3) has to continue unabated the work that the Lord has set before that man, very little, if anything, if it is not producing or bearing fruit for the kingdom is seen as a worthwhile endeavor. One must be either growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, (2 Peter 3:18) reaching out to the lost to speak to them of the wonders of His ways, and the salvation offered to them, or encouraging in whatever way possible those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ, all else is simply fodder for the fire.
Each man must determine how much of this life of contemplation and action, or deeds, he desires, how much of himself that he truly desires to submit completely to the Lord God, to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and how much of that life he wants to retain. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Phil. 3:8) If you are required because of circumstances to continue in your employment field, and the work that you do is indeed part of that wood, hay and stubble that will not be part of the kingdom of God, that does not mean that the way that you approach that work needs to be the same, how you perform those day-to-day tasks matters much more than the completion of that task.
The parts that you are producing in that factory, the field you plant or harvest, the machinery that you run or the packages that you deliver will return to the earth as you will return to dust, but the thoughts of your mind that have been focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, the words that you speak to those you meet about His glory and wonders, of His love for them as you perform those tasks, these will find a place in your eternal home. There are days that we will see these tasks as more than mundane, they can, and will at times become repetitive, monotonous, boring and a great burden on us, for we see them as they are, fodder for the fire.
Here is where Luke 21:19 must be our mainstay then, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” To be able to perform efficiently whatever job you have is something nearly everyone can do, to do it with joy and the knowledge that the Lord God can be magnified in every moment of it is reserved only for those who know Jesus Christ as Lord.
