The Works of God

We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. (John 9:4-5)

A lot of questions come to my mind that I really want to know more about. I want to know God's reasons for these statements, to have the mind of Christ, not just nice-sounding explanations. I am seeking to listen as openly as possible for whatever He might reveal to me through this passage.

What does Jesus mean when He talks about works of God?

What is He referring to when He speaks of a day? A night?

What period of time did He have in mind when He referred to when He would be in the world?

What does He mean when He says there will be a time when no man can work? Of course that is inextricably linked with the answers to the first question.

So far I see some clues on the surface. Jesus and His disciples had just encountered a man in very sad condition, one looked down on by many around him and viewed with suspicion by the religious people of his day. With all of his disadvantages (that Jesus said were not brought on him because of anything either he or his parents had done) Jesus was clearly moved with compassion as He always was whenever He was near people in need.

So it would only be reasonable to assume that the works of God must be closely connected with motives of compassion. And having said that, I am reminded that compassion without works is a charade, an empty profession, a symptom of hypocrisy. (James 2:14-20)

I feel quite exposed along that line even now. As I watch the horrific scenes coming out of Japan over the past week after the triple tragedy of earthquake, tsunami and atomic meltdowns, I wonder why my own heart is so desperately lacking in compassion. That really concerns me.

I wonder why I am not mightily stirred with an overwhelming desire to do something tangible to contribute in some way to lessen the great pain and suffering the whole world is witnessing there. I wonder why, after so many years of seeking to be a better reflector of God's love and grace and compassion that I still don't spontaneously react to such opportunities like I know Jesus would do if He were in my place. Is He in my place? It makes me question how shallow my real convictions must be, how spineless my profession is, how short the roots are of the plants Jesus is trying to nurture in my heart given the ineffectiveness of my spiritual insights to influence my heart reactions to real-life chances for unselfish service.

We must work the works of God as long as it is day; there is a time coming when that will no longer be possible. That sounds very frightening, alarming and ominous.

When Jesus mentioned being the Light of the world as long as He was in the world, what time frame did He have in mind? Was He speaking only of the time He physically would be here on earth, or some other point in time when He would no longer be with us? If He was speaking specifically of His physical presence, then much of what Christianity teaches today would be invalidated, for we believe imperatively that Jesus is yet today the Light of the world. So it would seem that whatever this day is that He refers to in His statement must extend beyond the time when He physically returned to heaven at the time of His resurrection.

But clearly Jesus was making a strong statement here about a time that was coming when in some very significant way He would no longer be in this world. In what way would He not be in the world any longer? And how important is that for my life?

Does that mean that there is a tipping point in history when life will never ever be the same again as far as possibility for character development is concerned? Was Jesus speaking of a point in time when our ability to be transformed through means of allowing God to channel His grace and love through us will no longer be available, when our characters are so fully matured and set, either for good or hardened in selfishness that there is no more hope of changing direction?

I read about just such a time in the book of Revelation when everyone will from that point forever remain in the state of character that they have cultivated by their choices. And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work." (Revelation 22:10-12 NRSV) Is this what Jesus had in mind when He said the night is coming when no one can work?

Jesus said we must work the works of God while it is day, before it is no longer possible. What is the sobering reality behind these words? Why are we to work the works of God in the first place? To impress people with how good we are? To attract others influenced by our works to have a desire to want to know God better because of us? Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

I wonder if maybe a far more significant reason for God to have us demonstrate His works is that as we participate in demonstrating what God is really like by allowing Him to work His works through us, that very experience shapes our identity, our motives, our thinking and creates within us a new mold at the deepest core of our being that causes us to take on the family resemblance as children of God.

It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Revelation 19:8)

In verse three Jesus stated that this blind man, from His perspective, presented an opportunity for God's works to be displayed. What about me? I still feel very much like I am spiritually blind in many ways. I still sense that the more I learn about the truth of the gospel and gain insights from the Bible that my own heart and life are far from displaying the works of God, that I am a very dim reflection of the character of God at best. I feel very ashamed at times (when my awareness level seems to be functioning more effectively) of how selfish my life is, of how insensitive I am to the needs of those around me, of how much my own heart is out of sync with all the things my mind has been absorbing from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God for years now. It would seem I may be a prime candidate for Jesus to display the works of God through just as was this physically blind man long ago.

I talk and write about things that are thrilling, fascinating, enlightening and profound. Yet it seems that my own heart still feels numb, intimidated, fearful of what others think about me and far too unresponsive to the things that seem to be so clear to me in other areas of my brain. I have an increasing sense of a deep need and longing for my own conversion, for a radical new birth experience, for a whole new dimension of life where my heart and my head will be congruent with each other instead of the dissonance that I so often experience. I want Jesus and to be filled with His Spirit.

Father, You know all of this. In fact Your Spirit is the one I know is bringing all of this to my attention. You desire my full conversion far more than I do, but that is something I cannot arrange for myself. All I can do is to keep trusting You and Your timing and Your methods for bringing me into fuller harmony with Your character and connecting me with Your heart.

Again I ask You to do whatever is necessary to move me closer to You, to reveal Your heart to my heart much more openly and to transform me into a more credible reflection of the compassion that so far seems mostly obscured to me but that I know with my head is what You are all about. I cannot convert myself or change my character significantly except to make it worse. I ask You to implant Your Spirit in me, to sit in the control seat of my heart and to take charge of my priorities. Capture all of my affections and loyalty and set about living Your life from inside of me so that Your works will be what others see when they look at my life, my influence and even my face.

Do all of this for Your reputation's sake, not for mine, for that is the only thing that is really important.