‘Who do you work for?’
God is always sustaining us and supplying our needs, as a woman learned when family funds were tight.
As a freelance writer and a single mother, I felt stressed about money most of the time. Even during the brief stints when I worked for someone else, it never seemed as if there was enough. One day, I found myself trying yet again to figure out how on earth I was going to be able to pay my bills. Suddenly, the question “Who do you work for?” caught my attention.
The answer was clear: “I work for God!” I suddenly felt free from anxiety. But what does it mean to “work for God”?
Christ Jesus’ life explains how to answer this question, and he sets an example for each of us. Often referred to in Christian Science as the Way-shower, he was the ideal “employee.” He proved that he worked for God in everything he said and did. He listened for God’s voice and always obeyed and glorified Him. He loved God supremely and served God by loving and healing God’s children. And Jesus didn’t acknowledge any power, presence, or source but God.
As God’s Son, Jesus had unshakable trust and unwavering faith in ever-present, impartial, and universal good. He understood what true supply is and where it comes from, and this allowed him to prove that infinite supply is at hand every moment.
For example, he fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. People came to him for healing, and whatever seemed to be lacking – from health and food to money for paying taxes – appeared, because Jesus knew that God meets every need.
I realized that I could expect God, my “employer,” to meet my needs. Instead of trying to figure things out all by myself, my thought went straight to God, good, with no diversions. I realized that because I work for God, my supply is dependent solely on God, ever-present, infinite Love.
This is true for everyone, and means that God, creative divine Mind, gives us good ideas and opportunities to follow through on – along with the love, obedience, and grace that we need to not only flourish but also benefit others. God’s ever-present, uninterrupted, infinite supply of good was already present, because it is impartial and available at all times. How thrilling!
I also realized that our supply is not beholden to material or worldly factors, such as economic predictions and other restrictive conditions. Not a single worldly concept of supply supports either Christ Jesus’ teachings or Mary Baker Eddy’s compatible statement in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494).
In truth, we work for God alone. We are His children and so must be able to see and experience His goodness. We can look to God for everything, and serve and glorify Him rather than let the current balance in our bank account tell us how to feel. And beneficial adjustments will happen.
As I continued to pray about my income, I reasoned that if I work for God, who is infinite Love, this infinite good isn’t just in the future, but is now. Always now.
This prayerful approach calmed me. A day before my bills were due, I received a text from one of my clients, who asked if he could pay for six months in advance in exchange for a slight discount. This was a huge blessing. I was able to pay my bills on time for several months and have some extra money left over for other necessities.
This divine adventure is still going strong as I learn how to be a better employee every day.
Christ Jesus illuminated the spirit of what it means to work for God. Eugene Peterson’s “The Message,” a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible, expresses it this way: “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. ... Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met” (Luke 12:29).
So how do we work for God? We stop being “so preoccupied with getting.” We praise God’s love and goodness, presence and power with everything we’ve got, especially when it’s tough. We ask for God’s guidance and then obey it. We seek to bless others at every opportunity.
No one lives independently from God or is dependent on shifting material circumstances for their supply. We all work for the same employer, God. Amen!
Adapted from an article published in the Sept. 21, 2020, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.