It's a common expression among humans: to mobilize ourselves to the place where we perform a task and, in return, receive payment, whether by the hour, day, week, or month. But if we perform the same task without receiving payment, do we still call it work? Here in Canada, where I live, it is referred to as volunteering. This means unpaid work where you or someone else is doing a job that will help others.
It’s important to highlight that this work done by volunteers is also carried out by people who receive a salary; both perform the same job, but for one, it is their job, and for the other, it is their good deed. They both did the same thing, but one set aside their usual tasks, even paid ones, to go do a job where they won’t receive any payment.
The question is: why did they do it? The answer lies in love.
“If I could speak all the languages of the earth and of angels but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy and understood all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I had all faith, so as to move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave all my possessions to the poor and gave over my body to hardship that I might boast, but did not love others, I would gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NIV
In any work we do, love must be implicit. Because love never loses faith; in love, there is always hope, and it remains steadfast in every circumstance, in addition to being patient and kind, without envy, etc.
This passage describes an act of doing good works. When we understand what God’s purpose is in our lives, our works will be the result of our relationship with Him and our love for Him and for others.
To reflect on today:
Whether your task is paid or not, are you doing it with love?
Have you discovered God’s purpose in your life to perform good works?
Written by Víctor Preza, based on the sermon from 19/10/2024.
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