“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:4). So said Jesus to his followers before healing the blind man.
Even as the eternal Son of God, Jesus had a limited time on earth to finish the work that his Father had given him.
The same is true of us. In his book, The Conviction to Lead, Albert Mohler writes,
If we had limitless time, we would lack any awareness of urgency. We would have no incentive to prioritize. Mortality is not only the great equalizer, it is the great motivator. Time and opportunities are precious and perishable.
If we forget this, we lose all perspective. And perspective is essential to leadership.
To remind himself of his own mortality, Mohler keeps a model of a human skull on the corner of his desk. He quips, “You probably do not have a skull on your desk, but you had better have one in your imagination.”
Jesus plants such an image in the minds of his disciples when he exhorts them to “work while it is day.” Typically, this is when work gets done. “Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening” (Psalm 104:23). So Jesus uses the “day” as a synonym for a person’s lifetime, and “night” as a reference to his death. The Puritan commentator Mathew Henry wrote,
The consideration of our death … should quicken us to improve all the opportunities of life.
In this, Jesus is our supreme example. As his earthly mission was about to culminate in his work on the cross, Jesus testified to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Now Jesus calls on us as his followers to do the same. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). We need to hear this exhortation afresh in a culture where the average person spends two and a half hours per day on social media.
In his helpful book Do More Better, Tim Challies defines productivity as “effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.” I have this definition posted right on my bulletin board next to my desk as a constant reminder of what true diligence entails. Perhaps I should put a skull on my desk as well!
Whatever our vocation, our work in the world is to enlighten it. “You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)” (Eph. 5:8-9). “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Lord Jesus, thank you for finishing the work that the Father gave you to do. In doing so, you saved us and also set a perfect example for us. Please help us to leverage the time and opportunities that you have given us this day to be a blessing to others and to bring glory to you. We pray this in your name. Amen.