Over the summer, I was tasked with revamping my College Prep and Composition course because we had decided to add literature into the schedule. One of the books we chose to include in our American Literature segment was Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book presents several characters, but the titular character was by far the most inspiring.
Uncle Tom was an enslaved man and a believer in Christ. Through a series of misfortunes which were not of his making, Tom fell into the clutches of a cruel slaveholder named Simon Legree. Legree attempted to elevate Tom to the position of overseer because he was such an excellent worker. However, in order to receive this promotion he demanded that Tom whip a fellow slave. He refused and Legree had him beaten savagely. Through this indescribable ordeal, Tom realizes that God will strengthen him through this fiery trial. With joy, he serves and encourages the other enslaved people around him. When a fellow slave asked him to make an escape, he responded, “…time was when I would; but the Lord’s given me a work among these poor souls, and I’ll stay with ’em and bear my cross with ’em till the end.” (Stowe 336)
Stowe’s Uncle Tom was a strong man of faith. Because He recognized the One whom he truly served, he found joy in joyless circumstances. Even Legree, one of the most wicked men in the story, found his conscience pricked by Tom’s example.
Are you a worker for the Lord like Uncle Tom? Do you work heartily for the Lord even when the people you serve are troublesome, rude, and/or ungrateful? Or, do you occasionally find yourself doing lesser work because your boss/customer doesn’t deserve it?
Working “as unto the Lord” for the Lord” should transform the quality of your work, your attitude toward the work, and hopefully the way you talk about your work.
Paul’s second letter to Timothy is a letter of encouragement. Within the church of Ephesus, some were drifting away from Christ due to false teaching and worldly behavior. Such things can discourage not only fellow Christians, but also those who teach and shepherd the congregation. Knowing this, Paul writes this letter with empathy, having suffered discouragements of his own. In every single chapter, there is a call to continue the work:
Chapter 1: “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” (v. 14)
Chapter 2: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (v. 15)
Chapter 3: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…” (v. 14)
Chapter 4: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching…always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (v. 2, 5)
As you write out the scriptures this month, consider the following:
- What does Paul remind Timothy? Why?
- How can you imitate Paul’s example of encouragement to a brother or sister in need of reassurance?
- What metaphors are used for work? How do these examples compare with working for the Lord?
Like Timothy, and Paul, and even the fictional Tom, it is vital to work for the Lord in everything we do.
Remember who you are, whose you are, and for whom you labor. It changes everything.
I hope you’ll join us this month as we write through the book of 2 Timothy!
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Special thanks to my sisters in Christ, Liz Smith and Sara McBroom, who provide their wisdom and support each month.
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