Working for Jesus

I found the excerpt below from Max Lucado's "Cure for the Common Life" very insightful and inspiring. Please allow me to share :)

Michaelangelo was born to sculpt. He once commented that he could taste the tools of a stonecutter in the milk of his wet nurse. He'd sculpted a mature work by the age of twenty-one. By the age of thirty he had produced the still-stunning masterpieces Pieta and David.

When Michaelangelo was in his early thirties, the pope invited him to Rome to complete a special project. Pope Julius II initially asked him to sculpt a papal tomb but then changed his plans and invited him to paint a dozen figures on the ceiling of a Vatican chapel. The sculptor was tempted to refuse. Painting was not his first passion, and a small chapel was not his idea of a great venue. But the pope urged him to accept, so he did. Some historians suspect a setup. Jealous contemporaries convinced the pope to issue the invitation, certain the sculptor would decline and fall into the disfavor of the pontiff.

Michaelangelo didn't decline. He began the work. And as he painted, his enthusiasm mounted. Four years, four hundred figures, and nine scenes later, Michaelangelo had changed more than the chapel; he'd changed the direction of art. His bold frescoes rerouted the style of European painting...

What happened? What had changed him? What turned hs work of obligation into an act of inspiration? The answer might lie in a response he gave to a question. An observer wondered why he focused such attention on the details of the corners of the chapel. "No one will ever see them," he suggested.

Michaelangelo's reply? "God will."

The artist must have known this passage: "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people" (Eph 6:7 NLT).

God's cure for the common life includes a change in our reporting lines... We have two bosses: One that signs our checks and one who saves our souls. The second has keen interest in our workaday world. What if everyone worked with God in mind? Suppose no one worked to satisfy self or please the bottom line but everyone worked to please God.

Many occupations would instantly cease: drug trafficking, thievery, prostitution, night club and casino management. Certain careers, by their nature, cannot please God. These would cease.

Certain behaviours would as well. If I'm repairing a car for God, I'm not going to overcharge his children. If I'm painting a wall for God, you think I'm going to use paint thinner?

Imagine if everyone worked for the audience of One. Every nurse, thoughtful. Every officer, careful. Every professor, insightful. Every salesperson, delightful. Every teacher, hopeful. Every lawyer, skillful.

Every corner of every chapel, glistening.

Impossible? Not entirely. All we need is someone to start a worldwide revolution. Might as well be us. Might as well be me*.

* added by Daniel Yan

Today's Lesson #3

Between 2 girls, the conversation will take past 3am.
Between 3 girls, the conversation will take past 5am.
Between 4 girls, it's anyone's guess... :D

Hoho.. Ok, lesson ends. :)

Of durians and stomachaches

*daniel pauses his activity*

brief soliloquy begins

"It just makes me wonder how durian has strange magical powers over me. That despite risking aggravating an already disatisfied stomach, my hands are mysteriously compelled to opening one half of that rich creamy orange durian shortly before popping a few mouthfuls in. :D

For crying out loud, for the love of durian lovers, can someone please shed some light on the benefits of eating durians so durian lovers around the world can enjoy durians after durians without bearing the guilt of their compulsion? Tsk tsk.. Where have all the durian intellects of the world gone? :)"

end of brief soliloquy

*goes back to eating a rich creamy orange durian*