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Key Bible Verse: "If I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" (Luke 19:8). Bonus Reading: Luke 3:7–18

From the beginning, our challenge has been to understand how Christ relates to us as unique individuals and to our unique spheres of employment. In Luke 3, John the Baptist preached a message of repentance—a change of doing—to multitudes along the Jordan River. After the message, John's listeners lined up to ask how his admonitions should be applied to their specific situations.

"What shall we do?" the tax collectors asked, and John gave them an application specific to tax collectors. Sol-diers came next: "And what about us?" they asked, implying that the advice to the tax collectors did them little good. "What shall we do?" John gave advice on how God can be introduced into the unique world of the military.

Jesus' hearers had the same response to His teachings. "What shall we do?" they commonly asked. They listened to Jesus' words as working people. Jesus spoke to shepherds , farmers, fishermen, and lawyers, and His words were applied to their spheres of work. The words of the repentant tax collector Zacchaeus [in today's Key Bible Verse] proved that salvation had come to his house—and also to his specific work.

—Tim Downs in Finding Common Ground

My Response: A special challenge of being a disciple in my line of work is …

Thought to Apply: There's no labor a man can do that's undignified—if he does it right. —Bill Cosby (comedian)

Adapted from Finding Common Ground (Moody, 1999) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, let me know clearly the work that you are calling me to do in life. And grant me every grace I need to answer Your call with courage and love and lasting dedication for Your will. —St. Meinrad

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