https://odb.org/2026/03/09/true-satisfaction-in-god
Genesis 25:7–11 (NIV): 7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Thirty years ago, I participated in an activity at an unemployment workshop that I still remember today. My fellow laid-off coworkers and I were asked to write our retirement speeches. Huh? We were looking for work and far from retirement age. But the facilitator revealed the purpose of the activity by saying, “Your speech will probably have little to do with your work.” She explained to us that a job really isn’t the center of our lives. And while we may be grieving the loss of a job, our lives mean much more than being employed.
The details about the end of Abraham’s life remind me of this lesson. He died at a “ripe old age” and had lived a “long and satisfying life” (Genesis 25:8). Throughout Scripture, we read about Abraham’s faithfulness in following God’s instructions, but we don’t read much about his work. The faith the patriarch displayed (15:6) reminds me of the Teacher’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (2:26). The Teacher said this after considering the meaning of life and how one can find enjoyment in the midst of work or toil (vv. 24-25). (Katara Patton, Our Daily Bread 9th March 2026)
It is interesting to note that while we may be socially defined by our job, vocation or business (i.e. what we do for a living), God looks at us beyond what we do. In fact, I believe that even as much as the LORD may have a calling for our lives, plans and purposes prepared for us before the foundations of the world, He still looks mostly at our faithfulness to Him. So an oft-repeated phrase is, for example, not what a pastor has done or so much what He does as pastor but more His faithfulness to God and His calling. Thus, a good Pastor is remembered as one who is a faithful servant, rather than his achievements or work amongst his congregation.
In society, a pastor may be defined as man of the cloth in terms of how large his congregation is (that’s really how the world looks at things), yet to God that’s actually of less importance. It’s not about achievements but his faith and his faithfulness. This is something I think most of us don’t take full cognisant of. We are still very much driven by results and measurable KPIs, very much like the world.
In the spiritual realm, it is God who will do the rest – in this lifetime or in generations to come. In these few years or in the next 30 years! Our role is just to remain faithful to the thing God has placed in our hearts to do. We persevere on notwithstanding the lack of tangible results. There are, for instance, house fellowships that do deep work although there are only a handful of members. I’m not saying results are unimportant or unnecessary but they are less essential in the larger scheme of things. For church program planners and/or church budgets, it is more prudent to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit than to rely on pure logic or just tangible results. The church is not the world or of the world. Our work brings changes to the spiritual realm that our natural eyes cannot see.
What’s God message for us this morning? Like the ODB human story of today, a job is not the centre of our life. Yes, it pays the bills. It helps us own assets. It prepares us with savings for our retirement. It helps us in raising our family. Our faith is more important. If we trust in God and keep our faith in Him, a job loss now may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. God may mould and bring out the best of us. For instance, if we had remained as a lawyer, we could be just a mediocre one but if we branch out into HR, we may end up being an excellent HR person. Sometimes, a job loss may cause us to pivot our careers and in the process, we find an area that we excel in. Let God mould and guide us as we put our faith in Him!
Ronnie's Thoughts 