Serving God in everyday life – a man’s perspective

These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach the descendents of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience) (Judges 3:1-2)

Neither Moses, Joshua nor any other mighty men of the Bible was allowed to complete the great tasks set them by the Lord. Neither are you nor I in our limited sphere of action. Only when Jesus Christ comes back will all things be put right. But until then, the action must be fought. A common complaint of foot soldiers in any conflict is that they spend most time waiting about, far from the front line. And when a local victory comes, somehow they miss the final. So it often seems to the Christian in secular employment. I hope that a few items from my many years in the commercial world will help some to grit their teeth and carry on.

Remember the battle over Sunday Trading? As Sales Director of a manufacturer supplying one of the big DIY supermarket chains, I had to deal with a young buyer (Jeff) who had come up fast. Malleable and loose, mistrusted by most suppliers, somehow I was enabled to win good space in his stores without compromise. Every other year the chain held a suppliers’ conference. One year we were flown to Vienna accompanied by the junior Halle orchestra and a jazz band for entertainment. The Hoffman Palace was hired for the setting. We were told to press MPs and others for Sunday trading, and to send copies to the company so that the campaign could be co-ordinated. My Managing Director was all for it. This I thought was the end of me, as clearly I could not comply. Strangely, nothing happened to me. They won the battle and I felt quite useless about the whole thing.

Soon after, I heard from a trade colleague that Jeff had become a Christian. Sick of his young life and a succession of colourful relationships, he had dropped into a church one Sunday and went back until being converted. Shortly after that, at a trade fair in Germany where the whole industry gathered, one after another was asking how could a man like that become a Christian. Jeff had been witnessing to everyone who saw him in his office. Those who knew me asked if I could accept him. When Jeff got round to me he simply said, ‘Tony, things are different now’, and all I could say was, ‘I know, praise God!’

I retired soon after, but was back in Germany and met Jeff in the hotel. He had left the big job, been to Bible College, married a Christian girl, and was doing part-time consultancy as the fellowship he was pastoring was unable to support him fully. I had the same personal reaction as before – gratitude to God and sheer relief in that over several years of dealing with him, usually in private, I must have been kept from anything that might have abased the Lord in Jeff’s sight. He was the last person in the last environment that you could imagine being so changed. And his impact reached hundreds. But what would he have thought of Christians had I wavered? You never, never know.

The owner of the firm I’d worked with for twenty years retired after selling the company to a larger group. He and his wife held court in the boardroom, and the senior management were invited in turn to wish him well, with a present. Not seeing much point in adding to the cut glass decanters, mine was a Christian book. One glance at the title and he said that he’d always known I was a religious man. This took a little modifying. Then he asked why I had not pressed for more reward. ‘How long are we here for?’ was my immediate response. His wife, a doctor, snapped ‘Exactly’. Within a year the poor millionaire with the over-stacked barn was dead.

In my last few weeks a secretary (Jackie), who came round with the post, kept telling me about the latest beautiful mystical book she had. This bothered me so much that I made her promise to accept one I had. When she saw a new Bible she was delighted – her mother had told her it was most important. But she gave it to her mother, who had started at mid-week meetings with a Christian friend. The mother then went on Sundays and was converted. Her daughter also went one Sunday, and came to me asking what was this being born again? I told her I’d write it out for her that night – a busy office is no place for that. She took it but said nothing for three days, so I asked her what she thought of it. She said it was true and lovely, but she couldn’t change the life she liked so much, going out with people, drinking etc. So I suggested she think about it once more. Shortly before I was to leave, Jacky came and said that my time had not been wasted – she had committed herself to Jesus. I was so very pleased to find some more books to help her. And to know why I had been sent.

Grace readers will promptly spot the principles in these accounts. They still amaze me, of course, because they actually happened, and to give encouragement for ongoing unfinished tasks, among family, friends and in visitation. I’ve been playing squash with one friend for over twenty years. On retirement he introduced me to a group of retirees, playing every week. The only Christian among them (familiar territory), they have become used to me; occasional acceptance to the odd meeting, but no conversions to report, only imperfect witness. Yet it’s the only witness they get, and who can say what the Lord has in mind? Meantime, fight the good fight. Really.