Wednesday 22 March: Labouring in the vineyard

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A vision of hope

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Bible reading: John 4.31–38

We’ve seen over the last two days how the gospel of God calls for us to have confidence in living it out in our lives, and how God supplies us with the strength to do just that, rooting us in his love and holiness. Once we’ve grasped that, though, we might ask – what next?

St John Henry Newman said, ‘God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.’

Those words echo true for all of us. We each have our mission within the Lord’s vineyard; we are all connected. Jesus’ words in John chapter 4 elaborate on the same point: ‘I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour’ (verse 38).

So, how do we know where we are to labour? By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our lives and the circumstances he places us in and around, we can be sure that we will find ourselves precisely where we need to be, in order to serve him. As Newman continued: ‘I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about.’

This reflection was written by Stuart Ford, from Bible Society's Supporter Relations team.