I know a guy who works as an I.T. analyst. He’s pretty dedicated, and has a very strong work ethic. 
If it aint finished, he don’t leave. It’s as simple as that. And it has to be done properly - no 
half measures. 

This philosophy takes its toll on his home life though. Although he is supposed to work a forty-hour
week, it isn’t unusual for him to be working sixty or even seventy hours a week. Some people call it 
dedication - others call it obsession. He just calls it full-time employment. 

Now this all gets me thinking. How dedicated are we? Not to our job, important as that may be, but 
to our life’s work - to the work of God. How dedicated are we as Christians? 

The man I talked about before worked full-time - about sixty hours a week. 

But, as Christians, God calls us to work 24 by 7. That’s one hundred and sixty-eight hours per week, 
every week - fifty-two weeks a year. Anything else is part-time, not full-time. And full-time 
Christians is our calling. 

Ah, but I hear your cries already - cries of "unreasonable" and "impossible". How can we ’eat, 
drink and sleep" our faith while still fitting in the more mundane but necessary activities such 
as work, TV and sport? Am I really serious? Am I just obsessive? 

Well, before you dismiss this idea (and your responsibilities) lets look at what being a twenty-four 
hour a day Christian really means. What being a Christian really means. 

If you asked most people this question - What does it mean to be a Christian? - you might receive 
answers not unlike the following. 


- You love God 
- You forgive one another 
- You love one another 
- You ’do good’ 
- You take refuge in Jesus 
- You spread the Good News 
- You have faith in Jesus 
- You go to Church 
- You wear a cross 

While Christians might do some or all of these things, these things in themselves do not make us 
Christians. In fact, being a Christian is very simple. 

        You accept Christ into your heart, and manifest Him in your life 

The truth is that, to be a Christian, less than this is insufficient, while more than this is not 
necessary. 

So what are some down-to-earth, positive ways that we can put this into practise, not just for a 
couple of hours a week at Church, but twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? What is the key? 
What is the answer? 

Ok, I admit it; I don’t have all the answers. Try praying. (Really!) What we are talking about is 
100% integration of the faith with your everyday life. As everyone’s lives are different, it 
would be impossible for me to provide a general solution for everyone. Only God could do that. So, 
ask Him! 

But I will put forward some ideas that might help. 

 1. Prayer 
Don’t be content with prayer night and morning. Muslims have formal prayer sessions five times a 
day. Do not be satisfied with this, and do not limit yourself to formal prayer. Turn every thought 
into a prayer. When you wish someone a good morning, pray that their hearts will be opened to 
Christ. When someone cuts you off in the car, pray for their safety in the future. When someone 
calls you in the office with a problem, pray for the Lord’s help in solving it. If the foreman asks 
you to dig a hole, for those whose are living life in a hole. Make a habit of talking to God. 

(Relax, it doesn’t have to be out loud, nor on your knees, nor with your eyes closed. You don’t 
even have to use words!) 

2. Motivation 

Don’t do it for the money, nor for peace and quiet; don’t do it because you have to, or because it 
is expected; don’t do it because you’re paid to or because everybody else does. Do it for Jesus. 
If you have to sweep the floor, sweep it for Jesus. If you have to study late, do it for Jesus. 
If you are cooking a meal, washing your face, eating, sleeping, dreaming, whatever - do it for 
Jesus. Your number one motivation in life should be Jesus. Everything you do should be done for 
Him. 

(Can I really dedicate the dishwashing to Jesus? Well, yes, I can. To live healthily and happily 
you need to wash dishes to remove soiled food and the breeding ground for germs. If we live for 
Jesus then we keep ourselves healthy for Jesus. See?) 

3. Action 

While the value and power of prayer cannot be valued too highly, it is important to be reminded 
that Jesus did not challenge the disciples to sit in prayer for the rest of their lives. He 
demanded action from them. And so he does from us. Which means being active in our faith. Don’t 
stop at the Sunday visit to the Church - get involved with it’s extra curricula activities. And 
get involved with the community - there’s plenty to do and some of it can be quite fun. And at the 
end of the day it’s a great opportunity to shine the Lord’s light. 

(Interact with friends and colleagues as a Christian. You can express your faith without offending 
someone else’s. It’s just a matter of having respect for others which showing them what Jesus means
to you.) 

4. Forgiveness 

Who needs your forgiveness more - the person who deserves it or the person who does not? And who 
are you to judge? And when do you forgive? When you are least inconvenienced? Or when you are most 
inconvenienced? Someone abuses you on the phone - do they go to the bottom of your list? A car 
pulls out in front of you on the freeway - do you curse them? Or wish them a safe journey? Do you 
mistake forgiveness for weakness? Or do you confuse forgiveness with endorsement. Try repeating 
the Lord Prayer a few times when you start to lose control. 

(By forgiving people you are not saying that what they did was justified, just forgiven. And you 
don’t always have to tell people they are forgiven, just show them.) 

5. Give Thanks 

Remember when you used to say grace before a meal? You have a lot more to be thankful for than 
that. And you have plenty of opportunities to say it. If you get to work and have a car space, then
give thanks. If you don’t have a car space, then give thanks for arriving safely. If you didn’t 
arrive safely, then give thanks for having a job to go to. The possibilities are endless, because 
the Lord’s Grace is endless. See a tree, thank God. Taste your coffee, thank God. For every thing 
in your life, thank God. Even when things don’t turn out the way you want, take time out to thank 
God. Because your every breathe is His gift. Every sight you see, you see through His grace. Every 
sound you hear, you hear through His grace. Every taste, every touch, every smell is resonant with 
the grace of the Lord. 

(What have you got that isn’t down to God? Where can you go that isn’t down to Jesus? How can you 
get anywhere without the Spirit?) 

6. Minister 

How many ministers does your church have? One? None? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It has as many ministers 
as people in the congregation. Jesus calls you to ministry - and not just for one hour a week but 
for every hour. In the workplace, in the shop, on the road, in the train station - everywhere. 
Does this mean throwing bible verses about, singing hymns while you work or punctuating every 
sentence with Halleluiah or Amen? Not really. But by living your faith, and being prepared to talk 
about it - to witness it - you are performing ministry. 

(You don’t have to force Jesus down people’s throats - if Jesus is shining in your life, you’ll be 
surprised at the effect it has on them!) 

7. RTM 

A commonly used three-letter abbreviation meaning ’Read The Manual’. In this case the manual is, 
of course, the Bible. So read it. You might start by finding out which ’readings’ are to be used 
in your church this week, and concentrating on these. But don’t be limited by that! There’s plenty 
to read and you don’t have to read it all from beginning to end - try reading chapters randomly. 
Look at the footnotes, read the book introductions. Immerse yourself. 

(Like a romance, or a good murder? Are you more into wars, or the supernatural? Perhaps you like 
human drama. Well it’s all there, in the one Bible. ) 

 
I guess that all this is a big ask. But then, He’s a big God. And He doesn’t expect us to perform 
miracles, or to always succeed. Rest assured that you won’t always get it right, you won’t always 
remember to live your faith. But then, that’s one of the best things about being a Christian - 
even when we fail He loves us just as much. 

Which is even more reason to try. Twenty-four hours a day. 

What’s that? I left something out? Well, I’ve left lots out actually, but you had something special 
in mind. What did you say? Sleep? Oh yes, of course, what can you do in your sleep? 

 8. Rest In Jesus 
When you are about to go to sleep, turn your mind and your heart to Jesus. Imagine he is standing 
there before you. Because he is. Let his light fill your very being. Love Him, as He loves you. 
Wish and pray with all your heart that you will even dream of Jesus. Pray that as you rest in Him, 
your body and mind will be renewed, ready for another day in His service. Trust your sleep, as you 
trust your waking, in Jesus. 

(If we spend a third of our life sleeping then how great it would be to spend that ’extra’ third 
with Jesus) 

 
These are just some ideas. There are lots more. Pray on it.