“One day a carpenter left his shop and began to teach.”

A thought by John Ortberg (2012-08-07) from his book, Who Is This Man?: TheUnpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus (p. 73). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I don’t know what you are going through right now. I remember when I was going through a very difficult time. I loved being a pastor, I loved being a church planter. There was nothing else that I wanted to do but I remember the realization that slowly came upon me that I was done with that part of my life and that I was to retire.

Change can be difficult but what would have happened if Jesus hadn’t changed his occupation? His earthly father was a carpenter and that was what Jesus was doing but one day he changed. As John said, “One day a carpenter left his shop and began to teach. What would the history of our world be if Jesus had not changed careers? Imagine that he stays in the shop: there is no teaching ministry, no crucifixion, no rise of the church, no New Testament scriptures, no monastic communities. The reason for which Oxford and Cambridge and Harvard and Yale got founded does not exist. It is a mark of Jesus’ impact that the scenario is simply, literally, unimaginable.”

If I hadn’t changed I wouldn’t be writing five days a week. Margaret my wife wouldn’t be having the impact that she is having and many other opportunities that God is using us to accomplish.

And what about you? Are you having a sense that maybe you need to change what you are doing? That you maybe aren’t doing what you were created to do but you just don’t want to change. You are maybe afraid to step out and take that risk that would open up a new adventure for you that is greater than you could ever imagine.

One day a carpenter left his shop and began to teach. What would have happened to us if he wouldn’t have done that?

What will happen if you don’t? Or what will happen if you do?

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