Legacies of Light: Robert Laidlaw

What if your job isn’t just a paycheck but a calling that can quietly change the world? We explore how everyday work—paid or unpaid—becomes worship when it’s offered to God with diligence, integrity, and a heart set on serving more than a supervisor. Drawing on Colossians and Titus, we unpack why working “heartily” is less about hustle and more about purpose, and how reclaiming the word vocation tears down the old wall between sacred and secular.

We bring this vision to life through vivid examples. Timothy’s faith was formed at home by a mother and grandmother who treated parenting as holy work. Tertius, a household servant whose name simply meant “third,” penned Paul’s words to the Romans and reminds us that unseen roles can carry eternal weight. Erastus, the city treasurer of Corinth, used his public office with excellence and self-sacrifice, boosting the credibility of the gospel in his city. Then we look at Robert Laidlaw, a salesman turned CEO, who leveraged catalogs, generosity, and a clear gospel booklet to reach millions—proof that meaningful impact can flow through boardrooms, shop floors, farms, and kitchens.

Across these stories runs a single thread: God often hides behind ordinary tasks, working through people who do the next right thing with skill and care. When we cook, teach, repair, design, manage, or serve as if Jesus were our direct client, our craft becomes a canvas for grace. That shift changes how we show up on Monday, how we handle pressure, and how we earn the trust that opens doors for honest conversations about hope.

If this reframes your day-to-day, share the episode with a friend, subscribe for more thoughtful conversations on faith and work, and leave a review so others can find us. How will you show up tomorrow when you see your workplace as holy ground?

Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/

Transcript

Work Displays God’s Beauty

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So that in everything, that is every job out there, you might adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior. In other words, your job displays the glory, the order, the grace, and the beauty of God. So your job isn't just an assignment, it's a divinely directed appointment today. You don't have a career, you have a calling. You're not gonna get up tomorrow and go to work, going to work. In a book authored by Chuck Smithal, he retells a humorous story of somebody who was overworked and tired of it, and they wrote a book about it. And uh the author of the book wrote, and I quote, I'm tired. For several years I've been blaming it on my weight, my diet, my middle age, lack of vitamins, air pollution, water pollution, and a dozen of other things that have worn me out. But I've discovered it's none of those things. I'm tired because I'm overworked. And I finally figured out why. The population of this country is 350 million people, but 148 million are retired. That leaves 202 million to do all the work. But there are 161 million in school, which leaves 41 million to do the work. The problem is 22 million of those are employed by the federal government. This is the author speaking, not me here. And another 14.8 million are employed by state and city governments. None of them are doing any work, which leaves us with 4.2 million people left to do all the work. 4 million of them are serving around the world in the military, so that leaves 200,000 people to do all the work, but 188,000 of them are sick and in the hospital. So that leaves 12,000 people. But there are 11,998 people in prison. So that leaves just two people, and you're sitting there reading my book. No wonder I'm tired. Well, maybe you can identify. Maybe you came in today and you're tired. You're worn out, and you probably have good reason. Perhaps overworked and underpaid. Maybe you know somebody at your job who works harder at not working than working, which makes it even harder for you. Business estimates that the average American today is getting paid for 40 hours a week, but working 30 hours at most. Now, I'm not here to, you know, preach a sermon on why we should become workaholics, but the Bible does reveal a work ethic where one of the distinctives of Christians is that they actually work hard enough to get tired at the end of the day. The Apostle Paul told the Colossian believers exactly how we're to show up and work on the job. He writes within the context of employment these words. Whatever you do, in other words, whatever your job is, work heartily as for the Lord, and not for your supervisor. For man, for you are serving the Lord. Do your work heartily. The Greek word can be translated energetically, uh, diligently. Like buried in that compound original word is the transliterated word we get in English called zest. How often do we show up at work and say, you know, I'm gonna work today with zest? Sounds like a soap commercial, doesn't it? I mean, if you do that, somebody's probably gonna pull you aside and say, you need to settle down. You're making the rest of us look bad. Why are you showing up like that? Well, because God's word offers this advice in Ecclesiastes 9, whatever your hand finds to do, whatever your job is in or outside the home, do it with all your might. Now, part of our trouble is it's rooted in the fact that the average Christian doesn't consider their job to be a sacred calling from God. I mean, preachers, missionary, you know, vocational church leaders. Well, they've got a sacred calling, not me. By the Middle Ages, a key concept about employment had been buried as the priesthood of the Catholic Church continued to be elevated and risen to such elevated status. Only the priest could read the Bible, only the priest could interpret the Bible, only the priests could speak for God, only the priest could represent God in whatever they were doing. The rest of the world, I mean, theirs was sacred. The rest of the world was secular. And that created this false distinction between secular and sacred, which then eroded the joy and the purpose and the meaning of that secular job. But the Reformation resurrected, it sort of dug back up this concept inerrant in the Latin word vocatio, vocatio, which gives us our word vocation. It means a calling. And that's the biblical, and it would bring you joy, fulfillment, even though it might tire you out, but ultimately it is God's calling on your life, and you bring him glory by doing it well. Every vocation should be considered then a sacred calling from God. We talk about pastors and missionaries being called into the ministry. There are men I respect who are in the pulpit who've said things like, the highest calling in life is being a pastor. That's not true. There's no such thing as a highest or higher calling. That's Catholic theology. You happen to have a sacred calling from God, and it might be to be a plumber, a mechanic, an artist, a housewife, a teacher, a repairman, a lab technician, whatever. God is at work through you in whatever your hand finds to do, so give it all you've got. Because you're not working for that supervisor, you're working for your Savior who will reward you for diligent service. Now, I have to tell you, as the Reformation began to expand in Europe, Martin Luther, the converted monk who kind of started the whole thing, wrote this God Himself is milking the cows through the vocation of the milkmaid. Isn't that great? God's doing the milking through the hands of the milkmaid. That's her calling. He also added this all our work in the field, in the garden, in the city, in the home, in government, these are the masks of God behind which he is hidden and accomplishes all things. The Apostle Paul instructed Titus to inform the believing church that their employment was to be viewed as an opportunity to demonstrate that they understood that they were not working for earth or earthly supervisors. They were on assignment, honoring their Savior. In fact, Paul wrote further that our jobs become this canvas where we paint upon it the beauty of Christ, the beauty of the doctrines which are true, the beauty of the character of our Lord. In fact, Paul writes, and he's writing this in the context of employment, Titus 2.9, so that in everything, that is every job out there, you might adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior. The word adorn is cosmeto, which gives us our word cosmetics. In other words, your job displays the glory, the order, it features the grace and the beauty of God. So your job isn't just an assignment, it's a divinely directed appointment wherever you might be today. You don't have a career, you have a calling. When you think about it, you're not gonna get up tomorrow and go to work, you're going to worship. You're gonna bring honor and glory to God. What Paul is saying is what the Reformation reignited. And this gives us this higher motive for work, doesn't it? Even when it's tiring. This is what Paul emphasized. This changes everything. It should, in our perspective, about the tasks we've been given. We're serving Christ. Well, another put it this way the homemaker cooks a meal as if Jesus were going to eat it. She cleans the house as if Jesus is the honored guest. Doctors treat patients, nurses care for them as if they are serving Jesus in that hospital room. Salesmen help clients, shop assistants serve customers, accountants audit books, secretaries type letters as if in each case they were serving directly the Lord Jesus. See, understanding that you've been called by God into your sacred vocation. That changes that cubicle, that office, that boardroom, that classroom, that laundry room, wherever, into a holy of holies where God touches earth through you. Dignifies even the most mundane attack. By the way, beloved, if you want to introduce your world to Jesus Christ, it's not going to be a series of sermons for me. They're not going to listen to them. It's going to be hard-working employees that people cannot help but notice. What's with that guy? What's with that girl? There's something different about that. The way they show up. For your diligence. One historian, I mentioned this earlier in the series. Let me remind you again, he wrote back in 1908, the great mission of Christianity in the first 300 years was accomplished, not by evangelists, but by the mere existence of persistent activity of the individual Christian who became an informal missionary. Ordinary, everyday people, thousands, if not millions, of anonymous Christians down through the ages who've used their employment as a bridge for the gospel to ride into their world. These are ordinary employees. That's how the gospel spread. Rubbing shoulders with other people harnessed in the work. This idea has been captivating my mind. Ordinary people like us, just using our jobs, whatever they may be. And it reminded me of the Apostle Paul. He wraps up his inspired letters just as we learned he did in 1 Thessalonians. How he starts mentioning different people by name, greeting them. He did the same thing in his letter to the Roman church in Romans 16. He writes in verse 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you as he's wrapping up this letter. He starts starts recounting these names. Yes, Timothy was a pastor. He was a missionary pioneer who served with Paul. But you know, if you're older in the faith, you realize where it sort of started. Started with a spiritually single mother. Spiritually single because her husband was an unbelieving Greek. We're told in Acts 16. But Timothy's mother, Eunice, poured into his little life the truth of the scriptures. Now, living in their home, evidently, was her mother, Timothy's grandmother, Lois, who played a huge role in his instruction. So Paul writes this letter to Timothy, and this is how we know it. 2 Timothy 1, verse 5. I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And now I am sure, confident, it dwells in you as well. Two women who took parenting and grandparenting seriously, as if it were a sacred calling. This is wonderfully encouraging. And maybe for you, you're living this in your home is the absence of a godly father. Well, the absence of a godly father in the home does not limit God's work in a child's heart. And you may be a first century or first generation believer. You're the first one in your family to come to faith in Christ. So wonderful reminder here that the work of God's grace is not limited by genetics. It's not determined by genetics. Your faith, you didn't get that hanging on a limb in your family tree. Now, learn a little further in Paul's letter, he allows somebody interesting to insert their own greeting, verse 22. I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. Now, we would typically say that Paul wrote the book of Romans, and you know why, but technically Paul dictated the letter to a man named Tertius who was volunteering to write it down. Now, some Bible scholars believe that Paul suffered from vision issues, something wrong with his eyes. I would believe that, because in another letter he talks about how he wrote in such large letters. So he needed somebody, a volunteer, so to speak. And in this case it was Tertius. But what an honor for Paul effectively to say, you know, we're going to wrap up this letter, but Tertius, why don't you add your own greeting here? Since you've spent so much time with me, you know, writing this letter down. The Holy Spirit, by the way, is moving Paul to suggest this to Tertius because this is such a significant inclusion. This is not a throwaway line. It'll help to know that the name Tertius wasn't a name, it was a number. In a well-to-do Roman household, think Downton Abbey or Buckingham Palace, there were a number of maids and footmen and gardeners and farmhands and cooks. The men in this household were known by a number rather than a name. It indicated their rank in the household, and they just carried that designation. They were known by that number. The head butler would be known as Primus, number one. Then the number two guy would be known as Secundus. In fact, Paul in Acts chapter 20 greets a man and he he calls him by his number. I greet Secundus. Tertius was the number three man in his household. He could have been a gardener, could have been one of the cooks, could have been a farmhand. We're not told, but he knew how to write. And as a result, he volunteered to write more than likely any hours after the cows had been milked for the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul greets two more men, verse 23. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Cordis greet you. By the way, Cordis is another number, not a proper name. He's the fourth highest ranking household servant. And would you notice that Paul with him adds the words, our brother? See, Paul isn't just, you know, greeting people. He's reforming culture by the truth of the gospel. This is another reforming truth that the ground at the foot of the cross is level. So the city treasurer and the servant were brothers. The apostle and the farmhand are our brothers. There's no sacred calling for apostles or pastors any more than this farmhand, this number four man, who probably showed up to church in his overalls. Now, here in verse 23, Paul mentioned this man named Erastus, and he makes sure we understand his job. It's kind of interesting. Paul identifies him here as the city treasurer. Now, from what we know, historically from the first century, in today's culture, Erastus would have had a long title on his door or on his desk. It would have read something like chief financial officer and overseer of public works and buildings. He had a big job. Now, since Paul is writing this letter from Corinth, Erastus then is one of the leading town planners in the city of Corinth. If you wanted to build a church building in Corinth in the first century, you had to have an appointment with Erastus. He'd have to sign off on it. In fact, it's really interesting how the Lord allowed in 1929 excavation in Corinth to uncover an inscription on a piece of limestone. And it refers to Erastus. Here's what the inscription says: Erastus, in return for his position as magistrate, in other words, they're honoring him because of his position as magistrate, laid the pavement here at his own expense. Now we don't know there are potholes out there. It was evidently near what was an opera house, a playhouse. We don't know if it was a rough patch, but Herastus said, I want to improve my city. I'm going to cover that out of my own income. The town didn't forget it. And with that, though, came the fact that he's a believer. And it elevated the credibility of the gospel. He used his job with self-sacrifice and a sense of excellence and integrity to ultimately honor the Lord. Tell her to use our jobs, whatever they might be, today. A man you may have never heard of. He was born in Scotland in 1885, and his parents soon immigrated to New Zealand. At the age of 16, Robert became a clerk in a hardware store. That same year, he heard R. A. Tory preach the gospel. R. A. Tory was the president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. And Robert gave his life to Christ after listening now as the Moody star of Harry Ironside. Ironside had all his books. He would become the pastor of the Moody Church, the church Erwin Lutzer pastored for many decades. They would raise three children. One of them became a rather famous. Toymaker in New Zealand. But Robert came up with this idea as he's traveling around as a salesman to these rural farmers in New Zealand. He came up with the idea of developing a printed catalog from which they could order supplies and machinery, and then they built a store to serve those catalog orders. In America, the same idea had taken off about the same time, here in our country, under the leadership of two men whose last names were Sears and Sears and Roebuck. I've owed them money over the years, maybe you too. Well, the idea took off in New Zealand as well. And within a few years, uh Robert is the CEO of a company that becomes known as the Farmers Trading Company. It will build the largest chain of stores in that country eventually. But very soon in his young life, he is very wealthy. By the age of 35, he starts giving 50% of his income to the gospel ministry. Serves as a board chairman of a local Bible college. He's interested in using the leverage of his role in the community for the gospel sake. In fact, with the help of another man, they used the idea of this male catalog system to begin sending Sunday school lessons for free to all of the children in these rural areas, all these farmers' kids. Didn't have the money to pay for it. They sent it for free, paid for it themselves. It became known as the Postal Sunday School Movement. And at one time, more than 9,000 children subscribed, receiving monthly Sunday school literature that taught them the Bible. That wasn't all. Before he reached his 30th birthday, he'd grown concerned for all the customers that he was dealing with. He wanted them to know about his relationship with Christ. How do you do that, right? You've had the same question. He decided to write a tract that just explained the gospel with very simple illustrations. Here is a salesman selling farm machinery. He's concerned about the customers, you know, some little track they can put in the bag when they leave what would become this chain of stores. The track is a 64-page little booklet. It's entitled The Reason Why. I have given away so many of them over the years. I love it. In fact, I hadn't realized until I went back to find my copy in my study that I'd given that copy away as well. It was first printed in 1913. I frankly would love to read you the booklet, but I better not. But let me just pull a few illustrations from it. He gives an illustration of the complexity and beauty of creation that demands a creator. He quotes a famous biologist and he writes this. That's good, isn't it? In another chapter, these chapters are all one page, he writes to someone who might feel it's unfair for God to judge them or her by his law, this perfect holy standard. So he writes this. Now suppose I go driving in London, but if I drive on the right side, eventually I'm brought before a judge, but I say, in the United States, the law allows me to drive on the right side. The judge replies, you're not being judged by the laws of America. You're being judged by the laws of Great Britain. Well, in the same way, God's law is the only one by which I will be judged. That judgment will be based on what God has said, not what I feel or what my friends say. And God's law is designed to awaken us to the fact that we've broken it. We're guilty. And it points us then to the Savior who alone can redeem us from the curse of the law. So simple, yet so profound. With that, Robert deals with somebody who says, Oh, okay, you know what, you're right, I'm a sinner, but I'm going to turn over a new leaf. Maybe you've talked to people and they've said something like that. I certainly have had that happen with me. Well, he offers this illustration. Suppose a manager of a business goes to his accountant and finds that his company owes$50,000 to all these manufacturers for past orders. He says to his accountant, sit down and write a letter to all these people and tell them that we're not going to worry about the past, that we've turned a new page in our ledger, and we promise to pay 100% for all future orders. Well, that accountant would think his employer's gone mad. Yet thousands of people are trying to get into heaven on such a proposal, offering to meet their obligation toward God for from this day forward, but refusing to deal with the sin of the past. It is said that Jesus came to pay a debt he did not owe for us, who owed a debt we could not pay. In his death, Jesus laid down his sinless life in our stead, settling once and for all all the debt that we owe to God. Robert Le Law was not a pastor, an evangelist, a Bible scholar, a professor. He was a sales rep for farming equipment. But yet he cared about people that God had brought into his life, where he worked, hid a sense of a sacred calling. Like Erastus, this town planner who cared about his city, cared about excellence, wanted to improve his world and gain credibility for the gospel. Or like Tertius, number three guy. Don't know if he polished boots or or or you know shoveled manure. We have no idea what he did. But he volunteers in the evening to write. Maybe it's a mother, like a grandmother, who teaches the scriptures to their little boy, who goes on then to influence a world. See, like them, Robert laid law was a legacy of light. He uses his job, his creativity, his influence, his prayer, his persistence to spread the gospel to the people around him. Now let me let me add this in closing. When we think of a publication, a book that's been published, like the Bible, it's sold more than any other book on planet Earth. Next to that is the Pilgrim's Progress. Next to that is the reason why by Robert Laidlaw. To date, it has sold more than 50 million copies, now translated in 30 different languages. And still counting. What could we do? We view that appointment as a place to display the glory and gospel of Christ. We might reach around the world. We might influence a town. We might reach the heart of one little boy. But we will. If we take where we are today as our sacred calling.