“Come, my beloved, Let us go forth to the field … Let us see if the vine has budded” (Song of Solomon 7:11-12)

Blessed are you, when you know Christ as your Yoke-Fellow. You won’t say. “I’ve got to go work in the field”. Rather, you’ll say to your Yoke-Fellow, “let US go forth to the field”. Christ gave us the formula for high productivity in the Kingdom of God: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). It’s the business of the Church to cooperate with Christ to bring forth fruit. This is true individually and collectively. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing … By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:5-8). 

 Some worry that they can’t serve Christ, and still provide for their family, but they’re wrong. Yes, it’s possible for someone to be so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good, but not if Christ is your Yoke-Fellow. The minister that complains, “They made me keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard I neglected”, hasn’t obeyed the Word of God: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). The more likely result of working with Christ is an enlargement of opportunities to provide for your family. 

 Mary was not praised for sitting still; but for sitting at Jesus' feet. Christians should never neglect necessary duties under the pretense of seeking a deeper relationship with Christ. If you think Christ wants you to ignore your responsibility to your family, seek counsel from a godly minister. Many ministers harm their families with misguided zeal. But don’t think the pursuit of intimacy with Christ is in itself an evil: it’s a great blessing, and a means of grace to all who seek it with prudence. But those who enjoy Christ the most aren’t recluses or hermits, who have time to spare, but diligent workers, who toil side-by-side with Christ.