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Years ago, a couple visited our church. At the end of the service, I introduced myself to them and struck up a conversation with the husband. Discovering that he was unemployed, I asked, “What would you like to do?”
“Nothing,” he replied. Then he added, “And get paid for it.”
That seems to be a common attitude today. Work is seen as a hindrance to enjoying life, something to be avoided if possible, an inconvenient necessity to be endured while we look to the end of the day, the end of the week and the end of our working lives, when we are finally free to do the things that we really want to do.
God, however, has a different viewpoint.
Notice that when God created Adam, He put him into the Garden of Eden to look after it. And that wasn’t a punishment for sin because it was God’s expectation before Adam sinned.
It was never God’s intention that Adam and Eve would just lie around in their hammocks, sipping cappuccinos and watching TV, while God caused various fruits to sprout nearby so their viewing wouldn’t be disrupted.
When I say that we were ‘designed’ to work, I mean that God specifically designed us for whatever it is that He wants us to do. For instance, I’m musically endowed. That’s a clue as to what God wants me to do.
That’s why I’m a musician in God’s house. To ignore this divine endowment would be to bury my talent. This concept of design is the meaning behind Ephesians 2:10 where Paul says that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Understanding God’s design in our lives and living that out in the workplace is one of the great keys to life. It brings satisfaction, fulfillment, fruitfulness and a kind of pleasure that’s found nowhere else.
Unfortunately, according to something I read years ago, 80-85 percent of people are in jobs they dislike and for which they are ill-suited. What a tragedy! And no wonder so many can’t wait to retire.
In some ways, it’s a real pity that we divide tasks up into spiritual and non-spiritual because we leave people with the impression that God is only really interested in the “spiritual” stuff. This breeds all sorts of misunderstandings, but one of the worst is that God only gets involved in overtly spiritual tasks.
This, in turn, leads to erroneous beliefs such as “preaching is the highest calling.”
Not true. Unless you’re a preacher. But if God has called you to be a carpenter, the highest calling for you is carpentry. To claim that one specific calling is the highest is merely a brand of elitism.
God is interested in all of our work, both spiritual and natural. Think of the great men and women of the Bible who were called to secular work. Joseph, governor of Egypt; Esther the queen; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were shepherds and herdsmen; David the warrior, king and musician. The list is endless of people who left their mark on behalf of God’s kingdom but weren’t apostles or prophets, etc.
In Exodus 31:3-6, it is the Spirit of God who gives wisdom for all kinds of workmanship.
In my work with music, when I first used music notation software, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it to include the bottom ‘E’ of the guitar on the treble staff. Finally, in frustration, I prayed and the answer was immediate. “Press the Ctrl button and do it.” I did, and it worked.
God is definitely interested!
Sobering news! People will believe what you are, not what you say you are.
If I say I’m a giraffe, but I’m really a hyena, people will know that I’m not a giraffe and probably think I’m a little crazy.
Even worse, if I say I’m a Christian, but this belief system isn’t reflected by my life, people will not only wonder if I’m really a Christian, but they may never want to come to my church.
Understanding this is a big part of being a witness. Being a witness is not only testifying about what I know to be true, but it’s also a lot to do with credibility. If I preach that Jesus can transform your life, but mine isn’t up to par, why would anyone want what I’ve got?
Sadly, I’ve heard many times references to non-Christians who behave better than many Christians. What an indictment on the church!
I heard about one plumber who refuses to do work for a local church because they just don’t pay their bills! They have no complaint about his work, but they just won’t pay. Our testimony in the community is crucial to our being taken seriously as witnesses.
What greater fulfillment of the Great Commission to “go into all the world” could there be than for all Christians to see their workplace as a mission field?
I know, there are plenty of Christians who think (or even say!), “But if I just live a godly life, eventually they’ll notice the difference and ask me about my beliefs.”
Yeah, sure! The fact is that happens rarely and such statements are usually an excuse for keeping your head down, so you don’t get shot at. As W.E. Sangster said, “How shall I feel at the judgment, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride?”
The story is told of a businessman who gave his life to Christ under Billy Graham’s ministry. When he got back to work, he was so excited that he couldn’t wait to tell his colleagues. His business partner was elated and said, “I’m a Christian, too.”
The new believer hadn’t realized this, and said, “You know, you’re one reason I resisted becoming a Christian for several years. I figured that if someone like you could live a good life and not be a Christian, there was no need for me to become one.”
The ideas that we can just develop godly character without actually sharing the gospel with others or, conversely, that we can preach the gospel but live like the devil are myths. We must do both. We must walk the walk and talk the talk.
Photo source: istock
 | Tony Llewellyn is an Australian pastor, author, musician and songwriter. He and his beautiful wife Alli have two adult children. Tony authored 11 books on biblical and musical topics, released five CDs and runs two websites: HotSermons.com and HotPraise.com. |
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