Are you stewarding your current responsibilities well? Would you expect God to trust you with more?
If we’re not careful, another hierarchy of callings can slip into our thinking—one that elevates the work of Christians most clearly “changing the world” above the work of those of us who are simply sustaining and serving it.
What does it look like practically to work in ways that are not self-seeking? There are infinite answers to that question. Here are just three.
The things you and I create at work have the power to reveal things about the Creator God.
I don’t know about you, but it is hard for me to boast about nothing. Maybe I’m just an excitable, exuberant guy, but I think all of us feel the need to boast in or praise something.
The good news of the gospel is not just that I get to go to heaven when I die but that I get to partner with God in revealing heaven on earth until I die.
Even though work is now under the curse, God never once retracted the first commission after the Fall. In fact, He reiterated it, most notably to Noah and family after the flood.
What is the purpose of building a business, working a register, or planning an event if those actions don’t lead to an opportunity to share the gospel?
Believer, I pray you’ll have an opportunity to share the gospel with a co-worker today. But even if you don’t, please know that today can still matter greatly for eternity.
What hardships are you experiencing in this season of work? Have you lost a job? Been a victim of injustice? Or are you simply not as far along in your career as you once dreamed? Trust in the hope that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a writer, a teacher, a stay-at-home-mom, or a designer, you have an unfair advantage. You have the God who is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” living inside of you (see Ephesians 3:20). Let that truth inspire you.
Feeling the gap between your vision and reality? Do this. Here's some wisdom for your work from Joseph.
In short, any work done “in the Lord'' (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). Any work done for his glory rather than our own. Because unless the things on our to-do lists are on God’s to-do list, they will eventually amount to nothing.
Here’s what I’m learning: So long as our decisions are not out of line with God’s Word, I don’t know that God particularly cares about the specific decisions we make. I think He cares deeply about what’s going on in our hearts as we make our decisions, but not the decisions themselves.
Whether you’re an architect, an entrepreneur, a pastor, or a marketer, achieving mastery of your craft is hard. Really hard. But is it worth it?
In the past, I’ve made the case for why Christians should focus on pursuing mastery of one thing at a time vocationally and what we should be looking for in our “one thing.” But how you can achieve mastery of your craft for the glory of God and the good of others?
I have interviewed nearly 100 Christians who are world-class masters of their crafts. When I’ve asked these people to describe how they discerned their “calling” or their “one thing,” their responses are remarkably similar. Nearly all of these masters tended to ask three questions throughout this process.
Jesus reframed the idea of Sabbath-rest as a gift to be enjoyed, rather than a law to be obeyed.
Is it wrong to enjoy the fruit of our labor? Absolutely not! All analogies break down at some point, and the fruit tree is no exception. A fruit tree physically can’t partake of its own fruit. We can, and Scripture encourages us to do so!
By casting bad bosses and unhealthy corporate cultures as the villains, many talking heads would have you believe that you are doing a heroic thing by disrespecting your employer before, during, and after your departure from the company. But this response is totally out of sync with Scripture.
