Working for God
Dear Father, will you make me able to love my job? Will you cause me to see the work I do as service to you? May I bless others by doing good work? I know your answer to these questions is "yes!" Thank you for making me able to serve others through my work. In Jesus' name, Amen.
A lot of people hate their jobs and dread going to work. Maybe you feel that way. In Colossians 3:23 Paul wrote: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as work done for God, your father, not for human masters.” This verse became a focus in my career. It can change the way you think about your work. You’ll still work for a living. You’ll still get paid for your work, but those aspects will gradually become lesser goals.
The very first way to be sure you are serving God in your work is to be competent. - Tim Keller
I wanted to fulfill God’s will for my life, and it became clear to me that God’s will was for me to serve Him in everything I did, including my job. “Your Work Matters to God," a book by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, was very influential in pointing out how God is presented to others through the work you do, and most especially by the way you do your work. It may not be easy. There is no ON/OFF switch for a good attitude toward your work. Diligent practice, including a very specific prayer for the Spirit’s guidance, is necessary to develop a godly perspective. Here are some tips:
• Pray for your work every day.
• Memorize Colossians 3:23 and recite it to yourself often.
• Pause and compose yourself before each meeting or task.
• Ask God how he wants you to proceed.
• Watch and listen
Many of us will be going back to work this week after the holidays. It takes mindfulness and practice to fully commit to serving God at our jobs. How do you stay focused on this objective?
Scott Morris is a retired Quality Engineer from Raytheon Middle East Systems. Married to Lisa since 1980, they have three grown children. As a family, they lived 6 years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Scott later worked 10 additional years solo in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He now drives part-time for a vehicle relocation company.
Scott grew up in the church of Christ and was baptized at the Broadway and Walnut Church of Christ in Santa Ana, CA in 1961 by Br. Harry Robert Fox. He attended Harding College after graduating from high school in Murray, KY.
Scott and his family moved to Indianapolis from Riyadh in January 1999 and placed membership at North Central shortly afterward.
Thanks, Scott for the great thoughts. Several years ago, I was interviewed for a radio spot about the store. The interviewer was an experienced radio man who was working part-time at the Christian station. He mentioned how wonderful it would be to work in a Christian environment and really feel that you were serving the Lord. I had just read a book called "Secular Work is Full-time Service," which was the message on your blog. He said that he wished that he could have understood that better when he worked in secular radio. I agreed with him since I felt the same way about my years in banking. Occasionally I did have moments of ministry at the bank, but most of it seemed to be strictly secular. You have caught the concept in that all we do should be to glorify God–even as Brother Lawrence said when washing dishes, or, as when I worked on the farm cleaning out the hog house! We appreciate you and your message! LaRue P.S. There is no such thing as "secular" to the Christian. (At least there shouldn't be!)