Making the Best of Our Work
Do you remember your first job? Whether it was helping in the yard at home or assisting a neighbor with a project, I have always held some kind of job.
My first job with a consistent paycheck was in high school. Working in a more structured setting with a variety of people meant that I had to learn the expectations of the actual job as well as the relational aspects of the workplace.
My coworkers and bosses didn’t always share my faith convictions or my approach to work.
Some were there simply to pass the time, while others were there to serve. Some saw customers as problems, while others saw customers as the reason for the store’s existence. Some went out of their way to be welcoming and friendly, while others seemed to look for reasons be critical and even downright rude. Observing these different attitudes and perspectives taught me that I had to choose for myself what kind of worker I would be and what kind of work I would do.
It was around this time that I remember reading Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
This was likely not the first time I had read this passage, but it was the first time it really “hit home” with me. I realized that every job I do provides an opportunity to grow, to witness for Christ, and to serve others in a Christlike way. Somehow, this realization made that first job a bit easier.
I have now held some sort of job for over thirty years. I wish I could say that I performed in the manner described by Paul in this Colossians passage in every job, but that is probably not the case.
However, in every job I have held, I have found avenues for witnessing, ministry, deeper satisfaction, and even joy in the workplace when I have approached my work as if Jesus were my “supervisor.”
Can we allow God to refocus our work and our approach to the workplace this week?
He wants to bless us and to use us for His work, no matter our current occupation.
Prayer for the week:
Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we
possess: Grant us grace that we may honor You with our
substance and, remembering the account which we must one
day give, may be faithful stewards of Your bounty, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Charles W. Christian is managing editor of Holiness Today.
Written for devotions with Holiness Today.
Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.
