AbsoluteTruth.Net: Is Your Job Sacred?

I used to believe that work, unless you were a pastor or a missionary, was "earthly," and that "spiritual, meaningful things" were limited to prayer, worship, Bible reading, preaching, etc.

Of course, I was wrong.

Life is not divided into two categories -- life is either all for God or all for something else. God can be just as pleased with a hardworking farmer, printer, or electrician as He can be pleased with a church leader or full-time Christian worker. There is just as much purpose, and just as much potential reward. The type of work we are involved in isn't the issue -- it's the condition of our hearts and the "mission" of our lives.

(Did you know that the Apostle Paul wasn't a full-time pastor? He actually made and sold tents for a living.)

Hard work is important to a Christian for a few reasons:

1. It fulfills my purpose as a human being. In the Garden of Eden, God didn't blop Adam and Eve down in paradise so they could lounge around all day -- He gave them work to do (Genesis 1-2).

2. It keeps me from poverty. "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (Proverbs 10:4). Believing that "God will provide for my needs" is not an excuse to avoid hard work.

3. There is great reward. "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free" (Eph. 6:7). No matter what occupation we have, hard work will bring reward from God, if it is done with a heart of love towards Him.

4. It allows me to share. "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need" (Eph. 4:28).

5. It is a good witness to the world. "...work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody" (1 Thes. 4:11-12). Hard work gets noticed. An able-bodied Christian should not end up in a continuous state of dependence upon others for his/her livelihood.

Work with a mission: to provide for your needs, to be a positive witness, to build up and help others, and most of all, to honor God with the skills and abilities He has given you. Who knows? Perhaps your work - and the spirit in which you do it - could change a life, or even the world.

To Read: If you have time this week, invest a few moments reading A.W. Tozer's chapter on the Sacrament of Living. Could it be that a plumber is just as significant as a pastor in the kingdom of God?

Print out and read it from
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/tozer/5f00.0888/5f00.0888.10.htm