Work and God’s Role – Notes

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Over a lifetime, the average person spends about 100,000 hours working. Those hours usually include some degree of dissatisfaction. Perhaps no statistic demonstrates this more than job-change frequency. A survey found that the average man changes jobs every four and one-half years, and the average woman, every three years. Boredom, lack of fulfillment, bad pay, and countless other pressures contribute to this discontentment. Doctors, housewives, salespersons, blue-collar workers, managers, all — regardless of profession — have expressed similar frustrations. Understanding what God says about work will help you find satisfaction in your job. Implementing these principles will make you more valuable in the job market and possibly position you to increase your income.

All Honest Professions are Honorable

The Bible gives dignity to all types of work, not elevating any honest profession above another. David was a shepherd and a king. Luke was a doctor. Lydia was a retailer. Daniel was a government worker. Paul was a tentmaker. Mary was a homemaker. And, finally, the Lord Jesus Christ was a carpenter.

In God’s economy, there is equal dignity in the labor of the janitor and the president of the company.

God’s Perspective on Work

Despite what many believe, work was made for our benefit in the sinless environment of the garden of Eden. Work is not a result of the curse! “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it” (Genesis 2:15). The very first thing the Lord did with Adam was to put him to work.

After the Fall, work became more difficult. “Cursed is the ground because of you; with hard labor you shall eat from it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; yet you shall eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19).

Work is so important that in Exodus 34:21 God gives this command: “You shall work six days.” The apostle Paul is just as direct: “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Examine the verse carefully. It says, “If anyone is not willing to work.” It does not say, “If anyone cannot work.” This principle does not apply to those who are physically or mentally unable to work; it is for those who are able but choose not to work.

A close friend of mine has a brother in his mid-forties whose parents have always supported him. He has never had to face the responsibilities and hardships involved in a job. Consequently, his character has never really been developed, leaving him super immature in countless areas of his life.

One of the primary purposes of work is to develop character. While the carpenter is building a house, the house is also building the carpenter. The carpenter’s skill, diligence, manual dexterity, and judgment are refined. A job is not merely a task designed to earn money; it’s also intended to produce godly character in the life of the worker.

God’s Part in Work

Scripture reveals three responsibilities the Lord has in our work.

God gives job skills.

Exodus 36:1 illustrates this truth: “. . . every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work . . . shall perform.” God has given each of us unique skill sets. People have a wide variety of abilities, manual skills, and intellectual capacities. It’s not a matter of one person being better than another, it’s just that each of us have received different abilities.

God gives success.

The life of Joseph is a perfect example of God helping a person to succeed. “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.. . . His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did prosper” (Genesis 39:2-3). Although we all have certain responsibilities, it is ultimately God who controls success.

God controls promotions.

Psalm 75:6-7 says, “For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God” (TLB). As much as it may surprise you, our bosses aren’t the ones who control whether we will be promoted. Many people leave God out of work, believing that they are responsible for their abilities and success. One of the major reasons they experience stress and frustration in their jobs is because they don’t understand God’s role in work.

Think about this question for a few minutes: If God gives you your abilities and controls success and promotion, how should this perspective affect your work?

Your Calling

God has given each of us a specific calling or purpose. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Study this passage carefully. “We are His workmanship.” The Amplified Bible says, “We are His handiwork.” God has given each of us special physical, emotional, and mental abilities. You may have heard the expression, “After the Lord made you, He threw away the mold.” It’s true! You are gifted uniquely. No one in all of history — past, present, or future — is like you.

People often wonder whether God wants them to continue in their work after they commit their lives to Christ. Many feel they may not be serving Him in a significant way if they remain at their jobs. Nothing could be further from the truth. The key is for each person to identify God’s call for his or her life. Stanley Tam addresses this in his book, God Owns My Business: “Although I believe in the application of good principles in business, I place far more confidence in the conviction that I have a call from God. I am convinced that His purpose for me is in the business world. My business is my pulpit.”

To those who earn a living through secular pursuits, it is a great comfort to know that their “calling” of holy vocation carries over into all walks of life. The key is for us to identify God’s call for our life, recognizing that God strategically places His children everywhere!

Our primary calling at some stages of life may be obvious. But it’s important for you to understand that God is at work around you as you seek to identify your calling. Consider this:

God prepares us.

God providentially allows us to experience circumstances to prepare us for our calling. God has been grooming you your entire life through your family, education, work, and your relationships. You may find this hard to believe, especially if these were not godly influences. God uses experiences that are positive and even experiences that are difficult to prepare us.

God calls us.

God communicates to each of us in a personal, unique way because He wants our experience to be with Him rather than based on a technique. It is unusual for the Lord to speak to us as He did to Moses from something as spectacular as a burning bush. He can, however, give us a passion for our calling and confirm our direction through God’s word.

For six months I prayed, asking the Lord whether He wanted me to start a financial ministry or to continue in the real estate development business. Someone I deeply admired urged me to begin what has become Compass.

The next morning, I asked the Lord if this person’s counsel was from Him. Immediately the Holy Spirit unmistakably impressed on my mind Esther 4:14, “. . . And who knows whether you have not [been called] for such a time as this?” This was the same passage He had originally given me when I was in the early stages of studying the biblical principles of finance. I knew with certainty that the Lord was calling me to start a financial ministry.

God often provides few details.

Examine what Jesus said to the disciples when He called them, “As Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people” (Matthew 4:18-19).

Think of those the Lord called: Abraham, David, Jeremiah, Paul, and others. How many details were they initially given? Not many! Without a close relationship with Christ, you will miss out on what He wants to do in and through you. He is more likely to ask you to follow Him one day at a time than He is to map out all the details before you begin to obey Him.

Don’t be surprised if it’s out of your comfort zone!

Consider the people God used in the Bible. God called almost all of them to step outside their comfort zone. Way outside!

For example, the Lord asked Abraham to leave his home for an unknown location; Moses to lead two million people through the Red Sea; David to fight the nine-foot-tall giant Goliath; Daniel to spend a night in the lion’s den; the engaged virgin Mary to give birth to the Savior.

I believe that the Lord delights in doing things through us that totally surprise us. There is no explanation for what is happening — except God’s providence.

Your calling requires obedience.

In Henry Blackaby’s outstanding Experiencing God small group study, he points out, “Through your relationship with Jesus Christ, God reveals His will and invites you to join Him where He is already at work. When you obey, God accomplishes through you something that only He can do.”

Psalm 127:1 says it this way, “Unless the Lord builds a house, they who build it labor in vain.” If we want our lives to count for eternity, we must be rooted in willingness to follow and obey Christ wherever He chooses to lead us. In fact, Jesus tells us that our obedience is evidence that we love Him. “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15, NIV).