Work and Our Role – Notes

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Our Part in Work

Did you know that in our work we actually serve the Lord rather than people? Paul writes: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people . . . It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Recognizing that we work for the Lord is a big deal. If you could see Jesus as your boss, would you try to be more faithful in your job? The most important question you need to answer every day as you begin your work is this: “Who do I work for?” The Bible makes it clear: The person who signs your paycheck is not your ultimate employer. No matter where you are or what you do, you work for the Lord.

Work hard.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV). “The precious possession of a person is diligence” (Proverbs 12:27). Scripture encourages hard work and diligence, while laziness is strongly condemned: “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9, NIV).

Paul’s life was an example of hard work. “. . . with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you . . . in order to offer ourselves as a role model for you, so that you would follow our example” (2 Thessalonians 3:8-9).

Your work should never be at such a level that people will associate laziness with God. Nothing less than hard work and doing a job well pleases Him. He doesn’t require us to be workers who labor around the clock and never make mistakes, but He does expect us to take on our responsibilities — whatever they may be — with diligence and integrity.

But don’t overwork!

Hard work, however, needs to be balanced by the other priorities of life. If your job demands so much of your time and energy that you neglect your relationship with the Lord, friends, or your loved ones, then you’re working too much. This applies to those in secular careers as well as those in ministry. If you tend to be a workaholic, be careful not to shortchange the other priorities of life.

Exodus 34:21 reads, “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.” We believe this Old Testament principle of resting one day out of seven has application today. This has been difficult for me, particularly during “plowing time and harvest,” when a project deadline approaches or I’m under financial pressure.

Employee’s Responsibilities

We can identify five major responsibilities of godly employees by examining the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. In the sixth chapter of Daniel, Darius, king of Babylon, appointed 120 people to administer the government, and three people — one of whom was Daniel — to supervise the administrators. Because of Daniel’s incredible service, the king decided to promote Daniel to govern the entire kingdom.

Daniel’s jealous peers looked for a way to disqualify him but could find no basis for accusation. Knowing Daniel’s devotion to God, they asked King Darius to enact a law requiring everyone to worship only the king or die in the lion’s den. Daniel refused to stop worshipping God, and Darius reluctantly threw him to the lions. When God rescued Daniel by sending an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, the thankful king ordered all of his subjects to honor the God of Daniel. Daniel modeled the six characteristics of godly employees.

1. Honesty

Daniel 6:4 tells us that Daniel’s fellow employees could find no dishonesty in him, and there was no “evidence of corruption” in his work. To the disappointment of his enemies, Daniel was an example of total honesty.

2. Faithfulness

We discover the second characteristic of godly employees in Daniel 6:4 (NKJV): “He was faithful.” Godly employees strive for this. We want our employers to say, “I’ve always been able to depend on Heather because she’s so faithful.”

3. Prayer

Godly employees are people of prayer. “When Daniel learned that the document was signed [restricting worship to the king alone] . . . he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel took on the responsibility of governing the most powerful country of his day. Few of us will ever face that kind of pressure or demands on our time. In spite of what must have been a really tough schedule, Daniel knew and modeled the priority of prayer. If you aren’t praying consistently, your work will suffer.

4. Honor those in higher positions

“Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever!’” (Daniel 6:21). What a great response from Daniel. The king had been tricked into sentencing Daniel to the lion’s den. But Daniel’s reaction was to honor the king — in spite of the brutal circumstance in which he found himself. Think how easy it would have been to disrespect the king and say something like, “You moron! The God who sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths is now going to light you up!” Instead, he honored the king in front of everyone.

5. Verbalize your faith

King Darius would never have known about the Lord if Daniel hadn’t communicated his faith at appropriate moments while at work. “. . . The king began speaking and said to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?’” (Daniel 6:20). Daniel’s words and actions had an impact on King Darius, who saw his honesty, faithfulness, and hard work. Listen to the king’s response: “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever” (Daniel 6:26, NIV).

Daniel helped his employer, one of the most powerful people in the world, to believe in the only true God. You have that same opportunity wherever you work.

Ambition

Scripture doesn’t condemn ambition. Paul was certainly ambitious, writing: “We also have as our ambition . . . to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). The Bible does, however, condemn selfish ambition. The Lord “will repay each person according to his deeds . . . those who are self-serving . . . wrath and indignation” (Romans 2:6,8). “But if you have . . . selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:14-16). “But as for you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them” (Jeremiah 45:5).

Remember, the Bible is not the enemy of ambition, only of the wrong type of ambition. Our ambition should be to please the Lord, work hard, and be faithful in our job to please Him.

Taxes

Our neighbor, Michael, had just gotten his first job and was really excited about his first paycheck — until he saw how much was taken out in taxes! Like a lot of people, he questioned why he would need to pay these taxes.

So what does the Bible say about paying taxes? That’s the same question that was asked of Jesus. “Is it permissible for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? . . . [Jesus] said to them, ‘Show Me a [Roman coin]. Whose image and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, ‘Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s’” (Luke 20:22-25).

Some people will tell you to avoid paying taxes at any cost. After all, they will reason, look how much the government squanders. But the Bible tells us to pay our taxes. “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God . . . because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due” (Romans 13:1, 6-7). It’s certainly a good idea to reduce taxes by using legal tax deductions, but we should be careful not to make sketchy decisions simply to avoid paying taxes.

Understanding Paychecks

Getting a paycheck is a great feeling, but it’s important to understand what is on your pay stub beyond the money you put in your pocket..

1. Gross Pay is what you make before any deductions like taxes, health care, or Social Security are taken out. In the example below, Money Mutt’s gross pay is $450. Under the Earnings category, you can see the heading “YTD.” This stands for Year to Date and is the gross amount of money ($900) Money Mutt has made during the year.

2. Net Pay is what’s left after deductions are subtracted. In the Deductions section, you can see Money Mutt’s net pay for the current pay period ($418) and his net pay for the year ($836).

3. Required Deductions are automatically taken out of your gross pay. As you can see, Money Mutt is not earning enough to pay state for federal income tax. When you earn more than $12,400 in a year, you will start to pay federal income tax. All workers pay into Social Security and Medicare. These programs are funded by FICA, a payroll tax.

Retirement

Retirement may be a long way off for you, but it’s important to learn what God says about it sooner rather than later. The dictionary defines retirement as “withdrawal from an occupation, retreat from an active life.” Our culture promotes the goal of retirement, not working and pursuing a life of just chilling out. Is this a biblical goal?

Numbers 8:24-26 — the only reference to retirement in the Bible — applied specifically to the Levites working in the tabernacle. While people are physically and mentally capable, there is no scriptural basis for retiring and becoming unproductive.

The Bible does imply, however, that the type or intensity of work may change as we grow older — shifting gears to less demanding work to become more of an “elder seated at the gate.” During this season we can use the experience and wisdom gained over a lifetime. Even in the example of the Levites, they were instructed to continue to “minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard.” In other words, they were told to continue to be productive. If we have enough money to meet our needs apart from our jobs, we may choose to leave work to invest more time in serving others as God directs.

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Work Terms

Gross Wages – The total amount of your pay before any deductions are taken out of your paycheck.

Net Wages – The amount of pay you take home after all deductions are taken out of your paycheck.

Networking – Using friends, family, and people you know to help you find a job.

Qualifications – An ability, characteristic or experience that makes you suitable for a certain job.

Reference – A person who knows you and is willing to describe and praise you to help you when you are trying to get a job.

Resume – A written description of your education, qualifications, and previous employment, which you send to an employer when you are trying to get a job.