Jesus the king
For all who believe in Jesus, Jesus is the Lord. The King of a kingdom does not just accept or reject people in his kingdom, but he gives people responsibilities. To some he provides a full-time job, whether that of a counselor or that of a kitchen servant. Sometimes he provides a particular task, such as taking a message to one of his servants. But in the Bible, the worker for a king is called the kings servant or slave. Thus, we are all called to be the servant of Jesus, to participate in his work and to follow his commands. But if we are to do Jesus’ work, how much is his work, and how much is ours?
Our work is not our own, but it is really a communication or relationship with God. God initiates the work, and we respond to God’s call. God provides the ability and we use it. God tells us what to do, and we do it, and then God gives us the ability to do it. The work of God is not just the work we do for God, but it is our response to God’s work and God’s working through our response. As far as our work goes, God is in all, and the source of all and the end of all. (Colossians 1:29)
God’s initiative in our work
God begins our work. Without God’s beginning, we could never do God’s work. Of course, God’s creation of the world and of humanity is the foundation of all of our work, but he also initiates our work more directly.
Establishing our work
God saw us as a people before the foundation of the world, and he created the world for our sakes. But God did not only that, but also established the very work that we would do. He desired that his people would be doing work, specifically the work of love, and he prepared the whole world in order for us to do his work. (Ephesians 2:10)
Calling us
God drew us to Jesus, calling us to believe in him and obey him. Jesus commanded us to do his work, and told us what it would be. Then God sent the Holy Spirit so we could know specifically, day by day, what our work should be. The call of God is like an employer first advertising a job in the newspaper—inviting people to apply—and then hiring an employee to a particular task. (John 6:24; Acts 13:2)
Gifting us
God not only calls us, but he also provides abilities that are beyond ourselves. Each of us have an ability that we only gained through the Holy Spirit—we would be unable to do them without him. Some of these gifts are prophecy, tongues, pastoring, or celibacy. Not everyone has every gift, some have certain ones while others have other ones. But all of us have received something from the Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:7)
Our gifting is not the same as a talent. A talent is something we have a fleshly, natural ability to do, like being good at sports or at reading. A gifting is something that comes only by the power of the Spirit. Our gifting is also not like our calling. Sometimes we are called to a task that the Lord did not give us the ability to do. This is a frustrating situation, but we do what we can for God is in control. And sometimes we have an ability, but God did not call us to use it. Perhaps God is waiting for us to mature in obedience and love before we are allowed to use our gift.
Providing a pattern of work
God not only provides the ability and call to work, but also gives us a pattern to work with. From the beginning God was working—he was never lax. But he also took a day of rest after six days of work, a day to appreciate what he gained from his labor. God gives us this same pattern—six days to work, one day to rest. God also provides the context for work—that we are to love everyone in our work, even those that hate us. (Exodus 20:9-11)
Our acceptance of God’s calling
Believing in Jesus
God called us to believe in Jesus, to be faithful to him. That is the heart of our work, our whole work. Our response to this is to do the work he calls us to, to believe in Jesus, to obey Jesus and to honor Jesus with our actions and mouths both privately and before people. (John 6:29)
Asking for the Spirit
We need to recognize that without the Spirit, we cannot do God’s work. Thus, to participate in God’s work, we should ask for the Spirit, so that we can enjoy the benefits of working for God. (Luke 11:9-13)
Asking for gifting
We are told as well to seek God for certain gifts, especially for prophecy or teaching, which Paul calls “greater gifts”, because they accomplish much good in the church. (I Corinthians 14:1)
God’s part of our work
Resourcing
God himself is the resource of our work. If we do the work of healing, God is the healer. Jesus is the one teacher. And all prophecies come from the Lord. Thus, we rely on God to do all the work we do. (John 5:19)
Providing for the worker
God is the employer, so he provides the wage. We can rely on God to provide for our needs, although God’s idea of a salary might be different than the world’s. No matter what, however, God will make sure that the needs of his workers are taken care of. (Luke 10:7; Matthew 6:25-33)
Growth of the work
The worker works, but God causes the work to either succeed or fail. While we respond to God’s initiative, God is the one who provides power in our work. (Mark 4: 26-27; I Corinthians 3:6-7)
Encouragers of work
God also provides other people in the church to encourage us to do the work. Sometimes we don’t know how to work properly or we might need to be trained in our work. The Lord provides leaders in his church to train us and prepare us and guide us in our work. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Our response to God’s Work
Diligence
The main part of our work is to respond to God. God tells us where to go, what to do, who to help us and he gives us the resources to do our work. Our main work is responding to God’s work. The Scripture tells us one thing—act diligently. We are to respond to God’s work with struggle and with every effort. We must work hard at the work God provides. (II Peter 1:10)
Point-men
This means that our work is not so much working with our effort alone, but working hard to provide opportunities for God to work. Elijah challenged Baal, and he worked hard and suffered much in order to accomplish the defeat, but the actual work—the swallowing up of the altar with flame—was God’s alone. Elijah was there as a point-man—one who creates opportunity for another to do their work. That is really a summary of our task.
Endurance
Our work is not only to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish, for we will also face much opposition in our task. Not only do we have to work, but the hardest thing we will have to do is to endure in the work. Again, it is God’s work, but we have to persevere in providing opportunity for God to do his work among men. (I Corinthians 15:58)
It is God who is at work in you in order that
you may work. Philippians 2:13
Showing posts with label Working for God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working for God. Show all posts
Sunday, November 08, 2009
The Context of Work
There are some who look at working for God and get frustrated. They say, “I can’t work for God. I’m stuck paying off debts for the rest of my life.” Or some are required to care for children. Or others are forced to work where they don’t want to. Some are incapable of working at all because of a disability of some sort. These might be frustrated, because they long to work for God, and find it almost impossible to do so. There were many in the early church who were in the same situation. There were wives, who were trapped in their social role to do very little for the people of God. There were slaves, forced to do their master’s work, but none of their own. Even so, some of us feel trapped by our work situations.
However, Scripture is clear that even if you can’t change your job situation, that doesn’t mean you can’t work for God. What you do for God is certainly important, but your work environment is what matters the most in working for God. Perhaps you may think that your work environment is completely godless, but that’s not true—because YOU are in it.
Whether we are working for God or not depends upon the context of our work, and that context is created by us. It is what we bring to our work that makes it a work of God or not. If we bring deceit to our work or laxness or hatred, then God cannot be in our work, no matter what it is. But if we bring love and faith and purity to our work, then even if we are doing a seemingly senseless task, we could be working for God. The Scripture says again and again that the work that God acknowledges is work done in faith and love and self control—and that is what really matters! (I Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 5:6; II Corinthians 8:7; Colossians 1:4; I Thessalonians 5:8; Revelation 2:9; II Timothy 3:10; I Timothy 4:12).
The Basic Context
Faith and Love and Purity are the most important matters, but that doesn’t mean God’s work is all attitude—as if the work itself isn’t important. The work matters quite a bit as well. In our work we need to follow these principles to work for God:
We must do the work, not just be willing to do it
Just like the son in the parable that Jesus told (Matthew 21:28-31), we need to not just want to do God’s work—we have to actually do it. To do God’s work is to work hard and willingly.
Work to meet your basic needs
When we work, we need to have at least part of our work be providing for our basic needs (Ephesians 4:28). This doesn’t mean that we need a job, but we should be providing for ourselves with our work, and not just sponging off of someone who doesn’t really want to support you. If we work, we work to meet our basic needs and wants. And if we have a family, we must work to provide for them as well (I Timothy 5:8).
Do the Work God Tells You To
There is some work that is evil before God, no matter how good of an attitude you have. If your work is to make pornography, loving your co-worker doesn’t absolve you from working evil. We must never work evil, and, if we have any choice, we should seek God as to what work we should do, and obey him in that.
Faith
When the Scripture says that we need to work in faith, it is saying that in our work we need to be devoted to God, to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. To love God with our whole selves means that everything we devote to work—our intentions, our desires, our thinking, our abilities, our labor—all of this needs to be devoted to God. It is like what Paul said, “In whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31).
Do what God says in our work
To work for the glory of God means that we are thinking about how to obey him in our work (Heb 4:11-12). We need to be constantly focusing on God’s word and how that word can be fulfilled in working (II Timothy 3:16-17). Perhaps it is how you do the work (for instance, with dillegence) or it could be something you do in your work (for instance, singing to the Lord—Colossians 3:16).
Commit your work to God
When you are working—and before your work—commit it to God, and acknowledge it is his. (Proverbs 16:3) If we are looking toward God in all of our work, seeking his direction in it and his power through it, then it will be his work we are working, and not our own. (Psalm 127:1-2)
We look for God's blessing on our work
Throughout our work, we are seeking God’s blessing on it. This is a part of our devotion, because we are acknowledging that our work is only fruitful if God makes it so. So we seek out the Lord to make the work worthwhile. (Job 1:10)
Self-Control
To have “self-control” means that in your work you won’t let your desires get control of you, so you do whatever you want, even if the Lord doesn’t want that for you. It is allowing the godly part of your self have control over the part that just will do whatever it wants. If we are to work for God, we need to be under control.
Purity
First of all, in our work, we need to be pure from evil. This means any area in which God has condemned—hostility, hatred, evil desires, and more. (II Timothy 2:19-21) Our work should be a pure, holy offering to God, without our flesh or evil side getting in the way.
Submission
Another area we need to control ourselves is allowing ourselves to be ordered by others. More often than not, in our work, we are told what to do and how to do it by others. If that is the case, then we need to control ourselves to be submitted to that leader. (Colossians 3:18-24) That doesn’t mean we agree with everything that person says or obey them in everything in our lives, but if we have leadership above us, in the area they are a leader, we do what they say. Another part of submission is to not make it difficult on the leader, but to give them no reason to hate their work (Hebrews 13:17)
Love
If we want our work to be worthwhile at all, we need to do it in the context of being concerned for others. Paul says that even if we do great works for God—fantastic miracles and saintly deeds—if we did not do it for the benefit of other people, then our work was pointless. If we do not work in love, then we do not work for God. (I Corinthians 13:1-3)
Edification
To work in love is to “edify” (Romans 15:2; I Corinthians 14:12, 26). What is meant by that is to build up, like a tower toward Christ. To edify is to help others be strong in Christ, to encourage, to exhort, to draw one up toward God in speech and action. No matter what we do, we should do it in a way to remind others that we are working for Christ and that Christ cares for them, and wants his best for them.
Patience and Humility
In our work, we often need to deal with many difficult people—sinners, fools and jerks. But with all of these people, we need to show patience as we work. If we do this, we are showing that the Spirit is working in us, giving us the ability to deal with situations that we could not handle on our own. We should also place other’s needs before our own, displaying that we care for other’s before our own welfare. (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:2)
Helping the Needy
In every work we do, we gain something from it—often it is money, but sometimes it is something else. In whatever we gain, we must do one more work—help those who are in need. It is in this way that the Lord will bless our work—if we do not help the needy, he will not bless our work and cause it to be worthwhile. (Deuteronomy 15:10; Ephesians 4:28)
However, Scripture is clear that even if you can’t change your job situation, that doesn’t mean you can’t work for God. What you do for God is certainly important, but your work environment is what matters the most in working for God. Perhaps you may think that your work environment is completely godless, but that’s not true—because YOU are in it.
Whether we are working for God or not depends upon the context of our work, and that context is created by us. It is what we bring to our work that makes it a work of God or not. If we bring deceit to our work or laxness or hatred, then God cannot be in our work, no matter what it is. But if we bring love and faith and purity to our work, then even if we are doing a seemingly senseless task, we could be working for God. The Scripture says again and again that the work that God acknowledges is work done in faith and love and self control—and that is what really matters! (I Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 5:6; II Corinthians 8:7; Colossians 1:4; I Thessalonians 5:8; Revelation 2:9; II Timothy 3:10; I Timothy 4:12).
The Basic Context
Faith and Love and Purity are the most important matters, but that doesn’t mean God’s work is all attitude—as if the work itself isn’t important. The work matters quite a bit as well. In our work we need to follow these principles to work for God:
We must do the work, not just be willing to do it
Just like the son in the parable that Jesus told (Matthew 21:28-31), we need to not just want to do God’s work—we have to actually do it. To do God’s work is to work hard and willingly.
Work to meet your basic needs
When we work, we need to have at least part of our work be providing for our basic needs (Ephesians 4:28). This doesn’t mean that we need a job, but we should be providing for ourselves with our work, and not just sponging off of someone who doesn’t really want to support you. If we work, we work to meet our basic needs and wants. And if we have a family, we must work to provide for them as well (I Timothy 5:8).
Do the Work God Tells You To
There is some work that is evil before God, no matter how good of an attitude you have. If your work is to make pornography, loving your co-worker doesn’t absolve you from working evil. We must never work evil, and, if we have any choice, we should seek God as to what work we should do, and obey him in that.
Faith
When the Scripture says that we need to work in faith, it is saying that in our work we need to be devoted to God, to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. To love God with our whole selves means that everything we devote to work—our intentions, our desires, our thinking, our abilities, our labor—all of this needs to be devoted to God. It is like what Paul said, “In whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31).
Do what God says in our work
To work for the glory of God means that we are thinking about how to obey him in our work (Heb 4:11-12). We need to be constantly focusing on God’s word and how that word can be fulfilled in working (II Timothy 3:16-17). Perhaps it is how you do the work (for instance, with dillegence) or it could be something you do in your work (for instance, singing to the Lord—Colossians 3:16).
Commit your work to God
When you are working—and before your work—commit it to God, and acknowledge it is his. (Proverbs 16:3) If we are looking toward God in all of our work, seeking his direction in it and his power through it, then it will be his work we are working, and not our own. (Psalm 127:1-2)
We look for God's blessing on our work
Throughout our work, we are seeking God’s blessing on it. This is a part of our devotion, because we are acknowledging that our work is only fruitful if God makes it so. So we seek out the Lord to make the work worthwhile. (Job 1:10)
Self-Control
To have “self-control” means that in your work you won’t let your desires get control of you, so you do whatever you want, even if the Lord doesn’t want that for you. It is allowing the godly part of your self have control over the part that just will do whatever it wants. If we are to work for God, we need to be under control.
Purity
First of all, in our work, we need to be pure from evil. This means any area in which God has condemned—hostility, hatred, evil desires, and more. (II Timothy 2:19-21) Our work should be a pure, holy offering to God, without our flesh or evil side getting in the way.
Submission
Another area we need to control ourselves is allowing ourselves to be ordered by others. More often than not, in our work, we are told what to do and how to do it by others. If that is the case, then we need to control ourselves to be submitted to that leader. (Colossians 3:18-24) That doesn’t mean we agree with everything that person says or obey them in everything in our lives, but if we have leadership above us, in the area they are a leader, we do what they say. Another part of submission is to not make it difficult on the leader, but to give them no reason to hate their work (Hebrews 13:17)
Love
If we want our work to be worthwhile at all, we need to do it in the context of being concerned for others. Paul says that even if we do great works for God—fantastic miracles and saintly deeds—if we did not do it for the benefit of other people, then our work was pointless. If we do not work in love, then we do not work for God. (I Corinthians 13:1-3)
Edification
To work in love is to “edify” (Romans 15:2; I Corinthians 14:12, 26). What is meant by that is to build up, like a tower toward Christ. To edify is to help others be strong in Christ, to encourage, to exhort, to draw one up toward God in speech and action. No matter what we do, we should do it in a way to remind others that we are working for Christ and that Christ cares for them, and wants his best for them.
Patience and Humility
In our work, we often need to deal with many difficult people—sinners, fools and jerks. But with all of these people, we need to show patience as we work. If we do this, we are showing that the Spirit is working in us, giving us the ability to deal with situations that we could not handle on our own. We should also place other’s needs before our own, displaying that we care for other’s before our own welfare. (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:2)
Helping the Needy
In every work we do, we gain something from it—often it is money, but sometimes it is something else. In whatever we gain, we must do one more work—help those who are in need. It is in this way that the Lord will bless our work—if we do not help the needy, he will not bless our work and cause it to be worthwhile. (Deuteronomy 15:10; Ephesians 4:28)
Why Work For God?
Okay, so God wants us to work. Buy why should we? I mean, God can do the work on his own, can’t he? And God is so powerful that he doesn’t really need us. So why don’t we just relax and bask in the knowledge that God’s got it all under control? Well, here’s some good reasons for us to work for God:
1. God and Jesus gave us an example to work
Jesus worked all the time—and the reason he gave for his hard work is because his Father is working (John 5:17). God is working all the time—creating, sustaining, healing, helping, providing for, and more and more. Jesus was also working on earth, recognizing that his time was short. Because of this, we should be like Jesus and do his work as much as we can. We are in the midst of the same workplace Jesus was—the world full of suffering, oppressed people. So we need to keep working (John 4:34, 38).
2. Jesus commanded us to work
When Jesus left the world, he didn’t tell his disciples to just sit around talking about him. Nor did he want them to just meditate on the word all the time. Rather, Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples—to do work with other people! (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus commanded the disciples to do work while they still could, because the time is growing short and there will be a time when the work cannot be done. (John 9:4).
3. If we work, the kingdom of God will be stronger
The work we are supposed to do is work for the kingdom of God. It isn’t just in a vacuum, but the work is among God’s people. If we do this work for people, as we are supposed to, then we will cause God’s kingdom to grow stronger. This is our goal for working. The kingdom of God will last forever, and if we build it up, we are a part of God’s eternal work. This is a good reason to work! (Ephesians 4:16)
4. If you do the work of God, you will be provided for
If you work, you get paid with what you need. To be honest, not every work provides you with what you need, but God’s work does! If you focus on God’s work, Jesus promises that you will be provided for and that you will have more than what you need—even if you don’t have a salary. (Matthew 10:10; Mark 10:29-30)
5. We are judged according to our work
The Scripture says many times in many contexts that everyone will be judged according to their work. It does not say that we will be judged according to our thoughts, our desires, our intentions or our faith. It says that our final state—reward or loss—is determined by our work. So what work we do is very important. If we do the wrong work, we will be judged according to that. But if we repent from dead works and do the work of God, then we will be rewarded. (Proverbs 24:11-12; Job 34:11; Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 25:14; Ezekiel 24:14; Lamentations 3:64; John 5:29;I Corinthians 3:12-15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Peter 1:17; Revelation 20:12-13; Ezekiel 18)
6. We are rewarded for our work
If we work well, then we will be rewarded. And the more we work, with the better gain, we will be rewarded more. Everyone who works will at least gain the kingdom of God. But those who work harder for Jesus will gain greater prestige and honor from Jesus on the last day. (Matthew 20:1-16; 25:14-23; I Corinthians 3:12-15)
7. If we do not work for God, we will be not allowed in the kingdom of God
However, with every good news comes bad news. Those who claim to be of Jesus and who have received blessing from Jesus, if they do nothing with that blessing or that glory, then they will receive nothing from God on the final day. They who do no work for God, gain nothing from God. Those who work a little receive at least the kingdom; but those who do not work at all receive nothing. They may think that it is all grace, but God expects us to respond to that grace and do his work as well. So if we do not work, then we will be rejected by God. (Matthew 25:14-30; Matthew 22:10-14)
8. The church will judge us if we do not work
Because the church wants to make sure all people, even their own people, enter into God’s kingdom, they will discipline those who do not work. If a person is not working for God at all, the church will begin a process of discipline, which may mean that they will have to not fellowship with us for a time. This is not because the church wants to cause us to submit, but because they care about us enough to even discipline us to do what God wants us to do. (II Thessalonians 3:10-15)
To do God’s work is to gain God’s kingdom
1. God and Jesus gave us an example to work
Jesus worked all the time—and the reason he gave for his hard work is because his Father is working (John 5:17). God is working all the time—creating, sustaining, healing, helping, providing for, and more and more. Jesus was also working on earth, recognizing that his time was short. Because of this, we should be like Jesus and do his work as much as we can. We are in the midst of the same workplace Jesus was—the world full of suffering, oppressed people. So we need to keep working (John 4:34, 38).
2. Jesus commanded us to work
When Jesus left the world, he didn’t tell his disciples to just sit around talking about him. Nor did he want them to just meditate on the word all the time. Rather, Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples—to do work with other people! (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus commanded the disciples to do work while they still could, because the time is growing short and there will be a time when the work cannot be done. (John 9:4).
3. If we work, the kingdom of God will be stronger
The work we are supposed to do is work for the kingdom of God. It isn’t just in a vacuum, but the work is among God’s people. If we do this work for people, as we are supposed to, then we will cause God’s kingdom to grow stronger. This is our goal for working. The kingdom of God will last forever, and if we build it up, we are a part of God’s eternal work. This is a good reason to work! (Ephesians 4:16)
4. If you do the work of God, you will be provided for
If you work, you get paid with what you need. To be honest, not every work provides you with what you need, but God’s work does! If you focus on God’s work, Jesus promises that you will be provided for and that you will have more than what you need—even if you don’t have a salary. (Matthew 10:10; Mark 10:29-30)
5. We are judged according to our work
The Scripture says many times in many contexts that everyone will be judged according to their work. It does not say that we will be judged according to our thoughts, our desires, our intentions or our faith. It says that our final state—reward or loss—is determined by our work. So what work we do is very important. If we do the wrong work, we will be judged according to that. But if we repent from dead works and do the work of God, then we will be rewarded. (Proverbs 24:11-12; Job 34:11; Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 25:14; Ezekiel 24:14; Lamentations 3:64; John 5:29;I Corinthians 3:12-15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Peter 1:17; Revelation 20:12-13; Ezekiel 18)
6. We are rewarded for our work
If we work well, then we will be rewarded. And the more we work, with the better gain, we will be rewarded more. Everyone who works will at least gain the kingdom of God. But those who work harder for Jesus will gain greater prestige and honor from Jesus on the last day. (Matthew 20:1-16; 25:14-23; I Corinthians 3:12-15)
7. If we do not work for God, we will be not allowed in the kingdom of God
However, with every good news comes bad news. Those who claim to be of Jesus and who have received blessing from Jesus, if they do nothing with that blessing or that glory, then they will receive nothing from God on the final day. They who do no work for God, gain nothing from God. Those who work a little receive at least the kingdom; but those who do not work at all receive nothing. They may think that it is all grace, but God expects us to respond to that grace and do his work as well. So if we do not work, then we will be rejected by God. (Matthew 25:14-30; Matthew 22:10-14)
8. The church will judge us if we do not work
Because the church wants to make sure all people, even their own people, enter into God’s kingdom, they will discipline those who do not work. If a person is not working for God at all, the church will begin a process of discipline, which may mean that they will have to not fellowship with us for a time. This is not because the church wants to cause us to submit, but because they care about us enough to even discipline us to do what God wants us to do. (II Thessalonians 3:10-15)
To do God’s work is to gain God’s kingdom
What is Working For God?
When we work for God, we are participating in God’s work. Just like when you work for a company, you are no longer working for yourself, but for your employer, even though you gain benefits from it (like a paycheck), even so those who work for God are not doing their own work, but the work of their boss, God himself. But what is this work? In general, what is God asking us to do?
1. Working for God is not working for the world
“Whatever you do, do your work as to the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23
When we are working for the world, we are working for our own purposes or for the purposes of the world. Maybe we just want to survive, or to be comfortable. Maybe we want to continue living in sin, and so we work toward that. Maybe we want to be seen as good by other people, or to do something good for the world apart from what God says is good. Any of this would be acceptable to normal employers, because they don’t care why you work, as long as you work well. The Bible tells us not to work for the world, not only because it would be futile (Psalm 127:1; John 6:27), but because to work for the purposes of the world means we gain no reward (Matthew 6:1-4; I Corinthians 3:13-15).
Just because we are not to work for the purposes of the world, we can work for men, if it serves the purposes of God. Paul worked for men, so that he would care for his own needs while working for God. In fact, many people are required to work for others in order to work for God. We must remember two principles, however: a. we must work for God as much as we can, as well as work for men, and b. In working for men, we must work as if we were working for God—obey God’s principles of work, and work dilligently for those whom we work for. (John 6:27; Colossians 3:22-25; II Peter 3:10).
2. Working for God is not working under the law
“By the works of the law no flesh will be justified in God’s sight.” Romans 3:20
Many people do not want to do work for God, because they think that it is trying to gain “salvation by works.” The works that the Bible says we cannot be saved by is the works of the law. If we are in Christ, we cannot be saved by the works of the law, or any religious body. The Bible says that even though the law is good, it has no power to save, and it can be used to oppress or do evil to others. In this way, no one can be pleasing to God by the law. Even so, no one can be saved just by trying to obey some kind of religious rule, even if it comes from God (Romans 2:12-13; 7:12-14).
3. Working for God is believing in and obeying Jesus
“The work of God is this: to be faithful to the one whom He sent.” John 6:29
The key to working for God is faith, or loving God. We work for God because we love him through his Son, Jesus. To believe in Jesus is the foundation for all of our work for God, and it is an indication of how we love God. Another indication of our love of God is obeying Jesus (which we will speak of more, later). To obey Jesus based on our faith is not just an empty action—an act of the law— but it is displaying our great love for God. Nor are we working for the world, but we are doing what God is pleased to see us do—act in response to our faith in Jesus. (John 6:29; Mark 10:17-21)
4. Working for God is building up God’s kingdom
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” Matthew 6:23
The main purpose God wants us to work for is to build up his kingdom. This does not mean to create buildings or to buy up land. Rather, to build up God’s kingdom is to do the work of placing God’s word in people, and helping them to live it out. To build up the kingdom of God is to build up the people of God, to help them be in Jesus, to remain in him and to work for him. (Romans 14:19-20)
5. Working for God is following the Spirit of God
“If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
Our main directive in working for God is to obey the Spirit of God— God speaking to us, within us. It is the Spirit of God who will keep us from working for our own purposes, and it is the Spirit of God that will direct us into the next work God wants us to do. The Spirit gives us our abilities to work for God and the character with which to work. Our work is not complete unless we are working under the direction of the Spirit. Our work is not just a piece of paper which tells us our objectives—it is a partnership with God, in which he does the work and we work with Him. The Spirit is essential to make this partnership work.
Working for God is devotion to Jesus, for the purpose of building God’s kingdom, in partnership with God’s Spirit.
1. Working for God is not working for the world
“Whatever you do, do your work as to the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23
When we are working for the world, we are working for our own purposes or for the purposes of the world. Maybe we just want to survive, or to be comfortable. Maybe we want to continue living in sin, and so we work toward that. Maybe we want to be seen as good by other people, or to do something good for the world apart from what God says is good. Any of this would be acceptable to normal employers, because they don’t care why you work, as long as you work well. The Bible tells us not to work for the world, not only because it would be futile (Psalm 127:1; John 6:27), but because to work for the purposes of the world means we gain no reward (Matthew 6:1-4; I Corinthians 3:13-15).
Just because we are not to work for the purposes of the world, we can work for men, if it serves the purposes of God. Paul worked for men, so that he would care for his own needs while working for God. In fact, many people are required to work for others in order to work for God. We must remember two principles, however: a. we must work for God as much as we can, as well as work for men, and b. In working for men, we must work as if we were working for God—obey God’s principles of work, and work dilligently for those whom we work for. (John 6:27; Colossians 3:22-25; II Peter 3:10).
2. Working for God is not working under the law
“By the works of the law no flesh will be justified in God’s sight.” Romans 3:20
Many people do not want to do work for God, because they think that it is trying to gain “salvation by works.” The works that the Bible says we cannot be saved by is the works of the law. If we are in Christ, we cannot be saved by the works of the law, or any religious body. The Bible says that even though the law is good, it has no power to save, and it can be used to oppress or do evil to others. In this way, no one can be pleasing to God by the law. Even so, no one can be saved just by trying to obey some kind of religious rule, even if it comes from God (Romans 2:12-13; 7:12-14).
3. Working for God is believing in and obeying Jesus
“The work of God is this: to be faithful to the one whom He sent.” John 6:29
The key to working for God is faith, or loving God. We work for God because we love him through his Son, Jesus. To believe in Jesus is the foundation for all of our work for God, and it is an indication of how we love God. Another indication of our love of God is obeying Jesus (which we will speak of more, later). To obey Jesus based on our faith is not just an empty action—an act of the law— but it is displaying our great love for God. Nor are we working for the world, but we are doing what God is pleased to see us do—act in response to our faith in Jesus. (John 6:29; Mark 10:17-21)
4. Working for God is building up God’s kingdom
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” Matthew 6:23
The main purpose God wants us to work for is to build up his kingdom. This does not mean to create buildings or to buy up land. Rather, to build up God’s kingdom is to do the work of placing God’s word in people, and helping them to live it out. To build up the kingdom of God is to build up the people of God, to help them be in Jesus, to remain in him and to work for him. (Romans 14:19-20)
5. Working for God is following the Spirit of God
“If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
Our main directive in working for God is to obey the Spirit of God— God speaking to us, within us. It is the Spirit of God who will keep us from working for our own purposes, and it is the Spirit of God that will direct us into the next work God wants us to do. The Spirit gives us our abilities to work for God and the character with which to work. Our work is not complete unless we are working under the direction of the Spirit. Our work is not just a piece of paper which tells us our objectives—it is a partnership with God, in which he does the work and we work with Him. The Spirit is essential to make this partnership work.
Working for God is devotion to Jesus, for the purpose of building God’s kingdom, in partnership with God’s Spirit.
Working for God
What is work?
Work is all that we do for a purpose. It is the action we take toward the focus of our life. For many people, one’s work is the most fundamental building block to who one is. That at the end of one’s life, people ask about two things—who one’s family was and what one’s work was—and this is what is usually placed on gravestones.
We all work
Some older people complain because “this generation doesn’t work anymore”, or they talk about “bums” who “have never done a lick of work in their life.” The reality is that everyone works, without exception. Only an invalid in both mind and body does no work. Every human is made to do work, to make or create, to work to survive, to labor (Genesis 3:16-19). We can work for many different reasons, but everyone works and everyone wants to work. The one who cannot work is not the lucky one, but the pathetic one—because they are unable to fulfill their created goal. People have different styles of work, and different kinds of work—some are ditch-diggers, while others are poets; some are computer engineers, while others are dumpster divers—but everyone works.
The goal of work
The major difference between what one would call “work” and what another would call “laziness” is for what purpose the work is done. For most Americans, unless one has a forty-hour a week job that provides for a family’s livelihood and a family’s comforts, plus a bit for savings, then one is not truly “working.” Someone could be holding up a sign for change in shame thirty hours a week for a meager living and some little pleasure, but most people would say that they needed to get some “work”. Why? Because they are not working toward the established American goal—a regular wage that sustains and provides creature comforts.
Why work?
At some point in our lives, we need to ask the question, “For what reason am I doing my work?” We recognize that we are working—some how we are making a living, even if we consider that living inadequate. But why are we working? Each of us will have different reasons. Some of us work simply so we can make a living. Some have to have a specific kind of work in order to release themselves from the oppression of debt. Some work because they consider the work itself to be significant—such as politics or teaching children. Some work because they want to provide enough for their family so that they will not feel ashamed. And our satisfaction with our work has everything to do with the reason we are working for. Unless we accomplish our motivation for work, our lives will not have meaning.
The Futility of Work
And, in fact, most people feel that their work has little meaning. Perhaps they are allowing their families to survive, but the work itself is pointless—without honor in and of itself. The Bible also talks about how the work we do is simply futile: “I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool” Ecclesiastes 2:17-19 The Preacher was frustrated because he saw that his work ultimately led to nothing, and produced nothing significant for himself. And most everyone’s work can be seen this way.
• You may work for your family, and your family may still hate you.
• You may work for comfort, but ultimately all the pleasure is meaningless.
• You may work to better others, but all your efforts could still be fruitless and you may help no one.
• You may work to make a living, but when you’re dead, then you can see that it was pointless.
• You may get yourself out of one debt, only to pile up more and more and more.
In the end, all of the reasons we do work seem meaningless.
Working for God
However, there is one way of working that actually seems significant. A motivation for work that has real meaning—meaning that will be beyond yourself, and beyond your limited life span. That is working for God. This does not mean necessarily working in a church or for a religious group. It means participating in the work that God is already doing. God is the boss, and he is looking for workers—people who will take part in his work on earth. God is the one who tells his workers what to do and how to do it. He provides the resources and the context to work in. And he provides all of the regulations in which the work must be done, otherwise it isn’t his work. But those who participate in His work are working for Him.
The great thing about working for God is that it isn’t pointless. The Bible says, “Everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) God’s work is significant, and those who assist God will see the work they do last longer than the pyramids of Egypt. For the rest of eternity, they will see their work accomplish amazing things. Perhaps the work itself seems insignificant, but anyone who participates in any part of God’s work gains greater wages than anyone on earth could give. For God’s wages are eternal life and eternal peace—beginning now.
Perhaps the daily wage for God’s work isn’t so great, but the retirement package is fantastic.
Work is all that we do for a purpose. It is the action we take toward the focus of our life. For many people, one’s work is the most fundamental building block to who one is. That at the end of one’s life, people ask about two things—who one’s family was and what one’s work was—and this is what is usually placed on gravestones.
We all work
Some older people complain because “this generation doesn’t work anymore”, or they talk about “bums” who “have never done a lick of work in their life.” The reality is that everyone works, without exception. Only an invalid in both mind and body does no work. Every human is made to do work, to make or create, to work to survive, to labor (Genesis 3:16-19). We can work for many different reasons, but everyone works and everyone wants to work. The one who cannot work is not the lucky one, but the pathetic one—because they are unable to fulfill their created goal. People have different styles of work, and different kinds of work—some are ditch-diggers, while others are poets; some are computer engineers, while others are dumpster divers—but everyone works.
The goal of work
The major difference between what one would call “work” and what another would call “laziness” is for what purpose the work is done. For most Americans, unless one has a forty-hour a week job that provides for a family’s livelihood and a family’s comforts, plus a bit for savings, then one is not truly “working.” Someone could be holding up a sign for change in shame thirty hours a week for a meager living and some little pleasure, but most people would say that they needed to get some “work”. Why? Because they are not working toward the established American goal—a regular wage that sustains and provides creature comforts.
Why work?
At some point in our lives, we need to ask the question, “For what reason am I doing my work?” We recognize that we are working—some how we are making a living, even if we consider that living inadequate. But why are we working? Each of us will have different reasons. Some of us work simply so we can make a living. Some have to have a specific kind of work in order to release themselves from the oppression of debt. Some work because they consider the work itself to be significant—such as politics or teaching children. Some work because they want to provide enough for their family so that they will not feel ashamed. And our satisfaction with our work has everything to do with the reason we are working for. Unless we accomplish our motivation for work, our lives will not have meaning.
The Futility of Work
And, in fact, most people feel that their work has little meaning. Perhaps they are allowing their families to survive, but the work itself is pointless—without honor in and of itself. The Bible also talks about how the work we do is simply futile: “I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool” Ecclesiastes 2:17-19 The Preacher was frustrated because he saw that his work ultimately led to nothing, and produced nothing significant for himself. And most everyone’s work can be seen this way.
• You may work for your family, and your family may still hate you.
• You may work for comfort, but ultimately all the pleasure is meaningless.
• You may work to better others, but all your efforts could still be fruitless and you may help no one.
• You may work to make a living, but when you’re dead, then you can see that it was pointless.
• You may get yourself out of one debt, only to pile up more and more and more.
In the end, all of the reasons we do work seem meaningless.
Working for God
However, there is one way of working that actually seems significant. A motivation for work that has real meaning—meaning that will be beyond yourself, and beyond your limited life span. That is working for God. This does not mean necessarily working in a church or for a religious group. It means participating in the work that God is already doing. God is the boss, and he is looking for workers—people who will take part in his work on earth. God is the one who tells his workers what to do and how to do it. He provides the resources and the context to work in. And he provides all of the regulations in which the work must be done, otherwise it isn’t his work. But those who participate in His work are working for Him.
The great thing about working for God is that it isn’t pointless. The Bible says, “Everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) God’s work is significant, and those who assist God will see the work they do last longer than the pyramids of Egypt. For the rest of eternity, they will see their work accomplish amazing things. Perhaps the work itself seems insignificant, but anyone who participates in any part of God’s work gains greater wages than anyone on earth could give. For God’s wages are eternal life and eternal peace—beginning now.
Perhaps the daily wage for God’s work isn’t so great, but the retirement package is fantastic.
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