WORK AND JOB, THE KINGDOM PRINCIPLES BEHIND THEM
Understanding your place as a believer in the workplace and how you can effect and impact Postive change by aligning and working by your God given purpose.
Work is a good thing that God has given all of us. Children work at school and do chores at home. Teenagers train in sports, while others get their first job. Adults work at raising kids, serving others, and running companies. Some of us go to work away from our homes, and some of us don’t. Some of us get paid to work, and some of us don’t. And some of us love our work, and some of us don’t. No matter what we do or how we work, God has given us this gift to provide for our families as well as to make a difference in the world.
While our work is a gift from God, sometimes we can develop an unhealthy relationship with it (just like with money). For example, some people overwork themselves to the point of burnout, which may lead to serious health issues. Other times, we may struggle with underworking, whether by choice or due to circumstances out of our control. Working hard and resting well are both incredibly valuable, but ultimately, we must find a better than normal viewpoint and work ethic when it comes to how much we produce.
The people who live on this planet are unique and diverse. Regardless of how we work, the point is that we choose to work hard at whatever we do. The best way to do this is to see ourselves working for God.
In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. (Colossians 3:23 NCV)
No matter what our work schedules and tasks look like, let’s consider Jesus to be our employer. Yes, we should work hard to do our jobs well and honor our earthly employers. But placing Jesus at the forefront of our minds is even better because we can then honor Him by working hard and resting well.
GENERAL BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES
From the beginning, God instituted work. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). The very first thing the Lord did with Adam was to put him to work for his own benefit. It was not a curse. However, after the fall of Adam, work was included in the curse and was made more difficult.
Work is so important to our daily lives that God commanded us to, “work six days” (Exodus 34:21). In the New Testament, Paul was even more direct concerning work: “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). God’s Word implies that there is dignity in all types of work. It does not elevate one honest profession above another.
Jobs are not merely tasks whereby workers can earn money; they are also a means by which workers can use their talents and abilities to develop character—godly character, promote God’s kingdom and shine the light, giving hope to others arround them.
God’s Role
The Word of God reveals three specific responsibilities that God has in connection with work.
1. God gives talents and skills. “Every skillful person in whom the Lord has put a skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work” (Exodus 36:1). God has given each worker unique skills and abilities. It is not a matter of one person being better than another; it is simply a matter of having received different abilities.
2. God gives success. “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). Although we all have different talents and responsibilities, God is the one who is ultimately responsible for our success.
3. God controls promotion. “God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another” (Psalm 75:7). Your boss is not the one who controls whether you will be promoted. God controls promotions based not only on workers’ abilities but also on workers’ faithfulness to the tasks and responsibilities given to them and whether they were good stewards of the responsibilities God had given them. “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:23). One of the major reasons people experience stress and frustration in their jobs is because they do not understand God’s part in work.
Employers’ Responsibilities
Godly employers usually need to perform a balancing act. Employers are to love, serve, and encourage their employees, but they also are responsible to lead their employees and hold them accountable for the completion of their assigned tasks. According to God’s Word, employers have five primary responsibilities.
1. Serve employees. The basis for biblical leadership is servant hood. “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant”(Matthew 20:26). Employers need to balance efforts to make a profit with an unselfish concern for their employees and treat their employees fairly and with dignity.
2. Communication. “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them” (Genesis 11:6). When employer and employees are committed to accomplishing a particular task and there is good communication between them, nothing—within the will of God—will be impossible. Communication is a two-way street. Employers not only need to speak to their employees, they also need to listen to their employees with sensitive and understanding ears. All this needs to be done in an environment of love because communication flows freely in an atmosphere of love.
3. Hold employees accountable. Employers are responsible for the employees knowing what’s expected on the job. Employers regularly need to evaluate employees’ performance and communicate this to employees.
4. Pay a fair wage. “[The Lord will judge] those who oppress the wage earner in his wages” (Malachi 3:5). “You shall not oppress a hired servant….You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). Employers must pay fair wages promptly when they are due.
5. Pray for godly employees. This is not a command; it is a principle. However, employers would be wise to pray that God would send them employees of like faith and belief. Although employers are forbidden to discriminate based on religious belief, employees with like faith eliminate a lot of potential problems that might arise.
Employees’ Responsibilities
The life of Daniel as recorded in the biblical book of Daniel illustrates eight characteristics that made him a good and godly employee. The following are those eight characteristics.
1. Work as if working for the Lord. We actually are serving the Lord in our work; we are not serving people. In essence, we work for the Lord. If employees know and believe this, slothfulness can be greatly diminished.
2. Work hard and be productive. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). In Scripture, hard work and diligence are encouraged; laziness is condemned.“He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9). However, hard work must be balanced by other primary priorities of life: relationship with Christ, spouse, and family. If work interferes with any of these three relationships, you are working too much and not being productive. Your productivity is a measure of how much you are able to balance your work with other fulfilling aspect of your life.
3. Be honest. Employees should not give cause for their employers ever to question or doubt their honesty.
4. Be faithful. Godly employees need to establish goals of being faithful and excellent in their work and work habits. Then they work hard to attain those goals.
5. Be a person of prayer. Godly employees are people of prayer. If employees do not pray daily regarding their work, the work will suffer.
6. Honor fellow employees. Wherever there are employees there will inevitably be office politics. However, a godly employee will avoid backbiting and slanderous talk about other employees and will seek to uphold godly standards above all.
7. Verbalize his or her faith. Daniel verbalized his faith in God to those around him. Even so, godly employees will openly declare their faith on their own time and live their lives according to what is pleasing to the Lord and according to the principles of His Word. You should not be ashamed of the gospel because it is what gave you true life and if they are employees who are not believers then it should be your topmost priority to win them to the faith but this must be done with caution and wisdom so it doesn't put your work at risk.
If you got value from this newsletter Please consider donating as this is the only way we can keep adding value to the lives of people for free.
Making a donation is a way of reaching out a helping hand. By providing even a small donation, you can be part of an effort to provide medical assistance, supply food and shelter, and help families rebuild their lives and communities.”
Remember to share this and refer someone to be a subscriber.