EMPLOYMENT THAT GLORIFIES THE LORD

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”—Colossians 3:23

 

In order to work, “as to the Lord rather than for men,” you must first begin with employment that honors Him.  Just because you have a chance to make money at a job does not mean you should necessarily take it.

 

God does not approve of all businesses.  He certainly would not bless anything that exploits or deceives people.

 

You may say, “Well, this is the only job I could get.”  But compromising your faith is never the way to support your family.  A clear conscience and vibrant Christian life is far more important than the money you could earn from unethical pursuits.  Furthermore, if God does not want you doing a certain job, He will give you a better place to work.

 

Once you find appropriate employment, be sure to treat other people the way God does with love and respect, whatever their position is.  Years ago, when I was attending Rhema Bible Training Center, I worked at local hospital in the Operating Room as a Surgical Technician assisting doctors as they operated.   In those days, it was very difficult because I and one other person were the only Christians.  She worked cleaning the rooms after each surgery.  The people who had this job were treated with little respect by the medical professionals.  However, we became good friends and soon began to talk about the Bible and pray for our co-workers.  Some months later, one of my supervisors who was notoriously rude to anyone who was not her “equal,” asked, “What I was doing associating with housekeeping?”  The question startled me as I was not aware that anyone was watching what we did on our lunch break.  I was able to share with her that in Christ there are no prejudices and that in Him we are all equal.  When I resigned my position, to go into full-time missionary work, there were two other Christians.  Today, in the Operating Room nearly every one is a Christian, including the doctors.  Our witness, actions, and prayers, go far beyond what we can imagine.  

 

The Bible tells us to work as unto the Lord.  We can not do that unless we are at a job that pleases Him and aligns with His ways.  Once we find ourselves serving Him in our job, we must never forget to treat others with love and respect, regardless of our position or theirs.

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to help me refocus my viewpoint on for whom I work.  I repent for forgetting that I work for You, and focusing my attention on my job to earn money to support myself and my family.  Lord, I ask You to help me keep my focus on You rather than self, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.