By Bruce Witt
GOD IS NEITHER IMPRESSED BY NOR dependent upon our abilities or accomplishments. But if we do our work for His sake, it pleases Him in the same way the drawings children make for their parents please them and decorate the refrigerator. These drawings are not valued because they qualify to hang in an art gallery but because of the parents’ relationship with the children who made them.
God gives us our abilities, mind, and opportunities. We are called to apply ourselves and grow our skills in whatever environment we find ourselves.
A man skilled in his work will come before the kings (see Proverbs 22:29). All honest professions are honorable, and there is dignity in manual as well as mental work, as is evident from the occupations of the characters of the Bible. Scripture rebukes idleness and sloth and affirms that work has genuine value (see Ecclesiastes 2:24).
When we seek to glorify God in whatever we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), we will pursue excellence in our work, whether others notice or not.
Application:
– We are to please God in how we work, which means we do it with excellence and to the best of our ability. The process of how we work is as important, or more so, than the product of our work. Our skills, when done with excellence, set us apart from most other workers and from most of the world.
– We should desire to learn, grow, and improve ourselves in order to do our best and provide value to our companies and other people. In so doing, we glorify the Lord.
– Our work should serve others, the company, and the Lord. It should not be self-serving. This requires humility and putting others ahead of our own interests. Serving is not competing and comparing to get ahead, but helping others succeed also.
– A by-product of excellent work often is greater economic reward, which gives us an opportunity for generosity.
“If you want to live in this world, doing the duty of life, knowing the blessings of it, doing your work heartily, and yet not absorbed by it, remember that the one power whereby you can so act is, that all shall be consecrated to Christ, and done for His sake.” – Alexander MacLaren
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Purchase the Entire Devotional – “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”
The devotion above was taken from the 52-week Devotional entitled “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”.
Many give a mental assent to this teaching yedft are often asking, “What do I do? What does Christ as life look like?“ Too often Christians err by moving too far to one side or the other—reducing the Christian life to a list of do’s and don’ts, or they actually do nothing.
These inspiring weekly devotions are just some of the actions that reflect the life of Christ in each of us, and they explore four areas as we follow the One Leader, Jesus Christ –
- A Foundational Focus
- A Personal Focus
- A Relational Focus
- A Missional Focus
Be challenged, encouraged, and spurred on to a deeper walk with Christ.
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