Work and Rest

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. Exodus 34:21 NJKV

Work is a good thing. Work is in the will of God. It is a way we honor and obey God. Work is a blessing. If we are out of work, we can ask God to lead us and to provide us with honorable work that will glorify Him.

Work makes us active, productive, and useful instead of passive, idle, and dependent upon on others. It provides a way of expressing our gifts and talents, it inspires creativity, it helps to develop character, it brings new relationships into our lives, and it gives us the satisfaction of doing a job to the very best of our ability. When we receive and recognize that our work is a gift from God we have no reason to grumble and complain about our work.

It is also good to remember that the God who wants us to work also wants us to rest. Even though His will is for us to work, He does not want us to be consumed with our work or to have our work consume us. Rest is another way of reminding us that God is reasonable and considerate. He does not treat us like machines, but like people who have physical, mental, and emotional limitations. In God’s plan, one day of rest will refresh our spirits, renew our minds, and restore to us the strength we will need for the week ahead.

Lord, thank you for the wisdom of your ways. Thank you that you know what is best for me. Thank you for giving me the strength to work and the opportunity to do it. Help me to work when I work, and to rest when I rest. Bring my life into a proper balance and help me to keep a quiet heart in all I do.

The Work of my Hands

And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. Psalm 90:17 AMP

It’s a wonderful thing to know that God’s favor and blessing can be upon the work we are doing. Sometimes we can mistakenly think that God only cares about the work of the pastors, youth leaders, choir members, and missionaries, but doesn’t care about us and what we do.

It is easy to think that a job in the workplace is secular work and a job in the church is Christian work. If God has provided you with a job in the workplace He wants to bless you in the workplace. All honorable work that is done unto the Lord can glorify Him and accomplish His purpose.

He wants to bless the work of your hands. He wants to bless your employer through the work you do, He wants to bless others through the work of your hands, and He wants to bless you. He wants to bless you with success, with an income, with productivity, and with favor.

Lord, thank you for my job and for allowing me to be in the workplace. Thank you that this is your appointed place for me at this time. Thank you that you care about me and what I do. I am so glad to know that I can have your blessing upon my life and upon what I do. Bless the work of my hands today. Bless the company I work for and make them successful. I thank you for the income that I am receiving through this work and that I can use it to meet my needs and bless others. Continue to bless me and grant me your favor

A Servant Leader

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45 NLB

There is a great difference between those who are living for themselves and those who are living for Jesus. This is apparent in the workplace. Consider these differences in the area of leadership.

A servant-leader is:
Someone who can set direction and inspire instead of being bossy. 
Someone who makes others successful instead of using them for his advancement.
Someone who is genuine instead of a manipulator.
Someone who motivates through encouragement instead of through fear.
Someone who takes time to listen instead of being set in his ways. 
Someone who builds others up instead of picking them apart.
Someone who creates loyalty instead of mistrust.
Someone who imparts vision and unity instead of confusion and dissension.

Father, I want to serve you with a true heart. Work in me the heart of your Son, the heart of servant who is willing to lay down his life for others. May I express before others the attitudes and actions that are a true reflection of your heart.

Skilled

Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; Proverbs 22:29 AMP

The word diligent can mean skilled or ready. Diligent is another way of saying that it is important to be prepared. Abraham Lincoln said, “I will prepare myself and then my opportunity will come.” Leonard Ravenhill said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be ceased in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

In Exodus we read, “Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and wisdom, with intelligence and understanding, and with knowledge and all craftsmanship, To devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 In cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, for work in every skilled craft.” Exodus 35: 30-33 AMP

It is important that you do your work well, but it is also important to be growing in your work and in your skills. Don’t settle for “just getting by.” Continue to find ways to grow, to expand your learning, and to improve your skills.

Lord, thank you for the gifts and abilities you have given me. Thank you that I can serve you with my heart and my skills in the workplace. Show me new ways to learn and to grow. Keep me fresh and ever growing. I want to always be in a place of readiness and willingness to serve and honor you.

Diligence

He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4 AMP

One of the flaws in education is placing a strong emphasis on grades and not on character. A person can graduate college with academic honors and be morally bankrupt. Poor character impacts every area of our lives, especially the workplace. Many times I have heard employers say, “It’s so hard to find good help. People don’t know how to work.”

In the apprenticeship system, young people grew up learning a trade and learning how to work with their hands. Children who grew up on farms often learned that playtime was a privilege, not a right. Everyone who has a job has a choice to make. He can either be slack in his work or diligent. Employers notice the difference and reward those whose work is honest and noble.

Jesus, teach me to work as you worked. You knew what it meant to be in the workplace day after day, as an apprentice and as a craftsman. Show me what it means to be persistent and hard-working. I want to have the consistent joy of going home each day knowing I have put in a good days work and have done my best. 

The World and the Kingdom within a Business Setting

1.    The world pursues mammon; the kingdom pursues God.
2.    The world uses people; the kingdom serves people.
3.    The world seeks to please man; the kingdom seeks to please God.
4.    The world uses God to advance personal interests; the kingdom obeys God to advance His interests.
5.    The world looks for significance in titles, recognition and advancement; the kingdom brings significance because of the value God places upon each individual regardless of personal status.
6.    The world operates with fear and manipulation to get people to perform; the kingdom operates with love that motivates people to please.
7.    The world brings bondage; the kingdom brings freedom.
8.    The world creates a party spirit that puts down others; the kingdom creates a gracious spirit that builds others up.
9.    The world is about gaining personal success; the kingdom is about making others successful.
10.  The world seeks after power and control; the kingdom seeks after meekness and yielding to God’s control.
11.  The world steals from others and takes credit for someone else’s work; the kingdom honors others and seeks their highest good.
12.  The world wears a mask and walks in dishonesty; the kingdom is real and walks in truth.
13.  The world criticizes the competition and actively tries to hurt them; the kingdom gives honor where honor is due and seeks to bless.
14.  The world is interested in the dollar that is in the consumer’s wallet; the kingdom is interested in the need that is in the consumer’s heart.

Does Your Work Matter?

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Col. 3:23-24

This Scripture is packed with significance regarding your work. Here are five things to consider…

1. “Whatever you do…” From God’s point of view, whatever it is that you are doing is significant. God does not want any of us to struggle with insignificance. Your name may appear at the bottom of a work flow chart, or you may be at the low end of the pay scale, but that has nothing to do with significance. What you do, however big or small, is an assignment from the Lord and that makes it significant.

2. “Do it heartily…” The attitude in which you do your work is important to God. God is saying, “Put your heart into the work I’ve given you to do.” God wants you to approach your work whole-heartedly, with thankfulness and not complaint. Having the right attitude can make all the difference in your day.

3. “As to the Lord and not to men…”  There is a huge trap that awaits you when you do your work to please people instead of God. When people don’t give you the recognition you are seeking, you can easily get discouraged with your work. Trying to please people can also create striving within you and rob you of your joy. God’s way to freedom and joy is for you do your work as unto Him.

4. “From the Lord you will receive the reward…” Getting a pay check is a great reward for your work, but the reward you will receive from the Lord is far greater. Pay checks will help you with your temporal needs, but your eternal rewards will far outshine and outlast them all.

5. “For you serve the Lord Christ…” You work at a business but you don’t work for a business. You work for the Lord. He is your real boss. Your highest purpose at work each day is to please Him, to bring a smile to His face, and to have Him say over your life “I am well pleased.” At the end of the day, that is what really matters.