day 490: WorKING Context

I get asked by believers who work outside of the ministry if the work they in their day jobs really matters to God? I usually smile because I have only asked myself that question a million times. The question usually comes from someone who has an inclination and a gnawing inside of them to go into the ministry or get more involved in their church, etc. My conclusion to the question is that God does care about the work we do, but not in the way that the world measures or values the work. For God, the work we do daily to feed our families is the means to a different end. If God gives us all that we have and God created all that is around us, then God recognizes the value of work and the value of our jobs, but He cares about the "how" of what we do, not the earthly "what" results. Don't let this sound offensive but the people around us don't care that much either in what we do. If they did, then we would all know and remember and be able to quote the accomplishments and accolades of the person who is doing the exact job that we have right now, 50 years ago. Do you know who was sitting in the office that you sit in 50 years ago? Do you know who had the job title that you have 50 years ago? You may be in a job that you are the first to do it, or you are self-employed, but even for you, think, who was doing what you are trying to doing 50 years ago at another company, or in the same community? The fact is that few people are remembered for what they did. What God cares about is "how" we do it. That is evident all over the Bible and the teachings that we receive. Just read Romans 12:1-8 and apply that to our work and we can see the emphasis that He wants us to have. What is great is if God truly cares more about the "how" than the "what", that it does not matter what we do for a living but we are all in very important jobs. We can be a CEO or a student. We can be a teacher, a maintenance worker, a salesperson, an assistant, an accountant, a director, a writer, a lawyer. The substance of the work is really inconsequential. How we go about our work and use the platform that we have to bring glory to God is the context that does matter. So, as you ask yourself the question about your job, your profession, or your work and how it matters, know that the answer lies not with what is on your business card but in how you do the job that has been given to you.

Reference: Romans 12:1-8 (New Living Testament)