Pastor Elwin Ahu
October 7, 2007 - W0740

We all work for it is an important part of our lives. If you’re a student, you’re doing school work. If you’re a stay at home mother, you’re doing house work. Even if you’re retired, you may be volunteering your time for others. It doesn’t matter if we get paid or not. For work is when we apply any sustained effort in order to achieve something. Does God work? Yes, even God Himself works.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good….And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested….”(Gen. 1:1, 31:2:2) In these beginning chapters of Genesis, we see God busy at work. He created and cultivated.

He also created Adam and assigned responsibilities which Adam needed to take care of. This became Adam’s work. The question is, are we happy at work? A Gallop poll survey found eighty percent of the working population felt misplaced or under utilized at work. Unsatisfied workers had questions such as, is this job right for me? And, does my work really matter? Or, am I being recognized for my work? And, although I’ve accomplished a lot, why do I still feel dissatisfied? Thus, many of us are unsatisfied at work.  

If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, you’re not alone. So what do we do?  Well, the answer is simply in our perspective! Yes it is! And, this is what makes all the difference. For instance, take the seven dwarfs in the animated story “Snow White”. They looked forward to work and sang, “hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go…” Whereas our perspective of work is, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go”. See the difference?

Did you know that we spend sixty-six percent of our time in the work place in our adult life than anything else we do? If this is so, we’ll need to win in this arena of work. Yet how can we go beyond our frustrations? Here is the first of two essentials at winning at work.  

1. WINNING BEGINS WITH HAVING THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE OF WORK.

Perspective isn’t just what we see with our eyes, but how we interpret what we see. For example, two people can look at exactly the same thing, yet come to two different conclusions. An example of this is my son Jared.

He’s now five years old and has homework. This homework consists of tracing letters and numbers. Once, he got frustrated with writing and threw his pen down. Then later threw his paper away. Seeing this, I offered my help but he responded by folding his arms. At this point, my patience was being tried. All I wanted was for him to get done with his homework, so I could get on with my life.

I then began explaining to Jared that when he gets frustrated, he’s making the devil happy. With his arms still folded looking side to side, he asked where is he? At this point I added, if you want to make the devil sad, just be happy.

I explained to him that the devil doesn’t want to be by God. So when you pray and submit to God you’ll make the devil mad and he’ll run away. So if you’re frustrated ask Jesus to help you do better.

When frustrated, it is important to submit to God and to resist the devil. By doing so, he will flee from you. And this brings us back to the correct perspective. Remember that when a person is doing well at work it elevates his self-esteem. Thus, he feels good at what he’s doing. On the contrary, when he fails at work, he destroys his self esteem. Therefore, before reaching a point of frustration, here are two perspectives to caution you against. The first is,

·        WORK SHOULD NOT DEFINE WHO WE ARE.

We have the tendency and it’s a human nature to size one another up by job titles. For example, when you attend a class reunion, the common question asked is, what are you doing these day? When I attended my class reunion, people knew that I was a judge. However, they still asked what I was doing. So when I told them I was a Pastor, it’s as if I could read their minds. It’s as if they were thinking, what! Are you crazy? Why would you do something like that?

Defining ourselves by our work often leaves us wondering if we’re good enough. Be it a janitor or a stay at home mom, we limit or de-value ourselves. On the other hand, if we have high positions we use this and expect entitlements. Thereafter, becoming high and mighty. It’s important to understand that when we permit our position, status or lack or recognition to define our self worth, we’re walking in a dangerous territory. These are wrong perspectives.

Therefore, the work you do should not define who you are. More importantly, it’s who you are that defines what you do. And who are we?  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10 NIV)  This tells us we were created by the Master creator. He is the One with all the abilities. And we are the best that He could ever create. It was His power, wisdom and energy that created us in a way that when He looked at us He said, it’s good.

God had a reason for creating us the way He did. We are a masterpiece created by the Master’s hand. Listen, we’re God’s workmanship. He’s given us unique skills and gifts to do good works. In other words, everything we do should come into alignment with what He’s already planned for us. Hence the first caution to be aware is, what you do does not define who you are because God has already defined it for you. The second perspective to be aware is,

·        WORK IS MORE THAN A JOB.

Work is often seemed as something we have to do in order to live, gain, buy and play. At an early age we’ve been told if you want a big nice house and a fancy car, we’d need a good education and a good job. This is how we began to look at work as a means to get what we really want. Work then became a means to an end. Its bills that we need to pay and a family we have to feed. Work was something we had to do. However, when we take this kind of perspective into the work place, we won’t fully engage our work.

The Bible teaches…“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1Pet. 4:10) By God’s grace we received these gifts not to use not for ourselves but for one another. In other words, work isn’t just a job but…

2. WORK IS A CALLING OF GOD.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Col. 3:23-24) This tells us in everything we do in life whether in construction, office, housewife or even teaching, we are all working for God. In addition, not only do we work for God but …

·        WE ARE GOD’S CO-WORKERS.

Yes, we are partners with God in all this. In the beginning God started everything and then He brought man into the picture. He then gave it to Adam to care for.

“What is a man that You are mindful of him…You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet.” (Ps. 8:4-6 NIV) When we begin to understand we work for God and together with Him as co-workers, it does the following for us.

·        IT INCREASES THE VALUE OF OUR WORK.

A clear perspective tells us regardless of the task at hand, our work brings much value. And this helps keep us accountable.

·        IT BRINGS ACCOUNTABILITY TO WHAT WE DO.

In other words, we will stand accountable to God for the things we do and how we did it here on earth. Although there are office policies, there is a higher policy that we’re also subjected to. This is a higher spiritual ethic which should motivate us to place our best efforts in the work we do. Our perspective then will be with enthusiasm and with excellence! And when our perspective is correct...

·        IT PROMISES REWARDS FROM GOD.

The rewards will come in many forms. At times it may be in the form of prosperity. It can also come by the influence we’ll have on others. Therefore, it is important to understand that how you approach and engage in your work will influence others. So, “Work hard and cheerfully at all you do…remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you full portion of what He owns. He is the One you are really working for.” (Col. 3:23-24 TLB)

God has you in your work place because it’s His calling for you. He is doing something for His kingdom and wants to work through you no matter what your occupation is. Moreover, God has you where you are because it may be an opportunity for you to touch a soul. Yes, there may be someone out there that needs a touch from the Lord.

In recapping, winning at work begins with having the right perspective of work, always remembering that work does not define who we are. But instead it’s who we are that defines our job. For our jobs are not just jobs, but a calling from God. And through the work we do with our hands, we are partakers in God’s plans.

By identifying with Christ, the decisions we make in the work place gets easier. So let’s be everything we can with the time we have left to touch a soul. Let’s work diligently with enthusiasm and excellence for His kingdom. With each morning waking up and singing, “hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to touch a soul!”

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

Q1) What is your perspective on your current job or responsibilities?

Q2) Are you frustrated at work? Have you prayed, submitted and resisted the devil?

       Group: pray and ask the Lord for help.

Q3) List 1 or 2 scriptures the Bible tells us on weariness.

Q4) List 1 or 2 scriptures that calibrates and uplifts you back to your identity with Christ.

Q5) What impacted you most and how will you become a better person because of it?