God And The Workplace

God and the Workplace

Prayer-

I want to look at the act of working this morning.

Work is a necessity for survival but for some it is their life. (Workaholics)

To some they dread going to work. (Not doing what they would like to do)

For a select few working is their happy place.

So what does God’s Word say about work and how does He expect us to act when we are working. There are many Scriptures that talk about work and how we are to approach work where God has us.

Colossians 3:23-24

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Look at the work in front of your today- doing a report, in a meeting, cooking, cleaning, teaching, serving…whatever you do, do it all as if you are doing for the Lord Himself.

Matthew 22:37-39

“Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Demonstrate your love for God by loving others by extending kindness and providing grace.

I believe that I have the best job in the world at times.

One ne of the hardest jobs in the world at times.

One of the most fulfilling jobs in the world at times.

The most stressful jobs in the world. At times.

It changes every day by what I am doing.

I do not believe that anybody loves their job 24/7 and if you do make sure that you keep that job because they are far and few between.

I love baby dedications, weddings, baptisms, preaching popular subjects. Watching people grow in their relationship with Christ. I love people

I do not love sickness, death, funerals of the unsaved, seeing the cruel things that people do to people.

I do not get pleasure on preaching tough issues or controversial issues that divide this country. I love people, but don’t love when people don’t love people.

IT IS WHAT GOD CALLED ME TO DO.

I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE HE HAS CALLED ME AND ENABLED ME TO DO IT.

I MIX THE GOOD AND THE BAD TOGETHER AND MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

I DO NOT PRETEND TO LOVE EVERYTHING-

So what about you this morning? Where God has you, are you about His business? Are you happy?

Look at the person next to you and say “your work matters because you matter”

When you understand that you matter to God, God will be able to use you right where He has you for as long as He has you there. (Repeat)

People have this preconceived idea of good jobs and jobs that are the least. When you ask someone “what they do” and they begin to say “I am only a ….”

When you begin your statement like that, you are putting yourself down and elevating someone else at your expense. You are …not only anything. If you are doing what God has for you and you are doing it to the best of your ability. You are doing what God has called you to do for as long as He has you to do it.

Remember, they said Jesus was “only a carpenter”. The disciples were “only fisherman”.

You want to really look at the growth of the church universal, it was grown by farmers, carpenters, janitors. It was grown by tax collectors, and teachers. It was grown by intelligent leaders with education and at the hands on men and women who work with their hands.

It takes all kinds of people to spread the gospel of Christ. It takes people from all walks of life to be where God has placed them. Pastors, professors of religion see people come to the Lord but the larger percentage comes from each of you being and doing what God has called you too and where God has called you.

He said to them- “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Matthew 28:19

long -time Christians forget about those we work with and have contact with because we are comfortable with our church family and our church setting. It is not that the need is not before us, we have these spiritual blinders on when opportunities come in front of us.

Being a bi-vocational pastor would be hard. Pastor a church and try to make your living outside of the church.

I would tell them that maybe God has them there for a specific reason and to not separate the two.

I would tell you this morning to not separate your work place and the ministry that God has for you because they could be one and the same.