1. Ox and Mule:
An old farmer plowed hard for many days with an ox and mule yoked together. The ox told the mule that they should play sick and rest. The mule declined saying, “No, we must get the work done for the season is short. But the ox played sick and the farmer brought him hay and corn and made him comfortable.
When the mule came in from plowing the ox asked how things had gone. The mule said, “We didn’t get as much done but we did ok, I guess.”
The ox asked, “Did the old man say anything about me?” “Nothing,” said the mule.
The next day the ox played sick again. When the tired mule came in he asked how it went. “Ok, but we sure didn’t get much done.” The ox asked, “What did the old man say about me?” The mule replied, “Nothing directly to me, but he had a long talk with the butcher.”
2. I read a recent survey estimate that over 50% of the workforce is dissatisfied with their jobs. The Survey went on to describe 5 Factors to Job Satisfaction
• Engagement – being aware of how one’s job relates to the bigger picture of the company
• Respect, Praise, Appreciation – feeling respected increases satisfaction
• Fair Compensation – Salary rated #2 and Benefits #3 in satisfaction Factors
• Motivation – What inspires me to be a ______?
• Life Satisfaction – Unhappy in life/Unhappy in work
3. If we are so dissatisfied with our employment, why do we work?
a. “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go.”
b. “I need something to do.”
c. “I found my niche.”
4. Today we will think about “Leaving a Legacy” as an expression of Faith at our Work
5. One of the greatest advertisements for Jesus and his church is having people of high qualification and high quality in the marketplace. We all know or know of these people. Some are in this room today. Ephesians 6.5-9 (re-read as employee and employer)
I. Work: Blessing or Curse?
A. A Blessing
1. God Worked – Genesis 1-2 (Good/very good)
2. God Gave Adam Work – Genesis 2.15 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
3. God worked 6 days and rested on the 7th – man was to follow – Genesis 2.2-3; Exodus 20.8-11
B. A Curse
1. Disobedience brings consequences
2. Eve – pain in childbirth, etc.; Adam in the sweat of his brow, etc.
C. A Blessing or Curse Depends on Our Point of View
For years Gordon MacDonald rode the same bus daily from his home to his church in New York City. One day the bus driver complained to MacDonald: “You’ve got it a lot better than me. You have an interesting job and travel different places. I just drive this bus up and down the same streets every day.” MacDonald told the bus driver his job could be a Christian ministry too. “Every day, when you first get on this bus, before anyone else gets on, dedicate this bus to God for that day. Declare it to be a sanctuary for God for that day. Consecrate it to God’s glory, and then act like it is a place where God dwells.” Several weeks later MacDonald returned from a trip and saw the bus driver. “You’ve transformed my life,” the man said. “I’ve been doing what you said every day, and it has made me see my job in an entirely new perspective.”
II. Work: Obligation or Opportunity?
A. Our Employment May Pay the Bills but May Also Bring:
1. A Sense of Dignity – as in the beginning; reason to leave corners of fields for poor
2. A Sense of Responsibility Proverbs 26.13-14
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
3. A Sense of Accomplishment – “Very good.”
• Nothing worse than feeling unfulfilled in tasks – [Lumberjacks were hired by psychologists to hit trees with the dull side of their axes; paid twice their rate; all quit because they needed to produce
• Skills are gifts from God – Tabernacle Builders Oholiab and Bezalel in Exodus 31.1-11
4. A Deeper Sense of Purpose – Ephesians 4.28
28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
• There are three levels of how to live with things:
(1) You can steal to get;
(2) Or you can work to get;
(3) Or you can work to get in order to give.
B. How to Leave a Legacy:
1. Work unto the LORD – Colossians 3.23-24
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
2. Be Creative in Your Work (Romans 12.1-2 – transforming in what you do)
a. Tricky – we go to our jobs to perform for our employer, not to preach
b. Be the silent leaven and ask God for opportunities to serve
c. We are all priests of God and our jobs may be opportunities to bring God to people or people to God
3. Model Integrity – Proverbs 10.9
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
4. Use Life-giving words – 1 Peter 4.11 (speak as oracles of God)
Colossians 4.6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
a. We are used to hearing destructive words, especially in the workplace
b. Life-giving words of encouragement have power
5. Go the Second Mile (Matthew 5.41)
a. The job is the first mile
b. Ministry is the second mile – see others as Jesus sees – sheep without shepherd; in need of what you have;
c. Lovingly serve and share
1. The Fruit of Our Labors
In Tom Brokaw’s book "The Greatest Generation Speaks," Veronica Mackey Hulick tells of her service during World War II. Veronica was 20 when she joined the Navy WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]. She and about 1500 other bright young women worked for hours at the monotonous job of wiring red, yellow, green, and blue wire to small wheels. Later, they discovered they had helped build a set of Navy computers referred to as "the Bombe," even though the word "computer" had not been introduced into the American vocabulary.
Later the group was transferred to Washington D.C. They were all sworn to secrecy with the consequence of being shot if they leaked any information about their project. It took about 500 women each shift to run the 120 computers that they had helped to build. When they got a printout from a computer, they weren’t allowed to read it. Rather, they ripped off the printout, knocked on a door at the end of the room, and gave it to a hand that came out only long enough to grab the paper.
When the war was over, each young lady was taken into an office and had to swear on the Bible that they would never talk about their work. They were each given a letter instructing future employers not to ask about their activities during the war. It took 50 years for these women to learn of their noble efforts to end the war. In 1994, 80 of these women gathered in Dayton, Ohio for a reunion. It was then that a Navy historian told them about the fruits of their labor. They had been responsible for sinking between 750 and 800 German U-boats. They had helped to shorten the war by one, or maybe even two years and had saved countless lives.
Veronica was thrilled to at last be able to tell of her work during the war, but grieved for those ladies who died never knowing the huge role they had played in the war effort. Veronica writes: "...It was a different time in our history. We were patriotic, disciplined, caring, and just so thrilled to know we were doing something special to help end the war. We never sought recognition. I always thought of us as the unsung heroines of WWII.”
2. Being a good employee:
a. Is actually serving Jesus (Ephesians 6.9)
b. Is God’s will
c. Is more than a paycheck (6.8)
