Work

Before I write this devotional, I want to mention why I feel the need include disclaimers before each one. I'm simply incredibly convicted of how I fail to live up to the Bible's standard for living. And once I realized - from writing this devotional set - that it's really all about doing it for God's glory because everything is His and we are just stewards ... it's just too much. I hope you all have had the same epiphany and know the gravity of what we've been discussing.

*Scriptures taken from Biblegateway.com

Not everyone has a job right now, so I feel I should clear up what exactly I mean by work. To put it in child-like terms, work is simply whatever you "do." If you have a profession, which I confess to not having, then that is your work, or at least part of it. If you're going to school, then you're job is to be a student. And if you are actively involved in extracurricular activities (here's I'm excluding ministries, which we'll discuss on a later date), those too are your work.

How is work an act of stewardship? Surely at least this is ours. My reply is to consider when we got notice that we received our job, or got into that school. Were we not grateful? Was that the proper response? Of course it was! Would we not think it horrible to believe otherwise? The reason for our thanksgiving is that, in the end, we know it is not by our own hands that we received this blessing. God's grace provided it to us. Now if God is the Provider, then how can we claim ownership?

Now that we've cleared that up, let's see what the Word of God has to say about work.

First, let's briefly consider the principle of tithing. Malachi 3:8-12 strictly warns us about robbing from God. I don't need to tell you how crucial this is. We discussed in the devotional on time stewardship the comparison of tithes and offerings. Tithes are owed to God, hands down. Offerings are whatever extra we give in addition to our tithes out of a grateful heart. It is in our offerings that we receive the true blessings, because our offering is a sign of our growing affection toward our Lord. Here is a good place to mention stewarding our money. Our money is not ours, similar to how property is not ours. Thus, it is critical that we know how to use and save our money appropriately. I'm sure this is nothing new to all of you, and I trust you all are not robbing God (after all you are Strong Christians), and since I do not like to talk much about money, we'll move on.

Second, keep your commitments. We shouldn't accept an occupation if we honestly do not think we will be able to handle it. The Bible says, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” [Luke 9:62]. We must learn not to have a hasty tongue. On the smaller scale, when we are asked by our bosses to complete a task as part of our job, we should not be so quick to say yes. I understand that we want to impress them, but we must also remember that it's better to say no and go back later than to say yes and not complete the task given to us [see Matthew 21:28-31]. It will more impressive to be dependable than to be a yes-man.

Third, once we agree to a task, it's important to keep ourselves from complaining about the weight of it. We should learn to let our "yes" be "yes" [Matthew 5:37], and to add nothing more to it. For example, if another person, over whom we have seniority, receives the same benefits as us, then we have no be angry, because we agreed to work for those same benefits. This may be hard to swallow, especially when we think of worker's rights. I'm not against all the many perks for which unions and other institutions have worked so hard. But I also feel that when we give our consent to do something, we do not have a right to complain when we get exactly what we have asked for. It's actually not Christian-like. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard [Matthew 20:1-16], Jesus speaks of workers protesting to their employer that those hired later are receiving the same wages. The vinedresser replies, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?"

This ties into our fourth point. Whatever we do, we must do so with diligence [Proverbs 10:4], always remember who we are representing. Here I'll give a personal example. I am a pastor's daughter, and so I know what it's like to have things unrelated to church judged by those who are not a member of a pastor's family. If things are done wrong, they are twice as worse because for some strange reason, a pastor's kid is supposed to know better. The same thing is expected of us as Christians from outsiders. We are just suppose to know better. Is this logical? Of course not! But should that be our excuse for failing? Of course not. The world has no knowledge of the thought process of Christians, outside of the occasional glimpses that have been illuminated by our gracious God. Come to think of it, neither do we. But as Christians, we spend more time with God, and thus become more attuned to His will and His style. So if the world judges us wrong, we ought not to complain. Rather, we must consider what they're asking, and, if it's in line with God's Word (as we showed it was in Proverbs), then we should just do it without reservation.

My friend, who I assure you has a heart of gold, often tells me to "Suck it up" and "Walk it off." I think that's what we need to do here. The world should not hold us to a higher standard, because we are just as fallible as they are. So what? The worldly worker has no right to work less diligently than we Christians do. Who cares? We cannot use that as an excuse. I personally know how tempting it is to evaluate our work ethic based on the procrastination of others, and to pat ourselves on the back when we compare. But is that any different from the Pharisee who compared himself to the tax collector [see Luke 18:9-14]? This parable was about comparing spirituality, but in essence, we should not compare ourselves with anyone except the Infallible One. What was Jesus's work ethic? We should "go and do likewise."

God bless,
Alisha