Does God Care About My Work?Sample
Doing Good Work for God
There are two components to doing good work for God: the quality of the work itself and the quality of the way we do the work and offer it to others. Both good work and good work done well matter to God and to the people we work for.
It goes without saying that quality is important. Throughout scripture, we see God’s interest in things being done well. Five times in Genesis 1, God evaluates His working day and gives himself a good. And at the end of the week, He looks at the completed project and pronounces it very good. Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30) assures us that our work doesn’t have to be great to be pleasing to God (unless, of course, He created you with the ability to produce great work, and you just can’t be bothered). God knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139), and while there’s no limit to what He might do through you supernaturally, He knows the limits of your natural ability and capacity. The core issue about the goodness of our work isn’t actually our level of gifting; it’s about what we do with our gifting. And one of the surefire ways to make the most of our gifting is to ask God for His help and strength as we do it. Thankfully, you actually don’t need to wait for chaos or crisis before including God in your career space. You can ask for His help habitually, even in the things you already do well or when you’re not under any particular pressure. God delights in giving you remarkable wisdom, fresh ideas, or groundbreaking techniques for your work.
You might not think about your job this way on your daily commute, but work is something we do in recognition of God’s supremacy and beauty. We work worshipfully, out of love and reverence for God, and we work lovingly. The quality of the relational experience you offer someone through your work matters as much as the quality of your work. As we work worshipfully and lovingly, we must also remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us if we’re believers in Jesus. We carry the presence of the God we work for into every situation. God is with us, and He’s our empowerer, just as He was with Joseph and gave him tremendous favour in Egypt (Genesis 37–50). Perhaps you don’t feel as if you’re doing anything particularly marvellous for Jesus in the workplace, but God will use you to radiate His presence, drawing people to Himself.
May you work worshipfully, lovingly, and in the knowledge that you carry Christ’s presence with you wherever you are and whatever you do. The Lord your God delights in you, and He delights in your work. May He give you peace as you embrace opportunities to do good work for His glory and the good of those He has called you to love and serve.
Scripture
About this Plan
Common sense might suggest that God couldn’t possibly care about the five loads of washing you have to do, the email you need to respond to, or the burst pipe you’re about to fix. But what if He does? In this plan, Mark Greene explores what the Bible says about why your work – paid or unpaid, in an office, in a factory, or at home – really matters to God.
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