Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. – Ephesians 6:7

Chance are, the majority of you are reading this right now, have a job. You go to a place of employment, work from home, work by traveling from place to place or possibly work as an entrepreneur owning your own business. With that being said, I would like to ask each of you to be honest and think about the job you do, think about the people you work with on a day to day basis and lastly, I want to ask each of you if you like your job you are presently in? The reason I ask is that it appears to me with so many people I encounter as I view them on the job is that they view their jobs as just another day “at the grindstone” so to speak. It would appear that they really do hate their jobs and cannot wait until Friday when they feel like the ole “ball and chain” has been cut loose and they can really begin to enjoy their lives once again if only for the weekend. But what if I told you friend that you could go to work each day and enjoy your work and even work with enthusiasm, with joy and a sense that the work you do is making a difference in the lives of others. You can…let me explain.

You see, God’s plan is to take ordinary people, put them in ordinary places, and get extraordinary glory to Himself. Many years ago, I too saw each job that I did as I mentioned earlier as just another mundane job that I was being paid to do. It was just a way for me to have an income and yes, I was one of those that really didn’t think that the job I was doing was really making a difference in the lives of others other than my own or my families’ in regards to being able to support them. But you see, our jobs are given as a blessing from God to bring Him glory and honor as we do it unto Him and not unto man. This is simply the reason many a person has the mindset they do, even believers! They have not truly gotten the revelation that everything they do, should be done to honor God and to bring others into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Many people believe that work was a result of the fall of man through Adam but that is not at all correct. God gave Adam a job to do before he fell in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:15 we read “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And following in verse 19 He told Adam to name all wild animals and the birds in the sky. It wasn’t until after the fall of man, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit that God said in verse 17 of Chapter 3, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” So you see, work is not a punishment for sin; the punishment was the toil and sweat.

As believers, we should see our jobs as a responsibility and be helpful to others on the job. You see, our work comes from God, so we should work as though we are working for Him as Colossians 3:23-24 reads:“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.” Furthermore, we are called to do a good job at our work, even if is in a worldly place, just as the Israelites were commanded to do while they were in Babylonian captivity as told in Jeremiah 29:4-7.

Lastly, we should see our jobs and the work we do everyday as a ministry and be faithful. Ephesians 6:5-7 reads: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. Yes, there are many a person who choose only to step up their game when the boss man or manager has his eye on them. But what about those times when no one is around, no spotlight, no applause, no accolades, what do we do then. My friend, please know that God’s eye is always upon us and He alone knows the intent and motives of our heart. So yes, let us be faithful not only in the spotlight but be faithful continually in His light. So you see my friend, you truly can find Grace in the Rat Race. Begin to see your job as you are serving Christ each and every day as opposed to serving man..it truly will revolutionize how you view your work each day and how you see others and respond to them as well.

In closing, I hope each and every one of you takes time out tomorrow as we celebrate Labor Day and thank God for His provision of supplying you with a job. A job He has provided just for you to bring Him greater glory here on earth for it is He that you are serving each and every day on that job.

Remain blessed,