Stewardship Of WorkSample

How Should We Work? 

The Bible has a great deal to say about how you are to conduct yourself on your job, either as an employee, or an employer. Since about a quarter of a person's adult life is spent on a job, it is essential for the Christian to learn about the right attitude on how to work.

A Christian’s work is to be characterized by diligence and excellence. Too often people are focusing on where they can work next and how much they can make there, but God is interested in how a person works in the job they currently have and whether they work whole-heartedly and with diligence. 

Paul says to workers, don’t be an eye-pleaser (Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22). Someone has defined an eye-pleaser as one who gives “minimum performance, unless someone is watching.”

The Bible has a lot to say about laziness. Almost one out of every twenty proverbs between 10:1 and 22:6 deal with the problem of laziness or the virtue of diligence—eighteen proverbs in all. Scriptures are clear in stating that laziness and idleness are sins (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:10-13; Prov. 21:25)

God does everything with excellence. After the creation of everything, He saw that it was very good. 

Daniel and his friends also did work with excellence to such an extent that the king exclaimed that they were ten times better than all others (Dan. 1:19-20)

One of the easiest ways to discredit Christ in the workplace is for Christians to do inferior work. In order to earn respect, our work should stand apart because we do our work as unto the Lord (Col. 3:17). Doing quality work will not be the primary means of winning others to Christ, but doing poor-quality work can disqualify us very quickly from ever having the opportunity to present Christ in a positive light.

Several other attitudes are also mentioned in other passages of Scripture. Workers are to be submissive and obedient to their bosses (Col. 3:22; Titus 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:18-25), faithful to their assignments (Prov. 25:13), trustworthy (1 Cor. 4:2) and honest--not one to steal (Titus 2:10), respectful of their bosses (1 Tim. 6:1-2) and not argumentative with them (Titus 2:9).

The most important thing in life is not work but faithfulness to God. God is to be our master, not our work or money (Matt. 6:24). Matt. 6:33 says to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.”

According to Lee Smith, “If our work gets between us and our relationship with God, our relationship with our spouse and children, or our willingness to serve Christ and His church, it has become an idol.”

But it is possible to pursue excellence in a career and “have a profession without it becoming an obsession.” To accomplish this, balance in life is needed

Quote: There are three kinds of workers. For example, when a piano is to be moved, the first kind gets behind and pushes, the second pulls and guides, and the third grabs the piano stool. - Source Unknown.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that I will not make my work an idol and dethrone You from Your rightful place. Help me to seek You first in everything, including my work. Amen