Monday MattersSample

Work to Provide and Grow

It’s helpful to filter our response to God’s interest in our work through three focus areas: Us (our growth and provision), Others (the way we serve and witness to others), and Him (how our work aligns with God in creativity and worship). We’ll start with Us.

God is our provider, and if He’s built us for a purpose, we can be confident that He’ll give us the necessary resources to complete His mission. Paul puts it this way: ‘And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV) God’s provision is to some extent dependent on us taking responsibility for the work we do. There’s a story about two farmers praying for rain during a drought. God sends rain, but only one farmer harvests a crop – because only that one farmer was ploughing while he prayed. We need to put a hand to the plough even as we believe in God’s benevolence. And then, as God provides for us, we get to be generous to others.

We work to provide, and we also work to grow in godliness – to be transformed, more and more, into the image of Jesus. Isaiah uses the analogy of the Potter and the clay to show how God shapes us into His likeness, for His glory. The clay analogy sounds poetic, but it’s not if you’re the clay, which you are. You get kneaded and rolled, then slammed on a wheel then spun around. Then the thumbs go in and if the shape doesn’t form you get rolled and slammed again. Ultimately just when your shape is perfectly formed, you get put in a fire! God’s will is certainly not the path of least resistance.

Today, thank God for a workplace challenge God is currently using to mould or refine you, because if you want your work to matter in this life and the next, you’ll need to embrace the challenges and surrender to how God is using them to shape you. It may be hard to swallow the truth that God’s main concern is our character and not our prosperity, but as we yield to Him, we see favour, opportunities to grow, and our own transformation. A crucial part of this process is our decision to lean into the disciplines of prayer, studying God’s Word, being in community, honouring relationships, eating well, sleeping enough, exercising regularly, and finding margin in our daily lives.

All we have comes from God, and we get to respond to that amazing grace by working diligently – with excellence and integrity – believing Him for His provision. May you be found faithful, wise, and compassionate in your stewardship and your giving. Make a habit of inviting the Lord into your thoughts, desires, and concerns over provision. Take every opportunity to consider God’s presence and purpose in your work, allowing Him to transform you by His Holy Spirit.