Issue #155, May 13, 2015
Paul’s view of vocation has challenged us to see our work as a call to stewardship and a call to worship. Seeing vocation in this way leads to action and Paul is clear that servant leaders are called to work and to work well! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). Paul calls all servant leaders to work with all your heart. This is a call to put our best effort and energy into the work we do. Servant leaders are called to work with excellence. Our thinking about work will impact the quality of our work.
Excellent work is focused.
Paul reminds servant leaders that we are to work with all our hearts as working for the Lord. Our focus is on the Lord, not on men. If our focus is on the people we work for or with, we will be disappointed sometimes when they don’t perform or reward us as we expected. If our focus is on our career, we might be disappointed when we don’t make the progress we desire. But when our focus is on God, we will be able to remember that we are called to this work and we are doing it for God’s glory. What a difference this will make in how we do what we do! Since we are working for Him we naturally want to do our work with excellence. Think about how you would work today if you knew the president of your nation was coming to visit tomorrow. You would naturally focus on doing your best for that occasion. Servant leaders work daily with the awareness that Jesus is the one looking at their work. They focus on doing their best because they are working for the creator of the universe!
Excellent work is fulfilling.
When we work with our whole hearts and do an excellent job we find deep fulfillment and satisfaction because we were created to work. Many leaders see work as a necessary evil but God called Adam and Eve to work before sin entered the world. From the beginning God intended for each of us to be co-workers with Him in the world He created. We are supposed to work hard to feed our families and to have to share with others. Work is good, and we all know the satisfaction of working hard and doing a good job! Servant leaders see their work as a calling and an act of worship so when they complete a task with excellence they recognize that they have brought glory to God. They are eager to sharpen their skills so that they become more and more excellent at what they do thereby bringing more glory to God.
Excellent work is fruitful.
Paul says that we will receive a reward from our efforts as we work with all our hearts. There are both natural and eternal rewards for servant leaders who work with excellence. When we work, we naturally expect to receive some form of payment for our labor. Farmers may actually see the ‘fruit’ of their labor but most leaders receive their fruit in the form of a salary or profit. We expect that excellent work will receive a greater reward than poor work. In addition to natural rewards, Paul makes it clear that our work will have an eternal reward. This implies that we will be rewarded in heaven for the work we have done for His glory and with excellence. It also implies that the work of servant leaders impacts the lives of those around them in ways that can change eternal destinies. Servant leaders are conscious that what they do with their hands is a reflection of the God they serve. They work with excellence to make God look good to those who are watching. Servant leaders bring people to Jesus as they work because of the way they work
Have a day filled with excellent work for the glory of God!
For further reflection and discussion:
- Read Genesis 1:26-28 and think about the origin of work. What was God’s original instruction to mankind? What does this passage teach about the value of our work? What impact did sin have on God’s plan?
- Read 1 Corinthians 4:12. How did Paul work and what does this imply for your vocation?
- How would you rate the quality of the work you do in light of Paul’s call to work with your whole heart? Are there changes you need to make in how you work as a result?
- Reflect on what the following scriptures teach about our work. Proverbs 14:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Proverbs 22:29, Deuteronomy 8:18 Write down what you learn from these verses.
- Does the way I work encourage people around me to follow Jesus? If not, what needs to change?