Your Work Matters … to God!

Do you love your job? Does what you do for a living bring meaning to your life? No doubt we’ve all had goals or dreams of the work we truly wanted to do in our lives. Yet often, the work we are doing doesn’t seem remotely close to what we hoped for. 

As believers in a living relationship with God what we should strive to understand is that all of our work has meaning, and it matters to God. 

Christians often believe the only work God finds important is the work of pastors, or evangelists, or missionaries – or other Christian-based endeavors that have been “officially” ordained. 

But this is a misconception.

All Work Matters to God

All our work matters to God, and He wants us to come alongside Him in serving others to accomplish His purposes. Since the beginning, work has been part of God’s plan for humanity. As we read in Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in Eden to work it and take care of it.” 

God created all work as a gift to us. That means there is always purpose and meaning in the work we do and finding that meaning is “a choice” we make. 

Of course, it can sometimes be difficult to believe our work is meaningful, especially if we feel undervalued or overlooked in our work environment or if we aren’t doing the type of work we love. 

Workmatters.org, a ministry devoted to inspiring Believers to fully integrate their faith lives with their work lives, puts it this way: “The meaning we give our work determines the attitude we have about it, which affects the quality and excellence we bring to our work.”

The writer of Ecclesiastes goes further, declaring, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God” (Ecclesiastes 2:24). Work is a part of God’s plan for our lives, not merely something we do just to put food on the table; it’s one of the major ways God has given us to bring glory to Him. 

Our Attitudes Shape Our Gratitude 

When we believe what we do is insignificant it can have a negative impact on our attitude, affecting our quality or performance at work. We become ungrateful for God’s provision, causing is to offer less than our best. And the more the quality of our work is impacted, the greater the feelings of negativity can grow. It can be a vicious cycle, all fed by the quiet voice of the enemy whispering in our minds that what we do is meaningless and doesn’t matter. 

I know I’ve experienced this myself over the years!  

A poor attitude toward our work can come from many places: perhaps a general lack of purpose in our jobs and the daily tasks we’ve been assigned; or the behaviors of those around us. Maybe our leaders don’t inspire us, or their actions are less than honorable. 

Regardless, when we allow these external factors to shape how we approach our work, we can lose the motivation to do our best effort. That doesn’t honor God and is not what He wants for us! 

Where Do We Turn?

What can we do to choose our best attitude, to find motivation and fulfillment in the work God has laid before us? How do we follow Paul’s instruction to approach our work “with all our heart as working for the Lord?” 

Quite simply, we do that by relying on God! When we place our meaning into God’s hands and trust in His plan, He will empower us to consistently produce the best results at work all for His glory. 

We must vigilantly guard against negative attitudes, remembering our identity is in Christ, not in the world or the workplace. Billy Graham once wrote, “Our work was never meant to become the center of our lives. That place belongs only to God.” 

Remember always, God uses our work for His purposes. When we abide in Him, we have the confidence that God is using our work for something bigger that will produce results we could’ve never achieved on our own. 

A couple of weeks ago our blog was about a bigger view of God and we asked a question: “Is your God with a little g or a big G?” That applies to everything in our lives, from our trials, to our marriages, our relationships, our work, and our finances … all of it. 

The same principle applies here. We must trust and know that God wants us to give Him the best in all we do, with every part of us. We also can take comfort in knowing He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). However, He reminds us we must “do the work”… pray, read His word, steward our resources, surrender every day to Him. 

When you pray each day, try asking these questions:

• What real meaning is at work for His Kingdom?
• How can you see your work through His eyes?
• How can you increase your reliance on Him?
• How can you use your work for His purposes?

Heavenly Father, 

I know You are always at work in my life.

Please help me increase my faith and remain strong through my trials and difficulties.

Help me know You will do amazing things through me.

I pray and trust that You will use my work in the larger plans You have, building my character and strengthening me daily.

Continue giving me wisdom in my work, my life, and my relationships so that everything I do may glorify Your purposes only. 

Amen

May God always guide your path