One of the books of the Bible I find myself digging into more often than not is that of Proverbs. Unlike many books of Scripture Proverbs does not have a storyline. The book is a collection of wise advice intended for us to follow. We are taught that the first step in learning is to love, respect, and worship God (see: Prov 1:7). This is the foundation of wisdom. The book builds on this foundation and is filled with proposed actions intended to lead to right living accompanied by good outcomes. It is important to note that Proverbs is not a book of promises, but probabilities. In other words, the adages found in Proverbs encourage and equip us to pursue wisdom, but do not make guarantees that in doing so we will always avoid hardship. However, those who walk in wisdom will flourish, in all the spheres of their lives, including their work.
Although all too often in our culture work has become a four-letter word. Many relate to Jonny Paycheck who in 1977 sang, Take this job and shove it. God intends for us to enjoy work. God created us to enjoy meaningful work. Before sin (all the wrongness in the world and in our own lives) ever entered into the world God gave man meaningful and fulfilling work to do. God entrusted to Adam and Eve the administration of all creation. Through the Fall (when sin entered the world) Satan seized mankind’s rule over all creation and became the god (small “g”) of this age. H. Wayne House in his book, Living Wisely in a Foolish World, further explains: “Not only did Adam and Eve loose meaningful work, but they also lost the ability to obey God perfectly. The presence of a sinful nature perverted the experience of work. Work became burdensome and filled with toil.” Here lies the problem or paradox. We have been created with a desire to experience fulfilling work, but sin has warped that desire. As a result, for many of us, our jobs or careers do not offer fulfillment. Proverbs has many teachings to help us put work into a perspective that leads us to fulfillment. In other words, the instructions on work in Proverbs help us work in ways that honor God and moves us to a place to experience the blessing of God, even in our jobs and careers.
Fulfillment in our jobs and careers is found when we understand that only God brings true completeness to our life. We read, “Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil” (Prov 15:16). This passage is not teaching against work that provides a generous income. What it is teaching against is choosing a career as a status symbol. No job has the power to complete your life. Only God can bring you wholeness. A difficult problem develops when people expect from their job what only God can do for them. No career or vocation can make you complete; only God can do this fantastic work.
Fulfillment is found when we commit our work to God. The old sage proclaims, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Prov 16:3). Our work is not for our own glory. All we do is for the glory of God. We need to hand over our jobs and careers to God. The Lord needs to be a part of every area of our lives. When we commit our work to God, even the most mundane work assignment can have tremendous implications.
Fulfillment is found when we understand that our jobs and careers are a means for growth and impact. Here we look at two proverbs. First, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Prov 10:4). Then, “The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin” (Prov 10:16). God uses our work to teach us life lessons. He also uses our work to impact the lives of people around us. Could it be that what we do is not as important as the opportunity what we do provides for our growth and ability to minister to others? When we take our jobs and careers and give them to the Lord, they prove to be a remarkable means of growth and impact.
Fulfillment is found in realizing our jobs and careers are not secular but sacred. We read in Proverbs, “For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths” (Prov 5:21). We also read, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Prov 21:2). Not one book of the Bible differentiates between a secular (something apart from God) and a sacred (belonging to God) job. The main reason for this is that there truly isn’t anything that is apart from God. In fact, as we explore Proverbs, we note that this amazing book treats work as something to be used for serving the Lord. As a result, we are to work in a manner pleasing to God, with a godly attitude. Knowing that our very vocation is sacred has a profound influence on what we choose to do for a living and how we do it. Our work is a means of serving God. Our work is a ministry and we, who are in Christ, are all ministers no matter what we discover written on our employment job descriptions.
Our careers offer us opportunities to exercise our faith, to put what we believe about our Lord into practice. Our work is a place to test our obedience to the Lord. Where we work and what we do provide the opportunity for spiritual growth and impact. Our very jobs are to be looked upon as sacred, set apart for God’s glory. These are profound truths. In fact, this scriptural reality of our jobs ought to have a profound impact on how we view our work. Let me encourage you that our jobs and careers are sacred, belonging to God. When we give our jobs and careers over to God extraordinary things happen in our lives and in the lives of those around us, and we find fulfillment. In Christ, we can take our job and love it.
What a privilege to serve alongside each of you. I pray that right here and now, perhaps for the first time, maybe as a recommitment, that each of us will commit our work to the Lord and be fulfilled in Him. Ask God to work in and through you at your workplace.