The Will of God and Work

Mark Dunagan
09/09/12 - Sunday Evening

The Will of God and Work

The average person working from ages 18-65 an average 8 hour day 5 days a week will put in 97,464 hours over their lifetime. It's no wonder our Lord has so much wisdom to offer us on the topic:

• “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
• “Whatever good thing each one does” (Ephesians 6:8).
• “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23).
• But does God have an individual career chosen and planned for each individual to discover? Paul’s instruction to servants not to worry about being a servant, yet to take any opportunity to become free, (1 Corinthians 7:21) does not make sense if God specifically wanted a Christian to be a servant or be a freeman.  Rather, the verse clearly teaches that whether one remains a servant or becomes free neither will in any way affects God’s plan for an individual, nor one’s eternal destiny.

The Purpose for Work

Many of us today are told to find employment or pick a career in which we will find personal fulfillment.  It is wise to choose a career you think you'll enjoy, yet remember this:

• Fulfillment is an elusive thing, because even the “ideal job” will have parts that are annoying.  If we love working outside, the weather will not be pleasant at times, if we get a job that pays very well, typically such jobs come with longer hours and more responsibility.  Even preachers who love the lost, do not enjoy every aspect of preaching, and even elders who “desire” their work (1 Timothy 3:1) do not enjoy every part of shepherding the flock.  Being an apostle was a great “job”, but it too came with many hardships (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).
• God should always be our major source of fulfillment, alongside the fulfillment that comes from a mate, children, and our brethren.  Life is about relationships, and a career should not be the primarily source of fulfillment in our lives.  If you could ask First Century Christians what fulfilled them they would probably say their relationship with Christ (Ephesians 3:19; Philippians 4:10-13).

Other generations may have not have even considered the "Is my career satisfying?" question.  Making a decision in past generations was often determined by what was available in your area, and what level of education you and your parents could afford. “It would be a good exercise to ask your grandparents sometimes if they felt fulfilled in their careers.  They’ll probably look at you as if you’re speaking a different language, because you are.  Fulfillment was not their goal.  Food was, and faithfulness too.  Most older folks would probably say something like, ‘I never thought about fulfillment.  I had a job. I ate.  I lived.  I raised my family.  I went to church.  I was thankful’” (Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung p. 31).

• Just as all jobs have challenges, all jobs—or most jobs— have aspects of them that most mature Christians could find interesting.  This is one reason why God said to do “whatever” we do with all our might, or to work heartily as to the Lord in “whatever” we do.  Mature, grateful Christians can find enjoyment in all sorts of things, just as the immature might have a hard time enjoying even the best job.  Paul said that he could find happiness in any circumstance, and this optimistic attitude is certainly a happier way to live.
• For example, being a minimum wage pumper at the local gas station would give a Christian many opportunities to meet people, including lost souls who are struggling and need help.   One would be working outside and be able to enjoy many beautiful summer evenings and mornings.
• Remember the curse in Genesis that has never been lifted, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:19).  Be wise and understand that as a result of this curse, there is no trouble-free, sweat-free and ideal job.  All careers will require effort. Look for reasons you enjoy it.

“What Should I Do for a Living?”

• Search the Scriptures

Allow me to clarify.  You will obviously not find a Scripture that says, “Be an insurance agent, get a degree in agriculture, or become a welder”.  The reason you start with searching the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) is because before we pick a vocation we need to clearly understand the level of sanctification that God expects (1 Thess. 4:3).  I need to be fully aware that as a Christian lying, deception, and stretching the truth are not an option (Acts 5).  So I cannot work for a company that wants me to lie or misrepresent a product, and so on.  When you see in scripture the priority of worship (Hebrews 10:25), it's a reminder to stay away from jobs requiring hours that would prevent you from worshipping God.  Remember, love and honor expressed by keeping God’s commandments is our primary purpose here (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) and not sacrificing our spiritual lives, marriages or children for a company reveals our priorities.

• Pray

It would be futile to ask that God would whisper in your ear which career field to choose.  But for what should the faithful pray when it comes to getting a job?

1. “God, help me be honest at the interview and with my resume”.
2. “Help me work hard so that I bring honor to you” (Titus 2:10).
3. “Help me resist the temptation to steal even just time from my employer”.
4. “Help me with my motivation—I do not want to work simply to get rich”.
5. “Thank you that I was born into a land of opportunity”.
6. “Help me to avoid gossip or gossiping and complaining at my place of employment”.

• Get Wise Counsel

Allow other people that you respect to give you advice.  Ask them:

1. “ I am thinking about this career or major—what do you think?”
2. “Where do you think that I need to improve?”

• Be Willing to Listen to An Answer: Proverbs 9:7-9

That is, be willing to accept some criticism, such as:

1. “At times you seem to be unmotivated in the other areas of your life and the path you are choosing will demand lots of energy—so how is this going to work?”
2. “You seem to have a hard time being on time”.
3.  “Before you choose that path—are you sure you can support a future family on what that field or trade will pay?”
4. “Do you understand the effort, time, and level of education needed for that field you are choosing?”

That First Job

Never downplay that first job, for it is often the stepping-stone to other things.  Equally, do not snub minimum wage jobs in various service industries. 

• Such jobs are the best motivation to finish your education or get a trade.
• Many people in the past made it through college because of such jobs. 
• Often once you are part of a business, you can work part-time during the school year, and then full-time during the Christmas break, spring break and the summer. 
• Working at a low level job looks far better to a future employer than not working at all. 
• You will learn valuable personal skills when working with the public. 
• Many people who started at the bottom in a business, actually ended up near the top after many years.  Successful businesses are that way because they often use talent from the inside.  So if you are a hard-worker with a good attitude, they will often want to move you up to higher positions. 

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net