THE VERSE
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.~Proverbs 23:4
THE THOUGHT
If someone asked you why you work in the job that you do, what would your answer be? Of, if you are still a student, what are your thoughts for the future? Why do you want to pursue those plans? Most people, including many Christians, are in their respective careers simply because they want to make money. But today's Verse points us to a higher standard of Christian behavior, and should prompt a serious heart-check for all of us in the working world. Why do you work? Is it to make money? To "acquire wealth?" Or are you living for something more?Colossians 3 gives us God's motivation for labor: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Work with all your heart, God says, not so you can acquire worldly wealth, but so that you can more effectively serve Jesus, and store up for yourself treasure in heaven. Your career is not about you. Just like everything else, your job exists for one primary, overarching, glorious purpose: to make Jesus look great. Going above and beyond the call of duty is the duty of the Christian worker, because we are not just serving a boss or a company; you are working for your Savior, toiling for His purposes, laboring for His glory, and in the process finding true reward that makes your paycheck look like dust and ashes. Jesus Christ will be magnified and made to look as glorious as He really is when Christians in in every kind of job work for His glory, not their own. His worth is magnified when the "inheritance as your reward" is more precious than your paycheck. The world will take notice when Christians renounce the American Dream of "toiling to acquire wealth" and start investing in the true wealth of knowing Christ and making Him known.
What is your motivation for work? What is your attitude towards menial tasks? What prompts you to put in long hours, and what is your attitude like when overtime strikes? Take some time today and pray, asking for forgiveness for poorly representing and working for Jesus, and ask for the grace to "work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
THE PRAYER
Jesus, You are supremely precious, and Your great love prompts me to offer my career on the altar of Your great grace. Use my job for Your glory; it is You that has given me my employment, and You have commanded me to work for You. Help me to serve You faithfully, heartily, and willingly, seeking Your fame in what I do. Keep my eyes fixed on heaven, and on You as my great inheritance, my Treasure and reward.EXTENDED READING
Matthew 5:19-24Colossians 3:22-24
THE QUOTE
"The law says, 'Do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'Believe in this,' and everything is already done." ~Martin LutherTHROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 30-31Ecclesiastes 9
John 4:15-26
James 5:13-20
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