Do you ever wonder if your job really matters?
All day long you sit in a cubicle and enter numbers into a spreadsheet. By the end of the day your eyes are ready to bleed and your brain synapses are shot. Or you work for a landscaping company, spending your days atop a lawn mower, always caught in a cloud of grass and pollen and sweat.
At the end of the day you wonder, “Does this really matter? Does it matter if I work hard on my spreadsheets or lawns? My boss doesn’t seem to notice, and no one pays much attention to me. Would anyone care if I did my job halfheartedly?”
Yes, someone would care. In Ephesians 6:5-6, Paul writes:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ…
You may not be a slave, but in a very real way, your boss/company is your earthly master, and the way you work should reflect the fact that you follow Christ. You are called to work with a sincere heart, as you would Christ.
Would your level of enthusiasm change if Jesus himself requested a spreadsheet? Would you be more passionate if Jesus asked you to put a new roof on his house? William Hendriksen says:
Fill your service with the energy and the enthusiasm with which you would fill it were it done for Christ, for it really is being done for Christ. It is to him that you belong.
So when you go into work tomorrow, remember who you really serve. Jesus is your CEO. Throw yourself into your work with an enthusiasm worthy of Christ. You belong to him, and he will reward you.
Questions for Discussion:
- When are you most tempted to be lazy at your job?
- How should knowing that Christ is your true CEO affect the way you go about your work?
- Would others know that you are a Christian by the way you work?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
When I worked as a pediatric RN, I cared for children who suffered from cancer and heart disease. It was easy to see and appreciate that my work mattered right then and for eternity as those of us who were Christians had numerous opportunitities to pray and to share the Gospel with children and their families, usually during times of crisis. Life now is not so dramatic. As a wife/stay at home/ homeschooling mom, my work is very different but the Lord reminds me it is still important and it still has eternal consequences. So whether it is doing the laundry (again) or buying groceries (again) or chauffering children around (again),or praying with my children, my goal, although often unmet, is to honor the Lord in all I do. That my husband appreciates all that I do is truly another example of the Lord's grace in my life.
You're right Elaine, your work right now, no matter how "mundane", really does matter. It so motivating to know that when we do our work for the Lord it makes our work truly significant.
Thanks for the reminder, Stephen. I always need this drilled into my head/heart. Though, I'm having nightmares of "Jesus is My CEO" paraphernalia springing up all around!
Yikes, the last thing I want is more "Jesus Is My CEO" t-shirts.
I am reading this post in my break time at work. The post was very convicting as the work I was doin is somethin I really don't enjoy-Checking courier bills:( (and i had put it off a few days) if Jesus himself requested the work to be done probably my heart attitude wud be different.Gotta keep reminding myself that i work unto the Lord… thank you for the encouragement…