Seeing our Work through Christ’s Eyes
Who are we and why are we here? Paul says “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). We, in Christ, have been created by God to work for a purpose, and are empowered by Him as we fulfill this destiny. We’re Jesus’ hands and feet as we live out our calling through family, friends, the Church and those we serve in the marketplace. As Christ followers, we’re privileged to be His co-heirs and co-laborers in transforming this culture, one relationship at a time. This is our primary ‘vocation’ and calling. By His providence we’ve been given heightened responsibility and opportunity to steward His resources in business.
Consider how God built His Church. As recounted in “Why Work?” (Nancy & Howard Olsen,M3 Planning, 2006), the Christian faith was birthed and flourished in the marketplace. Jesus, a small town carpenter, recruited His disciples in the marketplace where He also made 122 of His 132 New Testament public appearances. Of His 52 parables, 45 had workplace settings. The gospels were written by workplace professionals. After Pentecost, the explosion of believers happened all over the city. Those working with Paul to reach the Gentiles typically led lives which blended business and ministry. Of the 40 divine interventions recorded in Acts, 39 occurred in the marketplace. When the Jerusalem temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., the early Church moved its ‘center’ to Antioch, a vital merchant trading center. Fast-forwarding to America, our founders coupled faith with work in establishing a free nation “under God.” The subsequent ‘great awakenings’ in our history gained their momentum in the marketplace.
What does this mean for us? Did we really sign up for all of this? It’s certainly far more comfortable to view our vocation as simply a 40-60 hour-per-week job. But artificially dividing life into secular and sacred realms doesn’t square with God’s Word. The Puritans had it right in seeing our vocation broadly as God’s call to social, economic, civil, and church engagement as we serve His purpose, using our God-given talents and opportunities to serve others. Jesus didn’t say “go to church,” but rather He called His people to be the Church and “go out”! But we all have specific areas where we like to hang out and devote our energy, often at the exclusion of other priorities. Whether we’re workaholics, doting parents, “can’t say no” church volunteers, or obsessive hobbyists, we must be careful not to reshape God’s call on our life into a lopsided focus on one or two things while ignoring others. Puritan pastor Richard Baxter said, “Overdoing is the most ordinary way of undoing.” In contrast, ‘diligence’ simply involves a constant, motivated effort to do what God wants, by seeing every responsibility as an assignment from, and for, the Lord… nothing more, and nothing less.
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