Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Back to Work

After a long holiday weekend, it's time for most of us to head back to work. Thought this would be a good time to share some thoughts on the theology of work.

God has called his people to be holy. In other words, to be set apart. To be different. Work is one of those areas where we can be set apart from our world.

My theology of work comes straight from these verses. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV)

As God's people, the quality of our work sets us apart. Getting the job done isn't enough. Since we're working for God instead of a human boss, we're called to do the job well. Doesn't matter what your job is. You can do your job well, to the glory of God.

I'm sure there are some who are muttering, "But you don't understand. I hate my job! My boss is a jerk. My pay is too low. My mundane job is the very definition of boring."

Look back at the verses from Colossians again. If your boss is a jerk, remember you're not working for him/her anyway. You are "working for the Lord."

If your pay is too low, remember "you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."

If your job is boring, remember that you don't have to have an exciting job to please God. He said, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart." Mark Batterson wrote, "One of the greatest acts of worship is to do a good job at a bad job."

While we're thinking through all of this, it's important to remember that Jesus worked. The Bible tells us that Jesus went through the entirety of the human experience, and that includes work. He worked as a carpenter. A blue-collar, hard-working, underpaid carpenter. And I am convinced that Jesus worked hard at being an excellent carpenter. Dorothy Sayers wrote, "No crooked table legs or ill-fitting drawers, I dare say, came out of the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth."

The average American will spend over 100,000 hours at the workplace in his/her lifetime. That means that you and I have 100,000 opportunities to honor God through our work.