“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.” – Colossians 3:23-24
This week, we will continue to speak to the men and today’s topic is about the importance of getting and keeping a job. Jesus worked His whole life. When He was a little boy, He had chores, and He worked. He grew up in a peasant, rural family, and He grew up working with His dad, who was a carpenter. Jesus spent 90% of His life working a job and the last three years preaching, teaching, and healing. He was just going to work with His dad for, roughly, the previous 30 years. He was obedient both as a carpenter and as a minister. Our God, who was being worshiped by angels in Heaven, came down to earth and got a job. So, if you think, “I want to be like Jesus,” then get a job.
For guys who sit at home all day and spiritualize their softness saying, “I want to read my Bible and sing and pray all day and pontificate as if life was never-ending Bible college where soft men sit in comfy chairs reading about dead men who did things while not doing anything,” that’s the pagan Greek life, not the Protestant work ethic, and that’s not the example of Jesus. If you don’t work, you’re a problem. God hasn’t created you to sit around all day and pontificate, theologize, and speculate, but to get some things done. Jesus is your example. He knew the Bible, studied, prayed, and sang, but He went to work six days a week and wiped sweat from His brow. For you to be a man of God, you must work and work for Jesus.
Colossians 3:23-24 speaks to this very topic. Whatever your job is – plumber, electrician, mechanic, accountant, lawyer, engineer, doctor, pilot, roofer, teacher – “work heartily.” If you’re a Christian man, you should work harder than other men because your work is your worship.
When you go to work, above your boss is your God. If you have a bad boss, your work ethic does not change because you still have a good God over your bad boss. You don’t steal from your boss because you’re ultimately stealing from the Lord. You don’t bill people for hours you don’t work because you’re ultimately working for your Lord. Since every Christian man ultimately works for Jesus as Lord over all of his life, you should show up early, do your best, be honest, act with integrity, and be living for the final performance review at the end of this life hoping to hear from Jesus, “Well done.” In the meantime, we trust that the sovereignty of God extends over our work and that, if we are committed to work as worship, our God will help us pay our bills and feed our families.
Tomorrow we will look at the generational impact of activated men.
Who is depending on you to get your work done?
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