Nearly everybody I know has a job, had a job, or will have a job, someday. Obviously, our jobs are a dominant factor in our lives.
During our lifetimes, we will spend about 94,000-110,000 hours working at a job. That amounts to about 34-40% of our waking hours during our working years. In fact, we will spend more time working, commuting to work, and thinking about work than anything else we do. We will spend more time working than we will spend in family activities, or activities with our friends, or in leisure time, or in spiritual pursuits. Unquestionably, our jobs dominate our lives until we retire or die. So, we need to find ways to work that make us happy and successful. What’s more, we need to find ways to work that God will bless.
It’s true that God wants us to succeed in our careers, but also He wants to be our business partner in them. The Bible tells us, Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3, NIV) So, God invites us to commit our activities to Him—to entrust Him with our plans. He wants to be our advisor in everything we do, including our work. And if we follow His guidance, especially as it is found in the Bible, and work hard, we will succeed in life. Best of all, we will have true success, as He defines it.
Furthermore, God warns us against laziness. Lazy hands make a man poor. (Proverbs 10:4, NIV) One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. (Proverbs 18:9, NIV) We must be on guard against living our lives merely for personal satisfaction. Instead, they have a nobler purpose. We need to live them as part of God’s grand plan.
Regardless of whether we dread our jobs or love them, we must realize that working is both a privilege and a responsibility from God. It is intended to be part of our existence. Ultimately, it is for our benefit. Ever since God told Adam, “…through painful toil you will eat of it [the ground] all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17, NIV), we have had to work hard to survive and thrive. Not only is that God’s plan for our lives, but also it helps build our character, when we live by His guiding principles for the Christian life.
As we start a new year and a new decade, let’s resolve to use our time wisely and be industrious. Let’s make the most of our jobs, working to be happy and successful. And, regardless of whether we have a job or are between jobs or are retired, let’s find ways to be productive with our lives for Christ’s sake.
Remember, God loves you and so do I.
Phil