“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:2-4).
Hello, my name is Dr. Bengel. “I am a Christian, masquerading as a dentist. What is your name?” I laughed as I met this man for the very first time. He was boldly proclaiming that He wanted to be known by who he was in Christ instead of who he was in his occupation.
If Christ is Lord over all of life, then He must be Lord over work, too. Our identity must be wrapped up in who we are, not just what we do. “Whatever we do for work, we should do it in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17), that is, with a concern for His approval and in a manner that honors Him.
The Spirit empowers us to live and work with Christ-likeness. Christ gives the Holy Spirit to help us live in a way that pleases Him that has enormous implications for how we do our jobs.
God values our work even when the product has no spiritual value. A common measure of the significance of a job is its perceived value from the eternal perspective. Will the work “last”? Will it “really count” for eternity? The assumption is that God values work for eternity, but not work for the here and now. This is not a biblical truth, but heresy.
Keep in mind the following when you are tempted to deem secular work as second-class Christianity.
-God Himself has created a world which is time-bound and temporary (2 Pet. 3:10-11).
-God promises rewards to people in everyday jobs, based on their attitude and conduct (Eph. 6:7, 9; Col. 3:23, 4:1).
-God cares about the everyday needs of people as well as their spiritual needs. He cares whether people have food, clothing, shelter, and so forth.
-God cares about people, who will enter eternity. To the extent that a job serves the needs of people, He values it because He values people.*
Your work does matter to God. You are called to first to be a Christian, but masquerading as a doctor, lawyer, construction worker, secretary, or whatever.
*Adapted from Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993, 1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible appearing at this web site are for personal use only.
