Editor’s Note: Read the previous articles in this series below!
“Workism” and God’s Design for Work
The Impact of the Fall on Work
The Bible teaches that work is a God-given blessing, but due to the corruption of sin, it must be approached with diligence, intentionality, and wisdom to protect your family.
In previous articles from our current series on work, we explored the first two biblical principles that will help us balance work and family. First, we considered the high stakes for honoring God both at work and in the home and discussed how God originally created work to be a blessing (Gen 1:26-31). Next, we discussed how the fall of man into sin has corrupted the nature of work and led to many of the problems we encounter today in our jobs (Gen 3:17-19).
Where does that leave us as Christians? If we have a desire to balance work and family in a way that honors God, are we out of luck? Since work has been corrupted due to sin entering the world, does that mean we should just give up? No— definitely not. While there are many ways that we can have an unbalanced view of work, we’ll now explore how we should be working as Christians.
The Motivation for Work: As Unto the Lord
If we’re trying to balance work and family in a God-honoring way, we first need to make sure we have the right motivation to work. As Christians, our motivation to work should not be to make a name for ourselves. It shouldn’t be to get rich. It shouldn’t be to fill a need for significance. It shouldn’t primarily even be to provide for ourselves or our family.
Our ultimate motivation for working should be to honor Christ. Paul says this in:
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 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. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:22-24
Paul is telling us to obey our earthly bosses from a sincere heart. He is telling us to work hard and not just when people are watching. Why? Because we have such great bosses? No—because our ultimate boss is Jesus. We should be working hard at our jobs to honor Christ and to receive an eternal reward (see also Eph 6:5-9). Working as if Christ is your boss, means being diligent to approach your work God’s way.
On the one hand, that means working in a way that isn’t sinful. We shouldn’t be dishonest, we shouldn’t be rude or abusive in how we speak to our co-workers, we shouldn’t be taking credit for other people’s work, or being lazy by not working as hard as we’re capable of.
On the other hand, working with Jesus as your boss means working diligently and honestly. It means faithfully doing what we’re supposed to do, what we say we’ll do, and when we say we’ll do it. Working to be as productive as we can be. It means treating people as Jesus treated others—with love, kindness, and humility. It means having the right attitude and not complaining. Christians should be the best employees in the world.
Paul says that working to honor the Lord will result in spiritual blessings. One day, we will receive eternal rewards in the New Heaven and the New Earth. But God can also bless us now. We see biblical examples like Joseph and Daniel working diligently and honestly in a pagan environment and being rewarded with increased responsibilities (Gen 37-50; Dan 1-4).
Many Proverbs speak about God materially blessing diligence and hard-work. For example:
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Proverbs 10:4
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5
So, taking a step back, it doesn’t matter if you work for a tech company, a hospital, a government office, or in the home—your work should be done with diligence and sincerity to serve Jesus.
With that correct motivation in place, we can be in a position to skillfully and wisely balance work and family in a way that is honoring to God. When our motivation is honoring Christ, we’ll be less prone to overwork or underwork. We’ll be more likely to strike the right balance at work and at home.
Even though the frustrations of this fallen world will still exist in our work, if our hearts have the right motivation for work, our eyes can be opened to the blessings of work. There are many things to be grateful for when we’re working as unto the Lord.
Provision for Self and Family
God is sovereign over all things and he uses our jobs to provide for us and our families. Money for your food, clothing, housing, etc. may come from your job, but really that’s a gracious provision from God. It is worth calling out that as the head of the home, the husband bears the ultimate responsibility to provide for his family.
Using God-Given Gifts
You are made in the image of God and He has graciously given you a unique blend of talents and skills. Your job can be an outlet for you to express creativity, organization, and leadership for the benefit of those who will purchase the goods and services you provide.
Being a Witness for Christ
Unless you work at a church, the odds are pretty good that the vast majority of your co-workers are not believers. God has placed you where you are to be a witness for Christ. He can use relationships you build to bring the gospel to the lost. As they see your godly example, they can see the power of Jesus to transform lives. Some of the best gospel conversations I’ve had have been with my co-workers.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
Giving to the Lord
As God provides income for you, that can be used to fund ministry through sacrificial giving to the church. This can be used as an opportunity to bless you with heavenly blessings and accomplish God’s will through the church.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Providing for the Needy
Work also enables us to provide for those in need. Paul exhorts the former thief to no longer steal, but to engage in legitimate work in order to provide for his own needs and for the needs of others (Eph 4:28).
Now that we’ve tackled some of the Biblical principles behind work, let’s get practical on how these principles should play out in the workplace. In our next several articles, we’ll discuss tangible things that we should be doing to balance work and family. Specifically, we’ll be talking about real-world examples of ways we need to guard our hearts at work to protect ourselves and our family.
