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Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2003

Grace Church of Burlington August 31, 2003 “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”   Victor Frankl             A recent survey revealed that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs. My experience has been that men tend to be unhappy in the workplace but happy at home, whereas women tend to be happy at work but more likely to be unhappy if they are homemakers. Sometimes there are a lot of factors leading to this dissatisfaction. The one issue that is too often overlooked is that God has commanded us to be joyful and content whatever our circumstances. While discontent may be normal for lost people, for the believer it’s a sin. Too many believers think that if they just had a new job, then they’d be happy. And they might be . . . for a while. The root problem rarely is the external work environment; it’s an internal attitude. And there is never an excuse for a believer to have a rotten attitude.    In both Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3, God commanded slaves (not employees) to have the right attitude and to realize that their work had a divine purpose. While working for a master, even a lost master, they were serving the Lord. At the time of the New Testament there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. The majority of those early Christians didn’t just slave at work, they really were slaves. If God commanded them to be diligent workers and have the right attitude, how much more so for us – today – who have so many rights and freedoms! An example is that tomorrow is Labor Day, a holiday for the working person. The first century saints didn’t have holidays off. They never had a free weekend. Let me suggest two considerations...    1) If you are going to please the Lord where you work you must have the right attitude. “. . . obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart”  (Eph. 6:5-6). You must see your work place as your ministry and a gift from God to you (just seeing your workplace as a gift from God should change your attitude). Please be grateful, too, that you even have a job. Recently I heard that in our fragile economy some 10,000 people a day are being laid off.    It’s vital that you do what you were hired to do and with the right spirit. You are to do your job as if Jesus Himself were your Boss, because He is. Scripture teaches that it is God’s will that we do our work from our hearts.  We are to respect our employers (even though he or she might be rough around the edges). When we do what we are asked with the right attitude, we are obeying and honoring the Lord. When it is hard to do what you have been asked, remember you are a servant of Jesus Christ. A believer should not be a moaner, groaner, griper, critic or a complainer. It’s a sin and a poor testimony.     2) If you are going to please the Lord where you work you must have a Christ-centered work ethic, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men” (Eph. 6:7). A follower of Jesus Christ should be among the hardest working people. We ought to do our jobs (or schoolwork for students) with excellency. The Message renders Colossians 3:22, “And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God.”     You might be saying, “You don’t know where I work. What I am doing isn’t making a huge difference in the world. I’m washing cars or mowing grass, or I’m staying at home with my kids.” For a child of God there are no little jobs or even bad ones, if it is the work that God has called us to do. As Martin Luther said, "The work of housewives and shopkeepers is just as holy as that of a clergyman. To wash dishes or mend shoes for the glory of God is no less a sacred task than preaching the gospel."     God does not look at the outward appearance; He looks at the heart. And you never know, your work ethic and joyful attitude might have a profound effect on others. They may come to you and say, “Why do you work so hard?” or “Why are you always so cheerful?” Your answer could be, “Because I want to be the best employee I can be to honor my Heavenly Father.” Your obedience and Christ-honoring attitude validates your testimony about Jesus. Sadly, a “testiphony” of a lazy or disgruntled worker hurts the cause of Christ.     This Labor Day weekend do some serious reflection. Does your work attitude and ethic honor your Heavenly Father? If it dishonors Him, confess it as sin and when you go back to work on Tuesday, determine by His grace to make some real changes. When we remember Who we work for, work becomes worship to the King of Kings!