Working to Make a Difference

Why do we work?

For a lot of us that is a simple answer. Money. We all need money to provide for our families and ourselves, but God also commands us to work. 

In Genesis, God set a pattern of work for us by working for six days on creation and resting one, and this was echoed in the Ten Commandments (Genesis 1, Exodus 20:9-10). Then, “the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). And all was good until Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the Serpent. Not only did sin and death enter into the world, but work became hard:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:18-19). 

In the New Testament, working and providing for your family is mandatory for thriving in the faith (2 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Timothy 5:8).

So, we’ve established why we work; however, that does no more to answer the question of how we should work than when a kid asks you “Why?” and you say, “Because I said so.” What we want to explore is this:

How can we work to make a difference?

I’m a software engineer working for a contracting company. If you are like me, you sometimes find it hard to see how your work can make a difference in people’s lives or make a difference for the kingdom of Christ. You may wish that you were doing something that made a bigger difference in the lives of the people in this world; you know, something that matters. 

Here’s the good news: the job you’re in now, the career you are in right now is the opportunity you need to make a difference in people’s lives for the kingdom of God.

“But I’m not a pastor. Aren’t pastors and people who work at the church the only people who can do God’s work?“ - You, before finishing this article.

So you’re not a pastor, you’re not a worship leader, you’re not a Sunday School teacher. You can still make a difference for the kingdom of God and in people’s lives. 

Matthew 28:19-20, the Great Commission, sends all of us out to work to build the kingdom - no matter what our chosen career path may be. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Do you know who was included in that command that Jesus gave? Fishermen. He didn’t reserve that command just for those who worked in the church. He knew that he needed to have boots on the ground, not just in the church.

So we know why we should work, and that even in the jobs we currently hold we can still make a difference. But how?

I think the best way to make a difference is to glorify God in all that we do. And how do we do that? The following is a list of ways we can glorify God through our work from an article written by The Gospel Coalition (TGC) here. 

God is glorified when we put our whole selves into our work, with a view toward pleasing God, not men (Colossians 3:23-24).
God is glorified when we are honest, even when it hurts us or prevents us from getting ahead (Psalm 15, Genesis 39).
God is glorified when we honor our superiors and submit to their authority (1 Timothy 6:1, Romans 13:7).
God is glorified when we treat our work associates with kindness and respect (Luke 6:31, Romans 12:18).
God is glorified when we expose fraud or dishonesty or unethical behavior (Ephesians 5:11-13).
God is glorified when we approach our work prayerfully (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
God is glorified when we avoid complaining or grumbling, even in less-than-ideal work situations (Philippians 2:14-15).
God is glorified when we refuse to make work and money our idols (Matthew 6:24, Ecclessiastes 5:10-12).
God is glorified when we plan diligently for the future (Proverbs 21:5).
God is glorified when we live simply and give generously (Proverbs 22:9, 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
God is glorified when we trust him to provide today what we need for today (Matthew 6:11).
God is glorified when we rest from work (Deuteronomy 5:13-15, Psalm 46:10).

John Piper is famous for saying, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” When you find you are most satisfied in God, and you put these practices to use in your work, people are going to notice. They will know that you are working for something higher. They will see your light shine, and that can make all the difference in the world.