Who Do You Serve?

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive an inheritance.  It is the Lord whom you serve.”  Col 3:23-24

When the Apostle Paul penned these words for the church at Colossae, he was writing to slaves (indentured employees).   People had regular jobs, just like you and me.  The masters (bosses), of these slaves ran the gamut from incredibly harsh to incredibly grace-filled and loving and everything in between, much like the bosses of today.

When Paul said to “work heartily, as for the Lord rather than men” we are reminded to do it regardless of our work circumstances.  We are to go above our work circumstances and the temperament of our bosses and, instead, work for our ultimate boss, God.  In everything that one does throughout the day, we work for God. 

Who do you work for?  Do you work for the approval of your boss?  Your spouse?  Your friends?  Is the approval of these people you work for more important that God? Dare I ask, is this approval your idol?

What is preventing you from working “as for the Lord”?  What if you were to cast aside all fear, need for approval, striving for self and were to focus your energy on pleasing the Lord in your work?

We of Crossroads Career Network care deeply about this subject of working “heartily, as for the Lord”.  Not only are we equipped to assist you in finding your calling in Christ, but one of our main goals is to teach you to be Christ in the workplace and to remind you of who you work for.

Not only are you to know who you work for, but our Lord can lead you in affecting your work culture for Christ.  Climb the corporate ladder, but not for the approval of men. Do it so that you can be in a place of more and more influence so as to be a stronger voice for your ultimate boss, Christ.

To give you an idea of how God feels about this topic, go to http://www.reclaim7mountains.com/ Here is a little excerpt from the website:

“There are 7 Mountains of Influence in Culture
In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission, had lunch together in Colorado. God simultaneously gave each of them a message to give to the other. That message was that if we are to impact any nation for Jesus Christ, then we would have to affect the seven spheres of society that are the pillars of any society. These seven pillars are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. About a month later the Lord showed Francis Schaeffer the same thing. God is calling men and women today to realize that we must begin to focus our gifts and talents to affect these seven spheres of society if we expect to regain the foundations that have made our nation great.”¹

Which of these seven spheres do you work in?  You can play a part in your workplace in affecting these mountains for Christ.  Be Christ in your workplace and in life.

If you’d like to learn more about being Christ in your workplace and working “heartily, as for the Lord”, register for the class Discovering Purpose and Power: A Journey Toward Destiny.  This class will be offered in September.  Watch your bulletin for more information, email us or call the church at 920-730-8383 and ask them to let Jean know you are interested.

¹ Marketplace Leaders; July 13, 2009; http://www.rclaim7moutains.com/