Committing Your Work to the Lord | Proverbs 16:3

The secular workplace is a spiritual warzone and we need Christians actively engaged in the struggle. There is a war being fought between:

• Sin and righteousness in every office complex
• Truth and falsehood in every school classroom
• Justice and injustice at every courthouse
• Integrity and corruption at every police station
• Beauty and perversity in every art gallery
• Right and wrong at every non-profit

Many years ago, I spent a season working for a non-profit organization. The development department at the organization put out a print piece telling a story about the tremendous impact the organization had on this one family. It sounded too good to be true.

I asked article’s authors if it was truthful. They said, “Well…. all those things happened, but not really to the same family.” So I said, “So it’s truish, but not truthful?” I encouraged them to rewrite it, but they didn’t. I thought that was the end of it.

Last week I ran into those people again. With a smile on her face, one lady said to me, “Truthful, not truish.” She had been convicted ever since that incident years ago to tell the truth to her donors.

I think the gospel had a victory that day. There were plenty of other times that my words, attitudes, and actions could have been better.

There is a spiritual battle being waged in the workplace every day and God has called you and I to be active and engaged in these battles.  It is no waste of time to fight for what is right at work.  Every victory for truth is a victory for Christ and is worth fighting for!

As a bi-vocational pastor, I’m out there working right beside you. I’m a contractor in many of your businesses.  I’m striving to represent the Lord in the marketplace AND to stand up for truth with my clients, working hard as unto the Lord.  I’m not talking to you just as a pastor, but as a small business owner that understands the battles you face every single day.

Our work in the secular marketplace is strategic for the spread of the gospel here in the Verde Valley. Our church would not survive if you and I didn’t work. Every time we go to work and bring home wages, we are handling critical resources needed for the expansion of the kingdom, the discipleship of believers, and the spread of the gospel.  Secular work is critical for the growth of the Kingdom of God, on many different levels.

Secular work is strategic for the spread of the Gospel

The work being done by professing believers at the office or on the jobsite represents Jesus. Canyon Bible Church proclaims biblical truth from this pulpit so that you and I will be more effective representatives of Christ in our everyday lives.

The mission of the church is not only carried out by professional ministers standing in pulpits or by missionaries on the field. The mission of the church is being carried out every day by professionals working diligently for Christ in the marketplace.  Few people are called to represent Christ by proclaiming His Word behind a pulpit.  All of us are called to represent Christ in a variety of settings.

Jesus called it “being in the world and not of the world.” In John 17:15-16, Jesus is praying to God the Father for His disciples and says, “¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

They are in the world, meaning that they are keeping their secular jobs, but they are not of the world, meaning that they are fully aware that they are not at home in this world.  They are on a battlefield, engaged in a spiritual struggle.

In this way, the Bible makes it clear that God’s will for His people is to be scattered like salt and light in a whole range of secular vocations. In other words, God did not intend for us to huddle up in communes.  Christians living and working together exclusively with other Christians is not God’s primary design for reaching the world.

This does not mean that all mission outposts are wrong and that in some contexts they don’t have a useful purpose. I had dinner with a friend of mine on Thursday who is a missionary in the Philippines. He described to me one of their mission outposts that houses radio equipment. It is in the middle of an area with militant and violent Muslims.

They operate their station quietly and discretely from that missionary outpost. By keeping some of their equipment and staff behind a locked fence they minimize their losses. They broadcast Christian programming from inside their four walls, into an area filled with Muslim extremists. Mission outposts in some contexts serve a useful purpose for the spread of the gospel.

BUT… this kind of heavy and violent resistance to the gospel is not common in most places and it does not exist like that here in our country. Christian outposts should be the exception, not the rule. The vast majority of believers are intended to live in the world and work among the unsaved.  For most of you that means:

• Your office is your mission field and ministry calling
• Your truck is your mission field and ministry calling
• Your classroom is your mission field and ministry calling
• Your shop is your mission field and ministry calling

Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17, “¹⁷ …let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

• The call to be a Christian was not a call for everyone to leave their secular jobs in order to pursue full-time vocational ministry
• Nor was it a call to leave the important task of raising children in the home to live in a monastery.

Later in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 24, Paul says, “…in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”  Our calling isn’t to dismiss ourselves from the secular world, but to display God’s immeasurable worth in our jobs.

Display God’s immeasurable worth in the workplace

Paul had a high view of the sovereignty of God and in His sovereign plan, God has assigned people to be lighthouses for the gospel in a variety of ministry and non-ministry settings. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t lead people to change jobs and it certainly doesn’t mean that God doesn’t call people out of secular work for full-time ministry.

What Paul does mean is that when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, we should not automatically jump to the conclusion that our job should change.  Instead, our purpose for work begins to change.  Our focus shifts from, “What’s in it for me?” to “How can I display the immeasurable worth of God in the context of this job?”

I go to an accountant here in Cottonwood who is a believer. One day I was sitting in his office and he pointed to the walls around us and said, “Mark, this is my mission field.” He explained that more people come into his office every year than go in to most pastors’ offices. He was actively looking for opportunities to speak the truth about the Lord in every one of his appointments. He was a great encouragement to me that day and ministered to some of my needs. He is a man who understands what it means to commit his work to the Lord.

Our Text: Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” The Word “commit” in the Hebrew means “to roll away.” It is a word picture in the original language of rolling our work away from our plans over to the Lord’s control.

It is like we have the ball and the Lord is saying, “I’m open.” Willingly, we pass our plans over to the Lord, knowing that His ability is far greater than ours. We could restate the verse this way:  If we roll our work away from ourselves and give it over to the Lord’s control then our purposes and plans will be directed by Him in the right way.

The burning question for every Christian person in the workplace is this: How do I commit my work to the Lord in the context of the home or my profession? I want to answer that question in four parts:

HOW TO COMMITT YOUR WORK TO THE LORD

#1 By enjoying God’s presence throughout the workday

Throughout our workday, you and I have opportunities to enjoy the presence of God.  For example, we can enjoy his presence when we pray before a sales call. We can enjoy the fact that God is there with us!  The Bible says that God cares about a sparrow that is sold for two cents.  In Matthew 10:31 it says, “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In other words, if God cares about a two cent sparrow, don’t you think he cares about the commission on your sales call?

God is there with you all day; He is never further that a prayer away. We can enjoy God in the workplace, knowing that we are with Him and He is with us every hour of the day.  God isn’t just ruling OVER us; He is a God who walks with us.  David exclaims in Psalm 46:7, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” You and I can enjoy the fact that we have the God of the universe there with us during every call, job, or conflict

We can talk to God. He loves to hear from us. We can cast our burdens upon Him and He’ll care for us throughout our work day. We can celebrate the victories we’ve won at work and He is honored when we give Him the glory for answering all those little prayers.

It is God’s gift to us that we are able to work at all. Your skills are precious treasures from your Creator.  Every breath is a priceless gift from the Lord.  If we are healthy enough to work today, it is only because of God’s grace! Acts 17:25b says, “he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

Our ability to see, skill with our hands, and our mental capacity are gifts from God’s hand. When we catch even a glimpse of God’s grace in our lives, we are lead to a state of continual thankfulness!  We are compelled to express with the psalmist praise like these:

“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Ps 86:12

• “Bless the Lord, O my soul!     O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty…” Ps 104:1

It gets better: Add to that reality the awareness that we depend on God for every minute. We depend on Him for all we need for the rest of eternity.  God promises to be steadfast and faithful to His children not only in this moment, but forever.  Lamentations 3:22 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;     his mercies never come to an end…” We have every reason to thank and praise God throughout our workday!

A man or woman who works in the context of thankfulness to the Lord is a person who commits their work to the Lord.

#2 By using your God-given skills and creativity to proclaim His excellence

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” The Bible tells us there is something to be learned from a busy animal like an ant.  An ant subdues it’s surrounding and digs an intricate network of tunnels for a good reason.  Those tunnels serve a critical purpose; they are the home for the ant colony.  Ants seems to enjoy their work.  They are perfectly designed for the tasks they perform.  The skill and the diligence of such a small creature reflects the genius of their Creator.

It might be helpful to ask the question, “How does our work differ from the work of ants or other busy animals?” Does God just want us to be busy? Is He glorified by busyness?”

He certainly is not glorified by idleness, but there is a critical difference in our work that makes it far more glorious than an animal’s busyness. An ant creates his handiwork by design and by instinct.  He never once thinks about the divine pattern of order or how the beauty of God is reflected in his labor.

On the other hand, we are morally self-conscious. We choose to create.  We choose to honor God with our work or to dishonor Him with it.  Every time you and I create something that is beautiful and excellent, we choose our motive for doing so.

• We can choose to create excellent and beautiful work for our glory and our own promotion.
• Or… we can choose to create excellent and beautiful work because God is excellent. We represent Him. We are created in His image. God is beautiful and we want to reflect Him in our work.

The implication of Proverbs 16:3 is that when we roll our work over to the Lord for Him to use for His purposes, our motivation for completing the work is transformed. It is no longer self-promoting but are God-exalting.  When God gives us purpose for our lives, it brings a whole new meaning to the work of his image-bearers.

Because the god we represent is a God of order, beauty and competence ditches are dug straight, and pipe-fittings don’t leak, cabinet corners are flush, surgical incisions are clean, word-processing is accurate, and meals are nutritious.

When work is completed in conscious reliance on God’s power, in submission to His control, and in the pattern of His excellence and creativity, then God is glorified in our work.

God didn’t create us to be idle. Proverbs 19:15 says, “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” There is no blessing to be found in being idle, and true piety is found in the context of men and women who are not afraid of a hard day’s work.  Sarah Edwards, the wife of the great theologian Jonathan Edwards once said,

“Oh how good, is it to work for God in the day-time, and at night to lie down under his smiles!”

Listen to Jonathan Edwards comment about his wife’s statement:

High experiences and religious affections in this person (his wife) have not been attended with any disposition at all to neglect the necessary business of a secular calling, to spend the time in reading and prayer, and other exercises of devotion; but worldly business has been attended with great [enthusiasm], as part of the service of God; the person (his wife) declaring that, it being done thus, it was found to be as good as prayer.

Human beings are created in the image of God and given abilities by their Creator for creative, joyful, God-exalting work Idle people are never happy. Leisure filled lives are not usually happy lives.

It has been my experience that the retired people who are truly happy are those who are actively seeking God-honoring ways of staying active and productive for the good of men and the glory of God. When someone has the ability to work, but chooses idleness instead, they are often overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and futility.

There is joy in using our creativity and our diligence in the work God designed for us to complete. We commit our work to the Lord when we represent Him by striving after excellence in the workplace.

#3 By using your work to enhance the portrait of Christ

I hope I’ve made the case so far that secular work has purpose and value if it is done in a way that honors God. I want to be careful, though, not to overemphasize the value of our work. Work is not the gospel. Hard work does not save anybody. Without the Word of God and without the testimony of His people, our work by itself will not awaken anybody from their spiritual slumber to raise them to a new life with Christ.

So what is the role of our work? The new Testament calls our work an adornment of the gospel.  Titus 2:9-10 says, “⁹ Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰ not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

The point of this passage is not to endorse slavery.  The point of this passage is to describe how workers do their job in a way that “adorns” the doctrine of God. So what does the Bible mean by work “adorning” the gospel?  I think an illustration might be helpful.

The Mona Lisa is the most famous, and arguably the most beautiful, painting in the world. The Mona Lisa was appraised in the 1960 at $100 million dollars. Some believe that this appraisal would put its current value around $800 million.

Let’s say the Mona Lisa represents the gospel. She represents the “doctrine of our God and Savior.”   If the gospel was an expensive painting, our work would be like the frame the surrounds the painting. The painting, itself, was beautiful, but the frame adorns the painting and enhances the beauty of a priceless masterpiece that is already beautiful.

We can commit our work to the Lord by adorning the gospel with our work. We enhance the beauty of Christ by our outstanding efforts and carefully lived lives.

So you and I have to ask this critical question about our work in the secular world: Does our work increase or decrease the attractiveness of the Gospel that we proclaim to unbelievers in the workplace?

This question assumes that people in your workplace know that you are a believer. If they don’t know you’re a believer and you’ve never mentioned Jesus, then your work does not represent the Gospel at all. Working hard without mentioning that you represent Jesus would be like making a beautiful and compelling brochure that never mentions the name of the product it is endorsing. If people don’t know you are a believer, they might be impressed by your work, but they will also be confused over your motivation for excellence.

Please hear me clearly that our hard work won’t save anyone BUT people who live and work well effectively remove obstacles to the Gospel with their actions.

#4 By aspiring to remove obstacles to the Gospel

How do we do this? Paul instructed us to take down obstacles to the gospel by aspiring “…to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands… ¹² so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

In other words, our honest work is not the saving gospel of God, but the crooked car salesman claiming to be a believer is a hindrance to the gospel. He is not adorning the gospel, instead he is erecting a barrier in front of it. It is like he is draping black velvet in front of the Mona Lisa. “The gospel is still beautiful, but I’m having a hard time seeing it through your actions.” He is putting up a roadblock so that the true beauty of the gospel cannot be clearly seen in the way he acts.

We find our mandate to work hard and with integrity in Colossians 3:23. It says: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…” We can commit our work to the Lord by having such high standards of excellence and integrity that we are constantly taking down obstacles to the gospel.

Conclusion

Our vocation becomes a mission field when we make much of Christ during the workday. It is God’s will and God’s plan that His people are scattered like salt and light throughout the secular marketplace.  His aim is for you to represent Jesus so well that your coworkers and clients will want to know Him and to find in Him the source of all-satisfying joy.

Secular people are working for a paycheck and for a moment of leisure on the weekend. To them, work can be a curse and a never-ending drudgery. If you work like they do, you will waste your time, no matter how wealthy you become.

• If your work creates a network of relationships where you can share the gospel, then you are truly rich.
• If you are able to adorn the gospel with your excellent efforts, then God is glorified.
• If your ultimate satisfaction comes not from the paycheck, but from the joy of serving the Lord Jesus Christ in whatever capacity He places you, then God is exalted.