According to the most current listing I could find (August 2016), the top 10 occupations (in terms of availability) in Orange County include: nurses, admin. support, insurance sales, electrician, loan officer, computer support, supervisor of construction trades, paralegal, cost estimator, and production clerks.
There are all kinds of jobs available in our area and it’s interesting to note that only 3 of those require more than a High School diploma. Jobs are everywhere! And yet, to hear the conversations in a coffee shop, the opposite is true. Supposedly there are not very many good jobs out there and the ones that are, bring no joy.
Maybe that is because we are looking at our work all wrong. Our message last Sunday reminded us that we are all prisoners with a purpose. We are ministers with a ministry. Our everyday jobs are indeed our ministry.
And, our job, our ministry is a gift from God. We have the power to accomplish it with excellence as a gift from God. We serve by the grace He bestows upon us. We have bold access to Him as we serve others. A minister is willing to pay the cost as a prisoner with a purpose.
I wonder why more of us do not see our regular jobs as our ministry. Likely it is because we don’t truly understand the Biblical concept of work. Many of us think that work came because of the fall (Gen. 3). But actually, meaningful work came before the fall. God gave Adam and Eve wonderful, fulfilling, satisfying work as a blessing, not a punishment.
Some Old Testament prophecies include work in the life to come. We were created to work. Eph. 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
Read through the New Testament parables and see how many of them seem to point to the idea that we will have future work responsibilities in the new earth. He says in Rev. 22:3 that “…His servants will serve Him” there.
Our everyday work, whether we sit at a desk, travel around selling things, organize tasks for other people or lead teams ourselves is a gift from God. Whether we work with our hands or our minds, we are to tackle all those responsibilities as ministers with a special ministry. We are to serve those around us, as if we were serving Christ directly.
With such an attitude, the conversation around the proverbial water cooler will be much different. Our commitment to personal excellence will be obvious. Our relationships will be real and drive our prayer life. Our spirits will be generous. Our efforts will be obvious and our willingness to help readily apparent.
And likely when our job is our ministry, we won’t even need a handbook!
There are all kinds of jobs available in our area and it’s interesting to note that only 3 of those require more than a High School diploma. Jobs are everywhere! And yet, to hear the conversations in a coffee shop, the opposite is true. Supposedly there are not very many good jobs out there and the ones that are, bring no joy.
Maybe that is because we are looking at our work all wrong. Our message last Sunday reminded us that we are all prisoners with a purpose. We are ministers with a ministry. Our everyday jobs are indeed our ministry.
And, our job, our ministry is a gift from God. We have the power to accomplish it with excellence as a gift from God. We serve by the grace He bestows upon us. We have bold access to Him as we serve others. A minister is willing to pay the cost as a prisoner with a purpose.
I wonder why more of us do not see our regular jobs as our ministry. Likely it is because we don’t truly understand the Biblical concept of work. Many of us think that work came because of the fall (Gen. 3). But actually, meaningful work came before the fall. God gave Adam and Eve wonderful, fulfilling, satisfying work as a blessing, not a punishment.
Some Old Testament prophecies include work in the life to come. We were created to work. Eph. 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
Read through the New Testament parables and see how many of them seem to point to the idea that we will have future work responsibilities in the new earth. He says in Rev. 22:3 that “…His servants will serve Him” there.
Our everyday work, whether we sit at a desk, travel around selling things, organize tasks for other people or lead teams ourselves is a gift from God. Whether we work with our hands or our minds, we are to tackle all those responsibilities as ministers with a special ministry. We are to serve those around us, as if we were serving Christ directly.
With such an attitude, the conversation around the proverbial water cooler will be much different. Our commitment to personal excellence will be obvious. Our relationships will be real and drive our prayer life. Our spirits will be generous. Our efforts will be obvious and our willingness to help readily apparent.
And likely when our job is our ministry, we won’t even need a handbook!
Sherry Worel
Sherry Worel is a Bible teacher at heart and lives a life of ministry. She’s been involved at Coast Hills teaching Women’s LIFE, Bible studies, online courses, devotionals, participating in Upstream conversations, and much more. Having a love for education, Sherry has over 50 years of teaching experience with schools, churches, and mission agencies. As well as earning her Master’s at Talbot Seminary, she rounded out her education with 35 years as Head of School at Stoneybrooke Christian School. Sherry is happiest with a book or fishing pole in hand.