W@W WRAP - Week 87 - Women at Work

Don’t hold back…

Read:

1 Corinthians 15:58 (AMP): “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labour [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]”.

Act:

Let us be determined this week to:

Refresh our definition of work. The world’s definition of work mostly implies: “To do something that involves physical or mental effort especially for money or because of a need instead of for pleasure”. But if we go back to God’s Word, we see that God ordained us to work and to steward His creation. Work is a Godly activity – for His glory and for our advancement. Regardless of our vocation (whether we “work” in the corporate world, ministry field, at home, full time or on flexible hours, being a skilled worker or doing informal jobs) we all, ultimately work for one Master and towards one goal – “Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve” (Colossians 3:23-24). Do you know and believe that everything you do is because of and for our Father God?

Give our best for our Lord. Let’s be steadfast, determined and immovable when it comes to our daily tasks. Let’s live our lives with an unshakable confidence, throwing ourselves into the work of our Lord, and serving Him in and through every activity (regardless of the importance). We do this not for our own gain or in our own strength or ability. We do it because of our confidence that nothing we do for Him is a waste of time or effort; and because we know that our union with the Lord makes our labour productive – with fruit that endures to eternity.

Become all God created us to be. The essence of work is creativity – producing or doing something of meaning and value, something that will sustain and advance God’s creation. Joy in work stems from alignment of our God-given creative abilities, with our reliance on Him to grant us His wisdom, and insight to perform each task for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:10) – “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). To become all God created us to be, we need to find our God-inspired passion. It’s only when we follow God’s instructions for our lives that we find our God-initiated purpose. It’s then that our work becomes one of the greatest blessings in our lives!

Pray:

Father God, thank You for the privilege of life and the ability to work. Regardless of what the word “work” means in each of our lives – we want to glorify You in all we do! Thank You for gifting us with unique and wonderful skills. Help us to apply and use those skills to glorify You and to serve and bless others. Father, help us to work heartily, with one purpose and one passion in mind – that everything we do is for You! Jesus, You said that we can come to You if we are weary and burdened in our work, and You will give us rest. Help us through each day. Grant us wisdom, insight, strength and favour to look at the world, and to think of how we can make it better through our work. We long to leave God-flavours and life-giving, light-colours everywhere we go! In Your mighty name we pray. Amen.