Some evenings I sit down after a hard day’s work and reflect on the day. I often ask myself how well I have represented God’s kingdom, and marking myself coming up short most of the time. Did I share my faith at any point? How much did I pray? Is God’s Kingdom any stronger because of my actions today?
These are good and important questions, and I was asking myself them only today. My answers were not so good if I am being honest. I didn’t share my faith outside of the blog. I did not pray nearly enough. I saw no impact on God’s Kingdom through any of my actions. Unsurprisingly this left me a little discouraged.
Thank the Lord that He is so kind to us though, and the very bearer of the gift of encouragement!
He reminded me that I had done a full day’s work, earning my pay which I would later receive. He then reminded me of this verse from Ephesians.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
Ephesians 4:28 (NLT)
I am blessed to be able to say that I enjoy my work. That has not always been the case, but my present employment is fulfilling and although not Christian ministry, it does serve the wider society.
At the end of the day, even if I fail in a number of ways, I can know that the day’s work will result in a payslip, and that I can use that money to give to those in need. For the most part, that may be giving to the church or ministry in order to enable others to share the Good News. If I am not in the position to share it widely myself, I can at least support others who can.
Perhaps you are in secular employment, and like me wonder how your life contributes to God’s Kingdom. Let me suggest you do not work merely for yourself and to pay your bills, but also so that you might have something to give. I have met people whose ministry it was to be successful in business and to offer their entire profit margin to the Lord. That is no small thing.
Jesus taught of the Shrewd Servant in Luke 16, who misused his master’s money on himself and came under threat of losing his job. Instead of using that money to help himself, he then began to use it to win friends of the master’s debtors. Both ways were misusing the master’s money, but Jesus praised him in the second way because at least he used the funds for a future purpose.
Jesus pointed out the lesson in verse 9:
Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.
Luke 16:9 (NLT)
The lesson is clear. Use your earthly resources to benefit others and win friends. Notice that final phrase though, “to welcome you to an eternal home.” This suggests not only that we use our money to meet people’s physical needs, but their spiritual ones too. We can use our earthly money – which we cannot take with us – to fund the preaching of the Gospel, and that one day when we reach our eternal home, there will be people there to welcome us.
If you work a physical job, a secular role or something that seems disconnected to the Gospel, use the money you earn to spread God’s message throughout the world. It is not a waste of money, and rather an eternal investment. One day, someone will swing past your heavenly mansion and thank you for what you gave.
Work hard, as if working for the Lord Himself, because you are!
Andy Brown 
Thanks Andy. Very encouraging post. I used to separate my secular work and wanted to be in full time ministry but the Lord showed me that my secular work is my ministry for Him. I used to resent my job for interfering with the things I wanted to do for God. Don’t get me wrong, I worked hard but my attitude was wrong. My heart wasn’t in it. I thought my job was just a means to an end. When the Lord showed me otherwise it was like a radical shift took place. I saw all the opportunities to be a minister for him in and through my job. It’s a blessing.
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Thank you very much for your comment. As you say, sometimes our attitude to work is simply a matter of perspective. Just because our job is not Christian in nature does not mean God cannot use it for his kingdom. I tried to be a light in my office, even if that does not mean directly sharing the good news. Just by being kind is often enough.
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Amen. No words can express the deep truth and richness in your words. I appreciate them greatly!
I said to Jo that her current job is, I believe, more to do with her being a bringer of peace to her colleagues than the people she is there to meet and help. She is starting to be just that in a stressful environment.
Ministry is service, and is what we all need to do with what God has tasked us with doing.
God gives us different gifts. But He gives us different taskings too.
One wise minister said it better – it’s all about function – what function is God honouring you with carrying out, for His kingdom?
Simply excellent truth Andy. Awesome!!
Andy B
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Thank you Andy. Your comments mean a great deal to me. I had no idea when I pinned this post yesterday that it would get such a good response. I guess many of us feel a little inadequate when it comes to ministry and sharing our faith. So much of what we do, which is certainly positive, we dismissed out of hand as not being quite Christian enough
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Great perspective, Andy. You speak for many Christians who wonder if they “have done enough” for the Lord on a particular day. Your blog reassures us that so long as we work honestly and use our wages for the advancement of the Kingdom, God will be pleased. This reminds me of the verse: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people” (Colossians 3:23).
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Thank you for your comment. Yes I was hoping to point out that doing a good days work for the Lord does not necessarily mean doing “ministry “. Sometimes just working hard is a good witness all on its own. Thanks again. And I love that verse as well!
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Great post Andy. Even though I am not employed I do work as our family carer, my wife and home are my daily work. I look for ways often to apply faith in my routine, often when out shopping or at appointments. It never fails to amaze me how many opportunities Father God hilights in everyday life.
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Thank you Alan. I think too often we dismiss our work as irrelevant to God’s kingdom if we are not directly witnessing. I wanted to share that doing a good days work is very much part of God’s will for us all, and especially so if we use our money for his work. Thanks for your constant encouragement
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