“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24 NLT
Many people are returning to work after the Christmas break. If that is you, are you disappointed that the holiday is over and unexcited at the prospect of work? Some people in jobs worry that their work may disappear due to changing economic conditions or automation and artificial intelligence (AI). At the start of the twentieth century, two-thirds of the population worked in agriculture. Those jobs disappeared but gave way to new jobs in a bureaucratic age.
Some fear that might happen again as a fresh wave of automation threatens their employment. However, we are only able to gain a partial insight into our future. So maybe the greatest challenge is to concentrate on the present. If you have a job, maybe there is a level of repetition. It might not be the work you want or the pay you need. Maybe your managers are unsympathetic and fail to promote your skills and abilities. These are common problems.
After caring for Katey, my first wife for eighteen years, I unsuccessfully applied for 63 jobs. I became financially desperate and embittered in equal measure. I blamed everyone and everything in my frustration. That is until I came back to basics. God loves me and God knows me and my needs. So while I thought I deserved more material reward, God was comfortable with what I achieved. I now needed to turn my gaze away from my discontent and discover the extent to which I was content in God. As Paul says in all things I am serving God, and God is my total reward.
QUESTION
At the start of another year, do you have any worries about your work?
PRAYER
Lord, thank you that you have taken me into your service and I can now work for the One who eternally satisfies.
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