Devotions/TOW – Called To Work

46: The eternal value of work (1 Corinthians 3:11–15)

May 6, 2024

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:11–15

Paul introduces the metaphor of a building under construction in order to make a new point—do good work. This may be the most direct statement of the eternal value of earthly work in all of Scripture. The work we do on earth—to the extent we do it according to Christ’s ways—survives into eternity.

Paul is speaking specifically of the work done by the community of the church, which he likens to a temple. Paul compares himself to a “skilled master builder” who has laid the foundation, which is, of course, Christ himself. Others build on top of this foundation, and each one is responsible for his own work. Paul likens good work to gold, silver, and precious stones, and shabby work to wood, hay, and straw. Though some have tried to assign specific meanings to each of these materials, it is more likely that the difference is simply that some materials have the ability to withstand testing by fire while others do not.

This passage is not about the relationship between a believer’s “good works” and his heavenly reward, though it has often been read in that way. Instead, Paul is concerned with the church as a whole and how its leaders work within the church.

Although Paul is writing about the work of building a Christian community, his words apply to all kinds of work. As we have seen, Paul regards Christian work to include the work believers do under secular authority as well as in the church. Whatever our work, it will be evaluated impartially by God. God judges with perfect justice—unlike human bosses, however just or unjust they may be—and he is able to factor in our intent, our limitations, our motives, our compassion, and his mercy. God has called all believers to work in whatever circumstances they find themselves, and he has given us specific gifts to fulfill that calling. He expects us to use them responsibly for his purposes, and he will inspect our work. And to the degree that our work is done in excellence, by his gifts and grace, it will become part of God’s eternal kingdom. That should motivate us—even more than our employer’s approval or our paycheck—to do as good a job as we possibly can.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you see my work. Help me to do excellent work that will build your kingdom, now and for eternity. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Do Good Work (1 Corinthians 3:10–17) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

45: Serving others at work (Romans 12:1–3)

April 29, 2024

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1–3

To bring the communal aspect of salvation to life means a reorientation of our minds and wills from self-serving to community-serving. Paul asks us to think less about ourselves and more about the community.

We are unable to put others first without God’s saving grace. Only if our minds are transformed from self-centeredness to other-centeredness—imitating Christ, who sacrificed himself for others—can we put reconciliation, justice, and faithfulness ahead of self-serving aims.

With transformed minds, our purpose shifts from justifying our self-centered actions to bringing new life to others. For example, imagine that you are a shift supervisor at a restaurant and you become a candidate for promotion to manager. If your mind is not transformed, your chief goal will be to beat the other candidates. It will not seem hard to justify actions such as withholding information from the other candidates, spreading dissent among workers, or avoiding collaboration. This will harm not only the other candidates but also their shift workers, the restaurant as a whole, and its customers. On the other hand, if your mind is transformed to care first about others, then you will help the other candidates perform well, not only for their sake but also for the benefit of the restaurant and its workers and customers. How can you apply this to your own work situation?

Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for my self-serving tendencies. Help me to value reconciliation, justice and faithfulness ahead of self-serving aims. May your example inspire me to take a community-centered approach to my life and work. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read The Community of Grace at Work (Romans 12) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

44: Breaking the bonds of exploitation (Acts 16:16-19)

April 22, 2024

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:16-19

In Philippi, Paul and Silas encounter a girl with a spirit of divination. In the Greco-Roman context, this type of spirit was associated with fortune-telling—a connection that “brought her owners a great deal of money” (Acts 16:16). This seems to be an example of the grossest form of economic exploitation. When Paul acts, the result is spiritual liberation for the girl and financial loss for her owners. The owners respond by dragging Paul and Silas before the authorities, on charges of disturbing the peace.

This incident demonstrates powerfully that the ministry of liberation Jesus proclaimed in Luke 4 can run counter to at least one common business practice, the exploitation of slaves. Businesses that produce economic profit at the expense of human exploitation are in conflict with the Christian gospel. Paul and Silas were not on a mission to reform the corrupt economic and political practices of the Roman world, but the power of Jesus to liberate people from sin and death cannot help but break the bonds of exploitation. There can be no spiritual liberation without economic consequences. Paul and Silas were willing to expose themselves to ridicule, beating and prison in order to bring economic liberation to someone whose sex, economic status, and age made her vulnerable to abuse.

If we look ahead two thousand years, is it possible that Christians have accommodated to, or even profited from, products, companies, industries, and governments that violate Christian ethical and social principles? It is easy to rail against illegal industries such as narcotics and prostitution, but what about the many legal industries that harm workers, consumers, or the public at large? What about the legal loopholes, subsidies, and unfair government regulations that benefit some citizens at the expenses of others? Do we even recognize how we may benefit from the exploitation of others? In a global economy, it can be difficult to trace the conditions and consequences of economic activity. The book of Acts does not give principles for gauging economic activity. But it does demonstrate that economic matters are gospel matters.

Prayer: Jesus, I don’t want to contribute to exploitation. Help me to understand the economic consequences of my actions. Show me how I can work for the liberation of others. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read The Community of the Spirit Confronts the Brokers of Power (Acts 16 and 19) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

43: Your work matters to God (John 1:1–5,14)

April 15, 2024

Scripture Reading: John 1:1–5,14

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1) The majestic opening of John’s Gospel shows us the limitless scope of the Word’s work. He is the definitive self-expression of God, the one through whom God created all things in the beginning. He stretches out the cosmos as the canvas for the expression of God’s glory.

The Word is working; and because his work began in the beginning, all subsequent human labor is derived from his initial labor. Derived is not too strong a word, because everything people work with was created by him.

John’s Gospel is not grounded in separating the spiritual versus the material, or the sacred versus the spiritual, or any other dualism. It does not portray salvation as the liberation of the human spirit from the shackles of the material body. Jesus’ followers are not called to abandon some sort of “secular” world in order to enter a “spiritual” one. Instead, Jesus calls his followers to receive and use the power of God’s spirit in the present world. He came to restore the world to the way God intended it to be, not to lead an exodus out of the world.

If further evidence for God’s ongoing commitment to the creation is needed, we may turn to John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” The incarnation is not the triumph of the spirit over the flesh, but the fulfillment of what the flesh was created for in the beginning. And the flesh is not a temporary base of operations, but the Word’s permanent abode. If the world in general is of such immense concern to God, it stands to reason that the work done within that world matters to him as well.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for being the Word made flesh. You came to restore the world to the way God intended it to be, not to lead an exodus out of the world. May my work bless your work of restoration today. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read In the Beginning Was the Word (John 1:1-18) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

42: The importance of generosity (Luke 12:30–34)

April 8, 2024

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:30–34

Market economies are predicated upon the generation, exchange and accumulation of privately owned wealth. This reality is so deeply embedded in many societies that the pursuit and accumulation of personal wealth has become, for many, an end in itself. But Jesus does not see the accumulation of wealth as a proper end in itself: he indicates that wealth must be used with a deep concern for neighbors.

Jesus’ first problem with wealth is that it tends to displace God in the lives of wealthy people: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). Jesus wants people to recognize that their lives are defined not by what they have, but by God’s love for them and his call upon their lives. Luke expects us — and the work we do — to be fundamentally transformed by our encounters with Jesus.

Perhaps wealth’s most insidious effect is that it can prevent us from desiring a better future. If you are wealthy, things are good as they are now. Change becomes a threat rather than an opportunity.

God’s secret weapon is generosity. If by God’s power you can be generous, wealth begins to lose its grip on you. It is much harder for the rich to be generous, but Jesus teaches how generosity might be possible for them too. One crucial path to generosity is to give to people who are too poor to pay you back. Generosity that earns favors in return is not generosity but favor-buying. Real generosity is giving when no payback is possible, and this is what is rewarded in eternity. Generosity allows room for God to be your God.

Prayer: Jesus, grow me in sincere generosity toward others. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Jesus and Wealth in the Book of Luke from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

41: The call to love at work (Mark 12:28–31)

April 1, 2024

Scripture Reading: Mark 12:28–31

Seeing that Jesus is skilled at interpreting scripture, a scribe asks him a question that was under contention among Jewish leaders. “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answers with two commandments that would be well known to his listeners. The first is a declaration to the Jewish people from Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Then he quotes Leviticus 19:18: ”You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If there are just two tasks God wants us to concentrate on more than any other they are loving God and loving those around us. Work can be one of the primary ways we respond to the Great Commandment. Yet many people fail to recognize that work can be a way of loving others. Many jobs give Christians an opportunity to fulfill the basic needs of another person. Take health care: a doctor who writes a prescription, a pharmacist who fills that prescription, and the person who stocks the shelves at the pharmacy all play a role in delivering necessary health services to their neighbors. Further up and down the supply chain we see the invaluable work of scientists who test the effectiveness of medical interventions, construction workers who maintain the roads along which medication travels, and case workers who process health insurance claims.

But human needs do not only include healthcare. People also need food, shelter, laughter, and connection to meaning greater than themselves. So farmers and restaurant workers, home builders and home insurers, comedians and children, and philosophers and pastors all have ways to love others through their daily work, simply by doing their work well. Every time you cross a street, you depend on the love shown by the mechanics who did the most recent brake jobs on every car hurtling toward the intersection.

We can love God consciously while doing our work. But if continuous mindfulness is not our particular gift, we can also love God by doing something that God wants done. Many industries or workplaces have problems that call for redemption. A Christian worker can do something God wants done by modeling forgiveness, compassion, and integrity.

Prayer: Lord, loving you and loving others are your most important commands. Show me how I can love you and love others through my everyday work. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Our Work Fulfills the Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

40: Invest in God’s kingdom through your work (Matthew 25:14-30)

March 25, 2024

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30

One of Jesus’ most significant parables regarding work is set in the context of investments (Matt. 25:14-30). A rich man delegates the management of his wealth to his servants, much as investors in today’s markets do. He gives five talents to the first servant, two talents to the second, and one talent to the third. Two of the servants earn 100 percent returns by trading with the funds, but the third servant hides the money in the ground and earns nothing. The rich man returns, rewards the two who made money, but severely punishes the servant who did nothing.

The meaning of the parable extends far beyond financial investments. God has given each person a wide variety of gifts, and he expects us to employ those gifts in his service. It is not acceptable merely to put those gifts on a closet shelf and ignore them. The return God expects of us is commensurate with the gifts we have been given. The gifts we receive from God include skills, abilities, family connections, social positions, education, experiences, and more. The point of the parable is that we are to use whatever we have been given for God’s purposes.

Yet the particular talent invested in the parable is money, on the order of a million U.S. dollars in today’s world. In modern English, this fact is obscured because the word talent has come to refer mainly to skills or abilities. But this parable concerns money. It depicts investing as a godly thing to do if it accomplishes godly purposes in a godly manner. More pointedly for the workplace, it commends putting capital at risk in pursuit of earning a return. Sometimes Christians speak as if growth, productivity, and return on investment were unholy to God. But this parable overturns that notion. We should invest our skills and abilities, but also our wealth and the resources made available to us at work, all for the affairs of God’s kingdom.

Prayer: Jesus, your word calls me to invest in your kingdom with my time, talent, and financial resources. Help me to follow your call. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

39: Sin and the promise of restoration (Malachi 3)

March 20, 2024

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3

Even in times of restoration, human sin is never far away. Malachi, the third of the restoration prophets, complains that some of the people begin to profit by defrauding laborers of their wages. Not surprisingly, such people also pollute the temple worship by stinting what they contribute in offerings, and as a result the environment is also degraded.

Yet the hope of the prophets remains, and work is at the center of it. It begins with a promise to restore the religious/social infrastructure of the temple: “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:1). It proceeds with the restoration of the environment; people go about their work ethically (Mal. 3:14, 18), and as a result the economy is restored, including “the produce of your soil” and “your vine in the field” (Mal. 3:11b).

Prayer: Lord, your Word seems to indicate that work done ethically results in blessing and restoration. Help me go about my work ethically. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Both Sin and Hope Remain Present in Work (Malachi 1:1-4:6) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

38: Work and the environment (Zechariah 7:8–14)

March 11, 2024

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 7:8–14

Haggai connects the economic and social well-being of the people with the state of the environment. When there is disease in the physical environment on which we depend, there is disease in human society, and one of the marks of an unhealthy society is its contribution to the disease of the environment.

There is also a link between the way a community worships and cares for the land, and the economic and political condition of those who occupy the land. The prophets call us to re-learn the lesson that a respect for the creator of the earth we occupy is a starting point for peace between the earth and its inhabitants. For Haggai, the drought of the land and the ruin of the temple are inseparable. True and whole-hearted worship ushers in peace and blessing from the land. If Christians were to do their work according to the vision of the prophets, we could have a profoundly beneficial impact on the planet and all those who inhabit it.

If desolation is part of God’s punishment for the sin of the people, then productive ground is part of their restoration. Indeed, in quite different circumstances, Zechariah has a very similar vision to that of Amos during the time of Israelite prosperity: people experiencing wellbeing in the form of sitting under the fig trees that they planted. “On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree” (Zech. 3:10). Peace with God includes care for the earth that God has made. Productive land, of course, has to be worked in order to yield its fruit. And so the world of work is intimately connected with the realisation of abundant life.

Prayer: Lord, your Word indicates that one of the marks of an unhealthy society is its contribution to the disease of the environment. I want to experience productive work as you intended it—not according to my vision and ways, but in accordance with yours, including care for the earth. Show me how to work according to your ways. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Work, Worship, and the Environment (Haggai 1:1-2:19; Zechariah 7:8-14) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

37: Invest in community (Haggai 1:3-15)

March 4, 2024

Scripture Reading: Haggai 1:3-15

One of the challenges we face in work is the temptation to put self and family ahead of society. The prophet Haggai paints a vivid picture of this challenge. He confronts people working hard to rebuild their own houses while neglecting to put resources into the rebuilding of the temple, the center of the Jewish society. He says that this failure to invest in social capital is actually diminishing their individual productivity. As the Lord stirs up the spirit of the people and their leaders, they do begin to invest in rebuilding the temple and the fabric of society.

Investing in social capital reminds us that there is no such thing as a “self-made man.” Although individual effort may create great wealth, each of us relies on resources and social infrastructure that originate ultimately in God. We cannot provide for ourselves except by the grace of God’s generosity and the mutual work of his community.

In our own day, this reminds us of the importance of putting resources into the intangible aspects of life. Housing, food, automobiles, and other physical necessities are important. But God provides richly enough that we can also afford art, music, education, nature, recreation and the myriad things that feed the soul. Those who work in the arts or humanities or leisure industries, or put money towards the creation of parks and playgrounds and theatres, are making every bit as much of a contribution to the world of which God dreams as the businessman or carpenter.

This also suggests that investing in churches and church life is crucial to empowering Christians’ work. We should engage in worship as formation for good work, rather than merely as private devotion or leisure. Moreover, the Christian community can be a powerful force for economic, civic and social well-being if it can learn to bring the spiritual and ethical power of God’s word to bear on matters of work in the economic, social, governmental, academic, medical, and scientific spheres.

Prayer: Lord, please keep me grounded in Christian community, so that I may reach out to others in my workplace and beyond. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read The Need for Social Capital (Haggai 1:1-2:19)

from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Called To Work

Category: Devotions/TOW

46: The eternal value of work (1 Corinthians 3:11–15)

45: Serving others at work (Romans 12:1–3)

44: Breaking the bonds of exploitation (Acts 16:16-19)

43: Your work matters to God (John 1:1–5,14)

42: The importance of generosity (Luke 12:30–34)

41: The call to love at work (Mark 12:28–31)

40: Invest in God’s kingdom through your work (Matthew 25:14-30)

39: Sin and the promise of restoration (Malachi 3)

38: Work and the environment (Zechariah 7:8–14)

Contact Us