Work in the service of God

How do you view your job? A necessary evil? A means of simply putting bread on the table? Something that gives me value and worth? Something I enjoy?

We are encouraged today to live for the weekend, or if you are a teacher for those blissful 13 weeks of the year, when we stop our work and do what we actually want to do.

But the Bible has a lot to say about work and no where more so than in the book of Daniel. The big emphasis on Daniel is on the Sovereignty of God, its why 6:26-7 provide a neat summary of ch1-6 and a bridge into ch7-12. God is sovereign and one of the direct consequences of God's sovereignty is that Daniel and his friends are able to live as they do. They are exemplary in their service of the King (whichever king that may be), they excel, they stand hand and shoulders above everyone else in terms of knowledge, wisdom and understanding but also in terms of character. They serve the Sovereign God as they excel in serving the king.

So often we live for the holidays, or in church circles see church work as being the ultimate work in service of God. Such attitudes are rubbish. God uses Daniel and his friends excellent service to speak to kings! The work place is the front line in the battle between the temporary kingdom of the world and the eternal, indestructible kingdom of God. We are to excel in serving God as we excel in our workplace.