Listen to influencers and it seems there is one extreme or the other when it comes to work. One side says to say in the grind. Do all you can for as long as you can no matter what is expected. The other says that your work should be passive. You can make a living without working on it if you do the right things. The problem is either extreme will leave you lacking. Neither can answer the problem they are trying to solve. Neither can remove the work from work.
For those who are in the grind and have fallen for the lie that if you love what you do, then you will never work a day in your life, the good life is better than that. When we live the good life, we see our work as something we contribute to not something we gain value or importance through. We also know that loving what you do doesn't remove the physical, mental, or relational work that is required for the task. Work is still work even if you love what you do.
For those who want all of the trappings of work without the work, the warning is to not fall for get-rich-quick schemes or to fall for the idea of living off of passive income is the way to go. In Scripture, passivity is never prized. Diligence and hard work are celebrated. Yes, we make wise decisions today to benefit tomorrow. Yes, we invest our resources today so they are a blessing tomorrow, but not so that we can live a passive life. There is still work to do even if we don't have to work for a paycheck.
So, if the influencers miss the mark, how do you live the good life at work?
Three Keys to Living the Good Life with Work
#1: Seek to Make Your Boss Happy
Even if you work for a bad leader. Even if your manager can't manage. Seek to make your boss happy. Because your boss isn't the one who leads your office or manages your work. As Christians, we all have the same boss. We work for the Lord Jesus. Whatever we do, whether in the workforce or retired, we work for Jesus, our CEO. See how Paul puts it:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. COLOSSIANS 3:23-24
Work with all of your heart. Not because your job demands it. Not because you someone expects you to do it, but because you are working for the Lord. Jesus sees and rewards this type of work.
3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. PROVERBS 16:3
Be faithful to the Lord in the little things and the big things to show that you are working for Him!
#2: Have a Bias for Action
If your boss has to start your car to get you to go to work, that's not their problem. It's yours. Laziness is never prized in Scripture but work is always valued.
24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. PROVERBS 12:24
One of the trends of the day is to quiet quit at work. Without resigning, without giving two weeks' notice, you pull back. You stop working as had. Doing as much. Many times doing the bare minimum required by the position. Here's the problem. Quiet quitting will hurt you more than you hurt your company. It will likely lead to being micromanaged by your boss or put on a performance improvement plan. As the Bible puts it in Proverbs 12:24, your quiet quitting ends with your forced labor.
So, don't quiet quit, but actively work for the Lord Jesus. Work with all that you've got no matter the job you've got.
#3: Be a Person of Integrity
Being a man or woman of integrity at work is a must if we want to honor God with our work and show people that our faith works. Integrity at work means that we marry our talk with our walk. We do what we say and we say what we do. When our lips and our lives match, the Bible says that our lives are filled with good things and our work brings reward.
14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things and the work of their hands brings them reward. PROVERBS 12:14
There is great reward in living with integrity. The Lord will honor it and people will see it. That's why it is never wrong to do the right thing and it's never, ever too late to do the right thing. Your integrity is something you prove every day and improve every moment.
This week, as you go to work or as you live your retired life, ask the Lord: What can I do to honor you today? How can I please my boss? Commit to Him and join His work around you.
For those who are in the grind and have fallen for the lie that if you love what you do, then you will never work a day in your life, the good life is better than that. When we live the good life, we see our work as something we contribute to not something we gain value or importance through. We also know that loving what you do doesn't remove the physical, mental, or relational work that is required for the task. Work is still work even if you love what you do.
For those who want all of the trappings of work without the work, the warning is to not fall for get-rich-quick schemes or to fall for the idea of living off of passive income is the way to go. In Scripture, passivity is never prized. Diligence and hard work are celebrated. Yes, we make wise decisions today to benefit tomorrow. Yes, we invest our resources today so they are a blessing tomorrow, but not so that we can live a passive life. There is still work to do even if we don't have to work for a paycheck.
So, if the influencers miss the mark, how do you live the good life at work?
Three Keys to Living the Good Life with Work
#1: Seek to Make Your Boss Happy
Even if you work for a bad leader. Even if your manager can't manage. Seek to make your boss happy. Because your boss isn't the one who leads your office or manages your work. As Christians, we all have the same boss. We work for the Lord Jesus. Whatever we do, whether in the workforce or retired, we work for Jesus, our CEO. See how Paul puts it:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. COLOSSIANS 3:23-24
Work with all of your heart. Not because your job demands it. Not because you someone expects you to do it, but because you are working for the Lord. Jesus sees and rewards this type of work.
3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. PROVERBS 16:3
Be faithful to the Lord in the little things and the big things to show that you are working for Him!
#2: Have a Bias for Action
If your boss has to start your car to get you to go to work, that's not their problem. It's yours. Laziness is never prized in Scripture but work is always valued.
24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. PROVERBS 12:24
One of the trends of the day is to quiet quit at work. Without resigning, without giving two weeks' notice, you pull back. You stop working as had. Doing as much. Many times doing the bare minimum required by the position. Here's the problem. Quiet quitting will hurt you more than you hurt your company. It will likely lead to being micromanaged by your boss or put on a performance improvement plan. As the Bible puts it in Proverbs 12:24, your quiet quitting ends with your forced labor.
So, don't quiet quit, but actively work for the Lord Jesus. Work with all that you've got no matter the job you've got.
#3: Be a Person of Integrity
Being a man or woman of integrity at work is a must if we want to honor God with our work and show people that our faith works. Integrity at work means that we marry our talk with our walk. We do what we say and we say what we do. When our lips and our lives match, the Bible says that our lives are filled with good things and our work brings reward.
14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things and the work of their hands brings them reward. PROVERBS 12:14
There is great reward in living with integrity. The Lord will honor it and people will see it. That's why it is never wrong to do the right thing and it's never, ever too late to do the right thing. Your integrity is something you prove every day and improve every moment.
This week, as you go to work or as you live your retired life, ask the Lord: What can I do to honor you today? How can I please my boss? Commit to Him and join His work around you.