Flourish and Thrive Vocationally
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Welcome back, everybody! If you missed Sunday we just started a new 7-week series called Flourish & Thrive. It’s a series on seven specific areas of life that God has designed for us to flourish in as His people: Spiritual growth, Vocation, Finances, Health, Relationships, Character, and Happiness.
Last Sunday we we talked about Spiritual Growth or seeking God’s Kingdom above all else. We are to live a righteous life daily. We can Trust God to meet our needs. We can let go of fear and trust God to take care of the rest.
We commited to
Intentionally spend time with God Every Day.
Evaluate what we are putting first in our lives.
To Trust God to meet our needs as we walk in obedience. May mean that you tithe… or move from just tithing to generosity.
In each message, we’ll explore a different dimension of flourishing together, seeking to understand how Scripture guides us to live fully and faithfully in each area… And tonight we’re talking about work!
How many of us have thought about our work as just a means to an end?
We go through the motions just trying to get our check, perhaps even finding ourselves counting down the hours & minutes until quitting time. I can’t tell you how many people I have seen watching the time clock waiting for it to be time to clock out.
I remember a guy (Alan Wadell) that worked for my dad who would drag through the day. He acted like he could barely lift a sledge hammer he was to use but after work could hold it up and touch his nose with it…
I have seen people who come to work with a negative attitude. As they work, they are miserable ad the people around them are miserable.
Life’s too short to be miserable. So what do we do? do we change job? Not necessarily.
Zig Ziglar said,
Your Work is never really good or bad out there. Your work is either good or bad right between your own two ears.
So, what if our work—our everyday tasks—were meant to be something more than just our “job”? What if our work became a powerful way to honor God and reflect His purpose? Colossians 3:23-24 gives us a whole new perspective, encouraging us to “work with all of our heart, as for the Lord and not for men.”
God calls us to approach our work with a different mindset, seeing each task, big or small, as a way to serve Him. And here’s the great part:
When we shift our focus from “just working” to “serving God through our work,” our work take on new significance.
When we shift our focus from “just working” to “serving God through our work,” our work take on new significance.
Flourishing in our vocation is about seeing our work as a sacred calling that allows us to reflect Christ in everything we do.
So let me tell you something that’s important.
Your attitude determines your altitude.
Your attitude determines your altitude.
How successful you are in this life and in heaven, is a result of your attitude. At your work, all things being equal or even close, the person with the great attitude will eventually move ahead of those who don’t.
So no matter how you have thought about work in the past, you can change the way you think.
When we think thoughts they create patterns that can become ruts. In the past, people thought that these mental ruts couldn’t be changed. But in 2002, the Nobel Winner in Neurobiology proved that mental ruts can be changed.
It was about time that science caught up to what Paul wrote in the Bible. Romans 12:2
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
God transforms (Metamorphosis) us by changing the way we think. How do we change the way we think?
Paul also said in Phil 4:8
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
So we can change the way we think, which means we can change the way we think about work… our work.
Main Teaching
I. We Need to See our Work Our Work as Worship
I. We Need to See our Work Our Work as Worship
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for human beings. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.
Paul’s words in Colossians call us to “work all of our heart as if we were working for the Lord.” We are not to work just for our human bosses. We work for the Lord. This raises the importance of our jobs, no matter how menial we see them. God sees them as important.
We need to see work not just as a job but as a form of worship… a way to serve the Lord. Every task we do—whether it’s leading a team, helping a customer, teaching a class, or caring for a family member—can be offered to God as an act of devotion. There is no task too big or too small to fit under the umbrella of His grace and design.
Think about a time you were frustrated with work, maybe even grumbling about your tasks. Imagine instead if you treated every project, no matter how small, as a way to honor God.
There was a man who prayed before every task, saying, 'God, I want to glorify you through this work.' Suddenly, his mundane job felt like a mission, reflecting how every task can be a form of worship when done out of love.
Making this shift probably won’t happen overnight, but when we approach work as worship, we find a deeper purpose that goes beyond our job description or paycheck. Just imagine the impact if, each day, we approached our work with the attitude that we are doing it for God Himself.
This doesn’t mean we’ll always feel inspired or motivated, but it does mean we can bring an intentional, relational, and wholehearted effort to whatever we do.
This doesn’t mean we’ll always feel inspired or motivated, but it does mean we can bring an intentional, relational, and wholehearted effort to whatever we do.
Our work becomes a reflection of our relationship with God, giving us a deeper sense of meaning and satisfaction that no earthly reward can match.
II. We Need to Work with Integrity and Excellence
II. We Need to Work with Integrity and Excellence
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for human beings. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.
7 Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward everyone, whether slave or free, for the good work they do.
Paul also emphasizes the word “with all your heart” or cheerfully. Now, this isn’t about perfectionism; rather, it’s about bringing our best efforts with honesty and integrity. The boss might not be looking but our Lord is always looking. Flourishing in our vocation means we work with excellence—not for human recognition, but because we know God values integrity and we want to please the Lord.
Now, working with all of your heart as for the Lord does not mean that you witness and talk about your faith instead of working. John Wyre
Our very work, when done with excellence, is a witness.
Pastor: Take a moment to highlight someone in your ministry or community who exemplifies hard work AND integrity. It may even be more than just one person and could be an entire ministry at your church. Whomever it is, use this opportunity to lift others up and encourage them in their work.
Fuel the Future - Cheryl and Terrie have worked tirelessly to get food to the students at Alice Hart elementary School. One of our small groups provided them coats as we went into the winter.
Me Cleaning Hospital Floors - no one ever really noticed, but I knew God did.
Who is someone you know who goes above and beyond in their role, even when no one is watching or even if their efforts seem unnoticed? They honor God by working with integrity, knowing that their true reward is found in Him. God will reward us.
God will reward us for our work. He will reward us for any good deeds we do. So let’s work with integrity and excellence.
When we do our best, we are serving God and it’s a witness to others.
When we do our best, we are serving God and it’s a witness to others.
When we strive to do our best, even in the ordinary or difficult parts of our work, we’re not just serving people—we’re ultimately serving God. This approach helps us build strong character, honor God’s name, and be a light to those around us. It’s also an effective way to witness to others, especially those who don’t share the same beliefs that you or I do.
Remember, about half the workforce works just hard enough to prevent them from being fired. Too may people go to work grumpy and with a negative mindset.
When the people around you see you enjoying your work… When they see you happy on a Monday morning… When they see your integrity and honesty… It’s hard not to wonder where that comes from. It would seem, from the outside, like a superhuman exercise to enjoy a job - but that’s exactly it. With God at your back and the Holy Spirit inside you, it is a superhuman/supernatural effort. And it all points to God. It points to something well beyond the understanding of this world.
It will always give you an opportunity to share your faith.
III. We Need to Find Reward Beyond This World
III. We Need to Find Reward Beyond This World
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for human beings. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.
Finally, Paul reminds us that “Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve” God owns everything and he will reward us now and later.
Our true reward is not found in earthly achievements or titles. Those are nice. But God also rewards us the good feeling that comes from doing what we do with excellence… with knowing we did our best. On top of that, He rewards us with an eternal inheritance. This shifts our perspective: no matter our job, God sees and values our efforts and He will reward those efforts.
In his book, Every Good Endeavor, pastor Timothy Keller says this about work;
“A job is a vocation only if someone else calls you to do it for them rather than for yourself. And so our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests.”
Sometimes, work can be challenging or thankless, but when we focus on God’s promises, we can be sustained by His eternal reward. We don’t need to measure success by worldly standards because our ultimate fulfillment comes from knowing we have an inheritance that can never fade.
Flourishing in our vocation means trusting that God is faithful to reward us for our faithfulness and that every act of service, no matter how small, is seen and valued by Him.
Flourishing in our vocation means trusting that God is faithful to reward us for our faithfulness and that every act of service, no matter how small, is seen and valued by Him.
It all matters. There is no task too big or too small to fit beneath the umbrella of His grace and design.
Conclusion
As we look at what it means to flourish in our vocation, let’s take to heart the calling to serve God in everything we do. Let’s live out this perspective in three key ways this week:
1. Pray over your work each day.
1. Pray over your work each day.
Start each morning by dedicating your tasks to God. Simply ask, “Lord, may my work honor You today.” This simple habit can and will shift our focus, helping us approach each task with a spirit of service to God.
2. Commit to an area of integrity or excellence.
2. Commit to an area of integrity or excellence.
Identify one part of your work where you feel called to improve, whether that’s in: Houw you show up on time and ready to work; How you take your breaks; how you communicate, how you follow through on commitments, or how you handle small tasks. Choose to bring a higher level of excellence or integrity there, not for recognition, but to honor God.
3. Seek ways to serve others through your work.
3. Seek ways to serve others through your work.
Look for small opportunities to be a blessing, whether through kindness, support, or simply listening to someone in need. When we serve others with humility and compassion, we reflect God’s love and show that we’re ultimately serving Him.
Find three people at work and give them an honest compliment each day.
As we close, let’s remember that
Flourishing in our vocation isn’t about finding the perfect job—it’s about bringing our best to wherever God has us.
Flourishing in our vocation isn’t about finding the perfect job—it’s about bringing our best to wherever God has us.
When we approach work as worship, commit to integrity, and look to God for our ultimate reward, we’ll find a purpose and joy that transcends any earthly success.
Let’s pray together.
