The NIV 365 Day Devotional
The Awareness of God’s Presence
The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.
How can you get the most out of your work? Here are three suggestions.
- View yourself as a servant.
Jesus came to earth not to be served, but to serve—and he instructed us to adopt the same attitude (Mt 20:25-28). Paul wrote, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” (Col 3:22).
- Realize that you work for the Lord himself.
Your employer exercises supervisory authority over you, but Jesus Christ is your Lord. You work for him: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Col 3:23).
- Realize your pay comes both now and hereafter.
Paul wrote, “You will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Col 3:24). Of course, you must get paid now to take care of your household expenses. But if you have done your very best and given all you have, you will never really get paid all you are worth. The wonderful thing to remember is this: you may get insufficient wages here, but you will get rewarded beyond measure in heaven. God will much more than equalize everything in the judgment (1Co 3:11-15; 2Co 5:9-10; Eph 6:7-8), and he will certainly reward you justly.
Do you see yourself as a servant? Do you consider him your real boss and work in a manner honoring to the Lord, no matter how menial or boring your job might seem? Have you realized that you have a tremendous reward coming later for faithful labor performed now? If so, you are getting the most out of your work.
Taken from The NIV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible.