Employment Attitude Check
by Pastor Bill Pevlor
Attitude affects almost every aspect of life. The attitude with which we
approach life and its many facets has a great deal to do with how enjoyable or
miserable our lives may seem. Unfortunately, in our society, bad attitudes are
“in.” They don’t make many movies about people with kind and gentle
dispositions. You’re more likely to see stories about people with bad
attitudes like the renegade cop whose favorite line is “Make my day.”
The work place is a virtual bad attitude breeding ground. At practically
any place of employment you will find bad attitudes “on parade.” Even people
who enjoy their work, cultivate bad attitudes. A number of years ago there was a
song entitled “Take this job and shove it!” It soared to number one on the
charts because most people easily identified with the attitude it expressed.
Any person in management will tell you that coping with bad attitudes is
their greatest challenge. It is not hard to find people who want a job. In most
cases, you can people with the skills needed for the work to be done. It is,
however, extremely difficult to find people who want to work.
God’s Word, the Holy Bible, has a great deal to say about
work, especially our attitudes concerning our employment. When we adopt God’s
attitude about work the old “9 to 5 grind” can become an exciting adventure.
Operating with God’s perspective can revolutionize our work experience as we
see our labor filled with divine significance.
The first step to a work attitude adjustment is to recognize that work is
God’s idea. In the beginning God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and
commanded him to “work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15) Even
in God’s paradise, man was directed to work. Since God created us in His
likeness, it is significant to note it is within God’s nature to work. He
“labored” over the creation of the universe. (Psalm 8:3)
The second step to a work attitude adjustment is to see our work as a
gift from God. In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 Solomon writes “I know that there is
nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That
everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the
gift of God.” Work is a gift, not drudgery. None of us are automatically
guaranteed work. If you have ever been out of work, you know what a blessing it
is to have work.
The third step to a work attitude adjustment is to understand God’s
purposes for our work. Our work is God’s main way of supplying our needs.
Through His blessing of work we are able to provide for ourselves and our
families. God channels food, clothing, shelter and other provisions to us
through the finances earned through our work.
God also uses our work to bless and serve others. There are those who are
unable to work, who need the help of others. God commands us to help those.
Without gainful employment you would have no income. If you have no income how
can you help others who are less fortunate? It is far more enjoyable to bless
others than to be a financial burden. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul admonishes us to
work, doing something useful with our own hands so that we have something to
share with those in need.
Our work should also be a blessing to God - a means of worshiping and
glorifying Him. As workers Colossians 3:22-24 instructs us to work for our
employers “not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but
with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it
with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that
you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ
you are serving.”
Every part of your work, provided it is morally permissible, should
be considered sacred. You are working for the Lord. If Jesus were to sit in your
boss’s position for a day, would He be pleased with your performance? Are you
working to bring glory to the Lord through your work?
When we approach our work with God’s attitude, then every detail of our
job becomes divinely important. No matter how unpleasant or dull the routine,
God is in the midst of it.
We often measure the value of our work by our income or our title. God is
not interested in the amount of prestige associated with our occupation.
Someday, when you stand before Him, He won’t ask for your income or title. God
will ask “Did you work for my glory and to be a blessing to others?”
Colossians 3:17 says “Whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
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