Daily Devo
Staying Productive
By: Mae Archila
Monday, September 2, 2024
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)
When I was a child, my family traveled from state-to-state working in various crop fields. It was quite an adventure, but our aim was to stay productive by finding more work. The work our family did varied, so we picked cherries, apples, asparagus, corn, and cotton. Our next stop, we might hoe weeds, space sugar beet sprouts, or be asked to set up irrigation lines. For dad, being a productive worker had a greater purpose—his family’s future. He viewed work as a blessing, and a provision from God. He also saw work as one of the ways God held him accountable for the family He had been given. As we worked, many times I would hear my dad say, “If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing right.” As we got older, Dad passed down his strong work ethic to all of us. Watching our dad work not only made our work worth doing, it made our work fun!
...be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Titus 2:7 (NLT)
In Titus 2, Paul urged Titus to be a good worker and a good example for others. Paul knew the value of hard work, but he also knew it would increase Titus' impact in the community. Because my dad was a valuable, productive worker, multiple generations of landowners learned to respect him. Productivity is a gift from God, and He has extended it to all people. But to see our work as having a higher purpose, it must flow from a transformed heart. Our work is important to God, and it is necessary part of expanding His Kingdom.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
As Christ followers, we should view our work as a gift from God. It allows us to be creative, it gives us purpose, and it is meant to be undertaken wholeheartedly. If your job seems boring, ask God to reveal ways to exercise your uniqueness, and to help you find joy in the work He sets before you. There are many ways for us to reflect the glory of our Savior, but our work is a very visible way to do that.