Article: Re-Thinking Our Secular Jobs – Part One

Some of the feedback to the Journal series come in the form of comments or questions. One of such comments was based on yesterday’s journal: “Blessings of Self denial”.

It highlighted the fact that “we easily deny ourselves for the wrong thing – getting up early to go to a job that won’t take us to heaven and closing really late because of deadlines. Imagine using that time and energy to pursue God’s will and righteousness. How beautiful would the world be.”

Pondering over this remark, I first asked myself the question: Is going to work a wrong thing? It occurred to me that Adam was given a job in the Garden of Eden even before sin and its resulting consequences came to be. Work was part of God’s perfect creation but took a negative connotation after the fall.

Upon rephrasing the comment, it sounded like this: “If we can invest so much energy and time into our jobs, then how much more should we invest towards eternal purposes?” In fact, God expects us to work at our jobs as if we were working for Him with all our hearts.

Our secular activities thereby become an act of service to God and our offices (businesses) a missionary field where we make the Gospel attractive through integrity and an attitude of excellence.

From my experience, many great qualities and skills are transferable from the corporate or business world to our service to God and vice-versa. Jesus even uses such analogies in His parables and teachings.

Let us harness and include our secular activities in our service or worship to God.

*Gen. 2:15-17; Col. 3:23; 1 Cor. 9:24-27*

Gilbert Kimeng