Christians often have a warped way of looking at work. Unless someone is working “in the ministry”, they sees his work as secular. However, this view of work distorts the biblical picture. All of us – not only full-time ministers – have gifts and talents that we contribute to humanity. We all have a vocation, a “calling” into service. Wherever we work, whatever we do, we are to do “unto the Lord” (Col. 3:23).
Jesus used parables about work to teach us how to grow spiritually. These parables deal with money, with completing tasks, with faithful stewardship of a job, and with honest emotional dealings in work. They all teach character development in the context of relating to God and others. They teach a work ethic based on love under God.
Work is a spiritual activity. In our work, we are made in the image of God, who is himself a worker, a manager, a creator, a developer, a steward and a healer. To be a Christian is to be a co-laborer with God in the community of humanity. By giving to others we find true fulfillment.
The New Testament teaches that jobs offer more than temporal fulfillment and rewards on earth. Work is the place to develop our character in preparation for the work that we will do forever. With that in mind, let’s look at how setting boundaries in the workplace can help us to grow spiritually.
- from Chapter 11, “Boundaries and Work” of Boundaries, Cloud and Townsend, Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
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