God wants to glorify himself through us. Therefore we need to understand his purposes so we can see our place and position in his plan. We are witnessing the end-time shaking of the financial and economic systems of the world. This is a prelude to the end-time transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous, for the purpose of the greatest harvest of souls in the history of man. We need Kingdom perspective regarding work, so God can glorify himself through our work.

Firstly we need to see that work is a blessing and gift from God. God gave Adam and Eve work before the Fall, giving Man the task of subduing the earth, tending the garden, and ruling over the living things. Man was to cultivate the garden and keep it (Gen 2:15, NASB), to bring multiplication and perpetuation to God’s provision. God’s original intention is for Man to co-create with God. God will not send his blessing unless Man is ready to co-labor with him (Gen 2:5, NASB). It is through work that we use our God-given ability to produce wealth (Deu 8:18).

Work is also the process of discovering the gifts, talents and abilities God has given us. It is for more than just survival. God’s word exhorts us not to merely “work for a living”, but to “work for a giving” (Eph 4:28), having an abundance for every good work (2 Cor 9:8). God is a giver (John 3:16) and because we are made in His likeness (Eph 4:24), we are meant to be givers too.

We serve God through our work with sincerity of heart (Eph 6:5, Col 3:23). This attitude comes from having the right perspective, that our work is the will of God. It is not just preaching or church work that counts as serving God. We are not serving men with our work but God (Eph 6:7), and that applies whether we are employees or business owners (Eph 6:8). In fact, if we see our work as part of God’s business we will be proactive in contributing our efforts and ideas to grow the business. If we are business owners that see that our business as ultimately God’s, and we are but stewards, this will lead to a holy detachment from our business that allows us to hear God more clearly.

In order to glorify God with our work we need to be diligent. Diligence brings wealth (Pro 10:4) and brings us promotion (Pro 12:24). God will not overwhelm us, but will direct us to start with the small things and responsibilities (Luke 16:10). We must seek to improve and excel in our work and our business (Pro 22:29), upgrading our knowledge and skills where necessary. We should also be intentional and proactive in enhancing our value to the company or clients we work for. Going the extra mile and doing more than what we are paid for (Mat 5:41) in the current market climate is a wise way to protect our careers.

Many are praying for their work to be blessed, but are not willing to take any corresponding action about it. Even though God had given Canaan to the Israelites, they were to cross Jordan and invade the land (Jos 1:2). They had to proactively claim the inheritance God had given them by setting their feet on the land (Jos 1:3). We have a part to play in establishing God’s dominion. Like Joshua’s company, we first pray, then we plunder; we receive the revelation and then take corresponding action. In our industry and business, God desires for us to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath (Deu 28: 13, NKJV). Therefore we should be ready to work hard and so exercise dominion over God’s creation!

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