Saturday, September 12, 2009

Demonstrating Faith through Work

This morning, as I glanced through the topics in my inbox, I saw a daily devotional from the Purpose Driven Life entitled Bring Pleasure to God. Rick Warren began his message by quoting "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23 NIV). My interest was immediately piqued because, for the past month, I have been studying Colossians with a friend and have attended lectures, covering this book of the Bible, presented by Rev. Dr. James Wilson and Dr. Creasy. I was heartened to see how Rick Warren underscored some of the points that had been presented by Dr. Creasy and Rev. Dr. James Wilson.

Each of these Bible scholars used the analogy of how walking with God is similar to being in love and how your love for that person is reflected by how that person transforms your life. However, as wonderful as being in love can be, our walk with God needs to be so much closer. In fact, our relationship with God needs to transcend any other relationship that we have here on earth. As our walk with God deepens in intensity, we yearn to serve Him with all of our being.

Everything we do during our daily life, including work, should be done for the glory of God. Every type of "work" that we do throughout the day is done to glorify Him. Work, then, takes on a new meaning. Menial tasks are no longer seen in a demeaning way. If we model to the children and teens in our life the manner in which all work should be performed, they, in turn, will begin to see their function as workers in a totally new light.

The following links will lead you to lessons designed to help children and teens understand the Biblical meaning of work and its relationship to their walk with Jesus.

Preschool Sunday School Lessons - Growing for Jesus - Lesson 1

Don't Be Lazy - Grade School

The Teaching of Proverbs on Work - Teens and Adults