God’s good plan for your life includes the workplace

If you have ever thought that your day job is mundane and the workplace without purpose other than paying the bills, you are not alone. But we must remember that God’s thoughts towards us are for a future and a hope. 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

It’s okay to hope in God and to believe that He has a good plan for our lives. That God can even use the 9 to 5 job for His glory and kingdom advancement. With Him nothing need be wasted, but all things work together for good in the lives of those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

When you walk in obedience with God, He wants to prosper you in the work of your hands, He delights in being good to us. Deuteronomy 30:9 states:  “The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good”. 

However, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who gets a little distracted sometimes with my day job. Whilst it can be a blessing to prosper in the secular workplace, God does not intend for us to get our worth, identity or life’s purpose from these things. The truth is, that there is something better than just being prosperous in the day job.

God saved us for so much more than just the day job. Let’s explore some biblical characters for whom this was the case.

Simon Peter the fisherman

When Jesus called Simon Peter, there was a miraculous catch of fish, there was a blessing in the day job. But Jesus did not come to earth just to bless Simon Peter’s fishing enterprise, no Jesus had more in store,. He was to make Simon Peter His disciple.

“Come follow me” Jesus said and “I will make you a fisher of men” Matthew 4:19.

Simon Peter’s fishing experience was not to be wasted just redirected to a different kind of catch and an eternal purpose.

Lydia the seller of purple cloth

Lydia is mentioned in the Bible as a seller of luxurious purple cloth (Acts 16:11-15) this was a wonderful achievement for a woman in what may be considered a male dominated Roman Empire.

But there was more in store for Lydia, one day God opened her heart and she received Jesus as her saviour. Lydia was baptised and her whole household too.

Her purple cloth business now helped support God’s bigger plan, she was equipped with home and household that would host Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke (Acts 16:15).

Joseph the son and slave

Joseph worked successfully in Potiphar’s house, but he was still a slave. However, God had His good plan for Joseph and none of that experience was wasted.

God enabled Joseph to save a nation, to administer in excellence and ultimately, to be reunited with his family.

The journey may not have been easy for Joseph, but God had more for him than just being a slave to Potiphar. Joseph was always blessed because God was with him (Genesis 39:2), even though it may not have always seemed that way. All things certainly did work together for good.

Elisha and the 12 yoke of oxen

“So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.” 1 Kings 19:19 NIVUK

Elisha had experience of directing 12 yoke of oxen but was now being called to direct the 12 tribes of Israel.

Through the highs and the lows God’s presence is our true treasure; walking with God one day at a time will eventually lead us into His expected end for us. His good and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Sometimes like Elisha we may not be aware of what is just around the corner for us.

We are unique and special to God

Remember that even in our places of work, we belong to our God and He cares for us.

Joseph was promoted by Potiphar on one day and then thrown into prison the next. This is why it is important that we don’t get our worth from our jobs or from how people treat us in the workplace but from our God.

All of humankind’s work can be done by new hands, but in God’s kingdom we are special. We are His workmanship, with unique works set aside for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

God will bring His purposes to pass

Sometimes we may feel like workers waiting in the marketplace for God to ‘hire’ us for work in His kingdom. In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus tells the story of the landowner who went out early and hired men agreeing to pay them a daily rate. The landowner also hired more later in the day. At the end of the working day all workers got paid the same. It is important to remember that whether God calls you early in life or late in life we will all be rewarded according to what God called each of us specifically to do.

Sometimes all we can do is position ourselves for God’s call. Doing the best we can to honour Him with whatever our hands find to do. We must remember that as Christians, our lives are about glorifying God not ourselves and yes, that includes within the secular workplace too. 

Building things of permanence with God

It’s also okay to take the pressure off, to relax and know that He holds us in His hands. If He is in our endeavours, He will bless them and He himself will be the secret of our success. God fighting on our behalf means victory. Remember God loves us and He is our Father. He does not withhold good from us when we are walking rightly with Him (Psalm 84:11).

It is good to look for opportunities to use those talents that God has given us for the building up of the church and the expansion of His Kingdom.

No one wants to be the servant that buried his talent in the ground (Matthew 25:12). But God doesn’t want us spending our lives building sandcastles before the ocean waves and so if things don’t work out, that is okay. God is still looking to share His alternative plans with us, to build things of permanence with Him.

Prayer