TRUSTING AND HONORING GOD IN YOUR VOCATION
Keith O’Connor
Woodland Church
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
(Ephesians 4:28, NLT) If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
1. We were created to work
(Genesis 2:15, ESV) The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
(Ephesians 4:28, NLT) If you are a thief, quit stealing.
Stealing shows a lack of respect for others and their possessions. It is selfish and degrading – Martin Lloyd Jones
(Ephesians 4:28, NLT) Instead use your hands for good hard work.
2. The dignity of work
(Deuteronomy 14:28-29, NLT) At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.
(Ephesians 3:28, NLT) Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
(2 Thessalonians 3:10, NLT) Even while we were with you, we gave you this command, those unwilling to work will not get to eat”
(Matthew 5:16) Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.
3. Serve God with joy
(Psalm 100:1-2, ESV) Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing.
(Colossians 3:23-24, NLT) Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ
4. Be honest in your work
(Thessalonians 4:11-12, NLT) Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business, and working with your hands just as we instructed you before. The people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.
(John 6:27, NLT) But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given Me the seal of His approval.
Growth Work
1. Show that we can be fully trusted
(Proverbs 20:6, AMP) Many a man proclaims his own loyalty and goodness, but who can find a faithful and trustworthy man.
2. Work with integrity
(Proverbs 10:9, NLT) People with integrity walk safely, and those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.
3. Work with humility
(1 Peter 5:5, NLT) In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.