W.O.R.K.: Four Components of Godly Work

How to Honor God in What You Do—and Invite His Favor on the Work of Your Hands

Work Wholeheartedly
As Labor Day rolls around each year, I usually find that we are working rather than taking the day off! It seems to be a nice day to get (or at least “feel “,a little bit caught up! So, as you plan your holiday, enjoy some time off– but also enjoy the wonderful and satisfying emotions of getting caught up!I thought I would share a little of WHY work seems to be a fulfilling and significant part of our Christian calling.

Give your best because ultimately you are serving Christ, not merely an employer or clients.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23 NIV

 Offer Your Work to God
We are thankful that our work, when placed in God’s hands, will include God’s power and provision to accomplish it! We remember the morning we knelt in the Billy Graham chapel at Forest Home and offered our young marriage into God’s care and asked that He might use us in His timing– shortly there after, we did our first marriage event.

Place your plans, projects, career, ministry, home and daily responsibilities into God’s hands.

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” — Proverbs 16:3 NIV

Reflect God’s Character

If we are determined to do God’s work, we will want to do it God’s way! All three of our sons were hired in their college internship– sure they had wisdom, smarts and talent, but what garnered their career headstart was their diligent work ethic, integrity and initiative! Godly work is marked by integrity, honesty and excellence—even when no one is watching.

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” — Proverbs 11:3 NIV

Keep Doing Good
We each need to learn to work in perseverence– not by pure feelings! For me, I (Pam) learned my work ethic, when I was toiling pulling dirt clods out of potatoes on a harvest combine when I was 14. For those three weeks, I was often working long days and into the night, coming home, taking a bath that looked like mud when I was done, then we started at the break of dawn the next day! People ask me, “How did you write 61 books?” I think back to those dirt clods that trianed my mind to work! However, it was the passion to help others find the divine transformation that God planted in Bill and my hearts that now carry us as we serve.

Even today, as I write this blog, my diligent husband is working HARD on his parents’ home remodel– and I admire Bill as he sacrifices his body on this home project just as he did as he remodeled our first home, then then  home we built from scratch in Marcos, the addition and remodel of our El Cajon home– then even a complete remodel to our live aboard boat we moved to so we could be caregivers to his parents for a decade while we balanced serving them  with our Love-Wise speaking, writing and coaching ministry. Whew!

Faithful work requires perseverance. Don’t allow weariness or discouragement to make you quit too soon.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 NIV

Remember- Godly work isn’t merely about what we accomplish; it is about who we become while doing it. 

Pam and Bill Farrel are international speakers, relationship coaches and authors of 60+ books including bestselling Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti. They have enjoyed the work of ministry in the local church too as youth ministers, Lead Pastor and Women’s Ministery Director and Bill as Pastor of Small Groups. However, they first learned to work industriously when Pam was cleaning sheep, cattle and horse stalls, bucking hay bales or gathering eggs on her family farm — while Bill could be found rebuilding car engines, delivering newspapers before dawn, and pumping gas! www.Love-wise.com