Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just doing it for the glory of God”? Have you ever wondered what that meant?
I remember years ago when my son was younger, he used to love to play with Legos. He would excitedly run to me with his latest creation, “Dad! Look what I made! Do you like it, dad? Is it good?” He wanted to know if what he had done was worthwhile in my eyes. Of course, I would always respond enthusiastically with ‘that’s great!’ or ‘you’re really good at that’.
Do you think as a Christian dad I would’ve been better to say something like, “No son, it’s really not good because it has no eternal value. One day it will burn. Your lego mobile can’t get souls to heaven so it’s not worth anything”? Of course not! What he built and the things he does now have real value in my eyes. They reflect his creativity and his God-given gifts and I believe this truly glorifies God. Do you remember what Eric Liddell said in the movie ‘Chariots of Fire’? “When I run I feel God’s pleasure.”
How can running please God? How can building with Legos glorify Him? I think many of us fall into this trap of thinking we have to be a pastor or missionary in Africa to bring glory to God. I used to think this way, but this could not be further from the truth. What we do every day glorifies Him as well.
The bottom line is that your work is His work. When you dedicate it to Him and seek to glorify Him, your work becomes your calling. When you understand this you will be applying the truth at work.