In addition to supplying our physical needs, work plays a very important role in our spiritual lives, as believers. It provides the opportunity to put into practice spiritual principles that would otherwise be mere academics. A Christian can study every passage in the Bible that deals with serving others and read every biography on those who were noted servants and still not really understand the principle of surrendering rights.

On the job, however, the opportunity to yield our rights presents itself every day. The way we do our work day by day provides the best exterior reflection of our commitment to serve the Lord in a real, physical way. It doesn’t matter whether that work is in the home, on an assembly line, or in a corporate office. Our true Christian beliefs will be reflected more clearly there than in any other environment outside of immediate family relationships.

Current attitudes
Somehow Christians have been duped into believing that work is a secular activity and, therefore, they shouldn’t expect to feel spiritual about a job. Many Christians view their jobs with drudgery. They are dissatisfied with their vocation, disgruntled on the job, and resentful of others’ successes. This attitude destroys our greatest area of outreach and witness.

Praise of men
"He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God’ " (Luke 16:15). Those who are resentful about the success of others, whose feelings are hurt because of the lack of recognition, or who use jobs as their alter egos all suffer from the same spiritual malady: They are in service to men instead of to God. If a Christian approaches a job with the attitude that some person must recognize him as "better" or "best," there almost always will be disappointment, because the first time the boss forgets to show appreciation, resentment creeps in.

It is interesting to note that the workers whose bosses praise them most highly are usually the ones who require the least praise. It takes a lot of energy to remember to praise someone for everything he or she does right. What a joy it is when a boss finds a quiet, efficient, self-starter who continually looks after the interests of other employees. Those qualities are so rare that the boss is torn between promoting that person and keeping him or her at the present job.

Biblical admonition
There seems to be a common characteristic in Christians who don’t rely on praise from others: they take literally the principle of work in Colossians 3:23-24. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." The key is that they look to the Lord for their rewards, and in doing so they find His standards of conduct are so much higher than men’s that they surpass their bosses’ expectations.

Conclusion
Being God’s emissary on the job is not difficult; it’s impossible in our own strength. Only by yielding our rights to Christ can the world really get a glimpse of Him through us. "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). The only way a Christian can avoid the traps of ego, pride, and resentment is to know that God is in total control of all circumstances and strive to please Him.

R.G. Le Tourneau, a Christian businessman, once told his long-time friend, Dr. Robert Barnhouse, "Maybe I will retire someday, but I’m too busy right now." He was 80 years old at that time!

To most people in our society, retirement refers to that period of time in latter years when they can stop work and start enjoying life. This idea is very appealing. However the truth is that although the majority of Americans nearing their retirement years look forward to this kind of retirement most don’t have the means actually to do it. Even if they did have the means, statistics show that for the sake of their physical and mental well-being retirees should be active and productive as long as they are physically able.

God’s view regarding retirement
A major problem develops when people and/or businesses begin to say that everyone who reaches a certain age is no longer productive and must be replaced with more aggressive and younger employees. This concept is not only out of step with the historical record of the impressive accomplishments of senior citizens, but it cannot be supported scripturally. The only reference in the Bible to retirement is found in Numbers 8:25, which concerns the retirement of the temple priests or Levites. That is not much biblical justification for the multibillion dollar retirement system America has built.

There are two fundamental points from God’s Word that need to be considered about retirement. First, most Americans focus too much on ceasing work at too early an age. Second, according to Proverbs 6:6-8, workers need to lay aside some surplus in higher-income-earning years so that the latter years can be spent in peace. "Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest." Statistics show that the "harvest" years for most Americans are between the ages of 25 and 60. Therefore it would be wise to lay aside some surplus income for the latter phase of life, when income-earning abilities decline, so that retirees will not become a burden to their children or the government.

Planning for retirement
Many people in America seem to be obsessed with retirement planning. They divert funds from God’s work and their families and live like misers most of their lives in order to retire in comfort.

Others act as if they will remain young and highly employable for the rest of their lives. Often these people end up living on inadequate incomes, mostly Social Security, or being totally dependent on their children.

Retirement planning in and of itself is not wrong. Although there are many different retirement plans, there is not one "best" plan that is guaranteed to work for everyone. The most biblical plan is to continue to be productive throughout our lifetimes. God never intended for us to quit working but, rather, for us to change to a less demanding alternative.

However, the absolute best retirement investment that will fit into any retirement plan is to have a debt-free home. That means to pay off the home mortgage as soon as possible, then use the money that was paying mortgage payments to start a retirement account or reinforce an existing one.

Wise stewards
Most retirement plans should begin when workers are in their 40s. If they begin sooner than that, the average investors sacrifice basic needs for the sake of retirement speculation. Besides, very few people can predict more than 30 years into their future to determine their retirement needs. On the other hand, if workers wait until their 50s to begin a retirement plan, large sums of money must be allocated to the plan in order to satisfy retirement needs—many times more than workers can afford.

Investors need to be careful about investing when they are at retirement age. They also need to remember two very important principles regarding investing: Don’t risk money you can’t afford to lose and diversify your money according to the instructions in Ecclesiastes 11:2.

Conclusion
When preparing and planning for retirement, workers should not try to protect against every eventuality. However, they need to pray and plan for the future. Husbands and wives should pray together about their retirement future and then trust God, who is "able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Over a 50-year span, the average American spends about 100,000 hours working. A major part of adults’ lives is involved in work, but often with the job comes some degree of dissatisfaction. Perhaps no statistic demonstrates dissatisfaction more than job-hopping tendencies. A recent survey discovered that the average American man changes jobs every four and one-half years, the average woman every three years.

To find satisfaction in our work and to be placed in a position where God can prosper our work, we first need to understand what Scripture teaches about work in general, as well as the responsibilities of both employer and employee.

General biblical principles
From the beginning, God instituted work. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). The very first thing the Lord did with Adam was to put him to work for his own benefit. It was not a curse.

However, after the fall of Adam, work was included in the curse and was made more difficult.

Work is so important to our daily lives that God commanded us to, “work six days” (Exodus 34:21).

In the New Testament, Paul was even more direct concerning work: “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). God’s Word implies that there is dignity in all types of work. It does not elevate one honest profession above another.

Jobs are not merely tasks whereby workers can earn money; they are also a means by which workers can use their talents and abilities to develop character—godly character.

God’s part
The Word of God reveals three specific responsibilities that God has in connection with work.

1. God gives talents and skills. “Every skillful person in whom the Lord has put a skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work” (Exodus 36:1). God has given each worker unique skills and abilities.
   
   It is not a matter of one person being better than another; it is simply a matter of having received different abilities.
2. God gives success. “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). Although we all have different talents and responsibilities, God is the one who is ultimately responsible for our success.
3. God controls promotion. “God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another” (Psalm 75:7). Your boss is not the one who controls whether you will be promoted. God controls promotions based not only on workers’ abilities but also on workers’ faithfulness to the tasks and responsibilities given to them and whether they were good stewards of the responsibilities God had given them.
   
   “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:23). One of the major reasons people experience stress and frustration in their jobs is because they do not understand God’s part in work.

Employers' responsibilities
Godly employers usually need to perform a balancing act. Employers are to love, serve, and encourage their employees, but they also are responsible to lead their employees and hold them accountable for the completion of their assigned tasks. According to God’s Word, employers have five primary responsibilities.

1. Serve employees. The basis for biblical leadership is servanthood. “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Employers need to balance efforts to make a profit with an unselfish concern for their employees and treat their employees fairly and with dignity.
2. Communicate. “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them” (Genesis 11:6). When employer and employees are committed to accomplishing a particular task and there is good communication between them, nothing—within the will of God—will be impossible.
   
   Communication is a two-way street. Employers not only need to speak to their employees, they also need to listen to their employees with sensitive and understanding ears.
3. Hold employees accountable. Employers are responsible for the employees knowing what’s expected on the job.
   
   Employers regularly need to evaluate employees’ performance and communicate this to employees.
4. Pay a fair wage. “[The Lord will judge] those who oppress the wage earner in his wages” (Malachi 3:5). “You shall not oppress a hired servant….You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). Employers must pay fair wages promptly when they are due.
5. Pray to have godly employees. This is not a command; it is a principle. However, employers would be wise to pray that God would send them employees of like faith and belief.
   
   Although employers are forbidden to discriminate based on religious belief, employees with like faith eliminate a lot of potential problems that might arise.

Employees' responsibilities
The life of Daniel as recorded in the biblical book of Daniel illustrates eight characteristics that made him a good and godly employee. The following are those eight characteristics.

1. Work as if working for the Lord. We actually are serving the Lord in our work; we are not serving people. In essence, we work for the Lord. If employees know and believe this, slothfulness can be greatly diminished.
2. Work hard. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). In Scripture, hard work and diligence are encouraged; laziness is condemned. “He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9).
   
   However, hard work must be balanced by other primary priorities of life: relationship with Christ, spouse, and family. If work interferes with any of these three relationships, you are working too much.
3. Be honest. Employees should not give cause for their employers ever to question or doubt their honesty.
4. Be faithful. Godly employees need to establish goals of being faithful and excellent in their work and work habits. Then they work hard to attain those goals.
5. Be a person of prayer. Godly employees are people of prayer. If employees do not pray daily regarding their work, the work will suffer.
6. Honor employer. Godly employees always honor their employers and those who have been placed in authority over them (1 Peter 2:18).
7. Honor fellow employees. Wherever there are employees there will inevitably be office politics. However, a godly employee will avoid backbiting and slanderous talk about other employees.
8. Verbalize his or her faith. Daniel verbalized his faith in God to those around him. Even so, godly employees will openly declare their faith on their own time and live their lives according to what is pleasing to the Lord and according to the principles of His Word.

Conclusion
The most important question people can ask every day is, “For whom do I work?” If the answer is anything or anyone other than the Lord, the biblical principles of work are not being applied. God’s Word has given some very direct principles concerning work that all Christians should know and observe.