You’re A ‘Priest’ At Work – Part 2

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the prai7es of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

In his book Habits of the Heart, sociologist Robert N. Bellah describes three attitudes people have towards their work. The first group treats it as a job. When you do this, you see it strictly as a way to make money and pay the bills. Like the bumper sticker says, ‘I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.’ But if your main focus is on what you receive from your work, you’ll most likely come to resent it. The second group approaches work as a career. Here your motivation will be higher, but your focus is on advancement and prestige. That means, however, when your career isn’t going well it can feel like your self-worth is on the line. The third group sees their job as their calling. Now, logically speaking, if there’s a ‘calling’ there must be someone making the call, right? That someone is God. You’re not the ‘caller’, you’re the ‘call-ee’, and any work that has meaning, that can be a blessing to people, and fulfils His purposes, is a calling. A doctor or pastor might get sucked into treating work solely as a means of earning a good income, therefore they see it as just a job. On the other hand, a janitor may view what he does—making the world a cleaner place—as a calling. I’m not downgrading the importance of those who stand in pulpits and preach; I’m upgrading the importance of those who serve God forty hours a week in other jobs. The main thing is: when the job’s done well, both will hear the commendation, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:23).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we are all Your children, precious and honored in Your sight – dedicated to be Your priest to a lost and hurting world! Thank You Jesus for calling! Amen