The Secret of Job Satisfaction ............. Parables 383

August 17, 1993
A fellow named Robert Orben once quipped, “Work is the recreation of the retired.”

Many retired people agree. Work is not always something you get paid for. They find themselves busier, even working harder, than when they were employed.

Neither is work always something we call “work.” Who hasn’t come home from a vacation to get some rest because they worked so hard enjoying themselves?

Most of us relish loafing but productive and even challenging work is usually more satisfying. We’d rather keep busy than be bored or feel useless. It is part of the way we are made.

In spite of that, it is not uncommon to complain about work. It can be either stressful, demanding, tedious, or difficult. But because work originated with God in paradise, it was not always a negative experience. Work actually became unpleasant because of sin. Prior to that, the first family enjoyed their tasks, made easy in a perfect environment. After they sinned, God banished them from the Garden of Eden “to work” and it would be hard work. He told Adam’s son, “When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.”

Yet God, not sin, is responsible for hard work. He has the same opinion of bitter, difficult labor as we do — He calls it “bondage” (see Exodus 1:14).

In the beginning, Adam and Eve could take care of a large paradise. Yet after their sin occurred, one job can become too much. For instance, Moses overworked himself trying to lead the Israelites through the desert. God finally told him: “The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” Most of us would rather share our workload and certainly need to rest occasionally.

God had that in mind when He instituted the Sabbath: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.”

Workaholics find it difficult to rest, yet God considered a day of rest so important that anyone who put work above it should be “cut off from his people” (Exodus 31:14). Work without rest is too demanding.

Christian “work” can be demanding too. Paul said “We work hard with our own hands” and should “make it our ambition to lead a quiet life, mind our own business and work with our hands... so we will not be dependent on anybody.”

We must work hard, but not entirely for our own selves. Paul challenges us to “do something useful... that we may have something to share with those in need.”

All this implies that whether we work for a pay cheque or not, we can work as a labor of love for God. Even if we find ourselves engaged in the “recreation of the retired,” we can still consider the Lord our boss. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, knowing you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ we are serving.”

Work done for Him, whether while fully employed and paid, or as a volunteer, or while retired, is the secret of job satisfaction.

Spoiled rotten? .................................... Parables 066

An economy ticket for a half-filled flight in a 747 gave me the rare opportunity to enjoy sitting in “executive class” where even a glass of ice water has a slice of lemon in it. The next leg of my trip put me back in a crowded 727, chuckling about being an “executive” for a couple of hours. Beside me, a woman teased, “Don’t get spoiled. Never allow yourself that.”

The dictionary says that “spoiling” refers to allowing indulgences that impair the character. Children who are given every thing they desire usually become adults marked with an assortment of character traits such as: the inability to say no to anything that offers instant pleasure, with little consideration of any long-term results, and an “I-want-what-I-want-when-I- want-it” attitude.

When I was a child, my parents were told that I would not live past 18 years. I suppose that I was treated somewhat differently than I would have been without that possibility hanging over me. Since no child would think to say “I refuse to allow you to spoil me”... I accepted all favors and gifts.

But I am no longer a child. As my fellow-passenger said, self-indulgence is now my responsibility and it is up to me whether or not I am “spoiled.”

I have learned that Christians have been called to serve God, not their own desires, likes and dislikes. When I became His, I began to realize the folly of insisting on my own way. So much of it had little, if any, good purpose, and actually was harming me. Several years of unchecked self- indulgence was exposed for what it was and I have struggled to commit those things to His lordship.

Besides the actions of indulgence, I’ve found that the inner attitudes that were behind those outward actions also need to be brought under the control of God. Deep “I wants”, if left alone, are harmful and interfere with all relationships and with the joy that God has for me.

But there are also legitimate likes and dislikes, such as sitting in “executive”, feet up, enjoying a slice of lemon. Is that wrong? The answer is not found in the thing enjoyed, putting it on a “condemned” list, and considering myself “spiritual” if I never do that again. The answer is inside me... and I can find out if I’m spoiling myself by asking myself a few questions:

1) Is this harmless thing bringing me closer to the Lord?
2) Will someone else suffer -any- loss whatsoever if I do this?
3) Have I met all my obligations and priorities... am I free to do it?
4) Would someone else be enticed to sin because of my example?

Perhaps some would cry “unfair” and “I can do what I like” ... but I have found that the bottom line is this: Putting myself at the center of my life, with no regard for the Lord, His will for me, or for the well-being of others, is the very essence of sin. And the wages of sin is death. Someone has to pay those wages.

The work of the church is like football? ....................Parables 034

After attending the Calgary/Edmonton Labor Day football game, This analogy came to mind: “Christian work could be compared to a football game - 35,000 people who badly need exercise watching a couple dozen players who badly need some rest.”

I began to wonder if the analogy could be expanded. Why do some play while others prefer to sit and watch? Here are a few suggestions:

First, some people are more skilled than others. In sports that means the difference between winning and losing, so it only stands to reason that the players are the very best that management can find or afford.

But is it like this in the church? Do we have a mentality that says only the “more skilled” can effectively do the work of ministry, and the others who think they are less skilled should sit and watch? Christians who think this way have let the thinking of the (sports) world invade their theology. The Bible says that spiritual gifts are “given to everyone, to profit all,” and “those members of the body (of Christ) that seem to be more feeble are necessary,” not just to sit and cheer, but to use what they have to complete and complement the work of others.

Secondly, those in the playing field must exercise time and energy to become what they are, while those in the stands have other priorities. Certainly, not everyone can be a big league pitcher, or a hockey player, yet priorities are a major theme in Scripture. None of the commands in the Bible say anything like this, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, except of course if it cuts into what you want to do.” Or this, “Abstain from fleshly desires . . .  unless you find it too difficult.”

Self-denial and hard work are the foundation for excellence in athletics. Certainly they have a key role in Christian ministry as well. 

Thirdly, some spectators do not play because they simply don’t know anything about the game. In fact, no coach in his right mind would play a person that has never read the rule book, or never been in training camp.

Christians sometimes sit because they feel inadequate and ignorant too. In contrast, God says that we are “complete in Christ” and have all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1) We also have a “rule book,” the Spirit of God, and the example and encouragement of others who have gone before us for our instruction. Furthermore, the Lord promises wisdom to anyone who asks for it. (James 1) Ignorance and a sense of inadequacy are no excuses to sit and watch.

Another reason that some don’t play is that they prefer to coach from the sidelines. Listen at any game - most armchair quarterbacks, baseball players, and hockey fans know exactly how to call the plays, hit the home runs, and keep the opposition from scoring. Sadly, the same is true of many “armchair Christians.” They could preach a better sermon, give a better witness, teach a better class. They know all about how to do it. They just don’t do it.

Perhaps This analogy could continue. There are spectators who attend the games for a break in their routine, and there are those who go because they would like to play but are afraid to try. Others use sports to socialize, or to impress their colleagues.

Still others get a thrill from watching the action. Whatever the reasons, none of them are valid according to God’s game plan. The work of the church is successful only if everyone is involved, doing what they can at the level of skill that they have, motivated by a love for their Coach and a desire to please Him.