Paul reminds us in this passage that we are to eat our breakfast and do our work all for the purpose of bringing glory to God. I know I don’t often think about everything in every minute of my life in this way. It is easier for me to think about specific times and ways in which I intentionally serve God by serving others. The truth we are reminded of here is that God wants all that we are and all that we do to come under his leading. It can especially be challenging as we think of our secular work as work that is to be sacred or holy. How then can we as Christians intentionally make the work we do holy and pleasing to God? One way is to think of ourselves as ministers and the work we do as ministry, even in the work setting.

Assessing Your Job as Ministry:

• Does your work meet needs?

In the New Testament the primary word for ministry is “diakonia” which means “service.” To minister is to serve and meet someone else’s needs. The cashier at the grocery store is helping to provide your family with food. The auto mechanic who repairs a car meets a need. Think about how you can look at your secular work in terms of meeting a need of someone else.

• Do you have a servant spirit?

A servant spirit can transform any useful job into a ministry. If a computer programmer approaches work not just as a way to earn a paycheck, but as a way to serve her clients with fast, accurate and dependable service, the job can be a ministry even if she never meets the customers. A Christian then, can transform a job into a ministry with an intentional mindset to serve others through whatever work they do.

• Are you thinking about the people you are serving?

When we remember who we are serving we can turn an ordinary job into a ministry. Here is an example from my life. I believe that parenthood can be one of the hardest and most demanding jobs in the world! I remember feeling like I wasn’t getting anything done as a mother rocking and walking my daughter day and night. The laundry piled up and the dinner didn’t get cooked, but I was showing love to my baby. I think that is the secret to turning the secular into the sacred. We need to work with a vision of who we are serving and let that inspire us to add the secret ingredient of love to every task we do. When love for the people we are serving inspires us, our work becomes our ministry.

It may be harder for some of us to view our jobs as ministries just because of the nature of the work we do. Ask God to help you to make this scripture true in all the parts of your life, including your work, so that whatever you do, you are doing it for God’s glory.

Adapted from “When There’s No Burning Bush: Following Your Passions to Discover God’s Call” by Eddy hall and Gary Morsch