Drew Oakley
May 7th, 2023
Do you remember your first job? Why did you take it? To make money? Because your parents made you? Or was it because you realized work was a platform for a greater purpose? It seems the majority of us are working for the weekend, but if we change how we see the purpose of work, it might just change the pleasure we derive from it.
Discussion Questions
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? What appealed to you about that career as a child?
What is the current purpose of your work? How is this purpose impacting your satisfaction at work?
Read Colossians 3:23–24, where the apostle Paul talks about work.
What kind of work do you think Paul is referring to in verse 23?
How does Paul tell the people in Colossae they can find purpose in their work?
What is the inheritance to which Paul is referring?
Paul seems to suggest that in order to find purpose in our work, we should work as if Jesus is our boss. Regardless of your current career, how would your purpose at work be different if you were “working as for the Lord, not for human masters”?
How do your co-workers see God at work in your life? How might your satisfaction at work change if you viewed work as a platform for God’s purpose?
Moving Forward
When we get it wrong, work is dissatisfying and can actually become an obstacle to our relationship with God and others. When we get it right, our work is a platform for us to show God’s purpose—to redeem and restore a broken world.