How Can Your Work Bless God's People

Acts 4:32-36

You hear a lot on television and in popular books about how God will bless your work if you follow Him. That's commonly called prosperity gospel, and there are a number of problems with that kind of theology. But think about reversing those ideas. How can your work bless God's people? The typical answer is that I can make a lot of money and then I'll give a portion of that money to my church, to missionaries, or to other God-centered causes. But that's still a version of the prosperity gospel that says, "if you'll give me more, I'll give back some of it." Regardless of how much money you make, you can still honor God and serve His Kingdom through what you do. My assumption is that your job is both legal and moral. Assuming that, how can what you do serve others?

A perfect example of this is found in Acts 4. The believers were excited about their new faith and the new community that was forming around that faith. They were excited about worshiping Jesus together, and one way that they expressed that joy was to pool their resources to help the needy among them. Look at Barnabas in verse 36. He used a real estate transaction to honor God.

As you work today, think about how your job can honor God. If you are in construction-related fields, can you do repair work at a local church or build churches in foreign places in need? If your an accountant, can you provide that service for your church or offer free tax services to those in need? If you're in marketing or public relations, perhaps your church needs a fresh web page or Internet presence. As a teacher, I can teach Bible classes to help others deepen their love of Jesus. Whatever you do, how can you use those talents to serve God's people?