Spiritual Job or Earthly job

[Johnny]

If you are talking about a job well done for Jesus, I think will be judged by Him and Him only knows our heart and intentions. It is my personal attention and desire to keep my heart, mind and soul at His feet and follow Jesus in everything I do. Weather I work in wordly jobs or the ministery, I let my life shine because I am not just anybody, I am a son of the living God. When my work on earth is done I want to hear my Father say come thou faithful for the work well done.

[JimLowranceSr]

Sometimes our Earthly job is a spiritual job. Secular has a different meaning, but Earthly? Never let anybody kid you that a "spiritual" job, whatever is being referred to, is an easy job. Lawyers failures go to jail. A doctor's failures, to the grave. A pastor's failures? To Hell?

An usher, greeter, etc., is an extremely important job, not just a position.

[Usher]

Thank you Bro Lawrence,
I hold the office of Usher, and Obededom is my Biblical model.
In the secular world, I repair and troubleshoot production machinery.

There is tremendous opportunity to show Jesus abroad in my life, as I am called when the operator is already frustrated and upset with the operation of their machine. I used to try very hard to be cheerful and confident when I came upon them, and the more I tried this the easier it became. Jesus has given me ability and insight into the working of the machines.
I know what some will think about what I just said, 'Does Jesus care that much about machines?', but I tell you, God has given me favor with my employer.

And in truth, people do know my walk with Jesus, and they are calmed and pacified when I respond to their call. I am talking about God with fellow workers everyday.

Lately, I am discussing the Bible with a Catholic man who has just discovered the Bible. He is surprised to know what the Priest has not mentioned, at what is found in the Bible. He is looking for a Bible to study and I am trying to lead him to 'Spirit Filled Life' study Bible.

All that said, I work in a Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic manufacturing plant.

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(No signature as yet. No permission)

[Johnny]

You are right Brother Lawrence. Earthly is the wrong word in this case. I think worldly would be a better word to express my thoughts. It is true that what ever our job may be, our light as soldiers of the Cross must shine in season or not we must be ready to give a testimony; In the early years of the UPC I worked along side an Evangelist. I played the Guitar and He also played the Guitar. We were not to ever play any earthly or worldly music. It was wrong to even listen to radio music. I learned a lot of my runs and frills on the Guitar in the Black Churches. I am speaking of the UPC in the late forties. There were some very rigid rules not only in music but How to Dress, Eat, Makeup, Hair. This was before Television. All in All God is the same today as yesterday. Our job is not hard to do when our boss is Jesus..1 COR 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

[EJFH]

EJFH pet peeve number 671: It seems a rare thing for saints to answer the "what is your job" question without an asterisk or an implied apology. So often we qualify our occupations with the words "secular," "worldly", or whatever, and suggest that they are unworthy, unimportant, or just a practical necessity that keeps us from doing something spiritual. At the very least we make it a second-class thing, as in "job is to ministry as concubine is to wife." Not quite as honorable.

I've never felt that way. I note that the first thing God gave Adam was a job, in Genesis 2:15. Adam was still innocent, so work was not a result of the fall. And he was alone, so ministry was not a possibility. Yet God placed him in the garden with a purpose, and that purpose was work. Earthly work. In the New Testament, Ephesians 4:28 and 1 Thessalonians 4:11 both commend the virtues of work.

I was recently reading about Dr. Benjamin Carson, who at age 33 became the youngest ever Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. Among other things, he pioneered the surgery that allows doctors to separate conjoined twins who are joined at the head without killing one of them. He poured himself into his education, and then into his work, and lives have been saved because of it Many of us would not similarly pour ourselves into our work, because we view work primarily as a place we show up to in order to witness to fellow employees. We tend not to value our jobs for their own sakes, and for the opportunities they represent that do not directly involve bringing someone to church.

Bro. Usher, I have no doubt that the Lord has given you special ability with those machines. He does stuff like that. From Exodus 35:
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
[32] And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
[33] And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
[34] And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
[35] Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

You might even ask yourself (or better yet, ask God) where your abilities might take you. Maybe there's an entrepreneurial opportunity in your future that will allow you to prosper personally while financially supporting the work and mission of the church far beyond your present capacity to do so. Maybe you'll engineer a process or invent a device that changes the world and gives you a forum to tell your testimony to the world. Wouldn't it be something if the next Michael Dell or Bill Gates were Apostolic?

I'm a financial planner, speaker, and author. I do those things for a living. And I know these activities, which some would denigrate as "merely secular," minister to the very real needs of real people. No caveats. No asterisks. No regrets.

I'm not picking a quarrel with the earlier posters -- just getting my two cents in. (Now that I'm done writing the book, I feel the need to opine at length about something!)