Working For Eternity
What drives us? Some have clear goals like the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant who explained in an interview with Patrick Bet-David that he made a deal with himself at 13 years old to be one of the best basketball players ever (he ultimately accomplished this through a razor focus and intense work ethic coined “The Mamba Mentality”). Others seem to aimlessly float through life bouncing from one thing to the next. Regardless if your goals are clear or if they seem to be “aimless” you are driven to the “next thing” by something.
What Drives You?
So, before you read any further, I challenge you to take a moment and really contemplate what is it that drives you? Are you driven by something that you believe will fulfill you? Are you driven by an end result of perceived happiness? Are you driven by power, fame, or fortune? If so, you aren’t the first and won’t be the last, but will that kind of motivation really pay off? Atlanta rapper, Young Thug, seems to think so. He didn’t mince words in an interview with the The Guardian when he said, “We need money. We need hits. Hits bring money, money bring power, power bring fame, fame change the game.” It’s not hard to decipher what drives Young Thug. However, what drives you may be more subliminal and equally as dangerous. Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, suggests that people are most commonly driven by guilt, resentment and anger, fear, materialism, and the need for approval. I find myself being driven by fear and the need for approval. The fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, and the desire to liked by everyone routinely attempt to derail me when I take my eyes off of Christ. In his writing, “Confessions”, the great early church thinker Augustine said it this way, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” As Christian men, what drives us must be the things of God or we will never find the contentment that we desire from the things that drive us in the first place. Rick Warren, gives us a clear directive in The Purpose Driven Life, “Living to create an earthly legacy is a shortsighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.”
With this in mind and since you and I still live in the world, how do we practically keep ourselves grounded and driven by an eternal perspective? I want us to focus on one area of our life where we spend most of our time and where we can strive to be driven by an eternal calling…work.
I adopted 5 core principles early on in my career with the intention of keeping myself focused on a higher calling. They are simple, yet complex and I have in no way perfectly followed them. In fact, I recently have found myself falling short of these principles as my focus has been pointed inward instead of towards Christ and others. These principles are just one of the many ways to channel your drive towards eternal goals, but they provide a framework from which I hope you and I can attempt to build an eternal legacy.
Honor Jesus
This principle is straightforward, yet hard to follow. Honoring Jesus involves every area of our life. It consists of our thoughts and our actions. All of these principles involve intentionality, but to honor Jesus at work we have to be extremely aware of pursuing this principle from the moment we step in the door each morning. We honor Jesus when we greet the secretary with a warm smile and a “good morning” even when we’ve had a rushed morning at home. We honor Jesus when we don’t join in on the company gossip at lunch even though everyone else is a part of it. We honor Jesus when we hold our tongue and don’t bark back when the boss is rude for no reason. We honor Jesus when we treat the custodian just like we treat the owner. The possibilities are endless in the ways we can honor Jesus. 1 Peter 2:17 says it best, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” Let us remember we are called to a high standard because of what Jesus first did for us on the cross and over the grave.
Love People
This concept is easy to agree with at first because it’s not difficult to love lovable people. However, it can be incredibly hard to live out when we apply it to work and think about having to love our disrespectful boss or overbearing cubicle partner. Jesus has a clear message for us in Mark 12:28-30. It says, “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Jesus makes it clear that loving God and loving others go hand in hand. This message is seen repeatedly in the Bible. The practical ways to love those you work with are many, but you’ll miss out on being a blessing if you are not intentional each day to look for opportunities to do so.
Pursue Excellence
Some people are more driven to be excellent than others. Some people have an internal voice that drives them to be the best they can be, while others naturally look for the easiest path. Pursuing excellence isn’t just a well-respected secular idea…it is a Biblical principle. In Colossians 3:23-24 Paul says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” This is extremely convicting because it requires us to remember that our work is for the Lord even when we are tasked with a monotonous project, difficult co-workers, or overall frustrating season at work. Everything we have is a gift from God, so we should pursue excellence in all we do knowing that we are actually doing it for Jesus. This is a game changer that helps us keep pursuing excellence in all areas because our work in the end, is to please the Lord.
Set High Standards
At work, we all know the person who does just enough to get the job done. They are there to clock in and clock out without getting into trouble. I’d venture to bet that person at your work doesn’t have a ton of respect from his or her co-workers. As Christians, we are called to be a witness to the world. The way in which we operate at work matters. We should do our best in how we treat others and in executing our job the way it was intended. There is no doubt that the kinder and more competent you are at your job, the more likely people are to listen. Paul gives us a list of characteristics to emulate in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” As we set high standards in our lives, we will find ourselves pushing to be the best we can be with Christ’s help at home and at work.
Protect the Team
One of the most important traits of a leader is to protect the people entrusted to them. If you find yourself in a position of authority, take it upon yourself to make sure that your people know you are for them and will stand up for them. Lead them by serving them! That is Jesus’ example. Matthew 20:25-28 says, “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Just as Jesus came to serve humanity, a leader’s job is to put their interests behind those of the team. It’s not about you. Make it about others.
Challenge
As you go throughout your day today, take a moment to ask Jesus to give you an eternal perspective. Ask Him to put his desires in your heart, so that you are driven to pursue things of eternity even while still here on earth. Next, write down your own principles that will help you keep an eternal perspective and fuel your eternal drive. Finally, find a brother you trust and ask him to join you in pursuing an eternal legacy together. Press on brothers! It’s worth It!