βServants, be obedient to them that are your mastersβ¦doing the will of God from the heartβ (Ephesians 6:5,6).
Surely what was true of servants and their masters applies equally to employees and their employers. Thus our text suggests that Christians involved in secular labor are βdoing the will of God.β Of course, Paul says that we are to labor and work with our hands βthe thing which is goodβ (Eph. 4:28). So unless you are an abortion doctor or some such thing, when you go to work, you are doing the will of God, and your work clothes are just as holy in the eyes of God as the vestments that Aaron wore when he entered the presence of the Lord, whether you wear a white collar or a blue collar.
Is it possible then that secular employment will earn rewards for Christians at the Judgment seat of Christ? The Apostle Paul says yes! If such labor is done βnot with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart,β and if it is done βas to the Lord, and not unto men,β then Paul unequivocally asserts βthat of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritanceβ (Col. 3:22-24).
There is even evidence to suggest that those involved in secular labor who then faithfully support the ministry can look forward to rewards equal to those given to Christians directly engaged in the Lordβs work. God instructed Moses:
βAnd divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to the battle, and between all the congregationβ (Num. 31:27).
When βwicked menβ tried to ignore this plain command of God (I Sam. 30:22), David insisted:
ββ¦as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff; they shall part alikeβ (v. 23-25).
Secular labor constitutes half of the fourth commandment (Ex. 20:9,10), and is also a commandment of grace. When the Thessalonians got so excited about the Rapture that they quit their jobs in eager anticipation, Paul twice reminded them that he had βcommandedβ them not to do this (I Thes. 4:11; II Thes. 3:10). He then re-issued the command (II Thes. 3:12) and further commanded them to βwithdrawβ from any who wouldnβt obey these commands (II Thes. 3:6-10). Thus we see that working for a living is a commandment of God given to members of the Body of Christ through the Apostle Paul.
Finally, if you are considering entering the Lordβs work, you should know that throughout Scripture, God called to His service men who were already demonstrating their faithfulness and dependability in secular employment. God called Moses when he was tending his father-in-lawβs sheep, Gideon as he was threshing wheat, David as he was shepherding his fatherβs flock and several of the apostles as they were fishing or mending their nets. source
