We get paid to do a job. But sometimes we’re called to work without direct compensation. And this seems especially true in kingdom work.
On the one hand, it’s only reasonable to expect to get paid when we show up and do our job. We agree to offer our blood, sweat, and tears for pay. And we would likely not do our job without this agreement in place.
But kingdom work requires many non-billable hours. We work because things need to be done and not because of a direct or immediate payoff. For instance, our job might be sales, but our work might be the connection we make with our colleagues and customers. It’s not our job per se to engage in God-conversations with them, but this might be the work that God has called us to do – helping them to see or to remember his larger story as they navigate life. Likewise, our job might be as a carpenter, but our work is building spaces people can call home, which might require more than our strict job description.
Whatever it looks like, whether we’re the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker, we must not confuse our job with the larger work we’ve been called to do. And we diminish our impact when we limit our work to just our job.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get paid for both our job and work. It’s just remembering that God’s payday often comes on a different timeline and by a different means than we might usually expect. In the meantime, we must not neglect the work he has given us to do.
In the end, faithfully do your job and expect the wages you are due. And remember kingdom work might require you to clock many non-billable hours from a human perspective. But God still sees and will bless you at just the right time.
Photo by Osarugue Igbinoba on Unsplash
