When Crawford Hill was a boy he applied for a
job at a local store. Mr. Peters, the store owner, told him to go into the attic.
“You will find a long, deep box up there,” he said. “Sort through the contents
and see what should be saved.”
Crawford spent hours separating usable nails
and screws from things that should be thrown away. At the bottom of the box he
found a $20 bill. He raced downstairs and said, “Mr. Peters, I found $20 in the
box!” and handed the money to his boss. Mr. Peters smiled because he knew the
boy could be trusted to work in his store.
The old junk box was just a test. Mr. Peters put the
money at the bottom of the box to test his honesty. If he didn’t
report finding the money, how could he be trusted with the cash register? He
filled the box with junk to test his faithfulness. He wanted
to see if Crawford would finish the job even though it seemed he was doing useless
work. Crawford proved he was honest and faithful.
Years later Mr. Peters retired and turned his business over to Crawford to
manage. (Making Today Count for Eternity,
pp.45-46)
Many people see their job simply as earning a paycheck, but
God sees it with an eternal purpose. Life on
earth is a test to
decide eternal assignments for His followers. If you're a believer in Jesus, God
is evaluating you to determine what you'll be doing in heaven forever
(Matt. 25:21, Luke 19:15-17). Your attitude and faithfulness after you are
saved determines your eternal rewards, which
are privileges in the next life. (Rev. 22:3, 1 Cor. 3:13-14).
God told slaves that their jobs were important—they were serving Him and He
would reward them. “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on
earth (bosses)…do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of
the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:22-24).
Whether you are the
owner of company or a minimum wage employee, do your work with excellence. Be
respectful. Remember that you’re serving the Lord and your work now will affect your eternity. If
you’ll do that, He will give you a big promotion in the next life.
For more info about how
your eternity is currently under construction, read my book Making Today Count for Eternity (click “Look Inside” for chapter 1)
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