Key Bible Verse: Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (Ephesians 6:7). Bonus Reading: Colossians 3:22-4:1

Broadcaster Roy Firestone once interviewed a seven-foot-tall, 260-pound specimen of pure muscle and athleticism. One of the best big men in the history of the National Basketball Association, he'd led his team to back-to-back championships and been named an all-star 12 times.

"Your teammates tell me that every time you hit the hardwood you give 110 percent," Firestone said. "They say that you'll go out and practice and shoot hook shots for hours and hours. They tell me that you'll run wind sprints until you literally can't walk anymore. They say that during scrimmage you'll go for loose balls like it's the NBA finals. Why?

"You're one of the best there's ever been in this game. Why don't you just lie back and take it easy?"

He said, "Roy, you need to know something. When I go out onto the hardwood, I'm not going to work; I'm going to worship. How would I dare not give back to God what He's given to me with joy and thanksgiving? No, I don't go to work; I go to worship."

His name is Hakeem Olajuwon. He's a Muslim, not a Christian. Yet God in His providence has given him insight about what our work is meant to be.

—Patrick Morley in A Man's Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines

My Response: In what ways is my work a worship experience?

Thought to Apply: Every calling is great when greatly pursued.—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, JR. (Supreme Court justice)

Adapted from A Man's Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines (Moody, 2007) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me to be Your faithful ambassador in the occupation to which You have called me.

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