Why do you work? For most of us, we work in order to pay the bills. Very few people would use the term "calling" when they talk about work. Ministers talk about a "calling," but for most of us, work is just employment.

The average person can only imagine what it must be like to own the business, be the CEO or be independently wealthy. Work is just a means to an end.

Surprisingly, many of the most powerful people in the working world might say the same thing if they were asked. While our business leaders have larger responsibilities and more rewards, they often discover that even if work is tremendously rewarding, it doesn't fill all their needs.

We secretly hope that life is more than work. In fact, we criticize the workaholic by saying he is out of balance.

There is a long history behind this feeling about work. The Greeks considered work an important value for men. While they hoped one day to enjoy freedom from trials and troubles of this life, they did not think of another "heavenly" world where they were rewarded with idle time. The blessings of success were to be sought in this world. So work became a way of defining who people were.

We still use this Greek ideal today. Think of axioms such as: "A man is known by his works," "Work is the pathway to riches," or "Excellence is the perfection of work."

When we meet someone, we ask, "What do you do?" This is a thoroughly Greek concept – a human being defined by the work that he or she performs. It is deeply embedded in our thinking. Work has become the measuring stick for what it means to be human.

The Hebrews had a different perspective on work. For them, work began with God. "In the beginning, God created" is the foundation of all thoughts about work. God is a God of action. He has work to do.

God's work starts with words. There is no separation between the activity of work and the words of work for the Hebrews. God accomplishes his tasks through the words he speaks. Work and word go hand in hand and work is never outside the context of God's sovereignty.

In addition, work is the assignment God gives people. The first man, Adam, was duly assigned work, even in the Garden of Eden. Work is not the fulfillment of human potential as much as it is the fulfillment of divine commission. Because God rules all creation, including the work of all people, God is the final judge of the value of work.

The Biblical record is clear. Work is human activity under the rule of God. Both God and humans have work to do. In fact, a person's role in God's universe is pre-eminently about the work of care taking. The first commandment, to subdue the earth, is a word that implies the work of a fastidious gardener, not an exploiter. For a Christian, the Lordship of Christ can only mean that every action taken by a believer is part of "working out our salvation." Nothing is exempt from the purposes of God.

This fact corrects a common mistake. We are often told that our spiritual calling is to devote time and energy to the work of the church. This might lead us to conclude that we have jobs on the one hand and spiritual tasks on the other. Even Rick Warren, in his excellent book, "The Purpose Driven Life," says:

Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. One reason why you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. There are no insignificant ministries in the church.

This could create an artificial dichotomy between the work world and service to the church. But notice that Jesus did not minister in the church at all. In fact, the local synagogue rejected him. Jesus fulfilled his ministry by accepting God's calling no matter where it took him. And it usually took him to places that the good church-going crowd avoided.

If God engineers life, if he is the operating agent behind every detail of my life, then God places me in every one of my circumstances, including my career and job. I don't live in two worlds – one where I work and the other where I serve. Work is an expression of my submission to God where he puts me. I am called to serve him everywhere in my life. My assignment extends to every part of my life – my job, my home and my church.

Under God's authority, all work is sacred. Is there any difference between how I demonstrate my gratitude and humility before God in the office or in the sanctuary? Doesn't Jesus' ethics of the kingdom apply equally in both environments? Why have we made the church the exclusive realm of Christian service? Jesus spent nearly his entire ministry with non-believers. He didn't relegate his religious activity to behavior inside the synagogue.

There is no dualism in the world of work. We are not spiritual workers for the church on Sunday and human laborers for the rest of the week. Our lives are to be expressions of the character of Christ in every activity. No matter where God puts us, we are to "be about our Father's business."

In that way all work is part of God's purpose for us and every action is an opportunity to develop the character of Christ. So what behaviors does God expect of me in the place where I have been divinely assigned? How am I to act in this assignment so that God is glorified? How will I use my assignment as an influence for the purposes of God?

Skip Moen has been a management consultant in human resources for nearly 20 years. He is the Dean of the Department of Biblical Leadership at Master's Divinity School and a Chair with Breakthrough Business Leadership Forum. He holds five degrees, including a PhD from Oxford. Subscribers to his Web site, At God's Table, receive a daily Scripture word study with personal application.