Income vs. Outcome
“… Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ––Matthew 6:19-21
I rarely meet a man who doesn’t at least partially define his worth by what he does for a living. I mean, a lot of guys will say, “Christ is my identity, not my job,” which is great—but it’s oftentimes not fully true. When you dig deeper men will eventually admit that they frequently do two things regarding their job: 1) Allow their status (e.g., title, income) to influence their overall happiness; and 2) compare themselves to other guys and their jobs.
The ultimate litmus test to see how much of your identity is based on what you do is to be unemployed. If you’ve ever been laid off or fired, you know what it feels like. It sucks. Most guys I know have been one of the two at least once in their life and I’ve never heard a guy say, “I didn’t worry at all and spent all my time praising God.” And it’s totally normal not to feel great when you’re out of work. God designed us to work—but according to His purpose for it and us.
Even spiritually healthy men tend to focus on income rather than outcome because we live in a culture that worships money—mammon. That’s why it’s critical to understand that the way God’s kingdom economy works is polar opposite from the world’s. Jesus said it best, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Mammon is a Greek word that means “that which a person puts their trust in.” Do you put your trust in money (or what it can buy), or do you put your trust in God? Before you respond, imagine you are out of work; savings are dwindling (or gone); you (and your family) may need to move in with relatives. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being worst, how devastated would you be? Would you feel like a failure? God doesn’t measure your worth that way.
Jesus didn’t die so you could have a great income; He died so you could have an amazing outcome. The former is good (we need to work to make money), but the latter is forever—achieving the outcome He has for us now and for eternity.
Father, help me focus on outcome in my work rather than income.