Transforming Work into Worship: Inviting God into Life

Devotional

Day 1: Life Without God Is Meaningless

Life without God is like chasing after the wind—no matter how much you achieve, accumulate, or strive for, it ultimately feels empty and unfulfilling. King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man of his time, looked back on all his accomplishments and declared that everything was meaningless apart from God. The pursuit of success, possessions, or recognition cannot satisfy the deep longing for purpose that only God can fill. When we try to do any part of our lives without God, we find ourselves running in circles, exhausted but never truly arriving. True meaning is found only when God is at the center of all we do. [05:23]

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 (ESV)
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?”

Reflection: In what area of your life have you been striving on your own, and how can you invite God into that area today to find true meaning and fulfillment?

Day 2: You Can’t Take It With You

No matter how hard you work or how much you accumulate, none of it will follow you into eternity. The Apostle Paul echoes Solomon’s wisdom, reminding us that we brought nothing into this world and can take nothing out. Our titles, trophies, and time sheets don’t transfer into eternity. If all our efforts are focused only on what’s temporary, we risk missing out on what truly lasts. Instead, we are called to invest in what has eternal value by aligning our work and ambitions with God’s purposes. [13:23]

1 Timothy 6:7 (ESV)
For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Reflection: What is one thing you are working for or holding onto that has no eternal value, and how can you shift your focus toward what matters most to God?

Day 3: Abiding in Christ Brings True Fruitfulness

Jesus teaches that apart from Him, we can do nothing of lasting value. When we remain connected to Him, our lives bear much fruit, but when we try to go it alone, our efforts are empty. This is the heart of Solomon’s message: all our striving is in vain unless it is rooted in relationship with God. Abiding in Christ transforms our work from mere activity into something that echoes into eternity, bringing glory to God and blessing to others. [15:07]

John 15:5 (ESV)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can intentionally abide in Christ as you go about your work or daily responsibilities this week?

Day 4: Excellence at Work Is a Witness

The way we approach our daily tasks—whether big or small—can be a powerful testimony to those around us. When we work with integrity, joy, and excellence, we let our light shine and point others to God. Excellence is not just about personal achievement; it is evangelism in action. Even the most mundane tasks become opportunities to reveal God’s character and love to the world. Let your work be a testimony that draws others to glorify your Father in heaven. [23:46]

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Reflection: What is one ordinary task you can approach with greater excellence and intentionality today, so that it becomes a testimony of God’s presence in your life?

Day 5: Dedicate Your Work to God

Before you begin any task, pause and commit it to the Lord. When you dedicate your day, your meetings, and your projects to God in prayer, you invite Him to guide your steps and establish your plans. This simple act transforms your work into worship and opens the door for God’s favor and direction. Don’t just reserve prayer for Sundays—make it a daily habit to invite God into every aspect of your life, trusting Him to bring purpose and fruitfulness to all you do. [27:18]

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Reflection: Before you start your next task or meeting, will you take a moment to pray and dedicate it to God, asking Him to guide and use it for His glory?

Sermon Summary

We are living in a time when it’s easy to compartmentalize our lives, to pursue our ambitions, careers, and even our daily routines without inviting God into the process. Many of us chase after success, knowledge, or security, thinking that if we just work hard enough or follow the right formula, we’ll finally arrive. But as Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man of his time, discovered, all of it is ultimately meaningless apart from God. Life without God is like running after something you can never catch—no matter how much you accumulate or achieve, it all goes back in the box at the end.

Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes are raw and honest. He had everything—palaces, vineyards, gold, fame, power—and yet he looked back and saw that, without God, it was all empty. The question he asks is piercing: “What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” The answer is sobering: work without God is waste. You can make a living and still not make a life. You can grind every day and still not have anything of eternal value to show for it.

But there is hope and freedom in this truth. When we invite God into our work, our daily routines, and our ambitions, everything changes. Work with God becomes worship. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. Our desk becomes an altar, and our grind becomes glory. God doesn’t just bless what happens in the pulpit—He blesses what happens in the marketplace, in our homes, and in every sphere of life.

To make our work worship, we must shift our perspective. First, shift your boss—work as if you’re working for the Lord, not for human approval. Second, turn your tasks into testimony—let excellence and integrity in your work point others to God. Third, dedicate before you do—commit every day and every task to God in prayer, inviting Him to guide and use you. Whether you’re in a season of employment, entrepreneurship, retirement, or anything in between, your work has meaning when it’s surrendered to God. Let your life and your labor be a witness, preaching the goodness of God without even saying a word.

Key Takeaways

1. Work Without God Is Ultimately Empty No matter how much we achieve or accumulate, if God is not at the center, our efforts are like chasing the wind—exhausting but fruitless. Solomon’s life is a testimony that even the greatest success is hollow without a relationship with God. True fulfillment is not found in what we do, but in who we do it with. [11:32]
2. Your Desk Can Become an Altar God is not confined to church buildings or religious activities; He desires to be present in every aspect of our lives, including our work. When we dedicate our daily tasks to Him, the mundane becomes sacred, and our ordinary routines become opportunities for worship. This transforms our perspective and infuses our work with eternal significance. [17:20]
3. Shift Your Boss: Work for the Lord, Not for Man When we see Jesus as our ultimate boss, it changes how we approach even the most difficult environments. Working for God gives purpose to painful places and allows us to endure challenges with grace and integrity. This mindset frees us from bitterness and empowers us to serve with excellence, regardless of who is watching. [22:36]
4. Excellence at Work Is Evangelism The way we perform our tasks—whether big or small—can be a powerful testimony to those around us. Mediocrity hides God, but excellence reveals Him. When we work with integrity and joy, our coworkers and those we serve see God’s fingerprints on our lives, and our actions become a living sermon that points others to Christ. [25:35]
5. Dedicate Before You Do: Invite God Into Every Task Before starting any task or entering any meeting, pausing to commit it to God invites His presence and favor. This simple act of surrender aligns our hearts with His will and opens the door for Him to work through us. When we put God first, He establishes our plans and uses our work for His glory and our good. [30:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:51] - Introducing Ecclesiastes: The Weight of Meaninglessness
[05:23] - The Monopoly Analogy: Winning Without Lasting Gain
[08:42] - Work Without God: Chasing the Wind
[10:23] - Solomon’s Raw Truth: Work Without Worship
[13:23] - You Can’t Take It With You
[15:07] - Jesus’ Words: Apart From Me, You Can Do Nothing
[17:20] - Turning Work Into Worship
[18:21] - The Pointlessness of Work Without God
[19:43] - Three Ways to Make Work Worship
[20:57] - Shift Your Boss: Working for the Lord
[22:36] - Finding Purpose in Painful Places
[23:46] - Excellence as Evangelism
[27:18] - Dedicate Before You Do: The Power of Prayer
[30:23] - Testimony: God’s Favor in the Marketplace
[33:24] - Living as a Witness: More Than Just Heaven
[36:00] - Retirement and New Seasons of Work
[37:08] - Water Baptism: Going Public With Faith
[39:41] - The ABCs of Salvation
[46:25] - Communion: Remembering Christ’s Sacrifice
[56:31] - Closing Worship and Announcements

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 (ESV) — > The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
> “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
> What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

Colossians 3:23 (ESV) — > Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV) — > Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Observation Questions

According to Ecclesiastes 1:3, what question does Solomon ask about all the work people do “under the sun”? What is he getting at with this question? [04:00]
In the sermon, what analogy did Pastor Devin use to describe the emptiness of work and success without God? [05:23]
What does Colossians 3:23 say about who we are ultimately working for, and how should that affect our attitude? [20:57]
What does Proverbs 16:3 instruct us to do before we start our work or tasks? [27:18]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Solomon, who had everything—wealth, power, fame—describe all his achievements as “meaningless” apart from God? What does this reveal about where true fulfillment comes from? [11:32]
Pastor Devin said, “You can make a living and still not make a life.” What does he mean by this, and how does it relate to the difference between working with God and working without Him? [10:23]
The sermon talks about “shifting your boss”—seeing Jesus as your ultimate boss. How might this perspective change the way someone approaches a difficult work environment? [22:36]
How does dedicating your daily work to God in prayer (Proverbs 16:3) transform ordinary routines into opportunities for worship? [27:18]

Application Questions

Pastor Devin said, “Work without God is waste.” Are there areas of your life or work where you’ve been leaving God out? What would it look like to invite Him in this week? [10:23]
Think about your current job, schoolwork, or daily routines. How could you make your “desk an altar” and turn your ordinary tasks into acts of worship? Be specific. [17:20]
The sermon challenged us to “shift your boss”—to work as if for the Lord, not just for people. Is there a relationship or situation at work (or home) where you need to change your perspective about who you’re really serving? What step could you take to do that? [20:57]
Excellence at work is described as a form of evangelism. What is one area where you could raise your standard of excellence or integrity this week so that others might see God through your actions? [23:46]
Before starting a task or meeting, the pastor encouraged us to pause and dedicate it to God. What is a simple prayer you could pray before your next workday or project? How might this change your attitude or results? [27:18]
If you are in a season of retirement, unemployment, or transition, how can you find meaning and purpose in your current “work”—whether that’s serving family, volunteering, or mentoring others? [36:00]
The sermon said, “Let your life and your labor be a witness, preaching the goodness of God without even saying a word.” Can you think of a recent time when your actions spoke louder than your words? How can you be more intentional about this in the coming week? [34:12]

Sermon Clips

``Work without worship is just wages. And you can make a living, my brothers and sisters, and still not make a life. And just because you are grinding every single day doesn't mean that there's gonna be glory after it. [00:11:51] (19 seconds) #EmptyWorkNoEternalGain

Without God, or work without God, it's like running on a treadmill. Anybody ever ran on a treadmill? You sweating? Your legs moving fast? Don't let that incline come. You're holding on to their life. You're doing all the things. But you're not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere. [00:12:51] (40 seconds) #YouCantTakeItWithYou

You don't get to take your grind with you. You don't get to take your title with you. You don't get to take your trophies with you. Those of you that work all the time, guess what? Your time sheet, your time card, don't make it into heaven with you. It doesn't transfer into eternity. And if all you work for is down here, you'll have nothing waiting for you when you get there. That's the reason why you've never seen a hearse pulling a U -Haul. Because you can't take it with you. [00:13:54] (50 seconds) #WorkWithoutEternalProfit

Work without God is a waste. Solomon says, what do you gain? The Hebrew word for gain is about profit. You're putting in all this work and there's zero eternal return. [00:14:48] (19 seconds) #ExhaustedWithoutGod

It's not that work is bad. It's that work without God is pointless. It's not about building your resume. It's about building God's kingdom. Solomon is not saying don't work. And let me just echo that. Solomon is not saying don't work. Pastor Devin is not saying don't work. That's not what I'm saying. But what I am saying is this. Don't waste work. Don't waste work. Don't waste work. Because with God, your nine to five becomes ministry. Your hustle literally becomes holy when you attach God to it. Your grind becomes glory when you involve God in it. [00:18:33] (56 seconds) #WorkEchoesEternity

When you change who you're working for, you change how you work. I remember a time in my life when I was working for a very difficult boss. They, from what I saw, and a lot of other people in the company felt the same way, that they walked in major insecurities. And so the only way that they felt better about themselves is to belittle others. And I was part of the others. And at first it was really getting to me. I mean, getting under my skin. But then, Liggins Jones, I just shifted my focus. I reframed in my mind who I was working for. And I said to myself, I'm not working for them. I'm working for him. And you know what it did? It gave purpose to a painful place. It gave purpose to a painful place. [00:21:54] (85 seconds) #ExcellenceRevealsGod

You need to start every single day. Every single workday. Dedicating or by dedicating it to God in prayer. Before you open your laptop. Before you step into that meeting. Pause. And say God. This day is yours. And let my work. Honor you. [00:27:09] (32 seconds) #CommitAllToGod

God's plan for salvation is not a hard plan, it's a very easy plan. I know some people may say, well, you gotta do this, you gotta do that, you gotta turn around three times, you gotta lift up, you gotta, no, no, no, no. God's plan is very simple. It's as simple as your ABCs. A, admit, admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Plainly put, admit that you need help. Let me just say something, we all need help. I need help every day of my life. B, believe, believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for your sins. Sin had to be punished. But Jesus said, don't put the punishment on her, put it on me. I thank God for Jesus taking all of my sins away. A, admit, B, believe, and then C is confess. What am I confessing, Pastor Devin? You're literally confessing that Jesus is now Lord over your life. Well, what does that word Lord mean? That simply means this, that He's now the boss. Remember we talked about shift your boss? Jesus, now, when you accept Him into your heart, you're saying that Jesus is now the boss. What does that mean? That means He will now have the final say -so over all the affairs in your life. [00:39:36] (87 seconds) #TrustGodDirectsPath

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