Each week a man will spend roughly half of his 112 waking hours working. Yet most men do not have a good "theology of work." Teach your men a theology of work. Here are a few points.

First, every vocation is holy to the Lord. God makes no distinction between sacred andsecular. (Have men look up the word "secular" in their concordances.)

Second, every man is ordained for ministry in the workplace. Help your men understand what they have been "ordained" to do and they will forever be grateful to you. Some of your men are ordained truck drivers. Some are ordained computer programmers. Others are ordained farmers.

Third, work is not just a platform to do ministry; it is ministry. For example, if you are a waiter, every customer is an occasion to demonstrate the character of Jesus Christ. If you are a manager, every conflict between two employees presents an opportunity to model the love of Christ. If you are a salesman, every appointment is divine and every sale is sacred.

All men want to be happy. A man will feel most happy, most alive, and most useful when he is doing the kind of work he was created to do--even while feeling the prick of thorns.

Fourth, to succeed at work but fail at home is to fail completely. Caution men that we have a tendency to compartmentalize our families while we're at work, but not our work while we're with our families. Our bodies are at home but our minds are still at work. Striking a right balance between work and family is a cornerstone of achieving a true happiness.

For More: See (1) Chapter 4, "Not Happy Here, Not Happy Anywhere," in Ten Secrets for the Man in the Mirror; and (2) Chapter 6, "The Secret of Job Contentment," in The Man in the Mirror; go to www.pastoringmen.com and click on "67. Work" to read the free articles (3) "How to Build a Ministry through Your Work" and (4) "Interview for a Job"; and to (5) watch or listen to a twelve-part series on Doing Business God's Way.