I wonder: Do you know anyone who is out of a job? And another question: Do you know anyone who is out of work? You may be thinking, you just asked the same question.

Those are two different questions because your job and your work are not the same things. We tend to get those terms confused, but they are not interchangeable terms. I want to point out the differences between our job and our work.

Let's begin with some very basic definitions: Your job is what you do day-in and day-out usually to bring in income, sometimes not. It is the duties you perform, most often for an employer, for which you expect to receive money or some form of compensation.

A company achieves its goals by hiring people to do jobs that are pre-designed, with job descriptions that are pre-written, without consideration of the person who will fill it.

Your work, on the other hand, is what God has designed you to do. It is your purpose for being here, what you are uniquely created for. It is distinctly linked to the gifts, talents, and assets you have been given by God. Your work is for the purpose of bringing glory to God and giving you fulfillment as well. While many people may have identical jobs, no two people have the same work, because each of us has a unique plan for our lives.

I wonder how many Christians really know the difference between their job and their work because when this is not clear to us, we can encounter many difficulties.

For example, one of our most common mistakes is to expect a job to fulfill us. We prepare for it, work hard to get a good job, try hard for promotions and pay raises, and then reality sets in. We realize they call it work because it’s work! Not always so fulfilling; not so fun; not so rewarding.

If you see your job as your work, still hoping it will bring meaning and purpose to your life, you may be experiencing some frustration, some disappointment, even some despair and hopelessness because that job—that career you worked so hard to get—doesn’t live up to your expectations.

Do you know anyone who has been utterly shattered because they lost their job? Or a retiree who fell apart with no job to go to everyday? That's because their jobs defined them, and once their job went away, they didn't know who they were. They didn't have any work to do.

We need a biblical perspective of our jobs, don't we?