Because work can be such a source of problems, we might never guess that it's what we were designed to do. This week we look what the Bible says that humans are called to do, and think through how that might change how we think about work.

Sermon Helps

Genesis 1:1 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:26–28 (NIV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  

2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV) 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

Genesis 2:15 (NIV) The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Colossians 3:23–24 (NIV) 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Psalm 90:16–17 (NIV) May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). God creates the world and it is pronounced “very good.”... The world is very good, in all its materiality, temporality, and finitude—qualities that in some philosophies and cultures mark it as not good, but as something to be traversed, endured, or even despised and resisted. The Bible revels in the goodness of the world. Animals matter; plants matter; the oceans and rivers and lakes matter; the air matters: God intended them all to exist and he made them good. Human beings matter, too, and God made us for one express purpose: to garden the rest of the planet. We should notice here, however, that not only is what we sometimes call “the natural world” good, but human culture is created as part of the cosmos God calls “very good.” Humans were not meant to stroll through Eden merely picking up fallen fruit to munch on our way to swim or sunbathe or sleep in some truly animalistic paradise. We were meant to take what God created and work it, cultivate it, do something with it. And, as I shall detail shortly, such creativity requires, among other resources, thinking.

- John G. Stackhouse Jr

In short, work—and lots of it—is an indispensable component in a meaningful human life. It is a supreme gift from God and one of the main things that gives our lives purpose. But it must play its proper role, subservient to God. It must regularly give way not just to work stoppage for bodily repair but also to joyful reception of the world and of ordinary life.

This may seem obvious to us. We say, “Of course work is important, and of course it isn’t the only thing in life.” But it is crucial to grasp these truths well. For in a fallen world, work is frustrating and exhausting; one can easily jump to the conclusion that work is to be avoided or simply endured. And because our disordered hearts crave affirmation and validation, it is just as tempting to be thrust in the opposite direction—making life all about career accomplishment and very little else. In fact, overwork is often a grim attempt to get our lifetime’s worth of work out of the way early, so we can put work behind us. These attitudes will only make work more stultifying and unsatisfying in the end.

When we think, “I hate work!” we should remember that, despite the fact that work can be a particularly potent reminder (and even amplifier) of the curse of sin on all things, it is not itself a curse. We were built for it and freed by it. But when we feel that our lives are completely absorbed by work, remember that we must also honor work’s limits. There is no better starting point for a meaningful work life than a firm grasp of this balanced work and rest theology.

- Tim Keller

Questions for Reflection and Discussion: (Tom Nelson)

• How does knowing that you are created in the image of a God who works change the way you view work?
• In what ways does your work serve to create and cultivate culture?
• What would change in your work if you maintained the mindset that you live and work before an Audience of One?
• How might you do your work as a God-honoring act of worship?

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