Work

This is the first of four posts recapping a teaching series on practical aspects of the Christian life. These lessons were taught first in Big Gathering sessions and then as Family Camp seminars. This post is about work. You can read the posts about emotions here and here. Remaining posts coming soon.

Work

What words come to mind when you think about work? For many, words like frustration, sweat, agony and hard bubble up first. But what about words like purpose and worship?

Below you’ll find four Biblical truths and one admonition to help reframe our thinking about work in light of its central role in God’s design for human life.

1.       God works.

God is wearing work clothes in the first chapters of the Bible. In Genesis 1 and 2, we see him creating, forming, designing, managing and delegating. If you think I’m anthropomorphizing (applying the human characteristic of work to God), read Genesis 2:1-3: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finishes, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”

When you get up to go to work in the morning, you are mimicking God himself.

2.       Humans are workers.

Genesis 1:26-28 says:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

There are several things to note here. First, God made man in his own workman image. This means that work is not something imposed on us from the outside, but something innately expressed from the inside. This is why many who finally make it to retirement find daily leisure so unfulfilling and end up busying themselves more than before. It’s not just that we’re made to work, it’s that we’re made workers.

Second, note our job description: to subdue and have dominion over the rest of creation. God created the heavens and the earth, but he assigned us the job of cultivating and managing it all. This is the essential assignment addressed in all our jobs. The auto mechanic keeps vehicles moving for this task. The teacher helps form children’s minds for this task. The telecommunications worker maintains networks of communication for this task.

Third, did you notice that man is given his assignment before sin entered the picture? This means that work was present in paradise! Therefore work is an essential and good aspect of humanity, not a necessary evil.

God works and he made us in his image as workers.

3.       Man is made to work most of the time.

Did you notice in Genesis 2:1-3 that God worked for six days and rested on the seventh, making the rest day special and unlike the majority of the week? Exodus 23:12 says “six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” Six-sevenths of your life is to be devoted to work.

Many among us have a faulty view of the work/rest ratio, thinking that the majority of our lives should be restful. We can erroneously think that laying bricks, answering phones or even pastoring are interruptions to our fulltime pursuits of hunting, TV or hanging out with friends.

Keep in mind that the word ‘work’ covers more than clocked-in time on the jobsite. It includes work to care for your family, home, neighborhood, yard, car, etc. So I am not saying that it’s okay for a father or mother to log 80 hours a week at the office, neglecting their responsibilities at home and in their community.

The bottom line is our proper rhythm of life is work, work, work, work, work, work, rest. We’re built to work most of the time.

4.       Work hurts.

All of this is easy for me to say behind the safety of my laptop. But it might be difficult for you to see the divine nature of work when you’re jammed up with deadlines. It might be hard for you to enjoy the deep fulfillment of living according to your workman design when you can’t earn enough money to make ends meet. It might be impossible for you to work six-sevenths of your week due to physical pain or disablement. All of this begs the question, if work is so central and wonderful, why is it often so painful?

Genesis 3:16-19 holds the answer. This is God addressing Eve and Adam as mankind’s representatives after they chose the original sin:

To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be foryour husband,
and he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

As a consequence of their decision, work was cursed with pain, conflict, struggle, thorns, thistles, sweat and futility. It hit Eve hardest in her vocation as a mother. It hit Adam hardest in his vocation as a provider.

This means that work will hurt until Jesus’ return. Accept it and expect it. Don’t be surprised when your work fights back. If you drive a school bus, expect the kids to be unruly, the traffic to be thick and the bus to break down from time to time. If you manage people, expect them to misunderstand and disappoint you occasionally. If you maintain lawns, expect rain delays, sticks and weeds.

This also means that if you are fantasizing about a job change to escape frustration, you should think again. No job is easy. All work fights back because all work is under the Genesis 3 curse. We can enjoy our work and be fulfilled by it, but we cannot go about it without experiencing pain and conflict.

The Admonition

Now for the admonition. You’ve been reading these Biblical truths about work, now what will you do in response? Let Colossians 3:18-25 be your guide:

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Whatever you do… We all want to find our calling, that perfect niche we’re made to fill. This is a valid desire; but there is a sense in which it doesn’t matter what sort of work you’re doing. Whatever you do can be an expression of God’s image in you. Whatever you do can be an act of obedience to his command to subdue and have dominion over creation.

Work heartily… Since whatever you’re doing can be worship, do it “heartily.” Vigorously put the deepest part of yourself into your work. Consider this permission to focus on your work, rather than seeking it as a necessary evil.

The church can become a black hole for Christian passion. As fulltime pastors forget what it’s like to work normal jobs, they tend to pull their people away from their work and into church activities as though church activities are more holy. It can begin to feel as though the serious Christians are at the church building every evening and weekend for committee meetings and Bible studies. But watching your grandchildren is just as important as church committee meetings. Building houses is just as valid a Christian effort as attending Bible studies.

As for the Lord… When you think of the word ‘worship,’ what comes to mind? Is it hands-lifted, eyes-closed congregational singing? That is worship. But what about social work, insurance sales and school administration? Those can be equally valid forms of worship when Christians do them “as for the Lord.”

And not for men… Perhaps you feel you cannot go about your work in this worshipful way because you have a bad boss. Maybe’s he’s lazy or disorganized or unfair. Look past your earthly boss to your heavenly boss, Jesus Christ. According to Paul, this enabled even slaves to work heartily and worshipfully!

Summed Up

Christian, God made you as a worker in his Divine Workman’s image to work most of the time as a form of worship and obedience to him. It will be painful, but whatever you do, put your heart into it as though Jesus Christ himself were your boss.

Some Questions if Discussing this as a Group

1. Share with the group what line of work you are in.
2. How does your work fulfill you?
3. How many hours per week do you usually work?
4. How does your work hurt you?
5. What would it look like if Colossians 3:18-25 was fully operational in your life?

(Pictures by Jim Pennuja, Martin Cathrae and Bill Jacobus.)