Proverbs 10.4-5
“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
Over the years I have talked with some Christians who view work as intrusive. They resent work because it takes them away from family and other activities they consider more fulfilling and more “spiritual.” I have talked with other Christians who have made work an idol. They are so consumed with their job that they neglect family and other priorities because of an unhealthy preoccupation with their work.
It is vitally important that we reject both of these erroneous views of work and fully embrace the importance of work as a vital part of God’s plan to accomplish his purposes in us and through us.
What is the role of work in the life of the Christian? What is the Christian’s role at work? The reality is that the purpose of work is not just to make a living in order to pay the bills. It is much more than that. Work is not an idol that we worship, nor is it a hassle that we resent. In the kingdom of God, work is a strategy that we employ in order to fulfill God’s command to have dominion as his representatives on the planet.
Work isn’t just part of God’s plan. Work is vital to his plan.
Genesis tells us that God put man in the garden of Eden “to till it and to keep it.” In other words, God put man in the garden to do work. The Lord expands on man’s stewardship responsibilities by giving the command to “have dominion” over all things on earth. It was God’s plan that mankind serve as his overseer of the planet.
Accomplishing God’s purpose on earth would require creating and leading teams, organizations, and communities. It would require people collaborating and working together. It would require vision and strategies and plans. It would require tools and tactics. It would require skills. It would require effort and work.
Unfortunately, before all of this good work had even begun, Adam & Eve rebelled against God’s authority and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. The consequences were catastrophic. Genesis 3 records God’s response to the sin of Adam & Eve: “…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.”
It is critical understand that God cursed man and the earth, but he did not curse work. After the Fall man continued to labor, but now he would have to labor in a broken world. Work would now include “pain … thorns and thistles … the sweat of your face.”
Man’s rejection of God’s authority brought sin and death into the world. As a result, the world became broken; not completely, but substantially. Entropy entered the world. Entropy means that without focused effort, things move toward disorder; they wear out and break down. Things don’t always work right. Difficult things happen. Painful things happen. Death happens. As a result of the Fall, life and work would be hard.
The good news, of course, is that Christ has redeemed us from the curse. He has restored us to a place where we can once again do our daily work as agents and representatives of his kingdom. The world is still broken, but now we are able to do our work as God’s redeemed people, empowered by his Spirit, directed by his Word, and in fellowship with the community of those who follow Christ.
As a result of what Christ has done for us, the work of Christians in a broken world is more important than ever. I believe an essential part of the Lord’s gospel message to all Christians is this:
“I have saved you and restored my image in you. I have moved you from death to life, and I have blessed you in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I have delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of my beloved Son, in whom you have redemption and the forgiveness of your sins. I love you. Now please get back to work and do your job.”
Trust God and do the work.
