A Biblical Perspective of Work

Below are some thoughts on Labor Day written by Jim Hollandsworth and Dale Rector:

The pastors and elders at Graystone are reading through a devotional this year together called "Through the Bible, Through the Year" by John Stott. Today's passage was from Genesis 2 and it dealt with work, which the author refers to as "collaborating with God." I thought this was interesting seeing as how today is Labor Day. This got me to thinking about what it means to work from a Biblical perspective. It's clear when we read Scripture that God created human beings for work (Gen. 2:15). But not just work to keep us busy. No, God had a plan for human beings and that plan was for us to "collaborate" with Him to cultivate creation. Simply put, God wants us to share in the work he is doing in our world. Work is spiritual. Have you ever thought about your job being spiritual? No matter what your job is, if you're focused on doing it well as an act of worship, then you're doing your part to share in God's work in our world.

Do you love what you do for a living? Do you love to work? Your outlook on your job and work affects the success of what you do. No one wants to hire someone who hates their job. I think the success of our job is dependent upon whether we really like what we do for a living. God created us to work. God ordained work BEFORE the fall. The curse was the weeds and the sweat, not the WORK. So, if we were created to work, then it makes sense that we need to do work that we enjoy. If you do not enjoy your job, you are out of place, not doing what God designed you for or maybe your relationship with God is strained. God made us to work and to enjoy our labors. Do you enjoy what you do?

The next time you leave for work, think about the fact that God has created you to work and to enjoy your work. Work can be worship if we'll view it not simply as a job, but as a collaboration with God to fulfill his purpose for our lives.

Happy Labor Day.