November 3, 2020 WORK. BLESSING OR CURSE
Genesis 2:15 “Then the Lord God took the man and put into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”
Ephesians 4:28 “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hand what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”
Acts 18:3 “and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent makers.”
Colossians 3:23a “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,”
In our culture, work has gotten a bad rap. Some view work as a curse, or necessary evil, as a result of sin entering the world when Adam and Eve sinned. However, even before sin entered the world, God gave Adam the task (work) of cultivating and keeping the garden. It is true that the sin of Adam and Eve had its adverse effects on work; God told Adam that he would have to work by the ‘sweat of his brow’ in order for the garden to produce-but he was to continue to work. (Genesis 3:19)We do not live in the Garden of Eden and we have to deal with the effects of the fall of man, but at the same time, God is restoring and enabling us to recapture His original intent concerning work. To be able to work is indeed a blessing; where or what would we be if we had no work or responsibilities to be about? God is not idle-He works and He creates, and we are made in His image. Important to this topic is that of why we work and what are we working for. We work because it is God’s design; we are called to provide for ourselves and for those who have need; work provides the opportunity for us to use the creativity that has placed in us by design. (It is awesome to know that God has made us ‘creators’ and given us the ability to produce and get results as a result of our labor.) If our dominant goal is to get things, (material possessions) then work becomes a necessary evil. If we view work as the opportunity to express our creativity and a means to provide for ourselves and others, then work becomes a privilege. Also, the task of being diligent, dependable, and consistent in our work is something that God uses in the transformational process. For sure, work can be demanding, it consumes a lot of energy, sometimes interferes with what we want to do, and challenges us to the core-but as we draw on the strength of the Lord, we find we are sufficient for the task. Another aspect of work is that of taking dominion; taking dominion requires energy and commitment on our part; we are to take dominion in our thought life and the circumstances we encounter in life, including work. Finally, the work place is a great place for our faith to be expressed and the life of Jesus in us to be evidenced by our words, our attitudes, faithfulness, and our dependability. Even though we may not have the ‘perfect’ job or the job we want, let us see it as where God has us for now and let us rise above complaining and embrace the job and give it our best. As someone said- let us ‘bloom where we are planted.’
Psalm 90:17 “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.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed