The Gift of Work

Pastor Evan Taylor • August 30, 2022

With Labor Day coming next Monday, we discussed the gift of work this last Sunday evening. For those who missed on Sunday, here is a list of a few passages and thoughts to reflect upon this Labor Day weekend.

Genesis 1:26-31; 2:5-18

Work is not an unfortunate necessity, but a good gift from God, for there was work in the original paradise. Before Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s design for their lives and brought the curse of sin and death upon God’s creation, He blessed them with the creation mandate to expand the borders of the garden of Eden to cover the earth and to fill it with worshippers bearing His image. This was all deemed “very good”.

Jeremiah 29:1-7

While the curse of Genesis 3 has made work difficult, the creation mandate is still in force, for we are still called to contribute to the flourishing of others, laboring to see the world filled with worshippers. Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles taken captive in Babylon is highly instructive, for we too are living in exile away from the dwelling presence of the Lord in Eden, yet are still called to seek the welfare of everyone around us.
John 5:15-17

We were made to work, for we were made in the image of a God who never stops working. As such, sluggardliness has a dehumanizing effect upon us, as expressed in Proverbs 24:30-34; 26:15-16; and Eccl 4:5. So long as we have breath in our lungs and the mental capacity to think, there is some way that we can be a blessing to others, for the Lord sustains us for a reason.

Colossians 3:22-24; Ephesians 6:5-9

All work is to be done “as for the Lord and not for men”. As long as it’s not inherently sinful or intended to lead others into sin, all work is God’s work, not just the work of the paid pastor or supported missionary. As Martin Luther famously said, “God is milking the cows through the vocation of the milkmaid.”