Where is God in our Everyday Work?

The majority of our lives are spent outside the walls of church.  Therefore we must ask ourselves: "Where is God in our everyday work?"

1. We were created for work.
The concept of work existed from the very beginning. Gen. 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." The word "work" in the original language means "work!" We were created to work, to worship, and to serve.

2. Work (paid and unpaid) has become a toil because of the fall.
The best thing you can say about work is that it doesn't feel like "work." Our lives and our work have become a toil because of the effect of sin.  Gen. 3:16,19 describes pain in childbearing and sweat in working for bread, which is to say that all work, paid and unpaid, has been affected by sin. Even as Christians, we tend to view work as a means to end or an end in itself.  What is the hope for our work?

3. Our work has been redeemed and is now a part of God's plan of redemption.
God created us for work and He has revealed His plan for redemption through His Word.  Our whole lives have been redeemed by God, and that includes our work.  We serve God by serving people in our work which means that all legitimate forms of work are sanctified by God. We don't all have to become full time ministers or preachers to do the work of God. God provides food, healing, and safety through the work of men and women. 

4. We can find our identity in Christ instead of our work.
If we find our identity in our work, success will go to our head and failure will go to our heart.  As Christians, our identity is in Christ.  We can rest secure in what Jesus has done for us.

5. Our faith can help save us from being corrupted by our work.
In Luke 19, we learn that Zacchaeus was a corrupt tax collector, but after Jesus famously entered his life the first thing that was affected was his work.  Instead of extorting his community, he chose to give back.  Instead of greedily hoarding resource, he freely repaid anyone he had cheated.  Our faith in Jesus can save us from being corrupted by our work.

God has made himself accessible to us anywhere and anytime, so work hard, work with purpose, and know that Christ is enough.


For more resources about this topic visit theologyofwork.org

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