No Ordinary Work

No Ordinary Work

    The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.  Genesis 2:15

    Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.  Exodus 35:2 (ESV)

In the Bible work is not drudgery or something to fill our time.  It is a God given task for the glory of man who in return is glorifying God.  Your work does not define you.  Only your relationship with God in Christ, defines you as a person.  That is why we have the Sabbath day, to cease from work and activity that defines us in ways that deny our fundamental identity as children of God.  So, the way you work and how you work during the week ought to reflect your relationship with God.

Therefore, work is not the result of the Fall, but a part of God’s intention for man in the garden.  After sin came into the picture, the curse resulted in that toil and work would be frustrated. (Gen. 3:23; 4: 12)  Humanity is separated from God, from other humans, and frustrated in our work.   Yet, by God’s grace, work is still a source of great blessing, even as it also brings challenges and frustrations.

Do you like your work? Is everything you do a source of joy and fulfillment?

When does your work bring you the greatest joy?

The Shaker philosophy of furniture making was to make each chair fit for an angel to sit on.  “Make every product better than it’s ever been done before.  Make the parts you cannot see as well as the parts you can see.  Use only the best of materials, even for the most everyday items.  Give the same attention to the smallest detail as you do the largest. Design every item you make to last forever.”  (Os Guinness, The Call, pg.198-199)

I remember seeing this type of work philosophy in the Czech organ builders who were at work in the church I served in West Virginia.  We employed a European company so that all the parts were made and manufactured in the Czech Republic.  It was built there and then taken apart, bit by bit and rebuilt in this country right in our sanctuary.  What astounded me was the craftsmanship, attention to detail, and the use of solid white oak used not just on the outside, but in the backside of the organ works.  There was not one piece of inferior wood or plywood used.  The men themselves were fine artisans.  They worked with a sense that the work was worthy of quality.  These men were not simply collecting paychecks.

It seems to me that is the Christian view of work.  Whatever you are doing to pass your time, whether it is a paying job, a profession or retirement, are you reflecting the glory of God in what you are doing?