WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART

 

September 2, 2024

Thank you, Lord, for graciously revealing yourself to us in Scripture. The first thing you show us about yourself is that you are the God who created all things. You are a God who worked, and who is working still. May you work in and through my life today. Help me to see all of my work this day as an imitation of your creativity. Amen.



Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.



The Bible begins by telling us something about God. The first thing we learn about God is that God worked. He made something. He exercised his creative, visionary, ordering power. Throughout Genesis 1 and 2, We witness God deeply immersed in the act of creation.

“The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).

In Genesis 2, we see God working the “dirt” of his creation.

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7).

What occurs to me in the opening chapters of the Bible is that work isn't some "add on" to the biblical story. No, work comes right at the start. In the beginning, God worked.

Created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), we were designed with work in mind. From the beginning God intended and created human beings to be his partners in the work of bringing creation to fulfillment. God created a perfect world and then entrusted humanity with the task of continuing the work of creation.

“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’” (Gen. 1:28a).

You see, the Creating God could have created everything imaginable and filled the earth himself. When we acknowledge this truth of a God who could do it all, I am overwhelmed by the fact that God chose to create humankind to work alongside him to participate in God’s own work.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it" (Gen. 2:15).

Through our work, God provides food and drink, products and services, knowledge and beauty, organizations and communities, growth and health, and ultimately, praise and glory to Himself. Our work is designed to fulfill God's intentions. It is primarily through our work that we contribute to the greater good, discover meaning in our everyday lives, and leave a lasting impact on the world. We all desire to make a mark on the world, to ensure our lives have significance. This is because we were created with value and sigificance by our loving creator.

There are two words in Hebrew in Genesis 2:15 regarding human calling, avad (“work” or “till”) and shamar (“keep”). These same words are also used to describe our vocation (work) to worship God and keep his commandments. Work done according to God’s purpose is holy

On this Labor Day, I wonder what it might look like if we believed that our work, no matter what we are doing, is fulfilling God’s purpose and is in fact HOLY.

What might the implications for our work be?

How would God go about doing our job?

What values would God bring to it?

What products would God make?

Which people would God serve?

What organizations would God build?

What standards would God use?

In what ways should our work display the God we represent?

Upon completing a task, can we look at the outcomes and feel grateful, thinking, "Thank you, God, for the opportunity to work alongside you in achieving this"?

LET US PRAY

Oh God, put your grace into my heart so I may praise your great and glorious name. You have made me, and you send me into the world to do your work. Assist me to fulfill the purpose of my creation, and to show my praise by giving myself to your service. Amen.