Paul said to the Ephesians “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands..” Likewise he wrote “if anyone is unwilling to work then such individual should not eat”. God said in Deuteronomy 28:12 “I will bless the work of your hands..” Therefore, our work is of utmost importance to God just as it should be to us. If you search through the scriptures, the promises of the blessings of God are always relative to our work. All the patriarchs that God blessed had something doing. Apart from the pronouncement of God’s blessings on them, they were hard workers. Isaac as an example became so wealthy that the Philistines became jealous of him and poured dirt in all the well he inherited from his father, Abraham. He reopened the wells and dug another but controversy came up such that he had to leave. He kept digging until there were no longer arguments and finally named it “REHOBOTH”.
God wants us to see that work is His gift to us and not a curse. It is not as a result of the fall. God gave Adam and Eve the job of cultivating the garden and exercising dominion over the world before sin entered the world. We were created to work and for work. We bring glory to God by working industriously, demonstrating what He is like, and serving others by cooperating with God to meet their needs. In serving others, we serve God. And that’s why our work matters to God. Rick Warren said, “Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of His presence.” When you connect your faith with your job and let God lead your career, you start to realize that your daily labours have eternal significance. As long as your motivation is right, the Bible says that whatever you do can become a ministry. That means menial tasks become meaningful tasks when you do them out of love for God. SHALOM!
CONFESSION
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