Would you consider your work good?
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"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31a).
Growing up I was warned by my parents to watch out for "bad" four-letter words. For some reason they would pop into my head just trying not to think about them. One has likely popped into your mind already; a bad word that evokes negative emotions.
Unfortunately, the word "work" often conjures a similar negative emotion. But is work really just another four-letter word?
Well, yes, but not in the way you are programmed to think. In fact, God has another four-letter word for work, "Good." Genesis tells us that on the sixth day, after God finished the greatest construction project ever–the work of creation–He looked back on all of His work and said, "It is good." Did you know on the very day He had created animals, birds, fish, man, and woman, He also created something else?
Did you know God actually created work? He produced a workplace called Eden for Adam and Eve, a place for them to work. It was a vital part of the plan and helped define their purpose on earth. Surprising, isn't it? Knowing that work is good and that it was created by God is an eye-opener for most people. Work is described by culture in many ways–including "a necessary evil." You don't hear many people standing around talking about how great work is–yet, God Himself says it is good.
The first glimpse God gives us of Himself in scripture is a picture of Him working—and working hard. He spent each day working to shape and create a perfect world—the heavens, earth, water, land, plants, trees, animals and human beings.
What God did in those six days was staggering, but He didn't stop working after that. He continues working until this very moment. He is still creating, sustaining, providing, blessing, healing, loving, giving, answering, rescuing, delivering, forgiving, redeeming and more. His work is, quite literally, never done. Your God is a creator, a worker, and He says work is good.
So today let's start viewing our work the same way God does: good.
Written by Doug Spada, founder and CEO of WorkLife, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Content distributed byWorkLife.org.
 | WorkLife Success applies biblical principles to help churches minister to their congregations in the area of work. Additionally, we help businesses increase productivity by addressing their employees' emotional and spiritual anxiety surrounding the most stressful day of the week — Monday. The end goal is to produce workers that experience the amazing joy and purpose that God intended through work. Learn More » |
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