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Work, work, work, work, work, work

by Andrew Pilley

We live in a country where working hard is deemed important. It even consumes our lives. But at the same time, most of us are just living for the weekend or desperate for our next holiday. South Africans are known to be hard workers. It is an excellent value to have, to be somebody who works hard. But it is important that we understand who we are working for.

To be honest, in my teenage years, I was not interested in work… of any form. I had no interest in doing schoolwork, helping around the house, anything that could be construed as work was not for me. All I wanted to do, was play and have fun. Playing golf, the latest computer game or being with my friends seemed more important and beneficial to my wellbeing. This was much to my parent’s dismay, particularly my mother. However, right from the first passage in the Bible we read about how God worked. In Genesis chapter 1 we read that, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. That is, He worked. He spent 6 days working to create His beautiful masterpiece. God worked to create everything incredible that we can see (and cannot see) around us today. In Genesis 1:26, we read that God created us in His own image and that He placed us in charge of His creation. God created us to work and in doing so we glorify Him.

Colossians 3:22-25 (The Message) says, “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”

You may work for a company and therefore have a boss who has employed you to fulfil a role within the business. The Bible tells us to not do the bare minimum to get by, but to give it your all, do your best for you are not working to please people but to glorify God. The next time your boss asks you to do something that you feel is unfair, do not be caught saying, “that is not in my job description, or I don’t get paid enough for this.” Everything you do, do it unto the Lord for His glory (Colossians 3:17/1 Corinthians 10:31). I am sure you will also notice that the verse says that if you work from your heart for God, that you can be confident that you will get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. This verse does not promise that your boss will pay you the big bucks for being the best you can be. Only that God will reward you with what will be rightfully yours one day, in heaven.

Furthermore, we have each been created by God with our own personal talents and abilities. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (The Passion Translation) says, “But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am! And His grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest, yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace is poured out upon me.”

God has wisely gifted all of us with abilities and talents that we use to earn a living but most importantly, to glorify Him. We need to remember that everything that we have has been graciously given to us by God. Our ability to work, to earn a living, to create value for ourselves and others is a gift from God.

Romans 11:6 (The Passion Translation) says, “And since it is by God’s grace, it can’t be a matter of their good works; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a gift of grace, but earned by human effort.”

Monday, the 1st of May is Worker’s Day. It is important that on this public holiday you remember some key points about work:

  1. God has called us to work while we are on earth. This could be in the form of working for a company as an employee or as an owner of your own business. But our work should also be in the form of making Jesus known. Remember, all work should be done unto the Lord, for His Glory.
  2. We have graciously been given abilities and talents from our Creator to work. Everything that we achieve is not through human effort but rather our work is made fruitful through Christ. So, thank God for the abilities and talents that He has blessed you with and use them for His Kingdom.
  3. Even though God created us to work, even God rested on the seventh day. So, during this Worker’s Day, enjoy your well-deserved rest and make sure to rest in Him!