Presented by Julie Busteed
When you hear the word work or think about your work, what comes to mind first? Do you think about work primarily as something that you have to do to pay the bills? Is it a source of boredom, frustration, and drudgery? Or maybe you enjoy your work, and it is a space where you can be creative and challenged and satisfied. Probably for most, it’s some combination of both. So, let’s look at how God created work and how you and I can undervalue or overvalue it.
The word “work” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 2 after the creation story in Genesis 1 and before the fall in Genesis 3. Work is not a result of sin entering the world. Work is affected by it, but God’s original purpose for work was for our good.
In Hebrew there are two different words which are translated into “work.” The first one is in Genesis 2:2-3.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:2-3).
This indicates work is something God does. So work is good. To see how God works, we go back to Genesis one and look for all the action verbs and the work characteristic that it goes with:
God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). This displays his authority.
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4). God separated, which shows organization expertise.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night” (Genesis 1:5). God names things, which provides order and administration.
Throughout much of the creation account God speaks things into existence indicating his creativity, authority, and communication.
At the end of his work God saw that it was good. God saw all he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). He reviewed and evaluated all that he had done. Another important skill used in work.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).
Since you and I are made in his image, we are made to do good work, to do amazing and wonderful things. It is God’s gift allowing you to express your identity through your creativity.[1]
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[1] Some content used with permission by Tim Vickers and IFES Graduate Impact.