Our daily work reflects who we are: image-bearers of a God who spends His days working. “The works of the Lord are great,” writes the psalmist. “Honourable ... glorious ... made to be remembered” (Ps. 111). God’s work is not inci­dental but at the core of His existence. His infinity limits the comparisons between His work and ours. Still, His self-revelation in Scripture shows Him busy with creation, providence, and redemption. God is not passive, simply receiving the praise and accolades that His work deserves; that has its place, but not at the expense of the work He does and expects of His creatures.

The Christian road to work has two ditches. The “work is a necessary evil” ditch contains elements of truth. Work is necessary. “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). It also has been warped by the fall. “Cursed is the ground for your sake,” God told Adam in Eden.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.

Thorns and thistles that accompany work are not only physical ones but include the workplace politics, the unjust selfishness that takes advantage of others, and the tedium that is part of every job.

The “worship is more important than work” ditch also is based on truth. To minimize “the necessary evil,” some spend as little time as possible working, preferring more spiritual activities. The monastic impulse is expressed not only in historical orders but also in current attitudes. Here, work has no spiritual value and is valued only for its completion. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:33) establishes a clear priority that in our day often is forgotten. Our six days of labor, if not understood in the context of the seventh day of rest in which God is worshipped for His goodness and what He has made, inevitably leads to idolatry.

In these ditches, work is devalued, but the Christian road to work puts it in its God-ordained place. A Christian works in the context of the hopeful groanings of Romans 8. As we carry out our God-given vocations, stewarding the unique gifts He has provided us in the context where His providence has placed us, we experience the “bondage of corruption.” But we also recognize that it is through carrying out our calling that we participate in the great story of history which leads from the garden of Genesis 1 to the great city of Revelations 21, in which nations and kings will walk (v. 24). The Christian hope will have physical expression when in our redeemed bodies (Rom. 8:23) we will carry out our vocations perfectly.

Solomon captures something of this “now but not yet” perspective of work, noting that man should “enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God” (Eccl. 3:13). We receive this gift in a context of life’s vanity, recognizing that our calling is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (also the commandment to work) and acknowledging that “God shall bring every work into judgement.” Those who have been crucified with Christ live in the flesh, Christ living in them (Gal. 2:20). Here is comfort, also for our work. It is Christ’s perfect obedience, earned in part in His father’s carpenter shop but also in His ministry vocation, that is the evidence that will be considered. Christ’s obedience will be judged as being perfect. His blood will cover the penalty for our imperfections, also our workplace sins. And so the Christian goes to work with joy, knowing that He serves and worships a God who also works.

• How does your work utilize the gifts you have been given as an image-bearer of God?
• What are the particular idolatries you are tempted to in your specific work context?
• How does living in the flesh but with Christ in us come to expression in our work?
• How might thinking about the work we will do in the new earth inspire us for our calling today?