What Christians Should Think of Work

04 Sep What Christians Should Think of Work

HOW WE WORK REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO GOD

My father taught me to do my work well. He taught me to show up on time, work hard while I was there, and not quit until the job was done.

I remember a time I learned firsthand the value of that wisdom. I was working a much-needed part-time job at a church furniture factory while in college. I was in a part of the factory where wood was being sawn, and the expansive floor was typically ankle deep in sawdust.

After I had been there a couple weeks, a person who had been injured returned to work and took my job. I learned later that I was probably hired temporarily to cover his short-term absence.

I showed up at work the next day and had nothing to do. So, following my father’s values, I went to work anyway. I swept the entire floor and disposed of a mountain of sawdust.

When the foreman came in, he stared bug-eyed at the extraordinary cleanliness on the factory floor and said, “Who did this?”

I said, “I did.”

He didn’t say anything else, but from that time on, he gave me a series of jobs to do to keep me employed, rather than lay me off (including keeping the floor swept). That was also over Thanksgiving, and as he gave away free frozen turkeys to all full-time employees, he looked me up and made sure that I got one as well, even though I was only part-time.

I was able to work until the end of that semester, providing much needed income as I put myself through school.  As I reflected on that experience, I remember thinking… “Hmm, hard work does pay off.”

The Dignity of Work

As I write this, we are celebrating Labor Day here in the United States, and it is a good time for Christians to remind ourselves about the dignity of work. We worship a God who “worked” to make the world, and who created human beings in His image to be workers.

God delegated oversight of the earth to humanity (Genesis 1:26). In Psalm 8:6, David said, “You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands.” We are to be God’s stewards over creation, and to manage it according to His values and standards.

Of course, God would not abuse His creation. He would not squander its resources. He would not be cruel or inconsiderate of its welfare. And so, neither should we.

God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave them the responsibility to cultivate and care for the earth. It is a high calling for God’s children to be His stewards, taking the resources He has given us and creating as much good from them as we can.

Martin Luther championed the dignity of work when he said that whether one was preaching the gospel or scrubbing floors, it was pleasing to God and should be done in a way that honors Him.

500 years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

What Scripture Says About Work

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the apostle Paul wrote, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” In Ecclesiastes 9:10, we read, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

These sweeping statements include our work.

What’s more, in Colossians 3:22-24, we read:

Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

There it is in black and white:  we serve God by doing our work well.

Conclusion

Former professional baseball player Sam Ewing once said, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

So true.  How Christians work reflects our character and our commitment to God, who gave dignity to our work and asks us to do it well.

So this Labor Day, Christians should remember:

• All labor derives its dignity as a reflection of our Creator
• Doing our work well makes the world a better place
• Doing our work well creates advantages for us
• Doing our work well honors God

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