In Genesis 1, Scripture launches us into a magnificent creation story where the Lord fervently works for six days, speaking the cosmos into existence. Finally, on Day Six, a man and woman—the crown of creation—are formed in the Imago Dei (1:27). When Jesus arrives on earth, he continues to labor: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17).

We are also called to work hard, and to do both the paid and unpaid kind of work. Raising kids, volunteering in our communities, and the ministries we engage in at church and overseas are unpaid activities but often feel more meaningful than our actual careers. Should that be the case? I wonder if Christians have given their professions too little thought or assigned them too little value.

Much work needs to be done, and God calls us to it. “Six days you shall labor…” (Deut 5:13).

What is Work?

Scientifically speaking, work is a physics term. It’s calculated by multiplying force times distance (W = D x F) and is measured in Joules. We push and the object or project goes forward. That’s why we say, “raising kids is a lot of work,” “I worked on the house today,” or “My spouse and I are working on our marriage.” All of these denote that you’re moving that project, ministry, or relationship somewhere—your kids are becoming mature and growing in the Lord, your housing is becoming remodeled, or your marriage is in the process of improving. Notice that work isn’t solely effort. Indeed, you can exert a lot of energy and see no results. Actual work implies that something is produced and that there is fruit to the labor. No progress, no work.

Paid work has the same qualifications as the non-paid type but adds a paycheck. In this light, a Christian career can be defined as partnering with God to create valuable products and services that provide a living wage. Your job is the role you are assigned to make that happens. Specifically, a career is a longer-term job where you can grow, learn, and move up in an organization. A job, trade, career, or profession hold slightly different meanings, but I’ll use these terms interchangeably for simplicity’s sake.

A Bain or a Blessing?

Christians get the idea of paid work wrong in two ways. First, they see it as pointless or a necessary curse. The other extreme is offloading too much meaning in what they do from 8 am-5 pm. In this latter sense, their career becomes a bigger part of their lives than God intended—a veritable idol and usurps the place of God.

Per the first fallacy, if you believe life is about 1) getting the least done as possible; 2) buying your time on earth until heaven, a job will be a bain. In this fatalistic view, the world is only a Fallen stepping stone to an eternity with Christ. Why bother? If this is you, you might have etched in your mind, Ephesians 2:8-9 but did you neglect verse 10?

You can certainly hold a job and receive a paycheck without actually earning it. In the cult classic Office Space, a dark comedy from the late 90s, the main character, Peter, despises his job. In one scene, outside consults interview Peter and ask him about his typical day at the office.

[Consultants] So, if you would, would you walk us through a typical day for you?

[Peter] Well, I generally come in at least 15 minutes late. I use the side door. That way Lumbergh [his boss] can’t see me. And after that, I just sort of space out for about an hour.

[Consultants]- Space out?

[Peter] Yeah. I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I’m working.

[Peter]  I do that for probably another hour after lunch too. I’d say in a given week, I probably only do about 15 minutes of real, actual work.

It’s hard not to smile at his lackadaisical demeanor and seemingly professional doom, but I feel pangs when people have mentally checked out of their jobs. The Bible speaks to the unmotivated, sloth-like person in Proverbs 6:6: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Paul admonishes the Thessalonians by writing, “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies” (2 These 3:11). These folks haven’t been taught how valuable and meaningful work can be.

The Bible calls us to work for the well-being of others, not just for the weekend. The truth is that your work is tethered to your emotional health. Some of the most unmotivated or miserable workers are happy at church on Sunday but hate what they do Monday through Friday. Rightly they come to church to hear the Gospel, learn Scripture, and be social. At the same time, a couple of hours, even at the most charismatic service isn’t enough to counteract their spirits after their regular, agonizing work week. They need more—they were designed for more.

Most of us will spend more than 80,000 hours at a paid job in this life, not counting the work we do as a volunteer or any of your other side projects. Therefore why not find a type of work that is meaningful to you?

Some people fall into the other trap of turning work into an idol. Idols are good things that have been turned into “ultimate things” As pastor and author Timothy Keller notes, “You will not have a meaningful life without work, but you cannot say that your work is the meaning of your life. If you make any work the purpose of your life—even if that work is church ministry—you create an idol that rivals God”[1]. These men and women got caught in a sixty-hour work week not only because they enjoy it but because they are trying to fill some emotional or spiritual void in their life. God worked for six days but wasn’t a workaholic.

We are called neither to ignore work, loathe work, or bow down to it. Overall, a job makes a horrible savior. Instead, we are called to do good works for the Kingdom and to provide for ourselves and our families. Sometimes you can combine those disparate fields by being a pastor, missionary, or nonprofit employee. But most won’t be called to a full-time ministry role. The goal of paid work is to find a career you enjoy, honors God, and produces a helpful product or service to the world, and most of that will be outside the church.

God Loves Work

God loves all kinds of work. He created it. He not only worked for six days, but Jesus worked and called us to find a career or at least a job to contribute to society. Work is a joy, not a curse, and God considered it good before the Fall. According to the Theology of Work Project, Scripture reveals “859 Bible passages that relate to work”[3].

In Genesis, God gives man and woman dominion over the earth. “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Gen 1:26). God called men and women to have dominion over creation, to take care of it and see that it multiplies under the ultimate and authority of God the Creator. Likewise, in Genesis 2:15, God tasks the ma within tending the Garden.

God praises the wise and eager workers in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. In this passage, a master leaves three servants in care of his property and goes on a journey. Each is given a “talent” of money to invest and grow their master’s wealth with.  The first sergeant receives five talents, the second two, and the third one. The master returns and praises the first two servants who invested their five and, in return, doubled their value. The master praised them, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful a little; I will set you over much.”

Even though the master gave the pair of obedient servants different talents, he rewarded them the same. “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Because of their faithfulness with what they had, they were given more responsibility. “What is the reward for work? More work,” as Professor Ben Witherington rightly observes. Once you’re faithful with the small resources God has given you, he now trusts you to take on new, bigger, and more significant challenges. Success begets more responsibility.

However, the one-talent servant was unfaithful. He did nothing with his talent except bury it in the ground and wait for his master to return. Much can be said about the lazy and unproductive servant, but let’s say that it didn’t end well for him.

Finally, God loves work so much that it will be a crucial activity in the new heavens and earth. Isaiah 65:21-23 states:

They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.

Notice the key phrases “build house”, “plant vineyards,” and “will not labor in vain.” We will continue to work on this earth even though it isn’t fully redeemed at the moment. I find working in eternity with Jesus reassuring. I never wanted to recline on a cloud in the sky, playing the harp all day. Do you?

I’m Tired of “Someday”

Not only was God a worker, but he also created us to be. Work is a significant part of our lives. Just like God gave Adam and Eve the Garden to attend to, work gives us meaning, purpose, and a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

And there is much work to do. Job states, “ A man’s days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set” (14:5). James asks of this life, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (4:14)

Have you thought endlessly, like I have, about, what kind of paid work would be a good fit for you? Maybe you don’t know exactly, but one thing you do know is that you’re ready to jump in. Is deliberating time over? Perhaps you’ve been to enough spiritual retreats, vision trips, conferences, and fireside chats with friends. In your heart, you exclaim, “Put me in, coach!” I’m tired of plain to do stuff someday.

Are you willing to do what it takes to find a job you love or at least enjoy? Some of you are like a wild Mongoose stuck in a cage, ready to pounce and make a difference in the world. Others need encouragement, and a fire lit in their bellies to get to work. If this is you, I pray for inspiration or at least courage to take a step and experiment until you find something worth waking up early for.

But if you’re already in a professional position you love, there’s no reason to change. Keep learning, growing, blessings others, and honor God right where you are. If ain’t broke…

God loves work but also took a break on the Seventh Day.

Not all work is paid, but we’ll spend much of our lives earning a paycheck. So, why not spend it doing something that gives you meaning? The Lord calls us to co-create with him products and services that benefit the world and humankind.

Today is not a day to dilly-dallier. Don’t worry about your age or what it would take to make a career change. Just start. The apostles were in their teens and twenties when Jesus recruited them, while Moses and Aaron were in their eighties when speaking to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:7). It’s never too late to find what work God has in store for you. In the classic fable, The Alchemist, an old man tells the young boy a story about a baker who wanted to travel the world: “He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of”[3].

For six days, work hard at something you enjoy and can get paid for. Then rest.

Next up–>>What About Finding Your Passion?

[1] Keller, Timothy. Every Good Endeavor (p. 40). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[2] https://www.theologyofwork.org/resources/free-ebook-calling

[3] Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist (p. 24). HarperOne. Kindle Edition.