THE
BLESSING OF WORK
BREAD
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the
Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are
free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)
24 A man
can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.
This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (NIV)
12 The
sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much. Ecclesiastes 5:12 (NIV)
19 Moreover,
when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them,
to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days
of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 (NIV)
2 Why
spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the
richest of fare. Isaiah 55:2 (NIV)
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to
do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you
not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes
and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even
now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life,
so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus
the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent
you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and
you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
John 4:34-38 (NIV)
4 “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent
me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the
world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5
(NIV)
32 “Now I
commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give
you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone's
silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have
supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed
you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words
the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to
give than to receive.’” Acts
20:32-35 (NIV)
14 Do
everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become
blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of
life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or
labor for nothing. 17 But
even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and
service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and
rejoice with me. Philippians 2:14-18
(NIV)
10 For we
are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians
2:10 (NIV)
23 Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving. 25 Anyone
who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)
17 And
whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The first and great work of a Christian
is about his heart.” Jonathan Edwards
“Work designed for
eternity can only be done by the eternal Spirit.” A. W. Tozer
“We do the works,
but God works in us the doing of the works.”
Augustine
“Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt
conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.” St. Ignatius Loyola
“There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from
lack of work.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“All
work is sacred work for the child of the King.
There is to be no difference between the secular and the sacred. The believer brings the glory of God and the
sweet aroma of Jesus to every job – every encounter - working wholeheartedly as
unto the Lord – not for man - through the achieving power of the indwelling
Holy Spirit. All jobs from motherhood to
medical to janitorial to legal to businessman to student to server to whatever –
makes no difference the “what” rather the motivation behind why we do what we do
which is to bring God all glory. It is
His desire for us to work and take care of His world – just as He told Adam
before the fall – and bring the Good News to others in our spheres through both
our actions and words. This is for our
ultimate good btw, satisfying both heart and soul. We live our lives for an audience of One and
our goal is to hear a ‘well done good and faithful servant.’” BHY
“Work is glorious because of
how it intersects with God’s ongoing creative, restorative mission in the
world. It is glorious because of how it moves God’s Garden toward becoming the
Holy City it’s destined to be. But how do we determine whether our vocational
endeavors are genuinely good endeavors?
The answer to this question is simple. Any kind of work
that leaves people, places or things in better shape than before—any kind of
work that helps the city of man become more like the City of God where truth,
beauty, goodness, order and justice reign—is work that should be celebrated as
good.” Scott Sauls
“Our word ‘professional’
came out of the Reformation when Christians declared that there was no
separation between the sacred and the secular. Reformers decided to use
their life's work as an expression of their faith.” Donna
Evans
“The real
difference between the Buddhist and the Christian cannot be seen in their
behavior, but in their heart and motives. One works to be saved, the other
works because he is already saved. One can never rest from his work of making
merit, the other rests in the work of Christ. One has no idea where he will go
when he dies; the other has the full assurance of an eternity with God. The
good news has never seemed more good.”
Suzy Triplett
“I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might
help Him. I ended up by asking Him to do
His work through me.” Hudson Taylor
“It is not what a man does that determines
whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it.” A. W.
Tozer
“The fact
that Jesus Christ is to come again is not a reason for star-gazing, but for
working in the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Charles Spurgeon
“God’s work done in God’s way
will never lack God’s supply.” Hudson
Taylor
“Greatness is not
made through one trial or one victory.
It is hammered out over and over on the anvil of daily demands. Most often this work is done alone – in
complete obscurity. But God sees every
word, every choice, and every action.
Devoted hearts are never wasted.
He frequently uses the obscure, the broken, or the outcast for some of
His greatest work.” Charles
R. Swindoll
“Hard
work is a thrill and a joy when you are in the will of God.” Robert
A. Cook
HEART
SAVOR
- · God desires for us to work with all our hearts as working for the Lord wherever He places us.
- · God’s work in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.
- · God has prepared in advance good works for us to do.
