Most Christians are familiar with this
verse:
“For we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.” Ephesians
2:10 (NIV)
Just a little bit of thought
raises the questions: What are those good works? How do we know them? Our
minds immediately cite things like helping the poor and supporting missionaries.
Some of us may think of the projects and programs promoted by the institutional
church. Once we have those top of the mind issues on the list, is there anything
else? Specifically, we spend most of our days in the marketplace.
So, Is what we do for a living a ‘good work?’
Let’s look at some of what the Bible
has to say.
In Genesis 2:2, we learn that God
worked, and Adam, the first man, was given the charge to “work the garden and care
for it.” (Genesis 2:15) Following this lifetime purpose, God gave Adam a task that
fit within that purpose: To name the animals. God brought the animals to Adam and
Adam named them. This is the first recorded instance of God preparing a good work,
assigning it to a man, and then working with him to complete the task.
Let’s note a couple of things about
this event. First, the nature of the task wasn’t ‘churchy’ in the sense most of
us think of ‘good works’ today. The task was to create a way to better communicate
with God. Prior to this, Adam couldn’t speak with God about the animals, as there
were no words for them. So, God engaged Adam in a specific task to solve an urgent
problem. The result of this task was Adam co-creating with God a more organized
and sophisticated world.
Notice the teamwork. God assigned
a task to Adam and then worked with him to complete that task. This set the precedent
for how God has worked with mankind ever since. God assigns a task and then works
with us to complete that task. We see this pattern repeated over and over again
in the pages of scripture. Think of any Biblical character, and you’ll see that
pattern in his/her life. Moses, Noah, Joseph, Abrahm, Saul, David, Jesus, Paul,
etc.
Fast forward to the New Testament,
and we discover that God has added an additional layer of import to the idea:
“23 Whatever you
do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord
as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-25, NIV
Now, it is not just a matter of completing a task, it is doing it with the motivation
that you are working for the Lord in whatever you do. While some specific tasks
may still be given to individuals by God, the criteria has changed. Now, instead
of only tasks given to us by God, the issue is our attitude toward “whatever” we
find ourselves doing. We are to work hard at every task. Instead of the emphasis
being on the task, it has shifted. Now, the nature of the task is less important
than the attitude of the person engaged in the task. It is not about what we do,
it’s about for whom we do it.
Back to our question: Is what we
do for a living a ‘good work?’ Here’s one person’s opinion.
It could be, if approached with
the right attitude. It was God who put us in the situation in which we currently
find ourselves. He provided us with a beginning set of traits and skills, and helped
develop those through the life experiences, relationships and opportunities he has
given us. So, in a sense he has prepared a ’good work’ for us to do, in the same
way that he prepared the task of naming the animals for Adam and countless others
over the generations.
We, however, have the choice to
enter into the task in a worldly, God-less way, or to view it as a means of obeying
the Lord, and doing it for His honor. It is not so much about what we do, as it
is about for whom we do it. Any task completed to give honor to the Lord is a good
work.
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)
If we were to look at everything
we do as a ‘good work” what specifically would that look like?
1. We would dedicate the task to
Christ. This process begins when we give our lives to Christ at our conversion,
and extends to every week, every day and every hour as we keep Christ in mind in
all that we do.
2. We would stive to adhere to Biblical
principles as we worked at the task. We would be honest, fair, loving, etc. in the
way that we attacked the issue.
3. We would embed appropriate Christian
practices into the process. Surrounding the task with prayer and seeking the Holy
Spirit’s guidance are a couple of Christian practices that season our careers.
4. We would strive to complete the
task with excellence, as is fitting for something done for the Lord.
Whatever your
hand finds to do, do it with all your might, Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)
Back to our question: Is what
we do for a living, — our jobs, careers and businesses – a good work?
If we do them for Christ, absolutely.
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