Victory in Profession: Man Was Created For Work

via TJC

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15

This week’s focus is on Victory in Profession through a progressive dialogue on the stages of work in our lives - from creation to student to first job to senior employee to “retirement” (retirement just means working in a different capacity; remember, Joshua and Caleb continued to work into their 80's, and Caleb asked for and took the high ground when he was in his 80's, so, retirement does not mean no longer working!).

As shown from the verse quoted above, God created man, took him and placed him where He wanted him to be, and purposed him to work and keep up the place where God had put him. That is exactly what God has done and provided for each of us!

The word “work” is in the Bible over 400 times, so, God very much places an emphasis on His purposing man to work. He himself is a worker, as demonstrated by God’s work of creation in Genesis Chapter 1. God saw that His work was “good”, so we know what God thinks about the work of His hands. We are created in God’s image, and are to be like Him, and that includes fulfilling our mission through purposeful work.

On a personal side, I absolutely love working together with my Dad. We enjoy each other's company, work well together, and when we are done with the work at-hand, we realize the fruits of our labor together when we look and see the finished product. That is satisfying, and I am convinced that is one of the blessings of work that God intended.

Many people choose to work at trying to get out of doing work, work at short-cuts to get out of doing work, or choose to not to work at all. As a result, they are missing out on the blessings of the work of their hands that God has in store for them by fulfilling their purpose to work and keep up the place where God has put them. They are missing out on the Victory that is theirs from God through the work of their hands on work that God has provided for them to do.

Daily Battle Order:

Are you missing out on a blessing because of your attitude toward work, your work habits, or your choice not to work? If so, your Daily Battle Order is to challenge that that attitude, that habit, that choice, and seek out God’s guidance for change relative to work. If you are experiencing the joy that comes through the work of your hands that God has provided to you, your Daily Battle Order is to share that joy with others so that they can experience fulfillment in God’s mission for them through purposeful work.