Why Work?
Work is a major part of life.
We go to school as children, youth, and young adults, all with the aim of being something and doing something when we grow up. We narrow this focus in trade school or college, selecting a skill or a major that will pave the way for our vocational future. We pay attention to economic reports that tell us about the unemployment rate, inflation, the cost of living, and real wages. We monitor 401Ks and Roth IRAs, all with the hope that one day we will be able to stop working. We find ourselves unable to work in our later years, and we feel like we’re just in the way, not able to contribute anything to anyone. We write obituaries in which we almost always detail what a person did for a living, either in the workplace or in the home.
Work is a major part of life – and death.
Work is the expenditure of mental and/or physical activity to achieve a desired result. Work may or may not involve compensation. Work may or may not be recognized with a title or a position. Work can take place in a family, in an economy, or in a government. Work can even be spiritual in nature. Work can involve work with your hands, and it can call for work with your mind.
We all recognize work when we see it and especially when we do it. However, many of us are confused about why we ought to work. The Bible offers the following motivations for work.
We work because God works. This is the testimony of Genesis 1-2, when God created the heavens and the earth. When God’s work was complete, he rested – not because he was tired or weary, but because his work was complete. While the work of creation came to an end, God continues to work at sustaining and upholding the world he created. As creatures created in God’s image, we work because God works.We work because God commands us to work. Again, this is inherent in the creation account where God’s working and resting becomes a pattern that human beings are called to follow. It is also made clear in the Ten Commandments where commandment four calls God’s people to work six days and rest one day. We often focus on the rest involved in the Sabbath, but the command is also a call to work. We work to provide for ourselves and our families. Idleness was a problem in the church at Thessalonica. The apostle Paul spoke plainly about the importance of work and the importance of earning a living so that you are not dependent on the work of others. Of course there are some who cannot work to provide for themselves, and they ought to be helped by the body of Christ. But those who can work, should work. We work so that we can give to others in need. Ephesians 4 presents the Christian with a motivation for work that goes beyond providing for oneself and ones family. There, the apostle Paul calls the thief to stop stealing and get an honest job. This involves a repentant thief providing for his own needs, but it also gives a repentant thief the ability to share with those who are truly in need. Our work allows us to be generous.We work to be salt and light. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called his disciples to live as salt and light. To be effective, salt has to be exposed to that which might decay. Likewise, to be helpful, light has to be introduced into the darkness. Jesus clearly wanted his disciples to make an impact on the world around them. Those who work have the opportunity to do just that, whether at home, at church, or in the workplace. We work to contribute to the good of society. In the beginning, God called his image bearers to exercise dominion over creation. Theologians refer to this call as the “cultural mandate.” It was a call to make the world a better place through our work. Even in a fallen world this call remains. Ezekiel affirmed the importance of this call when he urged the Judean exiles to work for the good of their new home in Babylon.
